Mrs England by Stacey Halls Book Review

Synopsis

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.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband, and is far from 'the angel of the house Ruby was expecting. As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy as her sister stops writing with news from home, Ruby must face demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect family - and she should know.

My Thoughts

Ruby May, a graduate of the Norland Institute, a recently established school and agency for children's nurses, is assigned to a wealthy family in Yorkshire, the Englands of Hardcastle House. Far from busy London, it is the ideal place for the anonymity Ruby desires as she is still dealing with a personal tragedy that is revealed via flashbacks.

Ruby's initial reaction to Mrs England is as confused as Mrs England appears to be. A mother who takes no interest in her four children and leaves the ordering of their lives and the household to their father is not what Ruby expected and attributes this to Mrs England's poor health.

Unlike his wife, Charles England is warm and welcoming and dotes on his children, although he has strict rules regarding them and Mrs England, some of which Ruby finds disconcerting.

As Ruby settles into her new role, she begins to question Lilian England's sanity. However, when Ruby witnesses several disturbing incidents between Mr and Mrs England, she realises that all is not as she first assumed and is alarmed that Mr England may have discovered her own family's dark secret.

While a great story that held my interest from the start, Mrs England wasn't the Gothic thriller I expected it to be. There were no spine-tingling moments. Instead, the menace was effectively subtle throughout, making the climax to this tale of control and manipulation all the more exciting and satisfying.