I love historical fiction and so jumped at the chance to read this book, set in Edwardian England. Thank you to NetGalley and Annabel Fielding for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, plus the chance to join the blog tour.
This is the story of an archivist, Agnes Ashford, who is employed to work cataloguing the records of the aristocratic Bryant family. However, she soon uncovers a secret that has huge implications for the family…and Agnes’ place with them. The Bryant family are not going to be pushed around and Agnes finds her position – from archivist to Helen Bryant’s personal secretary to something more – increasingly problematic as the stormclouds of the First World War begin to gather.
I loved the setting of the novel. Hartfell Hall felt suitably sinister and claustrophobic – especially the tunnels under the house which become Agnes’ domain as she sorts through the Bryant’s documents and artefacts. It isn’t a comfortable setting, and rightly so – the family have seen tragedy and have secrets that need to stay hidden. Other parts of the novel shift to Rome and Venice and the sense of place is just as fabulous – I love the idea of a Grand Tour accompanied by a Baedeker travel guide which feels gloriously E M Forster-esque!
Indeed, the historical moment of the novel is well done. We get the sense of the decadence of the Edwardian era shifting into something darker and more disturbing with the advent of war. Historical events like the sinking of the Lusitania are woven into the fabric of the novel and it is clearly well-researched. Fielding’s notes at the end about the source material for her story are engaging and demonstrate the thought that has gone in to crafting the novel.
I also enjoyed the characterisation, particularly of some of the women in the novel. Agnes herself is an interesting central figure and we see that she makes some startling decisions for a woman in her day and age. Helen Bryant, the lady of the house, is also well-portrayed and has a steely determination which is to be respected – even if her methods perhaps are less honorable. I also liked the daugher of the family, Meredith – I was really rooting for her as her fate became more uncertain.
The plot of the novel is engaging and did keep my attention, although I did struggle with the more political focus towards the end. I also sometimes found myself a bit lost with the relationship between the characters and their motivations – I think maybe a physical copy of the book would be better for this as I wanted to be able to flick back and forth to check who was who. A family tree in the front would be even better!
Overall, this is an interesting novel about aristocracy, tradition and power. Although it was presented as having LGBT+ themes, I found that this was actually not that central to the novel – the same-sex relationship develops and fades into the background without any real sense of significance or focus on how transgressive it is for reasons of historical moment, social acceptance and the class divide. However, this is an enjoyable historical novel that certainly took paths I wasn’t expecting.
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Header photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash
I liked this book but didn’t love it. The Edwardian era setting was great, though!
Agree all round! Xx