#Stacey Halls

[ramblingromance]

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this one is gorgeous, and also commemorates my first read of the new year!

What books are y’all reading the beginning of this new year?!

#historical fiction #stacey halls #mrs. england #currently reading #novel #book #novels #books #fiction #historical #booklr

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Mrs England | Author: Stacey Halls | Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre (2021)

#books #Mrs England #Stacey Halls

[semper-legens]

106. The Foundling, by Stacey Halls

Owned: No, library Page count: 370 My summary: Bess Bright left her illegitimate daughter at a foundling hospital, which promises to take in and raise unwanted babies. She leaves a token of half a whalebone heart with the baby, swearing she will one day return. Six years later, she’s finally saved up enough money to take her child back...only to find that she already had, one day after she dropped her off. But who was the woman that gave her name and took her child? And will Bess ever be reunited with her baby? My rating: 3/5 My commentary:

Stacey Halls is the kind of author whose books should be exactly my kind of thing. This one as much as the last one I read, The Familiars - it’s set in Georgian London! I love this time period! And it’s about women’s lives! But in reality, like The Familiars, I just wasn’t that connected to it. I wound up having a better time with the book than I did The Familiars, possibly because this novel is not based on a true story and as such there were far fewer inaccurate or (to my mind) misinterpreted events. But still. It was not all that it should be, and that’s so frustrating.

The story is told between two POV characters. One is Bess, the child’s natural mother who is trying to find her and bring her home. The other is Alexandra, the child’s adoptive mother who wants to keep her as close and safe as possible. I will admit, both of them were interesting enough in their way. Bess was a very earnest, very wholesome protagonist, and Alexandra’s mental health issues and trauma seen through the lens of the Georgian attitude to health is engaging enough. Alexandra is ambiguously autistic, and traumatised by her parents having been killed in front of her when she was a child. So she keeps Charlotte (the child) close, and doesn’t let her go outside most of the time. Healthy? Hell no, but that’s the best way she can keep control of her situation. I’ll give Halls this, she managed to write this character without imposing too much of a 21st century attitude over her. People obviously think she’s ‘mad’, but she’s wealthy enough and independent enough that she manages to get away with it. Bess, meanwhile, is just ignored by society at large. She’s an unmarried working woman, they’re a dime a dozen. I also have to give Halls kudos for showing some of the diversity of Georgian London - Bess’ best friend is a free black woman, and she and her family are a natural part of London’s scene. She lives in an area highly populated by Jewish people, black people, immigrants of all stripes. It’s not something you always see in historical fiction, so it’s nice to see here!

My biggest problem with the narrative here is that everything seems to happen when the plot needs it to happen. We get all this setup with Bess being mystified as to who took her child out of the foundling hospital, and then a few scenes later she’s bumping into her at a chapel, entirely coincidentally. Alexandra is supposedly this paranoid agoraphobic wreck, but she lets Bess into her house anyway on a vague justification, and later doesn’t fire her despite wanting to deeply. As soon as Alexandra is introduced as Charlotte’s father’s widow, most of the mystery is gone. Obviously, she was the one who took Charlotte back. How she knew Bess’ name and what token was left for her isn’t so much of a mystery, and is neatly explained in a kind of handwavey way at the end. The story then becomes a push and pull between Bess’ poverty but deep affection for Charlotte, versus Alexandra’s wealth and luxury but more hands-off and protective approach to motherhood. Which isn’t quite as interesting, mostly because Charlotte herself isn’t much of a character. She just kind of reacts to things, and her opinion doesn’t really matter much to the story, which I thought was kind of a letdown. Both Bess and Alexandra had the potential to be much more interesting than this narrative made them, with Bess’ poverty and working-class lifestyle and Alexandra’s trauma at a time when that wasn’t a recognised condition. All of that is just...background to the fight over Charlotte, never really developed so much. I get it, I get what Halls was going for. But I’m not sure she managed to pull it off, sad to say.

Next up, a young girl finds herself far, far away from home.

#The Foundling #Stacey Halls #bookblr #book blog #book blogging #3

[robyn-weightman]

The aesthetic of this book gives me so much joy and autumnal vibes 🥰

#the familiers #stacey halls #fiction #fantasy #autumnal #fall #autumnal vibes #fall reads #autumnal reads #bookworm #writer #books #author #bookstagram #bookdragon #writing #reading #amreading #amwriting

[aforcedelire]

L’Orpheline de Foundling, Stacey Halls

Londres, 1748. Bess Bright est vendeuse à la criée sur le marché aux poissons de Billingsgate. La mort dans l’âme, elle est contrainte de confier son bébé Clara à l’orphelinat de l’Hôpital de Foundling, en se promettant de revenir la chercher. Six ans plus tard, lorsque Bess se rend aux portes de l’orphelinat pour tenir sa promesse, on l’informe que sa fille a été récupérée par une femme s’étant faite passer pour elle. Tout près de l’institution, une étrange femme et sa fille vivent en recluses dans leur immense maison bourgeoise. Lorsque son ami lui présente une nourrice pour s’occuper de sa fille, elle est d’abord réticente — mais elle finit par se laisser apprivoiser par cette femme si prévenante envers sa fille.

J’ai lu et adoré Les Sorcières de Pendle cet été, et lorsque L’Orpheline de Foundling est enfin sorti en poche, je me suis ruée dessus ! J’avais vraiment hâte de découvrir ce deuxième roman. Et… spoiler, j’ai vraiment bien aimé ! Pas autant que Les Sorcières de Pendle, mais j’ai adoré. Comme dans son premier roman, Stacey Halls nous dresse le portrait de deux femmes, que tout — en apparence — semble opposer. Bess, pauvre, vendeuse de crevettes, qui a dû se séparer à contre-cœur de son enfant ; et Alexandra, cette femme bourgeoise qui a choisi de s’enfermer volontairement dans sa demeure, trop effrayée qu’elle est par le monde extérieur. Et au milieu de tout ça, une enfant disparue.

On est plongé.e dans ce Londres du milieu du XVIIIe siècle, où se côtoient les plus miséreux et les plus aisés. Encore une fois, Stacey Halls nous prouve qu’elle est on ne peut plus à l’aise dans le roman historique, et ça fait vraiment du bien à lire. C’est bien écrit, on alterne les points de vue sans se perdre, on entre dans l’histoire tout-de-suite, et on veut vraiment savoir ce qu’il a bien pu se passer, qui a pu enlever Clara, et comment va faire Bess pour la retrouver. J’ai vraiment adoré ! Je recommande par contre de plutôt commencer par Les Sorcières de Pendle pour découvrir Stacey Halls. Et j’ai hâte de lire La nurse du Yorkshire, son troisième roman actuellement sur les tables de nouveautés en librairie !

30/10/2022 - 31/10/2022

#livres #books #livre #book #stacey halls #l’orpheline de foundling #the foundlings #éditions pocket #roman historique

[incontritralibrielettori]

Mrs England, di Stacey Halls: il gotico in gran rispolvero

📖 in questo romanzo la protagonista, nonché l’io narrante, è Ruby May, una giovane bambinaia diplomata al prestigioso Norland Institute di Londra che, rimasta senza lavoro dopo aver rifiutato di trasferirsi in America al seguito della famiglia per cui lavorava, accetta senza indugio un nuovo incarico presso la famiglia England, nello Yorkshire. Ruby sa per esperienza che nessuna famiglia è…

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#Inghilterra #mrs england #Neri Pozza #Novecento #romanzo gotico #romanzo storico #Stacey Halls

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

I've wondered about the Pendle Hill witch trials since visiting an exhibition at the Ashmolean exhibit based around it a few years ago so this book was really interesting to see someone's take on the events.

#the familiars #stacey halls

[numerolock]

"not all men" you're right. Zoran Lyle Kozak would never

#just finished the book and dang #Lyle Kozak can GET it #Ned can fuck himself tho #kinda feel bad about memeing on this very serious book #the foundling #the lost orphan #stacey halls #books and reading #historical fiction

[affascinailtuocuore]

Stacey Halls - MRS ENGLAND. Covid lockdown as source of inspiration for successful novels.

Stacey Halls – MRS ENGLAND. Covid lockdown as source of inspiration for successful novels.

  London 1904. Ruby May is a recently graduated “nanny”  qualified from  the prestigious Norland School for Nurses.   Her first position is with The Radletts, a wealthy couple with an only child Georgina, and one on the way.  When the couple decide to move to the United States of America for business reasons, Ruby has to refuse to follow them, with  great regret to her and the Radletts. Ruby…

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#Covid Lockdown #Mrs England #Norland school for nurses #Stacey Halls #Yorkshire

[alleswatmijblijmaakt]

Gelezen

Mrs England: pagina 99 t/m 153

Ik begin het idee te krijgen dat Mr England niet is, zoals hij zich voordoet in het bijzijn van anderen. Wel moet blijken of hij zich ook anders tegenover de kinderen gedraagt. Al is aan de reactie van de kinderen dit niet te zien. Ze lijken een goede band met hem te hebben.

God: a human history - pagina 51 t/m 111

In het tweede gedeelte kijken wij naar goden die erg sterk op mensen lijken. Een paar van deze religies had ik al weet van, maar de theorie achter waarom de religies gevormd werden was uitermate interessant. En het is ook best logisch. En daardoor leer ik niet alleen over de geschiedenis van de religie, maar ook van de maatschappij, groepen en samenleving die door de geschiedenis gevormd werden en waarom. Ik pik blijkbaar ook wat antropologie op.

#Reza Aslan #Stacey Halls #God: a human history #Mrs England #reading #dutch

[ramblingromance]

Mrs. England: Book Review

This is the third book from author Stacey Halls, and she has once again succeeded in creating a foreboding, gothic atmosphere. From the moment you step foot into the England's household, something just doesn't feel... right. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself breezing through this book with ease as you try to uncover what this sense of unease might be, and the answers to a slew of questions that are posed.

The Familiars left me feeling quite a similar way, and The Foundling, while enjoyable, didn't grip my attention quite as much. However, Mrs. England was back to form, and I found myself getting through the story surprisingly quickly.

I'm not the fastest reader -- oh I can get through the words quickly enough, but its my attention span that starts waiver. So I never have, and probably never will be the type of person that can manage to finish a book within a day. I was happy enough to get this one finished within a span of a weekend, and it was an easy enough task to accomplish too.

Unlike the last book that I read, I never felt time dragging by, and I hardly ever paid attention to what page I was even on. The story and the characters had me gripped, and instead of feeling like I was forcing myself to read, I just felt like I was enjoying a wonderful story.

So, this marks my first finished book of the new year! I don't really have any sort of reading goals, but I'm going to try and read some more varied novels this year, I think. I've got a pile to get through now, and as always, I'm eager to buy more!

What have you all read so far this year? Or, what do you plan on reading?

#books #novels #historical fiction #gothic #mrs. england #stacey halls #book review #booklr #book reviews #book #novel

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Familiars | Author: Stacey Halls | Publisher: Zaffre (2020)

#books #The Familiars #Stacey Halls

[iminmypeace]

#stacey dash #beyonce #black fashion #black women #black beauty #black hollywood #tyra banks #blackgirlmagic #megan thee stallion #rihanna #kashdoll #cassie #ciara #normani #naomi campbell #bey hive #cardib #chloe x halle #kelly rowland #lil kim #cardi b

[aforcedelire]

La Nurse du Yorkshire, Stacey Halls

Coup de cœur ! 🖤

J’ai enfin découvert le troisième roman de Stacey Halls, et je suis j o i e ! En 1904 dans le Yorkshire, Ruby May, jeune nurse diplômée, pense avoir une chance inouïe lorsqu’elle entre au service de la famille England. Mais la voilà coincée dans une grande demeure loin de tout, avec un père avenant à l’excès, une mère fantomatique et quatre enfants insaisissables. Très vite, elle va se rendre compte que sous ses airs parfaits, cette famille n’est pas ce à quoi on s’attendrait.

J’ai ADORÉ. Je suis tentée d’arrêter ma chronique après ces deux mots, mais allez, on va continuer. D’abord, c’est du grand Stacey Halls : après être tombée sous son charme avec Les Sorcières de Pendle, j’avais découvert L’orpheline de Foundling eeeet j’avais été un peu déçue. Mais alors là, elle revient en force ! C’est différent de ses deux autres romans, mais on retrouve ce qui fait sa patte : un décor et un contexte passionnants, des personnages très bien construits, deux femmes que tout semble opposer mais qui vont se lier… et une ambiance, mais alors une ambiance ! Ça m’a rappelé ces atmosphères gothiques inhérentes à Jane Eyre et Rebecca. Où on se délecte de ces rapports humains, mais où on se dit qu’il y a quelque chose qui cloche, sans arriver à mettre le doigt dessus. Stacey Halls maîtrise parfaitement ça. Elle se hisse parmi mes autrices préférées, et s’impose vraiment en tant que nouvelle voix du roman historique. Et elle aborde plein de sujets intéressants et importants, mais si j’en parle en détail je risque de spoiler, alors on dira : la place de la femme, le métier de nurse (qui n’est pas celui de gouvernante comme Jane Eyre, même si je n’ai pas encore tout à fait compris la différence) et les relations humaines / matrimoniales. Foncez. C’est trop bien, j’ai adoré.

11/09/2023 - 12/09/2023

#livres #books #livre #book #littérature #littérature anglaise #stacey halls #la nurse du yorkshire #mrs england #éditions pocket

[incontritralibrielettori]

Mrs England, di Stacey Halls: il gotico in gran rispolvero

📖 in questo romanzo la protagonista, nonché l’io narrante, è Ruby May, una giovane bambinaia diplomata al prestigioso Norland Institute di Londra che, rimasta senza lavoro dopo aver rifiutato di trasferirsi in America al seguito della famiglia per cui lavorava, accetta senza indugio un nuovo incarico presso la famiglia England, nello Yorkshire. Ruby sa per esperienza che nessuna famiglia è…

View On WordPress

#Inghilterra #mrs england #Neri Pozza #Novecento #romanzo gotico #romanzo storico #Stacey Halls

[robyn-weightman]

Lavender has got to be one of my favourite garden plants.

#garden #lavender #plants #the familiers #stacey hall #fiction #books