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The Observations

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 2,918 ratings · 400 reviews

An extraordinary historical novel about a peculiar friendship between the mistress of a Scottish estate and her irresistibly appealing housemaid.

Scotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her not-so-innocent past in Glasgow, Bessy Buckley, a wide-eyed and feisty young Irish girl, takes a job as a maid in a big house outside Edinburgh working for the beautiful Arabella, the mi...more

Hardcover, 406 pages

Published June 8th 2006 by Viking Adult (first published 2006)

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The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Best Victorian Historical Fiction Set In Britain

10th out of 141 books — 282 voters

Best neo-victorian novels

15th out of 62 books — 96 voters

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Jun 12, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, review

Review from Badelynge
The heroine, and faithful scribe, of this tale is one Bessy Buckley, or so she introduces herself. She's a young Irish girl, running away from a mother who has ruthlessly exploited her from an early age. She arrives at a ramshackle mansion, somewhere near Edinburgh, where she is taken on as a housemaid by the mistress of the house, Arabella Reid. The 'missus' as she calls her soon has young Bessy confused and bewildered by a succession of seemingly random and mostly pointles...more Review from Badelynge
The heroine, and faithful scribe, of this tale is one Bessy Buckley, or so she introduces herself. She's a young Irish girl, running away from a mother who has ruthlessly exploited her from an early age. She arrives at a ramshackle mansion, somewhere near Edinburgh, where she is taken on as a housemaid by the mistress of the house, Arabella Reid. The 'missus' as she calls her soon has young Bessy confused and bewildered by a succession of seemingly random and mostly pointless requests. And every night she must write an account of the day's events along with her inner thoughts. Despite all this Bessy develops a fierce loyalty for her mistress and then she finds out, by the chance discovery of Arabella's in-progress book 'The Observations', what the object of her devotions is really up to and tellingly what her opinions of Bessy are.
What happens next is best left for the story to tell, but it is a fascinating read that weaves Bessy's dark past, the mysterious fate of her predecessor, Arabella's paragon of all house maids, Nora, and Arabella's own secrets into a startlingly engaging narrative mystery. Bessy is a wonderful character, who colours her tale with the most vivid and sometimes lurid slang and colloquialisms. I'm often put off by such inclusions, though in this case they are pretty much essential to the style and don't distract at all. Though being a native of northern England, where many of the expressions are still in common use or fondly remembered from use by my Grandparents, I could be more immune from irritation than the average reader. Bessy is also not averse to casting ridicule on the people she recounts by exaggerating or over annotating their speech patterns and accents. The more she despises them the more extreme the exaggeration. I think it's no accident that Hector, the sex obsessed Highlander, gets the brunt of it.
The Observations is an excellent début novel. I've read the latest book by Jane Harris, 'Gillespie and I', which appeared some 5 years after 'The Observations' - so if you enjoyed this book I'd recommend you look it up with all due dispatch. (less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-britain, hf, kindle, mystery, ireland, sample-g

NO SPOILERS!!!

On completions:This is primarily a crime/mystery novel. Usually when I read fictional crime novels I cannot but loose interest b/c I KNOW this is all just one big story; there is no reality to it. Well, not with this book. I found it thoroughly entertaining. A light, fun read. As I pointed out below, there are some sections, whcich I found a bit tedious. I did not enjoy reading the observations recorded by Bessy's mistress. They were in italics and too longwinded and boring! Thankf...more

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May 02, 2009 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hf-victorian-1837-1901, read-in-2009, favorites, favs-of-2009, on-the-keeper-shelf, scotland

"I was born Irish. But I'm more of the Scottish persuasion now." Bessy Buckley narrates with a direct, honest and often bawdily descriptive slang. She used to be something other than a maid as well. Quick on her feet and not one to give herself away unless absolutely necessary, she is starved for love and attention.

She meets Mrs. Arabella Reid, who is a bit of an intellectual and is at work on an interesting project. When the "Missus" learns that Bessy can read and write she decides to hire her...more

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Dec 16, 2009 skein rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-star, bookclub2011

A charming book (if you don't mind 19-century vulgar slang. Naturally, I love vintage slang.) & a very enjoyable one - it was actually fun to read. Engrossing in parts.
The narrator's voice enthralls from the beginning. It held me down for the first 300 pages or so before I was tired (mystery! mystery! mystery!) - I give most of the credit to the strong characterization of Bessy. In contrast, some of the other characters felt under-written - especially Arabella - which was a shame.
The ghost!...more

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Jan 22, 2008 Ellen B. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers of the Victorian novel

I really liked this book at the start. It's written from the point of view of an Irish maid who goes to work in a (you probably guessed it) old, cold, lonely house. Initially her speech is really funny, with a wealth of very colorful expressions. Without giving anything away, the story is a bit of a mystery, but I'd more call it a thriller. I found the plot a bit predictable, and in the end I thought it a bit over the top. Definitely of the 'drama-hysterics-and-ghosts' genre of the Victorian nov...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The cover of this book (the debut novel for the author of Gillespie & I) tells me that it is set in 1863 Scotland, but other than a single reference to the “war in America”, the time period could be anytime in the 19th century. That it is Scotland, though, is obvious.

Bessy Buckley, a young teenager serving as a housemaid, is asked by her mistress to keep a journal. The blurb hints of something sinister coming of that, but Bessy discovers the purpose early on in the book and it’s not earth-sh...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Sx rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

The Observations is the title of our lovely protagonist, Bessy, on her beloved mistress'. Ironically, the observer becomes and observed and vice versa as the book progresses, which I felt was very clever.

Bessy's voice is absolutely delightful, equal parts childish and world-weary with a dash of humour. She's had a shadowy past and a fright for a mother, but she somehow emerges a cynic, with all the resilience of a child but without the bitterness of adulthood. Bessy finds herself working for a M...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Scozia 1863 Bessy una giovane di 16 anni viene assunta come governante tutto fare in una casa di campagna... Ben presto scoprirà che la padrona ha delle strane manie, come ad esempio ordinarle di alzarsi e sedersi dalla sedia a ripetizione e cosa più sconcertante Bessy verrà a sapere che una delle ragazze che ha lavorato là prima di lei è morta...

Le Osservazioni è un vero e proprio thriller ambientato nel passato, un libro con una trama intricata, contorta e che racconta in maniera minuziosa e r...more Scozia 1863 Bessy una giovane di 16 anni viene assunta come governante tutto fare in una casa di campagna... Ben presto scoprirà che la padrona ha delle strane manie, come ad esempio ordinarle di alzarsi e sedersi dalla sedia a ripetizione e cosa più sconcertante Bessy verrà a sapere che una delle ragazze che ha lavorato là prima di lei è morta...

Le Osservazioni è un vero e proprio thriller ambientato nel passato, un libro con una trama intricata, contorta e che racconta in maniera minuziosa e realistica la vita dell'epoca.
La storia è raccontata in prima persona da Bessy, una ragazza di 16 anni che viene assunta come governante da una giovane signora di campagna. Le prime pagine sono un po' lente e la lettura risulta pesante, ma dopo questo primo ostacolo iniziale ci si appassiona alla storia, si viene coinvolti dal racconto e la curiosità prende il sopravvento.
I personaggi son ben delineati, le loro storie sono credibili e interessanti: danno infatti una visione assai precisa della vita di fine 800.
La storia di Bessy si intreccia con i fatti accaduti a Castle Haivers prima del suo arrivo, il suo è un resoconto di tutto ciò che è avvenuto fin dal primo giorno nella nuova dimora, intervallato con racconti della sua vita e di fatti di cui è venuta a conoscenza attraverso terzi.
Bessy è giovane, ma nei suoi pochi anni di vita ne ha davvero viste tante.. Ha un carattere testardo, capriccioso e volubile, a volte anche infantile, ma ciò è frutto di una vita passata a fianco di una madre che fin da piccola l'ha obbligata a prostituirsi e a vivere come e dove capitava. Un personaggio questo che pagina dopo pagina evolve, cresce e che inizialmente si rende antipatica, ma alla fine si fa amare dal lettore.
Mrs Arabella è la signora che assume Bessy: una donna particolare, a volte strana, amante degli studi scientifici e della scrittura e che probabilmente più per noia che per passione inizia a scrivere un trattato sulla servitù... Ma Mrs Arabella è anche tormentata da un peso insopportabile, un segreto che la porterà a fare gesti sconsiderati.
Molti i personaggi descritti da Bessy, ognuno ben delineato e con caratteristiche precise, tutti aventi un ruolo fondamentale nella storia e nella sua triste evoluzione.
Il linguaggio usato è spesso volgare, questo perché appunto la storia è raccontata da Bessy, la cui scuola è stata la strada. La lettura, nonostante all'inizio risulti noiosa, è piacevole anche se non sempre scorrevole.
La Harris non si è risparmiata nelle descrizioni, rendendo tutto assai vivido nella mente del lettore, che, attraverso le parole di Bessy, riesce ad immaginare senza troppa fatica tutto ciò che viene riportato.
Alcuni dei temi trattati sono sicuramente forti, come la prostituzione e la follia o ancora il rapporto tra servitù e padroni e anche l'abuso di potere di alcuni personaggi.
Un libro carico di pathos, di colpi di scena e che sa coinvolgere il lettore, che viene trascinato dalla protagonista in quel fango fatto di segreti e menzogne che porteranno a scoprire una terribile verità.
Posso solo aggiungere che andando avanti nella lettura fino ad arrivare alla fine vi scoprirete piacevolmente sorpresi da questa storia che non è per nulla banale e mai scontata.(less)

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Sep 29, 2011 Margarida Cruz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: segredo-dos-livros

"Observações" foi, sem dúvida, uma surpresa. Acho que nunca antes tinha lido um livro que me agarrasse de forma tão imediata, e com imediato quero dizer desde a primeira frase. É isto que acontece na história de Bessy, a protagonista que nos conta a sua vida através de uma escrita hilariante, simples e incrivelmente humilde.

É fascinante a forma como a autora consegue que o leitor se vicie na protagonista desta história, Bessy, uma rapariga cheia de estaleca e com o seu quê de rebeldia. Contudo,...more

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Aug 05, 2011 CuteBadger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I saw this book reviewed when it came out and added it to my list of "want to reads" but didn't get round to it until I recently went on holiday. I'm glad I waited until I had the time to read a lot at each sitting as I think that added to my enjoyment of the book.

A young Irish girl, who isn't always honest about her past, comes to work as a servant to a young wife in an isolated house near Glasgow. We see everything through her eyes, including her mistress, the absentee husband and local charac...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Chris K rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading Sarah Waters’ “The Night Watch”, the “Customers who bought this, also bought…” feature on Amazon recommended this.

The Synopsis intrigued me (I love me a good mystery/ghost story), so I decided I'd give it a try…

I waited for what seemed like ages for the book to make its way to one of my local bookstores and -failing that- I eventually went ahead and ordered it on-line. Maybe it was all the wait, or the brilliant 4 and 5 star reviews it got from other readers but I, somehow, expecte...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-100-books-reading-challenge, 2010-historical-reading-challenge, 2010-support-your-local-library-rea

The setting is 1863 Scotland, and the slang is wild! Young woman Bessy Buckley has fled Glasgow on foot for a reinvented life in Edinburgh. Along the Great Road she encounters a sign for Castle Haivers and decides it's her destiny. Her new mistress Arabella Reid is delighted to have a servant who can read and write, and chooses not to care Bessy doesn't have housekeeper skills. Bessy is anxious to hide her past, and she soon discovers Arabella has her own secrets. For Arabella, Bessy is required...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Merry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Wow.

My first real riveting read of the year; the first book to make me just want to keep going until it was finished, with as few interruptions as possible. The Observations is the type of book which makes you race to reserve their whole catalogue – I was gutted to discover it is her only novel, but I savoured it all the more for it.

The story is told by Bessy, Irish girl with a murky past and a smutty turn of phrase. She’s young and we join her on the run from a past life, already clearly a youn...more Wow.

My first real riveting read of the year; the first book to make me just want to keep going until it was finished, with as few interruptions as possible. The Observations is the type of book which makes you race to reserve their whole catalogue – I was gutted to discover it is her only novel, but I savoured it all the more for it.

The story is told by Bessy, Irish girl with a murky past and a smutty turn of phrase. She’s young and we join her on the run from a past life, already clearly a young lady who knows how to handle herself. The book is set in the late 1800′s in the north of England, an Irish girl on the run from a shaky upbringing in the slums of Edinburgh/Glasgow or wherever she chooses to say she came from at the time. The complex mixture of race and place neatly avoids stereotyping either of herself or the towns while giving the whole scenario a pleasingly unreal, story world feel. Nothing feels quite real throughout the book, nor does it ever slide into the fantastic either.

Bessy finds herself working as maid for a ‘big house’ that she happens upon, where life is definitely not quite as it seems. her ‘missus’ Arabella Reid, slides quickly from aristocratic and aloof to deeply odd and Bessy finds herself sliding around in the clutches of a woman who is both completely convincingly sane and clearly utterly bonkers. Bessy, young, impressionable and confused from an abusive childhood tries her hardest to be loved and needed but is unable to resist a spiteful prank when her feelings are hurt.

The prank goes wrong and Bessy, like so many damaged children, can only see herself as the soul cause of the results and tries, inevitably, to fix it. She is jealous, loving, sassy and determined, foul mouthed and individual and the story is told cleverly through a first person narrative of her writing up her experiences.

The Observations is nearly 500 pages long; at 250 I was thinking that it was beginning to look as if it had a pleasantly interesting, but not unpredictable end in sight – I was reading it on my Kindle, which gives you less focus on how far through the book you are. When I realised I was only half way through I was slightly stunned; what on earth was left? But then, a quirky take on a ‘maid below stairs, hard luck story’ takes a dramatic and sinister turn. It becomes a thriller, a mystery, potentially a ghost story, a tale of mental health and marriage and dysfunctional lives, a story about village hierarchy and over-reaching ambition blotting out the real truths of relationships and love.

Every time I thought I had a handle on how it was all going to untwist, it took another turn; every time it seemed to be on its way to concluding, another tail end of story would worm its way back to the front. It was, in an unassuming, almost clumsy, far from over-worked cleverness way, quite brilliant.

This book passes the Alison test, it passes the recommending test. It definitely passes the “will I read it or the author again test?” I’d say it is a must read.

9/10 for everyone.

(I’d give it a very mild, you’ll probably be just fine, BabyLostMother warning.)(less)

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Mar 01, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally the first person narrative, with its Dickens-ian colloquialisms was too much and I wondered if I would be able to get past it. But, by chapter three or four, riding the subway home in the cold and actually dreading the walk from the train for a new reason, (because I’d have to put down my book) I decided I loved the narrative voice. The author also does a great job easing it into a subtler, less grating vernacular as the story progresses, writing the change in as the narrator’s “educa...more Originally the first person narrative, with its Dickens-ian colloquialisms was too much and I wondered if I would be able to get past it. But, by chapter three or four, riding the subway home in the cold and actually dreading the walk from the train for a new reason, (because I’d have to put down my book) I decided I loved the narrative voice. The author also does a great job easing it into a subtler, less grating vernacular as the story progresses, writing the change in as the narrator’s “education” begins to take affect.
I read a review praising this book months ago, listing it as two or three on the Goodreads list of Victorian mysteries. And, since I’d speed read my way through all of Sarah Water’s naughty little gems, I decided I’d give The Observations a try.
Unlike any other Victorian mystery, The Observations offers a new, perhaps slightly more progressive view of an educated Victorian mistress. Arabella, mistress of new indoor/outdoor girl Bessie, is writing a book about her relationships with the servant class. A clinical and somewhat ruthless documentary of her notes on the underlying differences in servants (everything from their upbringing to the distance from eye to earlobe is taken into account), it’s clear Arabella is not expecting to develop any real ties with Bessie, instead using her as a lab rat and running various tests without giving warning.
But, as the book progresses and the plot thickens, it becomes obvious Arabella has underestimated not only the skeletons in her closet, but also Bessie. As Bessie digs further into Arabella’s past and the servants who superseded her Arabella’s under belly is exposed and The Observations becomes a tale of not only fun suspense, but also a somewhat enchanting tale of female friendship and comradely in a man’s world.
While in some ways it lacked a bit of the description I tend to crave in these sorts of novels, this book absolutely made up for in a real, honest to goodness story—a story that didn’t rely on a far-fetched mystery for air, but maintained a very well developed plot and story. I liked it far more than I thought I would and found myself unable to put it down and marveling at the thoughtfulness of the story.
(less)

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Nov 30, 2010 Felice rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Observations is the story of a footloose and one step ahead of the law young woman named Bessy Buckley, formerly Daisy O'Toole. It's 1863 and Bessy is eager to improve her station and maybe to lay low for a bit as well. On her way to Edinburgh she comes across the once grand Castle Haivers. The mistress, Arabella Reid, hires Bessy as a scullery maid. Bessy thinks she has charmed Arabella into employment but maybe Arabella has an agenda of her own? Arabella spends her time secretly working on...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Maria Grazia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

I'm a bit sad this evening 'cause a had to say good-bye to a very good companion, a terrific one, who has filled in my repetitive routine with refreshing enterteinment. It's impossible not to be amused at listening to her singular idiolect and her humour is irresistible. I'm talking about Bessy Beckley, Irish but living in Scotland , only 15 years old but so experienced of the ways of the world. This extraordinary girl is ... the protagonist of the book I have just finished reading, THE OBSERVA...more

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May 07, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, historical-fiction

This was a brilliant read.

Set in Victorian Scotland (West Lothian, near Bathgate, very near where I spent my teenage years) and narrated by a 14-16 year old Irish girl, The Observations primarily tells the story of the narrator Bessy's time working as a maid for the beautiful Arabella, her 'missus.' The Observations has lots of classic Victorian fiction elements in it - there's squalor, a ghost story, mystery and class tension - but at heart this is a story of powerful relationships between wome...more

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Sep 25, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, blew-me-away-list, england

I LOVED Bessy, the narrator of this novel. What a character! Very gutsy, very outspoken, honest, and to top it all off, she has a sense of humor. The novel itself had an entertaining, mysterious plot. What seems to be irrelevant and unrelated happenings actually ends up being tied together in a bow by the end of the book. It did, however, have a rough beginning. The narration is shoddy and difficult to read at first. The reason is explained at the end and the reader actually realizes how very ap...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Bookguide rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Who is observing whom in this novel, and why? In some ways this is a cautionary tale about the failure to allow a natural outlet for a woman to make use of her brain and talents. In this somewhat gothic tale, a bored and isolated woman decides to observe the only person she has the opportunity to watch, her household maid. But soon she herself is under observation, and before the end, everything will change and she will be given another, richer opportunity to put her powers of scientific observa...more Who is observing whom in this novel, and why? In some ways this is a cautionary tale about the failure to allow a natural outlet for a woman to make use of her brain and talents. In this somewhat gothic tale, a bored and isolated woman decides to observe the only person she has the opportunity to watch, her household maid. But soon she herself is under observation, and before the end, everything will change and she will be given another, richer opportunity to put her powers of scientific observation and analysis to the test.

Set in 1863, 'The Observations' is a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a self-assured young girl, "Bessy", running away from her despicable mother in Glasgow and taken on as a maid at a remote country house. Her new mistress, Arabella Reid, seems to have a split personality, sometimes caring and sometimes cold-hearted, yet Bessy soon becomes devoted to her, doing her best to please, even though her mistress often asks her to perform pointless tasks, makes strange measurements and asks Bessy to record her daily activities and thoughts in a journal. Bessy soon realises that the household seems to have a bizarre mystery surrounding it as Arabella has had an unusually large number of maids, and the previous one seems to have left after an argument. The reader is set up to expect tales of murder and mystery or secrets in the attic, and as Bessy has a vivid imagination, we can share in all her more fanciful ideas of what is going on. The majority of the book is an account by Bessy which she is writing for some unnamed "gentlemen" in an attempt to explain what led up to some mysterious climactic event which is only revealed near the end of the book. Gradually we learn more about Bessy's past as she recounts the tale of her stay with the Reids and how she managed to piece together the story of the house, and of how she herself had unintentionally been instrumental in the downfall of her mistress.

Although told in a totally different style, in the voice of Bessy herself, with all its comic asides and colloquialisms, this is a period piece with shades of 'Jane Eyre' and 'The Thirteenth Tale; hints of mysteries, ghostly visitations, mental illness and illicit meetings. The tension is kept going until almost the last moment, with many twists and turns in the plot, until everything is revealed at last. There is plenty of local colour both in the language and descriptions of Bessy's life, and yet it was difficult to place it in a particular time. The back cover mentions 1863, yet this is not specified in the book itself, and it could have taken place any time between the 1830s (when the railways were built) and WWI, although cars and telephones were not mentioned. As the book is written in Bessy's voice, the author seems to think we need to be reminded of this occasionally by the use of the odd dialect word, yet the narrative itself tells us that Bessy is writing, and though that is clever, too much of it is in standard English to make it completely convincing, and I found the omission of apostrophes in words such as "don't" to be irritating and unnecessary, as the rest of the punctuation and spelling was correct. I also found the last chapter detailing the fates of the minor characters unnecessary as I had not formed any attachment to them; once the mystery of the past and the fate of Arabella had been clarified, I would have been happy to stop reading this thoroughly absorbing novel.(less)

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Nov 13, 2012 Bianca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic-fiction

Bessy Buckley is a housemaid looking for work as her previous employer died. As she is walking to Edinburgh in search of work she comes across a woman running around a field trying to catch a pig. She helps and tells the woman that she is looking for work. After a rocky start, she is employed as the in-out-girl and as a condition of her employment she needs to write down what she does each day and how she feels about it.

Bessy grows very fond of her missus and snoops around her room and finds 'Th...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This debut novel from Jane Harris was published in 2006 to a fair amount of critical acclaim. Owing much to the heritage of gothic writers such as Emily Bronte and Daphne Du Maurier, the story is of a young, pseudonymous heroine, Bessy, in mid nineteenth century Scotland. She has arrived at Castle Haivers on route from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and is offered employment by the lady of Castle Haivers, one Mrs Arabella Reid, who hires her solely on the condition that Bessy can read, and presumably wri...more This debut novel from Jane Harris was published in 2006 to a fair amount of critical acclaim. Owing much to the heritage of gothic writers such as Emily Bronte and Daphne Du Maurier, the story is of a young, pseudonymous heroine, Bessy, in mid nineteenth century Scotland. She has arrived at Castle Haivers on route from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and is offered employment by the lady of Castle Haivers, one Mrs Arabella Reid, who hires her solely on the condition that Bessy can read, and presumably write. She asks Bessy to keep a daily journal of her activities and jobs around the house and present these essays to her nightly. These scribbles go hand in hand with a number of odd tasks “the missus” asks her to perform. Before long Bessy becomes suspicious and discovers a book titled “The Observations” being written by Arabella.

This is a book devoted to the observation and analysis of servant girls in which the author tries to figure out what personal traits, characteristics and even looks constitute the best type of servant. Of all the girls that have worked at Castle Haivers there are entries, including a running commentary on Bessy herself. Bessy reads this and discovers that Arabella has discovered Bessy’s secret past with its many and sordid details. This fair destroys Bessy who holds her mistress in high esteem and saw them becoming close friends. During the reading of this book Bessy becomes aware of the bond that existed between Arabella and a previous servant girl, Nora. Bessy decides to act out her revenge on the mistress of the house by concocting a haunting tale of the return of the (now dead) Nora, not forseeing the damage this would do to her beloved mistress.

From this point the book takes on the role of ghost story and sails along at a rapid pace. It has twists and turns a plenty, and holds the reader in a gripped suspense before culminating in a open climax that leaves the reader to wonder just why Bessy is writing up this memoir. Is it, as she says, at the polite request of a number of doctors, or has she herself been institutionalised? I will say no more on the ending as that would be cruel but the novel reads beautifully. There are some harrowing moments when Bessy goes on to tell us about her past, and her relationship with her abusive mother; the alcoholic demon figure that all good gothic novels seem to acquire. Some of Bessy’s characteristics are adorable and one cannot help but fall for her working class charm and sense of selflessness throughout the book. She longs to be the antithesis of her mother, occasionally acting out a fantasy as the lady of the house, as opposed to an alcoholic bum. But also she is busy and tidy opposite her mother’s traits of laziness and disorderliness. At times there is a hint of homosexuality in Bessy as she observes the mistress going about her day, and examining the her clothes and face. Does she want to be Arabella, or be with Arabella? The question is left hanging.

It is a book I cannot recommend highly enough and harps back to a time when female writers dominated this sort of genre. Beautifully carved from the literary wood of Rebecca, Bleak House or Jane Eyre, this novel deserves its place among greats like those(less)

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May 04, 2010 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Observations is narrated by Bessy Buckley, a 15-year-old on the run from her dysfunctional family in Glasgow. She gets a job as maid to Arabella Reid, the mistress of an estate outside Edinburgh. Bessy is requested to perform a series of bewildering and unususal tasks, but quickly becomes enthralled by her mistress Arabella. Bessy is asked to keep a journal recording events and feeling. This is to provide research material for Arabella’s own study, The Observations: a study of the habits and...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Noel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, released-through-bookcrossing, thriller-mystery

From the blurb on the back of the book I had very high expectations for this novel, and was a bit disappointed at the execution of it. I peeked at some of the reviews here on Goodreads, and almost pitched the book by page 100 -- but for some reason I kept on,, and in the end I'm glad I did, but by a hair.

It's the story of a young girl, Bessie - who runs away from what passes for her home and winds up as a servant to Arabella, an odd mistress who lives in what seems to be a somewhat dilapidated...more

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May 18, 2010 Rich Stoehr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a funny thing about reading someone's diary - it feels a little naughty but it's rarely worth the effort. "The Observations," fortunately, is the exception to that rule.

A smart and suspenseful story told in a unique voice, "The Observations" is sometimes spooky and sometimes serious, with funny moments that reach right off the page to slap you unexpectedly in the face. The narrator, an Irish servant of Scottish masters in the 19th Century, tells both her own story and that of those she serv...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Christie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was comfortably skirting the 3 mark until the end, which was drastically disappointing.

The premise of the book was not overly original, the story of the relationship between a young maid with a secret and her mistress, also concealing a secret, in the Scottish highlands in the Victorian times. This novel would probably appeal to fans of Sarah waters Victorian lesbian fiction, but lacks the subtlety and characterisation to put it on a par with them. The book never quite takes the step...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Jo Ann ❤ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: around-the-world-2012, library-books, mystery, historical-fiction, great-britain-uk

I really enjoyed "The Observations" the narrator Bessy a young Irish girl forced into prostitution by her mother runs away and is taken in by the "Missus" Arabella Reid and becomes her maid.

The two form a rather bizarre friendship with Bessy obsessively attached to the Missus, understandably considering she was starved for love and affection, something she never received from her own mother and her life of living on the streets. Arabella on the other hand you never really quite understand what...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Luciabo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzo

Romanzo gradevole. Siamo alla fine del 1800 e Bessy, una ragazzina di soli 15 anni, si reca da Glasgow a Edimburgo per cercare lavoro come cameriera, camminando lungo viottoli di campagna. A poco a poco emerge che in realtà Bessy sta scappando da Glasgow dove ha vissuto una vita davvero poco adatta per una ragazzina della sua età. Sta scappando da una mamma alcolizzata e prostituta oltre che sfruttatrice della figlia ed è stata messa alla porta dai congiunti di un ricco e vecchio signore (leggi...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Jill rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has really captured my attention over the past few weeks. This is a story about a girl named Bessy from the wrong side of tracks in Glasgow in the 1860's. She makes her way out of her terrible life and into a country manor outside Edinburgh, where she becomes a maid to a well-to-do couple. There she builds an unusual attachment to her missus who keeps a private journal of observations on Bessy and the maids that have preceded her with the intent of compiling this information into a boo...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-fiction, favorites

I loved this book so much that I'm actually sad that I no longer have it to read. THAT'S a book that deserves 5 stars for that reason alone. This story is so well written; the character of Bessy and her "voice" is flawless. It's hilarious, creepy, dark, mysterious. I could go on forever.

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Aug 25, 2012 Rachel Cude rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jane Harris slowly and carefully builds a picture of a sinister, twisted household, where everyday occurrences gradually take on new slants as more information is revealed. I warmed more and more to Bessie the maid's character as I found out more about her, how circumstances had shaped her life, and how she had attempted to grab held of situations and make the most of them - a refreshing outlook for a female in her circumstances in the Victorian era. I was particularly interested to see how the...more

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About Jane Harris

Jane Harris was born in Belfast, Ireland and raised in Glasgow. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and she has written several award-winning short films. In 2000, she received a Writer's Award from the Arts Council of England.

She started writing by accident while living in Portugal in the early Nineties. She says, "I had no TV, hardly any books, no mone...more

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