The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen- Book Review

At some point last year, I discovered author Julie Klassen quite by accident. I was scouring the Amazon Kindle's free offerings and one happened to be The Apothecary's Daughter by Klassen. Let me tell you, I feel in love immediately. I think it is still my favorite Klassen novel to date and each that I have read have been really great, so that's saying a lot. A little while back, I reviewed another of her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse. Today, I will share my thoughts on The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, Klassen's newest novel and my latest read.
Summary-

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret flees London disguised as a housemaid in Julie Klassen's The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive her inheritance and her independence along with it. But she never expected to actually work as a maid and did not plan on serving in the homes of two of her former suitors. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?


My thoughts- I really enjoyed this novel! Usually Klassen's novels are very Jane Austen-esque (as intended) but this one reminded me of another period piece- The PBS television series Downton Abbey. I loved  getting a glimpse into the  day to day life of "the help" during that time period. It was also great to see Marageret, a quite spoiled girl of 24, grow up as she pulls off this scheme. She has never lifted a finger in her life, as evidenced by the fact that she can not even undress herself for quite sometime after becoming "Nora." This is a good story, still full of balls and propriety, handsome gentlemen and fair ladies, but it is refreshing to see a different point of view offered here. I loved that Nora got a peek into the Upchurch brothers day to day life and got to learn quite a bit about each of their characters, to her surprise. She also gets to learn the true meaning of hard work and gains a better appreciation of what the staff of these large houses went through on a day to day basis. This was an easy read that flowed well and kept me turning the pages. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen novels, shows like Downton Abbey or who enjoys a good historical romance.

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Purchase The Maid of Fairbourne Hall- Now on sale for $5 at Lifeway.com

Disclaimer- I was provided a complimentary copy of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions stated above are 100% my own.