NETHERWOOD by JANE SANDERSON

NETHERWOOD

BY JANE SANDERSON

THE BLURB:-

Above stairs:- Lord Netherwood keeps his considerable fortune, and the upkeep of Netherwood Hall, ticking over with the profits from his three coal mines. The welfare of his employees isn't a pressing concern- more important is keeping his wife and daughters happy and ensuring the heir to the family wealth, the charming but feckless Tobias, stays out of trouble.

Below stairs:- Eve Williams is the wife of one of Lord Netherwood's employees. When her life is brought crashing down, Eve must look to her own self-sufficiency and talent to provide for her three young children. And it's then that upstairs and downstairs collide in truly dramatic fashion...

THE REALITY:-

This novel was a wonderful and elaborate study of life in a Yorkshire mining town during the reign of Edward VII. Gloriously detailed and inspiring, the writer sketches all the quirks of this life; the job of mining itself, the union movement, and the lives of the miners' wives, with finite precision.

You can't help but get a great feel for all of the characters, as everyone seems real, with good points and shortcomings. There is a good mix here, and not just in the contrast of “upstairs and downstairs”. You can't help but like the super-talented but uncertain Eve and the industrious Anna. And you can't help but hate the smarmy, snake-in-the-grass bully that is pub landlord Harry, and the very singular and nasty Absalom.

Various worlds collide as you learn about Anna's previous, wealthy Russian lifestyle and get taken down to the London house with its set-in-its-ways and almost cruel bunch of staff.

It's lovely to see the upper class- often portrayed as inhumane and selfish- shown as normal, fun people who, despite being against vast union movement are all for the cause of people trying to better themselves. It was also fun to read of the masculine Henrietta's antics (and feel her frustration) and the fornications of naughty Tobias certainly delivered a laugh. Their younger, manipulative, spoilt sister, Isabella, was another unlikeable character, one that needed a good slap.

It was great that Eve's cookery was discussed in detail as that was really what the novel was all about. But I was disappointed when the novel ended abruptly, without really coming to a conclusion. Then I learned that there are, in fact, two sequels to this book. Ah well, so the author is being clever and encouraging readers to fork out on two further books. You know, I might just do that! A charming novel and a bloody good read.