Description

A love letter to Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is a witty novel of manners and gossip, class and family, scandal and romance.

‘Romance and scandal abound in this compelling period drama . . . Recommended for all lovers of Regency historical fiction’ LAURA SHEPPERSON, author of The Heroines

‘Warm and witty, with a wonderful cast of quirky characters whose company I found irresistible’ JESSICA BULL, author of Miss Austen Investigates

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A single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife . . .

But why would he choose her?

Summer 1841. It is marriage season in the county of Wickenshire, and Miss Amelia Ashpoint isn’t sure she can face yet another ball. But now that she has reached the grand age of three-and-twenty, time is (apparently) running out. Her father is anxious to secure her a husband and has set his sights on Mr Montgomery Hurst of Radcliffe Park.

Only, Mr Hurst has just announced his engagement to somebody else.

To the great consternation of Wickenshire, a community that thrives on gossip, the county’s most eligible bachelor is about to marry not only an unknown stranger – but a widow with three children, odd manners and no ancestry to speak of. Society is appalled and intrigued.

Meanwhile, Amelia Ashpoint has no interest in marriage at all. But in this town, it is clear that nobody’s business is their own. And while society has high expectations for Amelia, her heart is drawing her in a very different direction . . .

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‘A glittering comedy with spiky wit, an eye for social critique, and (of course) a terrific sense of irony’ TOM MEAD, author of Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel

‘Rich with scandal, romance and social mores . . . a total delight!’ ANITA FRANK, author of The Lost Ones and The Good Liars

‘A feast of clever wit and lovingly drawn characters, this is an absolute treat for fans of Jane Austen – or anyone looking for top-rate storytelling’ HESTER MUSSON

‘An absolute dream of a book. A compelling storyline that kept me gripped to the last page, and beyond. I think this book will establish her – deservedly – as one of our best historical fiction writers’ ANNE CORLETT

PRAISE FOR KATIE LUMSDEN

‘Vivid, haunting, surprising’ STACEY HALLS

‘A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere’ EMMA STONEX

‘With echoes of Jane Eyre but with a heart of its own . . . Suspenseful and beautifully crafted’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN

‘This book delivers HUGE Jane Eyre vibes, gothic and mysterious Victoriana. I LOVED it’ SOPHIE IRWIN

Publisher Review

Warm and witty, with a wonderful cast of quirky characters whose company I found irresistible — JESSICA BULL A feast of clever wit and lovingly drawn characters, this is an absolute treat for fans of Jane Austen – or anyone looking for for top-rate storytelling. I haven’t felt such unadulterated pleasure in a book for ages — HESTER MUSSON An insightful and compassionate tale of a Victorian county town and the people who live there. Romance and scandal abound in this compelling period drama, and Lumsden is not afraid to explore the issues Jane Austen could only hint at — LAURA SHEPPERSON Rich with scandal, romance and social mores, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is a total delight! Threaded with a biting humour reminiscent of Austen, it proves both poignant and thought-provoking as it exposes the bitter realities hidden within many nineteenth-century classics. — ANITA FRANK An intriguing delight, with scandal, gossip and romance, and a cast of characters Jane Austen would be proud of. — ESSIE FOX Sheer delight! A glittering comedy of manners told with spiky wit, an eye for social critique, and (of course) a terrific sense of irony. It is impossible not to be swept off one’s feet by the elegance and rich music of Katie Lumsden’s prose — TOM MEAD With its witty writing, memorable characters, and meticulous plot, this is definitely a future classic. I absolutely loved it — EMMA MEDRANO An absolute dream of a book. The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst has a compelling storyline that kept me gripped to the last page, and beyond. It’s one of those books that plays on your mind, making you wish there was more left to read. It covers what could be familiar ground for historical fiction – wealth or the lack of it, social class, marriage prospects – but in fresh and surprising ways. The prose is flawless, and the author handles her large, diverse cast of characters with a deftness of touch that is evocative of Jane Austen. I think this book will establish her – deservedly – as one of our best historical fiction writers. — ANNE CORLETT