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bookstasamm 's review for:
The Nanny at Number 43
by Nicola Cassidy
Wanted, a respectable woman to care for a motherless child.
Set in 19th Century Ireland. When William Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he puts an ad in his local newspaper looking for a nanny to take care of his newborn daughter. When an experienced nanny shows up at 43 Laurence Street, he is thankful and hires her to help take over the nanny duties from his housekeeper, Mrs. McHugh. Mrs. McHugh does not think the Nanny is all that she seems, and when strange things start happening she suspects that it has something to do with her. Mrs. McHugh confides in her close friend Betty who begins her own investigation into the mysterious nanny.
Meanwhile, when two babies are found buried in a suitcase in a country cottage, the police start an investigation. Is this somehow connected to the Nanny? Why did she come to 43 Laurence Street after all?
The Nanny at Number 43 was not at all what I expected. When I read the synopsis prior to requesting this book, I had no idea it was set in 19th Century Ireland. That’s why I included that right at the beginning of my review so people would know. I found the writing and timeline rather confusing. For example, the book was told from multiple perspectives, way too many in my opinion. They would jump around from character to character and they would go back and forth to different times, but not stating when they were taking place. Also, the characters were so hard to keep track of. There was a Jimmy (married to Betty) and a James (who was found to be poisoned). I thought they were the same characters for much of the book. The Nanny and her mother had the same name so often times I thought that when they were telling the Nanny’s background that it was the mother they were talking about or vice versa. It really confused me and was hard to keep track of.
I did enjoy the story though. I liked the mystery of who the Nanny was, and I enjoyed Mrs. McHugh as a character. I did feel there were times the book did drag on a bit mainly when they added more characters that were unnecessary to move the plot forward. This is why I am giving this book 3 stars.
Thank you BookSirens and Poolbeg Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Set in 19th Century Ireland. When William Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he puts an ad in his local newspaper looking for a nanny to take care of his newborn daughter. When an experienced nanny shows up at 43 Laurence Street, he is thankful and hires her to help take over the nanny duties from his housekeeper, Mrs. McHugh. Mrs. McHugh does not think the Nanny is all that she seems, and when strange things start happening she suspects that it has something to do with her. Mrs. McHugh confides in her close friend Betty who begins her own investigation into the mysterious nanny.
Meanwhile, when two babies are found buried in a suitcase in a country cottage, the police start an investigation. Is this somehow connected to the Nanny? Why did she come to 43 Laurence Street after all?
The Nanny at Number 43 was not at all what I expected. When I read the synopsis prior to requesting this book, I had no idea it was set in 19th Century Ireland. That’s why I included that right at the beginning of my review so people would know. I found the writing and timeline rather confusing. For example, the book was told from multiple perspectives, way too many in my opinion. They would jump around from character to character and they would go back and forth to different times, but not stating when they were taking place. Also, the characters were so hard to keep track of. There was a Jimmy (married to Betty) and a James (who was found to be poisoned). I thought they were the same characters for much of the book. The Nanny and her mother had the same name so often times I thought that when they were telling the Nanny’s background that it was the mother they were talking about or vice versa. It really confused me and was hard to keep track of.
I did enjoy the story though. I liked the mystery of who the Nanny was, and I enjoyed Mrs. McHugh as a character. I did feel there were times the book did drag on a bit mainly when they added more characters that were unnecessary to move the plot forward. This is why I am giving this book 3 stars.
Thank you BookSirens and Poolbeg Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.