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Description edit
Scotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her not-so-innocent past in Glasgow, Bessy Buckley - the wide-eyed Irish heroine of The Observations - takes a job as a maid in a big house outside Edinburgh working for the beautiful Arabella. Bessy is intrigued by her new employer, but puzzled by her... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Bessy Buckley: Main character. Housemaid at Castle Haivers.
- Arabella Reid: Lady of the house
- Reverend Pollock: local minister
- James Reid: Lord of the house
- Biscuit Meek: carriage driver
- Nora: former housemaid to Arabella
- Hector: farm worker
- Mr. Levy: former employer of Bessy
- Janet: innkeeper
- Dr. Douglas McGregor-Robertson: the doctor
- Master James: Add a description of this character.
- Muriel
- Bridget
- Mr Flemyng
- Jesus Murphy
- Joe Dimpsey
- Morag
- Mr Duncan Pollock
- Henderson
- Daisy
- Jessie
- Helen
- Mrs Rankin
- Alasdair
- Mrs Gilfillan
- Snatter
- Mrs Kirk
- Sammy Sums
- Jim
- Bathgate
- Jove
- Mr Knox
Quotes edit
-
“You might as well plant buttercups on a cow pat”
Bessy Buckley
Setting & Locations edit
- Castle Haivers
- Crown House
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
- Great Road
- London
- Scratchland
- Swan
- Scotland
- Gallowgate
- Turkey
- Gushet
- Hyndland
First Sentence edit
I had reason to leave Glasgow, this would have been about three four years ago, and I had been on the Great Road about five hours when I seen a track to the left and a sign that said "Castle Haivers."
Table of Contents edit
I. Part One
1. I Find a New Place
2. New Clothes and New People
3. Friday
4. What I Did Not Write
5. The Master Returns
6. I Make a Discovery
II. Part Two
7. A Most Particular Case
8. Depression
9. An Important Dinner
10. I Have an Idea
11. Both Strange and Startling
III. Part Three
12. I Get Another Shock
13. A Trip, a Tea Party and a Mysterious Object
14. Missing Pages
IV. Part Four
15. An Apparition
16. I Get a Fright
17. Ominous News
18. A Startling Revelation
19. I Lose Hope
V. Part Five
20. I Am Made Captive
21. Pandemonium
22. An Unexpected Loss
23. Desolation
VI. Part Six
24. A New Preoccupation
Authors & Contributors edit
- Jane Harris (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: April 6, 2006
ISBN: 0571223354
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: April 6, 2006
ISBN: 0571223354
Page Count: 432
Awards edit
- Orange Prize for Fiction (Finalist, 2007)
- British Book Award (Finalist, 2007: Newcomer of the Year)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 823.92
Subjects edit
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