Wednesday 25 March 2015

Review: the Ladies of the house by Molly McGrann

the Ladies of the house by Molly McGrann
Publisher:
Picador
Release date:
26 March 2015
Rating: ***
Back cover blurb:
On a hot July day, three elderly people are found dead in a dilapidated house in Primrose Hill. Reading the story in a newspaper as she prepares to leave the country, Marie Gillies has an unshakable feeling that she is somehow to blame. How did these three people come to live together, and how did they all die at once? The truth lies in a very different England, and in the secret world of the ladies of the house... 








 
the Ladies of the house from its outset, is an intriguing novel. The opening chapter setting the scene for mystery that follows. A mystery, I felt as a reader that was never entirely cleared up, and left me wondering if I had missed something along the way.

the Ladies of the house begins in the present day with the discovery of three bodies in a London house and Marie Gillies at an airport for the first time in her sheltered life learning of the deaths via a newspaper. She feels in some way responsible for those days, but why exactly is that?

Arthur Gillies, Marie's father was a wealthy man, who kept his true worth from his family until he died, and even then it is only revealed by an inexperienced bank clerk. It is made clear to the family that they must never again mention Arthur Gillies' fortune, and instead must consult with Mr Wye regarding any financial matter.

But what does all this have to do with the bodies in the house? Well, as the plot develops it becomes easy for us the reader to see exactly how Arthur made his fortune (and why he thought it might be a good idea to keep it from his family).

Sadly it is less clear why Marie feels somehow responsible for the deaths that she reads about. And I'm still not sure whether I misinterpreted the ending of the novel, whether I missed something, or indeed whether there was anything for me to miss!

the Ladies of the house I think is a book that some will love. Me, well I'm still not sure, but it certainly was 'different' to anything I've read previously.

the Ladies of the house is available from 26 March 2015. You can pre-order it now from Picador and Amazon online.
 
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Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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