Ruby reméli, hogy ez az a kiugrási lehetőség, amelyre mindig is várt, ugyanis Englandék befolyásos gyártulajdonos dinasztiából származnak, jelentős vagyonnal rendelkeznek. Mrs England is a visually breathtaking, richly detailed and exquisitely constructed portrait of the power play behind a troubled Edwardian marriage from an author whose gift to her readers is to stuff her stories with thrilling atmospherics, nuggets of real social history, and complex maternal and feminist insight. Stacey Hall is attentive to the details of history, giving the story credibility and adding layers of interest.

Mrs. England: A Novel - Kindle edition by Halls, Stacey

When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. England’s mill, some barefoot, some coughing, but the children of the wealthy were for the most part well dressed and had access to healthcare. Used to caring for the children of rich Londoners, Ruby is startled at the lax rules in the England household and the familial dysfunction - most notably, the unorthodox roles of the parents with Mr. At first daunted by the prospect of having four children under her care, where previously she only had one, Ruby soon settles into life at the isolated Hardcastle House in West Yorkshire. There are themes of mental health and 'gaslighting' explored, and I particularly liked the solidarity that eventually forms between Ruby and Mrs England, and how they support each other.

Her previous novel, Improvement, was a luminous study of interconnected lives, and her latest, Secrets of Happiness, out in August, is just as brilliant. Ugyan csak egy kis szeletét villantja fel az 1900-as évek vidéki Angliájának, mégis amit megmutat az hiteles, és érdekes is egyben.

Mrs England by Stacey Halls: Brimming with mystery, suspense Mrs England by Stacey Halls: Brimming with mystery, suspense

Ruby is a really interesting protagonist and I loved learning about her family and her past alongside her time with the Englands.I did have some trouble caring for any of the characters in the book and found the heroine Ruby, simply too gullible and thick in places, even if her inexperience was meant to be part of her character. Ruby, a naive young woman from Norland, a prestigious nanny training college, acquires a position caring for the children at a large manor house in Yorkshire, where she finds herself surrounded by mystery and secrets. Set in Edwardian times, the story explores the imbalance of power between women and men, particularly when they’re of different social classes, and what that allows people to get away with.