Mrs England: The award-winning Sunday Times bestseller from the winner of the Women's Prize Futures Award Paperback – 6 Jan. 2022

West Yorkshire 1904. A young nurse called Ruby requires a new placement as her last family immigrated to America and she couldn’t follow them. Left with few options she takes on an unusual, far off position with a wealthy family of Mill owners who turn out to be very different in person than what she thought they were from the job posting. She finds the mother Lillian England very withdrawn, flighty and uninterested in her children's welfare. Their father Charles England seems attentive and charming and tries to put Ruby at ease but all is not well in the England household.Ruby is isolated in the countryside where Hardcastle House is located. She is ignored by the other servants and then strange events start to happen. Ruby worries she has made a terrible mistake in taking the post. To make matters worse she stops receiving mail from her sisters. This is extremely unsettling as Ruby is the family's main source of income as their father is locked up.As the atmosphere and situation in the house deteriorates and becomes more disturbing it forces Ruby to relive the terrible aspect of her childhood. She sees similarities in the behaviour of this family towards the children that she experienced and is determined that what happened to her and her sister doesn’t happen to her young charges. But is everything as it seems. Is Mrs England disinterested and under the influence, is Mr England as genuine and friendly as he projects. So many red flags throughout this family. Whether her actions lead to her losing her job or an even worst faith remains to be seen.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It had an eery feel and oppressive atmosphere, intrigue and shocking reveals throughout the plot and a strong, intelligent and caring lead female character. I liked how your views on people’s personalities switched and evolved as the story progresses. Another great story from Stacey Halls.

When Ruby May takes on the position of nurse to the England children of Hardcastle House in Yorkshire, she finds herself puzzled by Mrs England whilst drawn to the Master of the house. Yet slowly she discovers that all is not as it seems!My first book from Stacey Halls, I did overall enjoy this Edwardian era mystery, which had a strong sense of the gothic about it. Indeed, I think the sense of atmosphere and foreboding that Halls managed to capture was the book's greatest strength, as almost as soon as Ruby arrives at Hardcastle Hall there is that feeling of something being not quite right beneath the surface, which only builds as the novel continues.I also enjoyed her depiction of West Yorkshire during this time period, and thought she captured a strong sense of place, the setting contrasting starkly with the earlier chapters set in London, and lending to the gothic atmosphere.Certainly this is a slow-burn novel, and yet whilst there were chapters where not very much actually happened, I found myself enjoying the small details and interactions between the characters, which I think is credit to the author.The children in the story were well drawn, with their own personalities, and all were endearing in their own way. Ruby was an easy character to like, and I admired her independence and strength of character, and appreciated that she had her flaws too and was maybe too impressionable at times. There is some mystery as to her past and family background, which is mostly teased through the book, but which is eventually revealed towards the end, and I have to say was not what I had expected.The main mystery, however, relates to the characters at Hardcastle House and specifically Mrs England. At its heart this is a story about women's place in society during this time period and their struggle for independence and against the confines of their lives. It is also a story about power dynamics in relationships. There are themes of mental health and 'gaslighting' explored, and I particularly liked the solidarity that eventually forms between Ruby and Mrs England, and how they support each other.My main criticism was that after all that build, I was let down by the ending. Suddenly everything happened all too fast and it was all over, and I was left feeling somewhat dissatisfied, and with the feeling that the main plot had all been rather too predictable.Still overall an enjoyable and suspenseful read.

A thoroughly good read finished in two days. A descriptive insight into Edwardian life from the perspective of a northern wealthy family and their staff, but with a darker undertone running through it. More than once I thought I knew where the story was going only to find I had got it wrong! The style and storyline reminded me of Catherine Cookson.