Published 18th July 2024 by Michael Joseph.
From the cover of the book:
A single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife . . .But why would he choose her?
Summer 1841. It is marriage season in the county of Wickenshire, and Miss Amelia Ashpoint isn’t sure she can face yet another ball. But now that she has reached the grand age of three-and-twenty, time is (apparently) running out. Her father is anxious to secure her a husband and has set his sights on Mr Montgomery Hurst of Radcliffe Park.
Only, Mr Hurst has just announced his engagement to somebody else.
To the great consternation of Wickenshire, a community that thrives on gossip, the county’s most eligible bachelor is about to marry not only an unknown stranger – but a widow with three children, odd manners and no ancestry to speak of. Society is appalled and intrigued.
Meanwhile, Amelia Ashpoint has no interest in marriage at all. But in this town, it is clear that nobody’s business is their own. And while society has high expectations for Amelia, her heart is drawing her in a very different direction...
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1841. Welcome to Wickenshire and its society families, who love to concern themselves with the private business of their close neighbours, especially when it comes to marriage and money. The current hot topic is the marriage of Mr Hurst, who everyone expected to be asking for the hand of Miss Amelia Ashpoint - including her father.
Instead Mr Hurst does something very unexpected by marrying an impoverished widow with three young children, who definitely does not fit the neighbourhood gossips' idea of a suitable Wickenshire bride. However, Amelia is anything but disappointed, as she has no intention of marrying anyone...
Channelling her love of a rollicking classic tome, Katie Lumsden's second glorious book turns from the Gothic vibes of her debut, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, to celebrate a lighter shade of Victorian novel - with a modern twist.
The style is highly engaging. Lumsden fills her pages with romance, family foibles, the glamour of balls and entertainments, and all the gossip that comes with them. If you are a Jane Austen fan, as I am, you will find much to delight you in the interactions that go on in public and behind close doors. You will certainly recognise many of the sorts of characters that make up this sprawling cast, and the light touch of well-wielded wit and wisdom is pure Austen. For me, the Victorian loveliness of the setting also evokes the sweeping family epics of Elizabeth Gaskell, and at times, the humour and sharp social commentary of Anthony Trollope. All of which is rather wonderful.
Lumsden revels in dissecting what goes on beneath the surface of her characters' obsessions with money, class and the marriage market, especially when it comes to the secrets that almost everyone seems to have - secrets that they are not shy about engaging in a little deception to keep hidden. The bones of their dilemmas give her the fodder she needs to bring in more modern topics, such as sexuality, and I really enjoyed how she does this perfectly in keeping with the feel of the novel.
This was such fun, with just the right mix of charm, comedy, melancholy, and absurdity to make the pages fly. Fingers crossed for more Wickenshire from Katie Lumsden, as this kind of novel really suits her writing style.
The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Michael Joseph for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
She has a degree in English literature and history from the University of Durham and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines.Katie's YouTube channel, Books and Things, has more than 26,000 subscribers.
She lives in London and works as an editor.
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