The Observations
by Jane Harris
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jane HarrisEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-06-27
ISBN: 0143112015
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Observations
Book Review: "It was only a childish prank."
Summary: 5 Stars
Smack-dab between a gasping and heaving Victorian novel and a porn-laden post-postmodern take on the era, "The Observations" is a rollickingly fun and comparatively clean read.
As a child in Dublin, Bessy Buckley's mother paints Bessy's face, pushes her out onto the streets to peddle her `wares', and finally in Glasgow, sells her to a kind but lonely gentleman. When her `patron' dies, she leaves the city to seek a better future. It's now 1863 in a tiny farming village in Scotland and fifteen-year-old Bessy is without home and prospects. En route to Edinburgh, she chances upon Castle Haivers, a crumbling, ramshackle mansion and its lady of the house, Arabella Reid. Hiding her ignominious past Bessie is quickly hired as maid and soon develops a friendship with Arabella whom she calls `missus'. But the missus is a strange one--she conducts bizarre experiments with Bessie that leave the poor child baffled.
Snooping around one day, Bessie sees a book Arabella is writing. Titled "Observations on the Habits and Nature of the Domestic Class in My Time," it details the history, demeanor, obedience level and physical measurements of previous Haivers maids, primarily those of a beloved Nora Hughes, who died under mysterious circumstances. Arabella's experiments are now making sense. However, as Bessie further reads, she finds out that Arabella has discovered her unsavory past, and feeling used and betrayed she devices a prank to get even. What starts out as a prank though, results in an unforeseen descent into madness and mayhem, testing Bessie's loyalty and courage and forcing both women onto a path of self-discovery.
Bessy is simply hilarious. She's street-smart, plain-speaking (sometimes profane) and always with a sense of humor and a great deal of compassion. Dealt a bad hand and saddled with a despicable mother most of her young life, she picks herself up and forges ahead, determined to better herself. She's a gutsy survivor and an innately good human being.
Jane Harris is a very talented writer and I was surprised to later learn that this is her debut novel. She writes with the polish and confidence usually found in novels from more established authors. From Bessy's Irish brogue (peppered with slang), Arabella's refined English and the other characters' colorful Scottish Gaelic, the `voices' all ring true and rich throughout. As fantastic as some of the events are (and some will indeed stretch credibility), the entire narration is cohesive and never seems gimmicky. I'm phrasing it poorly, but you know how when you're reading a period novel and some parts just seem out of place, as if they've been tacked on for interest or shock value but stick out like a sore thumb? Glad to say that never happens here.
Apart from the memorable characters, the imaginative and original story is simply entertaining, especially since it's narrated by the plucky Bessy. It's bawdy but never tawdry, and even poignant at times. It's a bit like Moll Flanders but I find this funnier and Bessy far more admirable. There's a bit of the picaresque also, though it really defies pigeonholing. At times it's a farce, sometimes gothic horror, other times period mystery. It's exuberant, earthy, irreverent and just downright enjoyable. It's my hope that Harris resurrects Bessie in another adventure...I could use another 400 pages of hilarity and heart.
Summary of The Observations
The Observations is a hugely assured and darkly funny debut set in nineteenth-century Scotland. Bessy Buckley, the novel's heroine, is a cynical, wide-eyed, and tender fifteen-year-old Irish girl who takes a job as a maid in a once-grand country house outside Edinburgh, where all is not as it seems. Asked by her employer, the beautiful Arabella, to keep a journal of her most intimate thoughts, Bessy soon makes a troubling discovery and realizes that she has fled her difficult past only to arrive in an even more disturbing present.Historical Books
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