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Worried that her place at the top of the medium tree could be at risk, she decides that taking on an apprentice might help to keep her craft fresh. The girl - Miss Finch - isn't entirely as controllable as Mrs Wood had hoped. I sincerely wish I liked Mrs Wood more, I really did want to invest myself in her wins and losses but to be honest, I hated the way she treated those around her. Whether this was intentional by the author or not, I’m not sure. However, she was constantly putting down Miss Newman’s suffragette work and putting her own needs above others. I can’t say much more without spoilers, I simply regret not being able to see The Nice Side of Mrs Wood. Miss Finch is a well developed antagonist, it is possible to imagine her expressions and her manipulative character as she proceeds to fool those around her. The other characters who attend the seances and meetings are not fully developed beyond basic descriptions. The descriptions of the houses, food, clothes and scenes around London give some authenticity to the period, reflecting relevant research. Think All About Eve, but set in the spellbinding world of Victorian mediums - a brilliantly witty twist on the rivalry between an ageing star and a wide-eyed ingenue who isn't all she seems.' Frances Quinn, author of That Bonesetter Woman
People wanted to believe they could connect to their dead relatives and friends and those who could help them to do so were very well rewarded. Mrs Wood appears to have it made. I enjoyed the portrayal of Mrs Wood and Miss Finch as well as the supporting cast of characters. I could picture the clothing, the households, the carriages etc and feel the excitement as well as the manipulation and despair. However, the novel is well written and I enjoyed the strong female characters - Mrs Wood and Miss Newman, so I carried on reading and became more engaged with the tale as it progressed. The descriptions of the antics at seances were entertaining although it is hard to believe that people would really be taken in by Mrs Wood’s “stunts”; eg: when she ended up in a tree! This is a story of Victorian life, and its obsession with the Spiritual world. It took quite a while to get going (around 30% I thought it was going to be a DNF), but I did get to the end. It was a slow, flat book with little action. The deviousness and cunning of Mrs Wood’s “day job”, was strangely at odds with her naivety when it came to taking a stalker in off the street to train her up.Mrs. Violet Wood is London’s premier medium, a woman of supreme ambition whose and unique abilities have earned her the admiration and trust of London’s elite. Mrs. Wood is indeed a clever and gifted seer--her skill is unmatched in predicting exactly what her wealthy patrons want to hear from the beyond. But times are changing. While Mrs. Wood lives in constant fear that journalist Mangus Clore, editor of the Spiritual Times, could soon expose her as a fraud, she doesn’t actually view herself as one. A joy to read, completely fresh and original with a wonderful cast of characters, featuring rival mediums, dark secrets and some truly delicious double-crossing. Witty, evocative writing, a huge treat of a novel.” - Lucy Diamond This was great. Lucy Barker provides us with enough clues to deduce there’s something off with the almost preternaturally competent student, and we see Mrs. Wood’s desperation blinding her to all the signs. She’s not naïve (her mother ensured that), but her frustration with her clients’ constant need for more and newer propels Violet to not think things through before taking on the ingenue, and pushing away everyone in her life who actually cares about her. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Mrs Wood was a sympathetic and likeable character and it was interesting to see how the plot would develop.
Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand. She decides to take on Emmie, a young protégé, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naïve ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined? Think All About Eve, but set in the spellbinding world of Victorian mediums. Brilliantly witty.' Frances Quinn, author of That Bonesetter Woman - Set in London in the 1870’s, this unusual story focuses on the work of celebrity mediums and their popularity in Victorian society. The widow Mrs Wood is the most celebrated medium at the time and she hosts many successful seances to a wide range of her supporters and patrons. Mrs. Violet Wood is London’s premier medium, a woman of supreme ambition whose and unique abilities have earned her the admiration and trust of London’s elite. Mrs. Wood is indeed a clever and gifted seer--her skill is unmatched in predicting exactly what her wealthy patrons want to hear from the beyond. The Other Side of Mrs Wood is an irresistible historical comedy about two warring mediums in Victorian London, inspired by the real-life rivalry between famous spiritualists Agnes Guppy and Florence Cook in the 1870s.Enter sixteen-year-old ingenue Emmeline Finch with an uncanny ability to conjure spirits, who begs to become Mrs. Woods’ protégé. Violet earnestly believes that she is using her, ahem, “skills” to bring comfort to other people with messages they long to hear from dearly departed loved ones who visit from beyond the grave — after all, “illusion is everything.”
The style is sometimes amusing, particularly in the descriptions of the preparations before the seances; but it is not really a comedy. Although the plot is surrounding mediumship, it is not scary or unsettling. It is all written in a way that at times is quite amusing with a slight tension in the air. At times I was wondering what was real or what was fake. It kept me guessing! When a young girl begins to stand outside Mrs Wood’s home, her curiosity gets the better of her and she demands to know why the girl is hanging around. It seems the girl, Emmie Finch wants to be a pupil of the great Mrs Wood, to learn how to be a respected medium of Mrs Wood’s calibre. While Mrs Wood wouldn't go as far yet as to follow into the footsteps of the more showy and outrageous escapades of some of her American colleagues – she does freshen up her act by hiring a young protégé to spice things up. However, that's when her real problems begin...
Mrs Wood is the most successful medium in Victorian London. Together with her assistant, Miss Newman, she hosts spectacular séances that have made her the talk of the town and brought the rich and famous to her door requesting private consultations. Of course, Mrs Wood can’t really communicate with spirits, but she doesn’t feel too guilty about what she’s doing – after all, a widow has to make a living somehow and this is the work she’s been raised to do. Recently, however, things have started going wrong. There are reports from America of mediums promising to materialise full spirits and although Mrs Wood disapproves of such things, she worries that her own more traditional shows are losing their spark. When she hears the unmistakable sound of a yawn during one of her séances, she knows she has to take action. Mrs Wood is one of the most famous and respected medium in Victorian London. She's been around for decades and her devoted patrons ensure that her seances continue to be popular. But her loyal followers are getting older and they won't be around forever to keep Mrs Wood in a job. Not only that, but many of her peers are unmasked as frauds so she has an added job of disassociating herself from anyone caught up in the scandals. And, as younger, more exciting mediums enter the stage, she knows she has to up her game considerably to stay relevant and celebrated. Audio Notes: Tracy-Ann Oberman does a nice job with the narration, particularly with a variety of arch society voices and gradually building up tension during seances and other charged moments. My only quibble was her voice for Emmie Finch--it was so simpering and uncertain, it seemed unbelievable that the sharp Mrs. Woods wouldn't have caught on to her schemes sooner. Perhaps it just needed a stronger editor to insist that it should have been a much shorter book. Or perhaps an injection of humour or tragedy would have livened the tone. Or perhaps it’s simply a mismatch between book and reader – I don’t know, but whatever the problem is, sadly it didn’t work for me. However, in her frustrations with Miss Finch she does become antagonistic to some of her close friends and these relationships are never mended. Miss Newman, her friend and assistant, provides some context with her preparatory work with the suffrage movement. There is also humour in her conversations with Violet Wood and they obviously have a close relationship.
I would definitely read another one of this author's books, though, particularly since this was a debut. While I wanted deeper characterization and themes explored, and perhaps a touch more emphatic plotting as well, much of it was very well-written. I often tire of the inclusion of letters or articles in books, even though they are common in period literature from this time, but they were skillfully done here--motivation revealed with polite but barbed words, cloaked in flattery and social graces. It also feels appropriately steeped in Victorian manners, though the claims of "witty" and "atmospheric" aren't really the words I'd use to describe this. Billed as ‘The irresistible historical comedy about two rival mediums in Victorian London’, I was looking forward to more than this, and the only comedy appeared to be provided by Eliza. I also loved how complex a lot of the swindling in the world of Victorian mediums was. Despite having the opportunity to look behind the curtain as a reader, the clever mechanics behind it all still lured me into a false sense of belief at times. That alone made for a great concept for a novel.
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Full of wit. Bubbling beneath its surface is a compelling commentary on the scant choices facing Victorian women determined to support themselves. Highly recommended.” - Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels
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