Mrs England

by Stacey Halls
Published by Bonnier Books
ISBN 9781838773864

The story begins in the early 1900s in London at the Radley's residence. It then moves to West Yorkshire where Nurse Ruby May arrives after she rejects the opportunity to travel to America with her previous employers.

The Radleys are excited at the prospect of living in Chicago and expect to take Nurse May with them to continue looking after their young child. Clearly, all the family are fond of Nurse May. We get the impression that she is kind and loves her charges.

However, she decides she cannot live so far away from her family in Birmingham, whom she helps support financially. She has a close bond with one of her sisters and we found out later why this is so, it's quite understandable given what happened to them.

Ruby May won a scholarship to study at the prestigious and, in fact, real Norland College in London where they trained nannies - then called Nurse and by their surnames.

Part of the story includes factual information about Norland and its founder and the college's motto, which pops up a few times throughout the story.

This is a fascinating book to read, based around two women, feminists, who were many years ahead of their times.

When Nurse May arrives in West Yorkshire she is surprised to find that she is met at the station by her employer, Charles England, the local cotton mill owner and not a carriage driver. His wife, Mrs Lilian England, is rarely seen and doesn't seem at all interested in her children or her husband. She's delicate, rather beautiful, but appears to be deeply troubled, often retiring because she "has a head coming on". It takes a while, but we find out the reason for her demeanour.

It is interesting to read about the various relationships of the characters and layers involved. There are Mr and Mrs Charles England, their lovely children, Nurse May, the servants, the cook, the tutor to young Master Saul.

We are told about Lilian England's family, who are an established wealthy family of mill owners, so well-off that they own a whole town. Charles England owns one of the last cotton mills in the area and he seems a kindly man and, indeed, treats Nurse May very well and loves his children dearly, but there's something else happening.... a lot more happening and some underlying surprises. Then there are the other people who provide essential services who have somewhat surprising links to the family.

Nurse May's intriguing background comes to the fore as well adding yet another layer cleverly woven Into the story.

The structure of the story is, at times, intriguing, yet gentle in character. The author has a wonderful way of telling the stories that transports the reader back over a hundred years. Stacey Halls wrote 'Mrs England' during lockdown in 2020 and I, for one, am pleased she did.

This book will make an ideal present. The feel of the beautifully designed cover o the hardcover version adds a wonderfully tactile feel when reading the book.

This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you Liked this review, Buy me a coffee

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