The Servant is set in 1765 and Hannah Hubert is waiting to hear
her fate after her mistress decides to move her household away from London and
cannot take Hannah with her.
Hannah is the daughter of a silk merchant and the granddaughter
of a French merchant who has fallen on hard times and is working in service. When
she finds out that her new position is in the household of an aristocratic
couple, she thinks things will be ok.
However, all is not well in this household and Hannah finds
herself the maidservant in a strange house with a locked door and what appear
to be many secrets. Unknown to her employers, Hannah can read and soon she
becomes intrigued and afraid enough to use her education to find out exactly
what is going on. In doing so, though, she realises the terrible danger that
she is in and knows that she must find a way in which to escape.
She makes friends with two acquaintances, Tom the farmer who
brings the milk and Jack an apprentice at a booksellers, but she does not know
if she can truly trust either of them. All that she does know, is that she must
act upon the terrible knowledge she has come across.
The Servant is a fast paced and though-provoking read that
highlights the devastating inequalities that existed in London in the eighteenth
century between upper and lower classes and also between men and women.
I loved this book. Eighteenth century London complete with
its sights, sounds and smells is brought to life and you feel like you are
there with Hannah and Peg.
I highly recommend this for fans of historical fiction.
Ad/PR: I received a copy of the book for review.
