From Booklist Margaret Macy really has no choice. Margaret’s new stepfather, Sterling Benton, is plotting to gain control of the money Margaret will inherit from her recently deceased aunt by marrying Margaret off to his nephew Benton. With no one to turn to for help, Margaret runs away from her home in London. What little money Margaret brings with her is quickly exhausted, forcing her to accept a job as a maid at Fairbourne Hall. All Margaret has to do is quietly remain in hiding there as “Nora Garret” until she comes into her inheritance. But her new employer is none other than Nathaniel Upchurch, whose offer of marriage Margaret rejected years ago. Christy Award winner and RITA nominee Klassen delivers another impeccably crafted romance rich in fascinating details about life both upstairs and downstairs in a country estate. An excellent choice for fans of faith-based fiction and readers who miss traditional Regency romances. --John Charles To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors. As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding? Brimming with romance and danger, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall takes readers inside the fascinating belowstairs world of a 19th-century English manor, where appearances can be deceiving. Discussion questions included. Julie Klassen (www.julieklassen.com) loves all things Jane-- Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing 's Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit julieklassen.com. Read more
Features & Highlights
Regency Romance and Mystery from Bestselling Author Julie KlassenPampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall? Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
5.0
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Appearances Can Be Deceiving!
In Maid of Fairbourne Hall, Julie Klassen sweeps us away to 19th century London, in a delightful tale reminiscent of the timeless classics of the beloved Jane Austen. It is a tale of the very wealthy, and their loyal servants, beautiful gowns and masquerade balls, deceit and unrequited love. Our heroine, self-centered Margaret Macy, who stands to inherit a fortune on her next birthday, is forced to leave her home by her money hungry stepfather and his conniving nephew. Not knowing exactly where she is going, Margaret finds herself hired as a servant at Fairbourne Hall, owned by none other than two of her past suitors...Nathaniel Upchurch and his brother, Lewis!
Desperate not to be discovered, the beautiful, blonde Margaret, dons a brunette wig from one of her masquerade balls, and becomes a servant in every sense of the word...even lowering herself to emptying the disgusting chamber pots. Infatuated at one time with Lewis Upchurch, Margaret turned down his brother, Nathaniel's marriage proposal...much to her chagrine, for Nathaniel has turned into one swoonworthy male, and she finds Lewis to be very shallow and selfish.
Will Margaret be able to keep up the charade without being discovered, and what valuable lessons does she learn as a housemaid...of sacrifice, forgiveness, and loving those who are beneath her station in life? And who has a vendetta against the Upchurch family and why?...and seriously wounds one of the Upchurch brothers? Will he live?---especially with a traitor in the mansion determined to make that an impossibility? Will Nathaniel forgive Margaret's rejection of him years earlier, should he discover her identity, and will she ever be able return home to her mother and siblings again?
I love Julie Klassen's books, but in my opinion this is the best novel she has ever written! Interlaced with humor, suspense, and romance, this novel will have you laughing one moment and eyes brimming with tears the next. I loved her characters (though somewhat fanciful at times), and how our heroine evolves from being a selfish lady to a real LADY in every sense of the word! Julie's use of imagery is extraordinary, her storyline fascinating, her writing exquisite; what more can I say than you must read this book?!!
18 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Historically fascinating but not a swoony romance
I’m not hugely into historical romances but regency era is my favorite subgenre. This book sounded a bit unique and it was. The behind-the-scenes view of life as a servant during that time period was interesting – it’s obvious Julie Klassen does her research and I learned a lot. There’s a lot of tension, danger and intrigue throughout the book. And something unexpected that I found especially fascinating was when pirates came into the story. I expect them in a high-seas adventure – not showing up at a manor in the middle of the country!
The story was layered, colorful – everything about it was great except I found one thing rather lacking: the romance. It only makes sense in hindsight – when the main character is in disguise throughout 95% of the story, and she is busy avoiding the attention of the love interest who might recognize her, well – there’s not a lot of room for sizzling chemistry. If the ending had been drawn out a bit more, there might have been more development and closure in that department. As it was, I loved the book for the historical aspect but the romance was lukewarm at most.
All in all, an enjoyable read, just don’t expect to swoon.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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a great book but for a few things ...
I loved Klassen's first books but not the last two. I feel the author, though an excellent writer, adds a lot of meandering plot lines that tire a reader, especially in The Silent Governess. I was truly impressed with the first half of Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Klassen did a great job with research and bringing to life how it would have been to be a maid "below stairs". The amount of work to keep the house running was astounding and some of the jobs were quite humorous. Hard to imagine emptying chamber pots!
I also enjoyed all the secondary characters - the many different maids, who were quite active in the story until the reader hits a little past that mid-way mark, then they silently vanish. No more mention. (Not even to tell us their reaction when finding out the truth about Nora ... disappointing!) A possible romance, a maid with an edge slowly softening, and several other story lines just dropped. Suddenly, almost as if reading two different books, gone is the slight humorous angle and growing attraction between two main characters, and we're thrust into a "who dun it" mystery. Someone's been shot and all concentration goes to figuring out the menacing man holding a grudge. It seriously seemed out of place and added little to the story.
When the mystery is solved, us readers are picked up and dropped off back in the love story, where Klassen throws in a few more turns until by the time the main characters finally get together, it's anticlimatic. (or maybe it's just because my eyes were burning from a lack of sleep! Come on, Klassen, it's past one! Can't you speed things up a bit?) *** There was one romantic scene I have to mention. A main character is having a bad dream early in the morning. The maid soothes him. While still asleep, he kisses her fiercely. The maid is swept away by the romance of it all. I could only think - ugh, morning breath. Especially when said main character mentions later he'd had a garlic sauce the night before which might have disturbed his sleep!***
I will say yes, this book is good. It's better than her last two, though like Silent Governess, it roams all over the place before finally dropping you off with a perfectly tied up romantic ending.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Throughout most of this book, I could hardly put ...
Throughout most of this book, I could hardly put it down! Then near the end, it bogged down, dragged out and took too long to climax.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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It didn't meet my expectations
This is my first Klassen novel, and after Edenbrooke I was excited to get lost in another great Regency story. However, I put down the book a bit disappointed. The main character grew and matured quite a bit through the book, but the novel ends abruptly, without giving her the chance to showcase her improved manners. And her love interest was a little slow in coming to her rescue -- any number of things could have happened. But, they did not -- one of my main disappointments. The climax was lacking, well, climax! After her dramatic escape to save her virtue, she returns to home to find out that her nemesis is defeated and her slimy suitor is gone.
I guess I'll go back and read Edenbrooke again -- now there was a spectacularly crafted novel.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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This is now one of my favorite books! :)
Before I share what I thought about The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, I have to mention that Julie Klassen is one of my mom's favorite authors - she's read all of Julie's books and when she saw that I had this book for review - she immediately took it from me and had to read it first! And guess what? My mom loved this book from the first sentence on... literally!
While Julie Klassen is not a new author to my mom, she is to me - this is the first book I've read of hers and I don't know why. It was phenomenal! Absolutely stunning and vivid in details! If all of her other books are like this one, I've completely been missing out.
"He is reading my letters now too...."
That opening sentence had me wondering who was reading her letters? What else had this person been doing? There is so much just in that first sentence! :)
The characters in The Maid of Fairbourne Hall had such interesting stories and what happened between Margaret and Nathaniel years ago made it impossible for me not to care for these characters and what would happen in their lives.
This is shocking to me, since this book is over 400 pages long, but I read The Maid of Fairbourne Hall in less than 24 hours! I couldn't stop reading for long, and after a few pages/chapters, I was hooked. It was that good and entertaining that I found there wasn't a good place to stop and before I knew it I was done with the book! Too soon, I might add - I was not ready to say goodbye to the characters. I'm hoping for a sequel (as I normally do with books I love).
My mom and I don't always agree about books, but in this case we do. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen is a definite winner and as you can see from the award above, this is now a favorite book of mine! I 100%, without a doubt, recommend this book - especially if you enjoy reading historical novels!!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via CFBA. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Julie Klassen is the 21st century's Jane Austen!
I knew she was good after reading The Apothocary's Daughter, but The Maid of Fairbourne Hall really blew me away. Open this book and Klassen will transports you back to the early 1800s, in England, when upper-class Margaret Macy suddenly finds her life altered to that of a lowly housemaid.
The first character that struck me the strongest and grabbed my attention was wild-mannered and dashingly good looking Nathaniel Upchurch. At his first appearance after years in Barabdos, I was glued to the pages and instantly intrigued about this man. Margaret took a little longer for me to warm up to, but through no fault of the author! She was just a bit too uppity. Once she was brought low and humbled as a housemaid--and learned so many lessons about the people who work so hard behind the scenes--she grew on me.
For being a rather thick book, I flew through the pages, easily. And found it very hard to put it down at the end of each chapter. Klassen excels at keeping the reader riveted to the pages, both with her awesome, intricate storyplot and her deep, endearing characters.
The things that Margaret had to go through as a housemaid certainly made for some amusing moments. Especially her first time at emptying a chamber pot! Haha, I was laughing out loud--how gross! As to questionable content, there really wasn't any worth mentioning. A few of the male characters have less than honorable designs toward women, especially the servant girls, but details are never given.
If you love the Jane Austen classics, then you have to try one of Julie Klassen's novels and discover that Austen's brilliance with regency romances lives on! I was swept away in this lovely tale where the reader gets a behind the scenes look at what life was like for the servants in a 19th century English manor. You won't be disappointed!
I reviewed this book for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Thanks to the publishers, Bethany House, for sending me my review copy. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Great characters
Klassen creates such interesting characters. This story was enjoyable and interesting, but the characters were the most interesting part of this one. The love story was a little blah. And just a dumb thing for me, the fact that she had to wear a wig the whole story made me itch. I totally recognize that's a weird thing on my part, but it really bugged. :) I loved that she got to stick it to her stepfather in the end. That was worth it.
1 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
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One Star
A silly romance
1 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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One of the best novels I've read this year!
It's been months (!!!) since I read The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and I'm just now getting around to posting my review. Ack! Back in March, I said this was "hands down" my favorite read of the month, and I can say in August that this book will make the top 10 list for this year.
Margaret Macy realizes she must leave home to avoid her stepfather's plot to marry her off to a horrible man. As she flees from her home and her pampered lifestyle, she finds work as a maid, hoping that the man of the house will marry her and rescue her from her stepfather. Margaret must hide her identity until the time is right, and in the meantime must learn to be a maid. Will she find the security she longs for at Fairbourne Hall? Or will she learn that some things are more important than fulfilling her own plans?
Julie Klassen is a new-to-me author, and I'm so glad I took a chance on her with The Maid of Fairbourne Hall! Klassen writes with great detail--her research process must be intense!--and does a beautiful job of making the setting, characters, and story truly come alive. I loved learning about the life of servants during this period and their relationship with the family. The story was intriguing as well, with enough questions and unknown elements to keep me curious as to the next turn the story would take.
There were a ton of characters in this book, which at times had me backtracking to confirm someone's identity. Overall, though, the life-like characters drew me into the story and I really connected with them. I originally thought that Margaret was going to simply be a spoiled little rich girl. There was so much more to her, though, and I was glad that the author wrote with so much depth and feeling. It helped me be an empathetic reader! Plus, the challenge of writing a character with a dual-identity made for some humorous moments as well.
Thank you, Julie Klassen, for writing one of the best novels I've read all year! [5 stars]
I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my fair and honest review.
