Lady of Milkweed Manor

The Lady of Milkweed Manor was Julie Klassen's first novel and, in my opinion, it is her best. The Lady of Milkweed Manor tells the story of four people whose lives and families are forever entwined.

The novel opens with twenty year old Charlotte Lamb on her way to a lying-in home in London. She is being sent away by her father, the Reverend Mr. Gareth Lamb, the vicar of the Parish church of Doddington. Rev. Lamb is a strict, legalistic Anglican minister who is scandalized by his daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Charlotte is being sent away in the hopes of limiting the damage done to her family, especially her older sister, Beatrice who is attempting to secure a marriage proposal.

So Charlotte is sent to Manor Home, also known as Milkweed Manor, which aims to reform women of poor character. Initially, we don't know who is responsible for Charlotte's situation, but we gradually learn about what happened through flashbacks and we also learn about Charlotte's life prior to coming to Manor House.

Her mother, sickly after Charlotte's birth, never fully recovered and died when Charlotte was seventeen. Charlotte's mother was attended by Dr. Webb and his assistant, Mr. Daniel Taylor, who is now Dr. Taylor. Daniel asked Charlotte's father for permission to marry her, but was turned down because his social status was lower than that of her family. To improve his position in society, Daniel studied medicine, and he now works at Manor House.

Her older sister, Beatrice, has her hopes of securing William Bentley, a young suitor who frequently comes to the vicarage. Charlotte, on the other hand, was only interested in Charles Harris, an older uncle who was always affectionate towards her. However, when Charles's estate home burns, Charlotte seeks to comfort him, but when things go too far she finds herself "ruined".

Shortly afterwards, Charlotte's cousin, Katherine, announces her engagement to Charles. Charlotte knows she in deep trouble because her only recourse to being restored - marrying Charles Harris, now no longer exists. When she meets Charles, he tells her that he must make the choice between saving his family's estate by marrying wealth or being honourable and marrying her. This choice sets in motion a entire chain of events that forever change their lives and those closest to them.

And so at Manor House, Daniel, who is shocked to see Charlotte living there, agrees to undertake her care, treating her without prejudice and very kindly. Charlotte, meanwhile discovers Dr. Taylor's secret:  that he is now married to a French woman, Lizette, who is pregnant and suffering from "puerperal insanity" a type of mental illness brought on during pregnancy or after childbirth.

Charlotte gives birth to a beautiful little boy, whom she names Edmund. Meanwhile, Charles wife, Katherine, also gives birth to a baby boy several days later, but their child does not survive, despite being taken to the the Manor Home for care. Charles is now desperate because Katherine has vowed never to have another child if this one does not live. In an ironic twist this means that had Charles done the right thing, Charlotte's baby would be Charles legitimate heir to his estate. Desperate to save Katherine's sanity and his own estate, Charles Harris begs Daniel Taylor to allow him to talk to Charlotte and make her an offer she can't refuse.

The Lady of Milkweed Manor is a very good novel, engaging the reader from beginning to end with a fascinating look into late 19th century English society, with its strict rules regarding behaviour. Klassen adds to this interest with the development of several minor but interesting storylines. There are lots of fascinating details about what it was like giving birth in this era.


All of the characters are very well drawn, each showing different facets. Klassen effectively shows how Charlotte learns from her mistake and matures enough to recognize the fatal flaw in Charles Harris. Her journey is a difficult one, fraught with terrible choices that are the source of tension in the novel.  Plain but noble and caring Daniel Taylor is a contrast to the fashionable Charles Harris and Charlotte's severe, unbending father.

There are plenty of themes in the story, including the imagery of unwed mothers being like the dreaded milkweed, a poisonous plant that gardeners dislike and struggle to control. However, Dr. Taylor uses the milkweed for medicinal purposes, explaining that the plant can be used to help others, that it has redeeming qualities. Similarly, he encourages the young women at the manor home to help others by being wet nurses and tending to the abandoned babies.

Klassen draws somewhat upon Jane Eyre, with the inclusion of the doctor's wife who is insane and locked away in an upper room at Manor House. In Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall, hides his insane wife away in an upper room. And similar to Jane 's growth from innocent girlhood to woman, Charlotte also follows a similar path,

Lady of Milkweed Manor is a well written novel that will appeal to older teens and adults.

Book Details:
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen
Bloomington, Minnesota: BethanyHouse Publishers
410 pp.

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

"Don't hold on to the knots and forget the life ahead."

The Girl in the Gatehouse is Klassen's fourth book and was published in 2010. Mariah Aubrey is being sent away to live on her own at her aunt's estate in Whitmore. She is accompanied by her former nanny, Miss Dixon, who will be her companion. Mariah has done something unknown  that has damaged her reputation and brought dishonour to her family. 

Her father, not wishing to sully Mariah's younger sister, Julia, sends Mariah to Windrush Court where she is to live on her aunt's manor, in the gatehouse. When Mrs Prin-Hallsey, or Aunt Fran as Mariah used to call her, comes to visit Mariah at the gatehouse, she gives her a trunk containing her old diaries and warns Mariah about her step-son, Hugh Prin-Hallsey.

One stormy night a man comes to the gatehouse after being thrown from his horse. Mariah helps the stranger, whom she learns is Captain Matthew Bryant, to retrieve his horse. Later on during the winter, Mrs. Prin-Hallsey becomes ill and dies, leaving her step-son Hugh to take charge over the estate. He decides to lease Windrush Court to Captain Bryant. Bryant has recently retired from the Royal Navy, having made his fortune and is determined to win back the heart of Isabelle Forsythe whose father deemed him not rich enough nor good enough for his daughter. 

With the death of her aunt, Mariah finds herself suddenly at the mercy of Hugh Prin-Hallsey who tells her that she will no longer be able to live au-gratis at the gatehouse. Since the allowance her father has given her will soon run out, Mariah makes the difficult decision to submit her writing for publication so as to support herself for the remainder of the year. Mariah has her first book published under the pseudonym of Lady A.

Mariah and Dixon settle into life at the estate, developing a friendship with some of the occupants of Honora House, a poorhouse located across from the gatehouse. Mariah and Captain Bryant along with his house guest, Lieutenant William Hart often meet and socialize. Matthew Bryant however, finds himself increasingly distracted from his goal of enticing and winning Isabelle, by the beautiful and well spoken Mariah. His distraction is tempered rumours of Mariah's fallen character of which he eventually learns later on.

Bryant continues planning his attempt to win the heart of Isabella back, even though she is now engaged to another man. He decides to host a small house party inviting Isabelle, her fiance, and other friends. Bryant hopes that when Isabelle sees that his fortunes have improved greatly since their last meeting years ago, she will consent to break off her engagement and marry him. The captain encourages Mariah to attend, but she initially and vigorously declines but then appears bearing a mask she made for a play to be staged. Drawn into performing, Mariah has no idea what is about to happen. The house party is an unmitigated disaster that brings everything to a head and sees Captain Bryant recognize that his love for Isabelle is an illusion and that his heart lies elsewhere.

Discussion

The Girl in the Gatehouse is a complex novel, with numerous storylines which Klassen ultimately and effectively weaves together to achieve a predictable end. In some ways there are almost too many threads to follow, although they are interesting. There is the storyline of the two sisters, Amy and Agnes Merryweather, that of Captain Prince and Jeremiah Martin, Lizzy and George Barnes, Captain Bryant and Isabelle, of Hugh Prin-Hallsey, and of Mr. Crawford and Mariah.

The climax of the novel which occurs at Captain Bryant's party is overly melodramatic. After one of the guests has humiliated Mariah,  Mr. Crawford, Isabelle's fiance, declares in front of all of Bryant's guests that he alone is responsible for Mariah's "fall" and that he led her into thinking that he would marry her. He then expounds on the unfairness of society in how it treats women! A lovely sentiment really, but probably not likely to have happened in this era. Most 19th century upper class men simply accepted the double standard that existed in society towards women as it worked to their advantage. However, they too were bound by ridiculous notions of propriety, such as a man writing letters to a woman was considered to be tantamount to a marriage proposal!  Mr. Crawford's motives are questionable: he deceived a young woman with the intent of seducing her and thus ruining her. Does he believe women should also be allowed to behave this way? It's not likely that he's advocating for men to be called out for their bad behaviour. 

Nevertheless, The Girl in the Gatehouse is an enjoyable read that focuses once again on the "fallen woman" theme. The characters are reasonably well drawn and each is very different. Klassen maintains the suspense by not revealing exactly what happened to Mariah until the very end and by providing the reader with juicy tidbits through the novel that Mariah is working on. And once again Klassen bases a character's situation on one from a Jane Austen novel, that of Maria Bertram in Mansfield Park. As Klassen mentions in the back of the novel, Captain Bryant was inspired by Captain Wentworth of Persuasion as well as Forester's Horatio Hornblower. Captain Bryant is most reminiscent of Hornblower. Klassen's use of situations and similar characters from well-known English literature is partly what makes these novels so much fun.

Book Details:
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen
Bloomington, Minnesota: Bethany House         2010
391 pp.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

Margaret Elinor Macy lives with her mother and her stepfather, Sterling Benton, in London in 1815. Her mother remarried after the death of Margaret's beloved father and after selling the family's Lime Tree estate, they now live in Sterling's home at Berkely Square. Sterling Benton, is a controlling, manipulative man who has Margaret followed and her mail opened. He refuses to give her any money further increasing his total control over her. Margaret is due to receive a substantial inheritance from her Great Aunt Josephine, when she turns twenty-five. Because of this inheritance, Margaret decided to wait and marry for love or not at all. Not that long ago, Margaret had rejected Nathaniel Upchurch's marriage proposal in the hopes of winning his handsome brother Lewis' heart. But Lewis, although initially interested in Margaret, didn't seem to follow through and Margaret now finds herself in a predicament with her stepfather determined to see her marry his nephew, Marcus Benton.

The novel opens with Margaret attending a masquerade ball where she hopes to once again attract Lewis Upchurch's attention. But Lewis isn't interested in Margaret and her attempt is rebuffed. The ball is marred by a brawl between Lewis and his brother Nathaniel who has unexpectedly returned from the family's sugar plantation in Barbados. To Margaret's surprise, Nathaniel is a much changed man, well muscled, handsome and tanned, and no longer the quiet bespectacled man she brutally rejected a year ago.

The next day Margaret's situation becomes dire when she learns that her stepfather has advised Marcus to "compromise" her if necessary, in order to force her to marry. Margaret decides to flee at once and does so with the help of her maid, Joan Hurdle who has been fired for stealing. Margaret and Joan end up at Joan's sister, Peg Kittleson's home. Peg puts them up for a few days and during their stay, Margaret does a man a good turn by preventing a robbery. This good turn will end up being the salvation of Margaret.

Joan and Margaret manage to flee London, and make their way to Maidstone where they must try to get hired on. Both Joan and Margaret do get hired but to different houses. In a strange twist Margaret finds herself hired by the man she helped in London and even stranger yet, she ends up as a maid in the Upchurch household. Having fled her home in a disguise of a black wig and servant's clothing, Margaret must continue to hide her identity. If she can just hold out until she turns twenty-five in eight months, she will receive her inheritance and be free of Sterling and Marcus Benton. But can she work and live in the Upchurch household without her true identity being discovered? Should she approach Nathaniel or Lewis and divulge who she really is and ask for their help? And can she remain hidden while Sterling Benton frantically searches for the stepdaughter whose wealth he covets?

Discussion

In The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, the author uses a set of contrived conincidences to form the major storyline. Margarent just happens to end up in the home of the man she helped in London as well as working as a maid in the home of the brothers she is interested in! In the 1800's it wouldn't be easy to get hired on as a maid without some kind of reference from a mentor or previous employer. But somehow both women manage this. Nevertheless, it sets the stage for a blossoming romance.

Klassen skillfully portrays the evolution of Margaret's character throughout the novel. Margaret changes from a spoiled, self-absorbed, young woman to one who cares about others. At the beginning of the book she is insensitive to the feelings of Joan, her maid, even when Margaret's theft of Sterling Benton's money causes Joan to lose her position at Margaret's home. But she soon discovers that the life of a servant is a hard one, with little respect and poor pay. And she comes to understand that Joan's situation in a difficult household is directly the result of her actions. She tries as much as her situation will allow to alleviate some of Joan's difficulties and at the end does make reparations to Joan.

Working in the Upchurch's household provides Margaret with a unique chance to learn the truth about both the characters of Lewis and Nathaniel and how appearances can be deceiving. The handsome Lewis is, in reality, messy, dissolute and insincere. On more than one occasion, Margaret catches Lewis returning late at night after some escapade. He has allowed the estate to fall into ruin in his father's absence. Lewis has no qualms about the family's wealth being obtained through the practice of slavery. In contrast, Nathaniel proves to have the character of a true gentlemen. He treats the staff respectfully, and has a strong sense of justice as evidenced by his feelings about the family making a living off of slavery. His experience in Barbados has changed him forever.

Because of both her change in character and her new information about the Upchurch brothers, Margaret begins to deeply regret turning down Nathaniel's marriage proposal and wishes she could apologize for the hurt she caused him.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall is historical Christian romance at its finest. Although the plot and the ending are predictable, getting there is half the fun. Klassen builds the romantic tension gradually and repeatedly by throwing Margaret and Nathaniel together in countless ways. Added to this is the increasing suspense as Sterling Benton searches for his missing stepdaughter. He shows up at Fairbourne Hall in search of Margaret and later on he tries to flush Margaret out by a carefully planned ruse. The ending is as satisfying as it is romantic.

There is great attention to detail in the lives of the serving class in the 1800's. It is evident that Klassen did much research in order to portray her characters as realistically as possible. The storyline is told from the point of view of both Margaret and Nathaniel, often providing the reader with insight into how each character views a particular event. Each chapter begins with a from servants manuals and guides from the 1800's. Klassen toured the belowstairs and attic servant's quarters of several homes in England as part of her research for this novel. Recommended for fans of historical novels and the series, Downton Abbey.

Book Details:
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
Minneapolis, Minnesota. BethanyHouse Publishers 2011
412 pp.