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The Observations Jane Harris 9780670037735 Books

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The Observations Jane Harris 9780670037735 Books

Set in the late 1800’s in Scotland, this semi gothic tale is told from the perspective of Bessy Buckley, a young woman looking to improve her fortunes. She lucks into a position as an all purpose maid at Castle Hevers, which in spite of its grand name is nothing more than a somewhat rundown manor, by lying about her past experience in service. She is employed by Arabella, who is desperate for a replacement to her former maid for more than the usual reasons. The master of the house is frequently away on business, and Bessy provides company. She finds Arabella’s tasks to be odd at times, but grows quite fond of her. She follows Arabella’s directions to write down her feelings and daily activities in a journal. Everything changes when she discovers a journal that Arabella has been keeping called “The Observations”. In it, Arabella details how she is trying to determine the characteristics of the perfect servant, and has been performing experiments not only on Bessy but on the girls that came before her. One of the former maids died in tragic circumstances. Bessy realizes that she did not fool Arabella with her purported background in service, and that Arabella’s feelings towards her are not what she had thought. Bessy’s anger gives rise to a need for retaliation and she creates a clever scheme to get back at Arabella. Her scheme goes very wrong and causes a chain of events that reveals a sordid and dark side to the past events at Castle Hevers and brings out Bessy’s own tragic past. This book seemed more disjointed than her other book, “Gillespie and I” and lacked some of the focus and creepiness.


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The Observations Jane Harris 9780670037735 Books Reviews

The year is 1863 in Scotland. Bessy is fifteen years old. Or maybe she's sixteen. She's not sure; her mother's recollection of when and where she had given birth is vague, to put it mildly. Bessy's previous employer has died, and suddenly she has nowhere to go, so she thought she'd try her luck in Edinburgh. On her way there, she meets the mistress of the Castle Haivers, a run-down manor near a small village. Desperate for employment, she lies about her job qualifications. She has never milked a cow or has done any sort of menial labor. Still, she does possess a skill the "missus" could use -- she could write. So, under Mrs. Arabella Reid's orders, Bessy keeps a diary of her daily activities. But when Bessy discovers that her mistress has been writing about her in some bizarre research project about the "domestic class," she is angry and gets even with Arabella. Little had she known the horrible events that unfold after her rather childish pranks, events that force Bessy to look back into her own sordid past. There are many twists and turns throughout this novel.

The Observations is a dark, literary novel that is at times a Victorian gothic similar to a Dickens novel and other times she sounds satirical and full of social commentary, which reminded me a little of Jane Austen. As the cover jacket says, the heroine and narrator of this novel is "irresistible" and "one of the most delightful heroines in recent fiction." She narrates the story as if writing it for some "gentlemen" who require details of the events that occur after her arrival at Castle Haivers. She is young and Irish -- raised under the worst conditions imaginable -- yet she is both wise and perceptive, with a naiveté quality that endeared her to me. She is also very loyal; I loved that she would do anything for her "missus." The story gets long-winded at times, and the plot is too complex to put into a brief review with no spoilers, but it kept me intrigued throughout the whole thing. Jane Harris's dark humor does remind me a little of Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White, a favorite book of mine, but Harris is a great treat and talent all her own and The Observations is one of the best historical novels I have read throughout the year. I think only Vertigo by Lauren Baratz-Logsted outdoes the brilliancy of this novel. I do recommend this book. I can't believe it had been on my TBR for so long (over a year! I own the hardback copy).
This is Bessy's story, in her own words, of the strange experience she had working as a servant for Arabella and her husband. Although Bessy is a servant, that was not always so; the reader is gradually informed about the scandalous, awful truth of her past as Bessy sees fit.

Ultimately Bessy discovers that her mistress has a secret Arabella is conducting experiments on the servants she employs, and is even writing her "observations" in hopes of getting them published. She also learns that there is a mystery behind the death of a previous servant. After feeling betrayed by Arabella's secrets and lies, Bessy takes action. Though she comes to regret what she has done as she watches Arabella descend into madness.

What makes this novel amazing is the format in which it is written. The frame narrative is a document that Bessy is writing for a group of gentlemen who are to use it only for research purposes. Embedded in this are excerpts from Arabella's observations as well as excerpts from journals kept by servants (this is something Arabella requests of her maids in order to get a fuller understanding for her observations). Another complexity is the quality of the writing. As the reader progresses through Bessy's narrative they will notice that the grammar and vocabulary in her writing gradually increases. The writing styles in the novel denote class, and the progress of Bessy's literacy is indicative of an improving station in life.

Innovative in style, and a captivating plot. The Observations does not disappoint!
This story told from the lively point of view of a domestic servant with a tragic background is told with moving humor and courage. The tough yet vulnerable girl becomes hurt to discover that what she took for interest and caring on the part of her mistress is actually experiments for her book of observations of domestic servants. I was unable to put this book down. It is character- driven, but full of action and surprises. One of the best straightforward good stories I've read in a while.
Set in the late 1800’s in Scotland, this semi gothic tale is told from the perspective of Bessy Buckley, a young woman looking to improve her fortunes. She lucks into a position as an all purpose maid at Castle Hevers, which in spite of its grand name is nothing more than a somewhat rundown manor, by lying about her past experience in service. She is employed by Arabella, who is desperate for a replacement to her former maid for more than the usual reasons. The master of the house is frequently away on business, and Bessy provides company. She finds Arabella’s tasks to be odd at times, but grows quite fond of her. She follows Arabella’s directions to write down her feelings and daily activities in a journal. Everything changes when she discovers a journal that Arabella has been keeping called “The Observations”. In it, Arabella details how she is trying to determine the characteristics of the perfect servant, and has been performing experiments not only on Bessy but on the girls that came before her. One of the former maids died in tragic circumstances. Bessy realizes that she did not fool Arabella with her purported background in service, and that Arabella’s feelings towards her are not what she had thought. Bessy’s anger gives rise to a need for retaliation and she creates a clever scheme to get back at Arabella. Her scheme goes very wrong and causes a chain of events that reveals a sordid and dark side to the past events at Castle Hevers and brings out Bessy’s own tragic past. This book seemed more disjointed than her other book, “Gillespie and I” and lacked some of the focus and creepiness.