Tag: The Servant

October Wrap-Up and November TBR

How is it that time again?! The end of another month and another step nearer Christmas (yay!) and the end of 2020 (*huge sigh of relief*).

This month I have read 11 books and hit my GoodReads Challenge target of 100 books for the year!

It’s been a funny month with some real reading slumps as well as some absolutely BRILLIANT books. So, without further ado, here’s what I read this month…

(Links to books already published are affiliate links – thank you for supporting my blog with any purchases).

October Wrap-Up

I started the month with the brilliant ‘More Than a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran – an often funny, fresh and brutally honest take on what it means to be a middle-aged woman. This was my first five-star read of the month – you can see my review here.

After this, I read ‘Jeeves and the Leap of Faith’ by Ben Schott, a new Jeeves and Wooster novel written with the blessing of the PG Wodehouse estate. Nothing quite hits the highs of Wodehouse’s original novels, but Schott has done a great job of the language and comic elements. You can read my review here.

Next up was a blog tour for ‘The Creak on the Stairs’ by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir, a chilling and dark piece of Nordic Noir crime fiction. Set in Iceland, this follows Chief Investigating Officer Elma as she tries to solve a murder that is stirring up the unsavoury past of some people in the small town of Akranes. You can read my blog tour post here.

Then came ‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies, a dark historical tale of a girl who has fallen on difficult times in Georgian London. This book won the Historical Writers’ Association award for a (then) unpublished novel and is definitely worth a read – my review is here.

One of my audiobooks (listened to in the car with my kids) this month was Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy’, read by Dan Stevens. We all enjoyed this one – a lively performance of a book that I’ve loved since childhood. It has been a joy to relive the experiences of Dahl at school at Repton, on holiday in Norway, with his eccentric family and upsetting teachers and sweet-shop owners alike.

Next up was ‘The Phoenix Project’ by Michelle Kidd for another blog tour in November. This was a fast-paced thriller with a wide scope – London, Paris, Africa, Russian spies and the British Government – and all very tense! Watch this space for my blog tour review.

Then I enjoyed Walburga Appleseed’s ‘The Princess and the Prick’, a short book with some very concise feminist retellings of fairy tales, myths and nursery rhymes. Beautifully illustrated, this managed to pack plenty of food for thought into a small space.

Another short but powerful book was ‘Essex Girls’ by Sarah Perry, a feminist celebration of the qualities of the Essex Girl stereotype. In Perry’s book, Essex becomes a state of mind rather than a geographical location and we are introduced to a host of fabulous women from history. My review is here.

Another of my five-star books this month was ‘Practically Perfect: Life Lessons from Mary Poppins’ by Katy Brand. Anyone with any love for the 1964 film should read this as it is fascinating but delightfully comforting. My review can be found here.

Then I listened to another audiobook, ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’, a charming and funny book about Bill Bryson’s experiences of growing up in the 1950s in Des Moines in Iowa. This one is read by Bryson himself and his dry wit really comes through in the recording.

Finally, I finished the month with ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton, a historical crime novel that I absolutely loved. You can read my review here.

November TBR

I am absolutely awful at predicting what I will read in the future – I read according to my mood and who knows where that may take me!?

However, I do have a lot of NetGalley ARCs that I should read. Here is just a selection:

  • ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell – I loved her previous books and this one promises to be equally fabulous.
  • ‘The Whole Truth’ by Cara Hunter – this is the latest in a great series of police procedurals in which we follow DI Fawley as he tries to uncover truth. I’ve loved the other books so have high hopes for this.
  • ‘The Dead of Winter’ by Nicola Upson – another series I’ve followed for a long time, this one puts crime writer Josephine Tey into the role of detective against the backdrop of Europe in the lead-up to World War II.
  • ‘Hyde’ by Craig Russell – Russell’s first book, ‘The Devil Aspect’, was amazing and I hope this one will be every bit as good. Set in Victorian Edinburgh and featuring a series of mysterious ritualistic murders, this looks like it will be a dark and thrilling read.
  • ‘Mr Wilder and Me’ by Jonathan Coe – I’ve loved previous books by Coe and this, set in the heat of the 1977 summer, looks glorious.
  • ‘Nick’ by Michael Farris Smith – this new book about the early life of the fictional narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby’ looks really interesting.
  • ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge – the latest in another crime series that I’ve enjoyed vey much. This is the latest to feature DCI Jonah Sheens.
  • ‘Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood’ by Jasper Rees – I’ve been granted this one on audiobook and am looking forward to learning more about Wood from her closest friends and colleagues (some of whom narrate the book).

This is ignoring the huge stacks of books in my house and my jam-packed Kindle so we shall wait and see what I actually manage to read!

Header photo with thanks to Alex Geerts for sharing their work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 21st October, 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Taking on a World of Words. Anyone can take part and it is a great way of sharing what you have just finished reading, what you are currently reading and what is next on the TBR.

Affiliate links are provided for books already published – thank you for supporting my blog with any purchases.

What have you recently finished reading?

It hasn’t been a great reading week for me – I’m finding it hard to concentrate on books at the moment, even ones that I am loving!

I have just finished ‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies, an immersive historical crime novel set in Georgian London and featuring a fabulous heroine who really does get put through some tough times. You can read my review here.

What are you reading now?

Because I can’t focus on any one thing for very long, I’ve started a lot of books!

I’m listening to the audiobook of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy’ with my children which is read – rather well, it must be said – by Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame. We are all loving this one and anything that can get my 9 year-old interested in an actual book is nothing short of a miracle!

I’m also listening to Bill Bryson’s ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’, the story of Bryson’s childhood in 1950s America. I’ve always enjoyed Bryson’s travel books but hadn’t come across this collection of autobiographical tales before. It’s (as expected) funny, interesting and engagingly read by the writer himself.

I’ve finally started reading Stuart Turton’s ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ which is…dark so far! It’s early days but it seems to be building a historical setting that I can really buy into.

I’m also still reading ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes. I really like this exploration of the (perhaps unfair) portrayals of women from the world of Greek myth. It is a very involved read though and requires concentration so I’m not progressing as quickly as I thought I would.

What do you think you will read next?

Unfortunately, my reading slump hasn’t coincided with a desire to stop requesting books on NetGalley or buying even more 99p Kindle deals. I am not short of books to read.

Catching my eye at the moment though are the new Cara Hunter book, ‘The Whole Truth’ and ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell.

Given my new-found love of audiobooks, I’m also thrilled to have been given access to the audiobook biography of Victoria Wood, ‘Let’s Do It’ by Jasper Rees and narrated by a selection of Wood’s friends and colleagues including Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. It’s a slightly daunting 20 hours of listening but I loved Victoria Wood and am looking forward to finding out more about her life.

Header photo with thanks Joanna Kosinska for sharing their work on Unsplash.

‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies

I really love historical fiction and was pleased to be given the opportunity to review this book. I came to this book with high hopes because it was awarded the Historical Writers’ Association prize for an (at that point) unpublished novel – if the HWA says it is good, it will be good.

And so it is!

The story follows a young girl, Hannah Hubert, who has fallen on hard times in Georgian London. Although she is descended from a respectable silk weaver and has had the benefits of a good education, she has been forced into service after having been orphaned.

When she is sent to work for the Chalkes, she finds herself in a house of secrets. The mistress of the house is tough and Hannah is given cryptic warnings about the master by other servants. There is a locked room in the house, secret books and mysterious auctions that happen behind closed doors… To add to Hannah’s disquiet, the other servant in the house, Peg, is terrified of the Chalkes.

Thrown into the mix are Hannah’s friendships with two young men – one is an apprentice at the book store where she delivers Mr Chalke’s mysterious documents and the other is a widower farmer who delivers milk to the Chalkes. The real question becomes who she can trust when things go wrong.

I really don’t want to give spoilers that would ruin this book for another reader. However, I came to the book expecting historical crime fiction and it needs to be said that it is so much more than that. Crime is one element of the story, but it is more focused on the character of Hannah and her fight for survival in an extremely hostile world.

Hannah is a fantastic heroine who really develops as a character over the course of the book. She begins as a naïve but educated fifteen year-old whose kindness and desire to help others is evident – her treatment of poor Peg wins her not only Peg’s total loyalty but also the respect of the reader. She is clever, curious and willing to stand up for what she believes – something that puts her in the way of danger. As the book progresses, the reader sees Hannah’s resilience, pride and determination to do the right thing even in the toughest circumstances. I doubt any reader could do anything but root for Hannah throughout!

Without giving too much away, I felt that the book contained strong positive messages about female friendship and the willingness of the poorest in society to support each other when times become tough. I loved the relationship between Peg and Hannah, plus the glorious later addition of a pipe-smoking childminder with a charitable heart.

Another strength in the novel was the colourful historical setting. Georgian London really is evoked in all its glory and grimness. There is a real sense of the hardships of being a servant in this era, plus the seediness of the poorer areas of London. The period detail is perfect – we get a sense of the clothes, routines, lives of the characters – and there is a feeling that a vast amount of research must have gone into the writing of this book, although it never feels laboured.

It must be said that the book does touch on some very dark themes that make for uncomfortable reading at times. This is not cosy historical fiction and Hannah’s (justifiable) fear is palpable as she is cast into some awful situations. The reader has to trust that the story is in safe hands and Hannah’s resolve will see her through.

I thought that this story was well-paced and liked the fact that it was told in a series of short chapters. This made the plot feel like it had real movement and – indeed – it did cover a lot of ground in less than 300 pages. I kept thinking that I’d read just one more chapter, then another and – oh, the next one is so short, should read that too… I raced through it!

I was interested to read that the book was inspired by the writer’s visit to the Foundling Hospital Museum in London. This is somewhere I’d very much like to visit after reading the novel, although I can imagine it is home to many heart-breaking stories of mothers with no other option but to entrust their child to the (possible) kindness of strangers.

Overall, I’d join the Historical Writers’ Association in recommending this book. It is absorbing, lively and immersive – Hannah and her Georgian setting both felt entirely authentic and it is time you made a trip to her world too!

Although my copy of this book was gifted to me by the author, opinions (as always) are entirely my own. Thank you to Maggie Richell-Davies for giving me the book to review.

If you would like your own copy of this book, it can be purchased using my affiliate link below – thank you for supporting my blog.

WWW Wednesday: 14th October, 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It is open for anyone to join in and share what they have been/are/will be reading.

Affiliate links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

What are you currently reading?

I’m still reading ‘Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes from my NetGalley shelf. It’s great so far but I had to put it down to finish off some books for blog tours.

I’m also reading ‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies. This is a Georgian-set mystery and is going well so far. It seems to be a mix of genres – historical, mystery and a bit of romance, I think. It won the Historical Writers’ Association prize for an unpublished novel so I have high hopes!

What have you recently finished reading?

I have just finished ‘The Creak on the Stairs’ by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir, a Nordic Noir crime novel set in Iceland. It’s creepy and tense – but you’ll have to wait for my blog tour date at the weekend for my full review.

I also finished ‘Jeeves and the Leap of Faith’ by Ben Schott, a new Jeeves and Wooster novel out tomorrow and written with the approval of the P. G. Wodehouse estate. It is very funny and in the spirit of the originals – you can read my review here.

What do you think you will read next?

Stuart Turton’s ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ is still waiting for me to have time to read it properly – I think I’ll need to be concentrating on the twists in this one!

I’ve also got another blog tour book to read for November, ‘The Phoenix Project’ by Michelle Kidd. This one is a fast-paced thriller and I’m looking forward to losing myself in the pages.

My NetGalley shelf is still looking at me balefully, so I hope also to polish off some of the excellent titles on there too!

Header photo with thanks to Jonas Jacobsson for sharing their work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 7th October, 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It is open for anyone to join in and share what they have been/are/will be reading!

Affiliate links are provided for books already published – thank you for supporting my blog with any purchases.

What are you currently reading?

I’m finally working my way through my NetGalley shelf!

I’m reading ‘Jeeves and the Leap of Faith’ by Ben Schott – I loved the first of Schott’s new Jeeves books (supported by the Wodehouse Estate) and this is the second. It’s shaping up well so far and will be published later in October, so watch this space for my review.

I’m also finally reading ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes from my NetGalley shelf. I watched her talk about the book as part of the Women’s Prize events online and decided it was time to get reading. For fans of the Greek myths, it is a must.

Finally, I’m also reading ‘The Creak on the Stairs’ by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir for a blog tour later in the month with Random Things Tours (who provided me with the book for review purposes. It’s a chilling and tense slice of Nordic Noir and was published in paperback on 1st October.

What have you recently finished reading?

I’ve finished my two pre-orders from 3rd September – I could not wait to read ‘A Tomb with a View’ by Peter Ross and Caitlin Moran’s ‘More than a Woman‘ but life (and blog tours) got in the way so I have only just got to them! Both are absolutely brilliant – you can read my review of ‘A Tomb With a View’ here and ‘More than a Woman’ will be on the blog tomorrow.

I also recently finished Philip Bowne’s ‘Cows Can’t Jump’ which is also fantastic! It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel as it is so assured, funny and poignant – a coming-of-age story featuring suicidal cows, a European road trip, gravedigging and a shameless attempt at rigging a horse race! My blog tour review will follow on 18th October, so watch this space!

What do you think you will read next?

I’ve been saying it for a while, but ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton is top of my pile. I pre-ordered a gorgeous sprayed-edge copy from Forbidden Planet and cannot wait to dive in!

I was also gifted this book by Maggie Richell-Davies – ‘The Servant’. It looks perfect for me – historical fiction with a crime element!

Aside from that, I have a whole load of NetGalley books to read, plus I’ve been very lucky with book prizes on Twitter recently – I am not short of books to read!

Header photo with thanks to Element5 Digital for sharing their work on Unsplash.