Tyringham Park by Rosemary McLoughlin
Published by Pengiun
ISBN 978-1-405-91052-1
Despite being the only person in the country who hasn’t seen Downtown Abbey I can appreciate the swell of interest in country homes and all the twists and turns of life above and below stairs. In my time I have devoured The Forsyte Saga and this novel is jumping on the coat-tails (of the under footman) of this genre, not that I am slamming it, this is a well crafted novel with all the ingredients of a gothic romance and a real twist at the end. It also has shadows of ‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’.
It makes a social comment on how circumstances changed after the first world war as people were less happy to work in a large house as a servant when better wages could be made in factories based in the city and the demise of such houses as people could no longer afford to run them.
Set in Ireland in-between the wars Edwina, a failed debutante with an unhappy romance behind her has been forced to marry her cousin, Lord Waldron. The marriage has some compensations – she can indulge in her real love – riding and horses with the help of Manus the horse trainer whilst her husband is either in London at the war office or in India with his regiemnt so she doesn’t have to dress for dinner or entertain the neighbours, neither of which interests her. The only thing she wants from the neighbours is their appreciation of her seat on a well bred thoroughbred.
When Edwina’s younger daughter Victoria disappears from her pram parked on the terrace suspicion falls on the nursery nurse, Dixon, a vain girl, unpopular with the other servants and given to cruelty to her charges, she in turn deflects the finger of accusation on the nursery assistant who left in a hurry for Australia and marriage the previous day. Edwina, despite being an uninterested mother swears that she will find her daughter, even though she is loath to admit to the local police that she is unsure of Victoria’s birthdate nor is she going to be drawn on what she was doing when the baby disappeared.
The story follows Charlotte, the elder, plainer daughter as she struggles with her weight and her difficult relationship with her mother. Charlotte, like her mother also has an appalling season, failing to catch a husband despite having a fortune but when she does fall in love her feelings aren’t reciprocated.
The story travels between Ireland and Australia as characters almost bump into one another, Dixon dreams of the day she can return to Tyringham Park and show the other servants how she has progressed and bettered herself, becoming quite well off in the process.
If you enjoyed this try The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale or The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
Reviewed by Dianne Blashill
dmblashill@hotmail.co.uk
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