Mrs England (Hardback)
Stacey Halls (author)Published: 10/06/2021
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A young governess must navigate the challenging dynamics of family life underneath the polished surface in this powerful examination of an Edwardian marriage, truth and deception from the author of The Familiars.
West Yorkshire, 1904.
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. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there's something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, Ruby is forced to confront her own demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect family - and she should know.
Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric landscape of West Yorkshire, Stacey Halls' third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781838772864
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 544 g
Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 38 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Halls's terrific third novel is chock full of secrets, deceptions and troubled family histories, with the brooding, blasted landscape of West Yorkshire as the perfect backdrop to this utterly compelling tale. Menacing and marvellously written, this is a hugely accomplished Edwardian chiller. - Daily Mail
Hugely readable with a palpable sense of dread, this is a truly brilliant book. - The Sun
With a desolate setting that shimmers with menace, Stacey Halls' tense novel masterfully tackles issues such as the abuse of power. This enticing and beautifully written story should delight those fans of historical fiction. - Sunday Express
The Familiars author has fast become the queen of historical lit and this new offering, set in 1904, might be her best yet... Evocative and captivating. - Heat Magazine
Halls hits the sweet spot between commercial and literary historical fiction and this feminist gothic thriller is a lovely stealth read, simmering with tension. - Metro
Mesmerising, entrancing, a spellbinding novel of emotion and mystery, a heroine caught in an impossible world of twists, turns and lies. Gripping to the very last page. - Kate Williams
I tingled with suspense, burned with questions and lived Nurse May's story as if it were my own - jumpy and on edge in the menacing atmosphere of Hardcastle House. In precise and evocative prose, Stacey Halls has conjured a devastating, compelling and utterly real world - and I was gripped from start to finish. - Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope
Halls shows genuine skill in building the sense of menace within the England household and in the unfolding of its secrets. - Sunday Times
Full of gothic menace, this Edwardian mystery is convincing and absolutely enthralling. - Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City
Like a stroll on the sun-flecked Yorkshire Dales, Mrs England is both dazzling and dark, as beautiful as it is disturbing. A captivating, sensuous novel about a grand country estate and a family so full of secrets that a peal of children's laughter, the whispers of a maid or a letter hidden under the mattress may bring it all tumbling down. - Inga Vesper, author of The Long, Long Afternoon
A fresh, original story with Gothic overtones and a quiet but deadly subversion. - Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in Rome
Mrs England is jaw-droppingly brilliant. Exquisitely written, incredibly atmospheric, a masterclass in rising tension. The deliciously addictive love-child of Daphne Du Maurier and Henry James, one of those rare books that you want to re-read immediately. - Liz Hyder
Brilliant. An utterly gripping exploration of female fortitude in adversity, with a propulsive, atmospheric plot. Ruby is a wonderful protagonist. - Caroline Lea
This enthralling read is a powerful examination of an Edwardian marriage, and the underlying currents of control, courage and power. - Woman & Home
Halls' third novel builds its tension slowly and carefully, replete with gothic flourishes and revelling in the Upstairs/Downstairs world of a vanished age. - Bookbrunch
Nobody and nothing is what it seems, including Ruby May who has secrets of her own, in this wonderfully menacing mystery. - Red
Halls certainly knows how to write gripping historical fiction. - Good Housekeeping
Highly atmospheric and tense. - Richard Osman, The Observer
As treacherous and invigorating as the moors. I didn't want it to end. - Laura Purcell
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