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prof_shoff's review against another edition
2.0
Blah. That's the best word I can use to describe this novel. The characters could be interesting but they aren't. The plot could be compelling but it isn't. There are moments of potential but, somehow, the author never manages to capitalize on them, leaving the reader rather frustrated at what might have been.
chelz286's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know what it is, but I got about half way through and just couldn’t keep going. The story line was interesting but it seemed to be the same thing over and over.
jacbradley's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
kristinrob's review against another edition
4.0
Book Club - January 2010
Bessy Buckley is a former prostitute turned housemaid in historical Scotland.
Bessy Buckley is a former prostitute turned housemaid in historical Scotland.
alma's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
samstillreading's review against another edition
5.0
Last year, I read Jane Harris’ second novel, Gillespie and I, and simply adored it. So I went to seek out her first novel, The Observations. I was ecstatic to find that it was part of a series, Secrets and Lies, released by Faber and Faber. (Note that when I say series, I mean cool new covers and nice prices, not that the book is part of a series – wishful thinking. The series is set around novels involving well, secrets and lies).
The novel is set in Scotland in 1863 and told in the voice of Bessy, a young Irish girl determined to escape a life of poverty and immoral deeds by seeking employment as a maid. She chances upon a farm and is taken in by the Mistress, despite her lack of knowledge. Her new employer does ask her to do several things that seem strange to Bessy though – write down her thoughts and partake in some strange experiments. As Bessy wonders why she is doing these odd things, she finds that the previous maid died in strange circumstances. It all starts to go downhill from there with descents into madness, pranks and the past catching up with Bessy…
The most unique thing about The Observations is the way it is written. Harris uses Bessy’s voice to tell the story and it took a little while to get used to the way Bessy speaks and her slang. It is definitely worth preserving though because of the wonderful rollicking ride that the plot is. Harris evokes a wonderful sense of isolation in the house that makes the Gothic elements all the more deliciously spooky, especially the instructions and experiments of Bessy’s mistress.
Bessy is a wonderful character, exactly right to tell her tale in the first person. (There are some parts from her employer’s journal in the book too which are a wonderful juxtaposition to Bessy’s colourful, blunt speech.) She’s brutally honest, yet with enough mischief to send the plot into overdrive. I loved her rebuffs of Hector, a fellow servant aiming to get her into bed and some of her expressions brought a grin to my face.
Harris never fails to amaze me with her plots – they are always filled with abrupt turns and surprising endings. I can’t wait to read her next book!
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The novel is set in Scotland in 1863 and told in the voice of Bessy, a young Irish girl determined to escape a life of poverty and immoral deeds by seeking employment as a maid. She chances upon a farm and is taken in by the Mistress, despite her lack of knowledge. Her new employer does ask her to do several things that seem strange to Bessy though – write down her thoughts and partake in some strange experiments. As Bessy wonders why she is doing these odd things, she finds that the previous maid died in strange circumstances. It all starts to go downhill from there with descents into madness, pranks and the past catching up with Bessy…
The most unique thing about The Observations is the way it is written. Harris uses Bessy’s voice to tell the story and it took a little while to get used to the way Bessy speaks and her slang. It is definitely worth preserving though because of the wonderful rollicking ride that the plot is. Harris evokes a wonderful sense of isolation in the house that makes the Gothic elements all the more deliciously spooky, especially the instructions and experiments of Bessy’s mistress.
Bessy is a wonderful character, exactly right to tell her tale in the first person. (There are some parts from her employer’s journal in the book too which are a wonderful juxtaposition to Bessy’s colourful, blunt speech.) She’s brutally honest, yet with enough mischief to send the plot into overdrive. I loved her rebuffs of Hector, a fellow servant aiming to get her into bed and some of her expressions brought a grin to my face.
Harris never fails to amaze me with her plots – they are always filled with abrupt turns and surprising endings. I can’t wait to read her next book!
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
joecam79's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
Scotland, 1863. An Irish young woman with a dubious past is unexpectedly taken on as a maid at a Scottish estate. The lady of the house has haunting secrets of her own, secrets whose consequences could lead to tragedy...
Sounds like the typical “Neo-Victorian” novel which has become so popular since the likes of [a:Sarah Waters|25334|Sarah Waters|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248454p2/25334.jpg] and [a:Michel Faber|16272|Michel Faber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1417041854p2/16272.jpg] burst on the scene. And in my ways it is. But unlike lesser imitations of Waters, Jane Harris' The Observations has a defining characteristic which singles it out in a crowded market – the fresh, streetwise, slangy narrative voice of its feisty protagonist “Bessy”. By turns comic and touching, the strength of this novel is the way in which Bessy’s tale takes us in.
It is not the plot which does the trick – although it has enough twists and turns to keep one hooked, it is ultimately no match for, say, Waters’ [b:Fingersmith|8913370|Fingersmith|Sarah Waters|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348622459s/8913370.jpg|1014113] or the original sensation novels of [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg] or [a:Mary Elizabeth Braddon|45896|Mary Elizabeth Braddon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202597702p2/45896.jpg]. However, in her remarkable storyteller Bessy, Harris has created one of the more likeable and memorable characters of recent fiction.
Scotland, 1863. An Irish young woman with a dubious past is unexpectedly taken on as a maid at a Scottish estate. The lady of the house has haunting secrets of her own, secrets whose consequences could lead to tragedy...
Sounds like the typical “Neo-Victorian” novel which has become so popular since the likes of [a:Sarah Waters|25334|Sarah Waters|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248454p2/25334.jpg] and [a:Michel Faber|16272|Michel Faber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1417041854p2/16272.jpg] burst on the scene. And in my ways it is. But unlike lesser imitations of Waters, Jane Harris' The Observations has a defining characteristic which singles it out in a crowded market – the fresh, streetwise, slangy narrative voice of its feisty protagonist “Bessy”. By turns comic and touching, the strength of this novel is the way in which Bessy’s tale takes us in.
It is not the plot which does the trick – although it has enough twists and turns to keep one hooked, it is ultimately no match for, say, Waters’ [b:Fingersmith|8913370|Fingersmith|Sarah Waters|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348622459s/8913370.jpg|1014113] or the original sensation novels of [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg] or [a:Mary Elizabeth Braddon|45896|Mary Elizabeth Braddon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202597702p2/45896.jpg]. However, in her remarkable storyteller Bessy, Harris has created one of the more likeable and memorable characters of recent fiction.
telthor's review against another edition
3.0
Just finished rereading, because it's been a long time since my Postmodern Victorian lit class, and I couldn't remember if the 3 stars I gave it was merited.
Yeah, it earned those 3, and no more and no less.
It's a really fun book to read, let's be clear. Yes, the accent and style is wild, but Harris pulled it off pretty well. It's enjoyable. The pacing is nice (until the second half--but we'll do that in a second), the characters are for the most part interesting (if not stereotypes, but, you know, that's cool, that's what Harris was going for I think). It's the sort of thing my English Professor would adore (and did). Mysterious ghosts in the spooky crumbling attic, a grand lady with secrets, tastes of lesbianism, and a big dollop of child prostitution to top it off. Standard postmodern Victorian nonsense.
But then the ghosts show up and things get wonky. The plot up until that point has been a delightful little curiosity about what the missus is writing about, and how she's betrayed the trust of our protagonist, and how the protagonist gets back at her--the lines between reality and supernatural start to blur. And that's cool, but it all fizzles off on the end with no proper resolution. For all its build up, it just...stops. I guess.
But the journey is a lark, and the way the story is told in chops and pieces is compelling and encourages you to keep reading.
Yeah, it earned those 3, and no more and no less.
It's a really fun book to read, let's be clear. Yes, the accent and style is wild, but Harris pulled it off pretty well. It's enjoyable. The pacing is nice (until the second half--but we'll do that in a second), the characters are for the most part interesting (if not stereotypes, but, you know, that's cool, that's what Harris was going for I think). It's the sort of thing my English Professor would adore (and did). Mysterious ghosts in the spooky crumbling attic, a grand lady with secrets, tastes of lesbianism, and a big dollop of child prostitution to top it off. Standard postmodern Victorian nonsense.
But then the ghosts show up and things get wonky. The plot up until that point has been a delightful little curiosity about what the missus is writing about, and how she's betrayed the trust of our protagonist, and how the protagonist gets back at her--the lines between reality and supernatural start to blur. And that's cool, but it all fizzles off on the end with no proper resolution. For all its build up, it just...stops. I guess.
But the journey is a lark, and the way the story is told in chops and pieces is compelling and encourages you to keep reading.
kerrireads32's review against another edition
4.0
Bessy, with her wonderful, often hilarious Irish dialect and slang make this story far more entertaining than it should be...
eag's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic narrative. Just wonderful. The story was very good, but frankly it was the narrative style that kept me reading. Looking forward to reading more of Harris's work.