Mrs England

By: Stacey Halls

Narrated by: Imogen Wilde

Don't miss Stacey Halls' captivating new novel THE HOUSEHOLD

*WINNER of the WOMEN'S PRIZE FUTURES AWARD*

A Waterstones Best Book of the Year

Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize

Longlisted for the Portico Prize

'Highly atmospheric and tense' Richard Osman

From the bestselling author of The Familiars and The Foundling comes Stacey Halls' most compelling and ambitious novel to date.

'Something's not right here.'

I was aware of Mr Booth's eyes on me, and he seemed to hold his breath. 'What do you mean?'

'In the house. With the family.'

West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there's something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband, and is far from the 'angel of the house' Ruby was expecting. As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect family - and she should know.

Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric West Yorkshire landscape, Stacey Halls' third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.

Praise for MRS ENGLAND:

'Stacey Halls is a writer of great originality, great imagination and great sense of place. Atmospheric, intelligent, accessible, every novel is worth reading, then reading again and again' Kate Mosse

'Utterly compelling. Menacing and marvellously written, this is a hugely accomplished Edwardian chiller' Daily Mail

'Shimmers with menace... enticing and beautifully written' Sunday Express

'Outstanding. Haunting, compelling, atmospheric' Emma Stonex, bestselling author of The Lamplighters

'Mesmerising, entrancing, a spellbinding novel of emotion and mystery, a heroine caught in an impossible world of twists, turns and lies. Gripping to the very last page' Kate Williams

'Full of gothic menace, this Edwardian mystery is convincing and absolutely enthralling' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

'Both dazzling and dark, as beautiful as it is disturbing. A captivating, sensuous novel' Inga Vesper, author of The Long, Long Afternoon

'In precise and evocative prose, Stacey Halls has conjured a devastating, compelling and utterly real world. I was gripped from start to finish' Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope

'Jaw-droppingly brilliant. Exquisitely written, incredibly atmospheric, a masterclass in rising tension. The deliciously addictive love-child of Daphne Du Maurier and Henry James' Liz Hyder

'Brilliant. An utterly gripping exploration of female fortitude in adversity, with a propulsive, atmospheric plot. Ruby is a wonderful protagonist' Caroline Lea

*Sunday Times bestseller June 2021 and January 2022*

*Winner of Women's Prize for Fiction x Good Housekeeping Futures award - Good Housekeeping 14 Oct 2022*

©2021 Stacey Halls (P)2021 Bonnier Books UK

Critic reviews

"The new Hilary Mantel." (Cosmopolitan)

"Outstanding. Haunting, compelling, atmospheric." (Emma Stonex, best-selling author of The Lamplighters)

"Highly atmospheric and tense." (Richard Osman, The Observer)

Inappropriate title

I’m not sure why this book was titled “Mrs. England“. This would imply an overall focus on that character, when actually, the focus is on the governess. It seemed to me that several characters and parallels to the storyline were not really played out fully. I will not give more detail here so as not to spoil it for others.

As for the narration, it was okay, but quite depressing in terms of tone of voice. But maybe that is appropriate due to the working class status of the protagonist and general mood of the book. There was not much variation in timbre that would have reflected the age or gender of the characters. Being American myself, I won’t comment much on the accents, although there were certainly some northern accents in evidence. I couldn’t conjecture about any of the London accents, though.