The Observations
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3.7 • 75 Ratings
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
'Vastly original. Bessy is surely one of the most striking characters in recent fiction: cynical, disruptive, tender and very, very funny.' Independent on Sunday
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize
Scotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her past, Bessy Buckley takes a job working as a maid in a big country house. But when Arabella, her beautiful mistress, asks her to undertake a series of bizarre tasks, Bessy begins to realise that she hasn't quite landed on her feet. In one of the most acclaimed debuts of recent years, Jane Harris has created a heroine who will make you laugh and cry as she narrates this unforgettable story about secrets and suspicions and the redemptive power of love and friendship.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bessy Buckley comes upon Castle Haivers on her way to Edinburgh in 1863. An Irish girl, she's in "Scratchland" to improve her station, and ends up a scullery maid to a strange, lovely mistress, Arabella Reid (on whom she develops something of a crush), despite her lack of experience. Bessy's discovery of Arabella's book, The Observations, which she is writing about servants she's had and their cooperativeness, tests her loyalty to Arabella ("the missus") five-fold and sets in motion a tragedy (complete with supernatural elements). Bessy learns that being above-stairs is no guarantee of happiness, and others may have as much to hide as she does. Sharp, funny and tender-hearted, Bessy is an accomplishment for Londoner and first-time novelist Harris, who also manages the pace, period and book-within-a-book conceit nicely.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable
Really enjoyed this book. Interesting and sometimes gripping plot. I wasn't sure about the language style at first but it really grew on me and I thought it was very well done. The story kept me reading as I really wanted to know the outcome. I thought free might mean poorly written but I was wrong.
Starbucks Offer
I got a download code from Starbucks for this... it won't play....
Your problems.... Starbucks Pick of the week: The Observations
These are answers to previous comments, not a review of the book itself...
1) This is an "iBook" not an audio file.
It cannot be "played" on a PC or Mac.
It requires an iOS device (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)
2) ebooks in general are very compressed and do not take much space, typically 300-600k.
As it happens, this iBook is 1.2Mb, but still very small compared to audio.
So it probably has downloaded fine... it wouldn't have taken very long.
(Check using the "Get Info" menu option...)