Book Bingo Reading Challenge 2022! Mrs England – Stacey Halls

Hello Loves!
Well, with me, there’s always a story to tell and today is no exception. I’m a bit behind with this post because I had flu over half term and then this week I managed to drop a desk on my foot. My foot is now an interesting colour to say the least and my toes resemble sausages more than anything else. Thank goodness I managed to see the wands before this happened! As a result, I’m just a bit slower than usual so I apologise that my book choice for February has taken me so long to get up. I’ve also broken my ‘I can’t buy anymore books’ ban because I felt sorry for myself. Never mind – onwards!! Thankfully, it is a brilliant one so I hope this makes it worthwhile!

For February, my choice was: Read a book that takes you back in time. I love novels that transport us back to another place and another time. The writer that came to mind for this was Stacey Halls. I absolutely adored The Familiars, which I read for a previous reading challenge. I still haven’t got to The Foundling but I’d got a beautiful hardback, signed copy of Mrs England so I decided to pick that. On with the review!

What’s it all about?
Despite the title of the novel being Mrs England, at first it appears that the character of Ruby, or Nurse May, is more important. As the novels opens, Ruby has to make the difficult decision to leave her position caring for the children of Mr and Mrs Radlett as they embark on a new adventure in America. Despite not seeing her family very often, Ruby doesn’t feel like she can leave the country, despite her love for the children in her care. Therefore, she has to head back to the Norland institute in the hope of finding another position. It’s slim pickings apart from one advert for a family in West Yorkshire. Four children, two boys and two girls, belonging to the mill owner, Mr Charles and Mrs Lilian England. And so our story begins at Hardcastle House.

‘The room was so quiet I could hear my heart breaking, and it sounded like a daisy snapping at the stem.’

Ruby throws herself into her work despite the initial frostiness within the house. All but Mr England seem to be distrusting of Ruby but he sole focus is the children: Millie, Rebecca (Decca), Saul and baby Charley. You have this feeling that she’s just walked into something and it’s there, hanging in the air. There are clear differences between the girls and the boys of the household. Ruby becomes closest to Decca as she reminds her of her own sister Elsie. The family unit and Ruby fall into a rhythm and life settles down a bit. Things do seem a little strange though, unsettling and like something just isn’t quite right. However, the children do get the opportunity to leave about being a blacksmith from Mr Sheldrake. This is a very exciting time for them all but it does end rather strangely. Ruby discovers a letter that was given to Decca for her mother. This is the start of something, she just isn’t sure what that something is.

‘My mind buzzed with possibilities, but kept returning to one. Either Mrs England was not expecting a letter from the blacksmith Mr Sheldrake, or she was. In which case they were in correspondence. Which meant… What did it mean?’

Ruby is thrown into turmoil about what to do. She finds herself in a very precarious position but desperately feels the need to speak with Mrs England. What she gains from that conversation makes her think further. Yet, she is a professional and her employment means that she has to look after the children, so looking after the children is what she does. Until one unfortunate day when events take a turn for the worst. Decca is sent away to school, sending shock to the household and upset to Ruby. Life continues but it isn’t quite the same and the uneasy feeling only increases. Mrs England seems completely under the control of her husband; she doesn’t seem to be allowed her own thoughts and we get the feeling that everything is internalised with her. We do see her protective motherly instincts kick in when Saul is taken poorly. Even this event though sees Mrs England silenced and removed. After all, the majority of her life is behind a locked door.

‘There were so many things I wished to ask her – what Mr Sheldrake put in his letter; why her husband locked her in her room. Why she had such disdain for her entire family; why she was, as her mother put it, like lint swept into a corner, brittle and lonely. Why nobody came to the house; why she never left.’

For me, this seems to be the best place to end the review because I don’t want to spoil anything. Nevertheless, by the end of the novel things are much clearer than they were at the start of the novel. The voiceless characters within the novel have the opportunity to speak and Mrs England’s story is eventually told. Ruby ends up seeking a new career opportunity but this time, she gets a lead position: Head Nurse based on her work with the England family. Ruby really is an incredible woman and without her, this novel is nothing.

‘These things are always a part of us, in one way or another, and I’m not suggesting you’ll ever put it behind you. But I’m yet to meet a student or probationer who embodies fortis in arduis more than you. I admire you very much.’

Final Thoughts
I love this book so much. Ruby has to be one of my most favourite characters within a piece of fiction. I also found myself gravitating to Mrs England too. The plot structure of this novel is also one of my favourites – a series of events that make you question every little thing, every little detail. It left me wanting more which is the way any novel should leave you in my opinion. Also, it’s got a stunning cover which fits perfectly with the time period as well. This book is hauntingly beautiful.

Until next time my loves! (Hopefully it will be a bit sooner as well – foot depending!)

Big love xxx

The Diplomat’s Wife – Michael Ridpath

Hey Loves!

Well, we’ve done week one of 2021 and it probably doesn’t feel very different to 2020… but let’s still keep the faith. There’s plenty of time for lots of reading and finding your next best read. For me, school is still as busy as ever. I’m spending my time teaching online which is not too dissimilar to writing blog posts – I just feel like I’m talking to myself. Hopefully someone, somewhere is listening! Regardless, today I want to share with you a book you all need to keep your eye out for: The Diplomat’s Wife by Michael Ridpath. This was one of those books where I literally couldn’t put it down. I hope you love it as much as I did!

What’s it all about?
The novel opens in Buckinghamshire, England where we meet Phil. It is just before his big adventure to abroad but his plans are in jeopardy following a slight accident with a car. However, all is rectified when Phil’s beloved Grandma, Emma, reveals her need to go on a trip but she cannot possibly go alone. Therefore, it’s set – Phil will drive his grandmother around Europe, to relive her life and to solve the mysteries of the past surrounding her brother, Hugh and her husband, Roland. From here, we see the interweaving of the past and present within the novel.

“One of the reasons I asked you to accompany me is that I want to tell you a story. My story. The story of what I did before the war. I’ve mentioned I’ve been thinking of revisiting my life then. But I wanted to share it, so someone knows about it when I’m gone.”

Grandmother and grandson travel to Devon, where the story begins. Emma was just a teenager, happily living in her brother’s shadow. She absolutely adored him, idolised him really. Whatever he believed, she did too. A theme that runs within the plot is politics – communism and socialism in particular. When her brother changes his views, she feels betrayed. There’s more going on than what is being shared on the surface, clearly. Tragically, Emma was unable to discuss this with her brother further, because he was killed.

‘I pulled back the rug from Hugh’s face. I will never forget what I saw – it was a mess. His forehead and cheek had been smashed. There was blood, but there was also pinkish stuff, which I later realised was brain matter. It was truly horrible.’

Emma’s feeling of unease only grew at Hugo’s funeral. She meets Dick Loxton, Hugo’s best friend and Kay Lesser, Hugo’s girlfriend. Here we learn that Hugo had a secret life – a life as a spy. His death could be as a result of this. It is this information that starts the journey of discovery. From here, the two head to Paris. Emma was, as the title suggests, a diplomat’s wife. This gave her the opportunity to meet people the average person wouldn’t meet. She moved in circles that seem so different to life in the present. Something else was about to disrupt her world: an affair and a pregnancy.

‘Then a darker thought occurred to me. Was the whole thing camouflage? Had their affair already been going on when my mother invited Roland down to Devon? Which meant his wooing of me was just an elaborate cover…’

Emma has a choice to make: one that will dictate her whole future. Kay advises her and she has a plan. She will follow in her brother’s footsteps but to do that, to get information, she needs to remain with her husband. Lothar and Kay get her set up with the relevant equipment she needs. She is now one of them. Back in the present, the trip isn’t exactly what Phil had in mind. He does frequent a couple of bars and meets Heike. Can he trust her? She seems to be perfect and the two love spending time together. It almost feels odd when she asks to join him and his grandmother, something Phil knows his grandmother absolutely would not like. They settle for talking. Lots and lots of talking. Meanwhile, the next step of their journey is decided: Annecy. It is in this section that Phil sees his grandmother in a new light.

‘Nothing in his life up till now had prepared him for this. But he had to concentrate on the road ahead. On getting out of France safely without the police stopping them. Then he could think properly about what happened, what was happening.’

Berlin, Germany: the next stop. The threat of war is imminent in 1939 and it is here that Emma’s information is key. Kay needs her to keep providing but there isn’t anything to say or offer. There’s just no new information circulating. Until the news of Russia. This is the ultimate game changer. This information is huge. It is here though, that Emma learns the real truth. Once again, we know that all is not as it seems.

‘The anger evaporated, or rather it retired, waiting for a new target. Yes, I had been misled. But so had Kay. Both of us had been misused, drawn to betray our countries on the basis of false promises.’

The final part of the novel is in Spain. Emma is obsessed, literally, with finding out the truth and eventually putting her brother to rest. Likewise, Phil has never known about this side of his grandmother. This journey is as eyeopening for him as it is for Emma. In Spain, Phil sees a face that he recognises and Emma realises they are in immediate danger. As the novel closes, Emma’s story is finally told. We have a voice for Hugh, a resolution.

“To Grams…and her brother.”

Final Thoughts
This book is a must read for 2021. Due for release in February, it needs to be promoted to the top of your TBR lists. There are many strands to this that make it an interesting read. The grandmother/grandson element. It was really lovely to see the strength of the family ties here, especially when Emma did not have these as a child. Along with that, I really enjoyed the historical element of it. Novels set in the war are fascinating because there are so many ways you could present it. I loved the espionage take here was incredible. Who can you trust? You won’t know until the end of the book. Michael Ridpath isn’t a writer I’d heard of but this book has absolutely put him on my radar.

Keep yourselves safe and well.

Big love all xxx