No. 23 Burlington Square - Jenni Keer - ★★★.¾
AUTHOR: Jenni Keer
GENRE: Historical Romance.
RATING: 3.75 stars.
In a Nutshell: An unusual ‘sliding doors’ historical fiction, focussing on characters either residing or wanting to reside at the titular location. Imaginative in concept, somewhat slow in progress, interesting in plot development, okay in character development. Will work when you want a feel-good story with limited romance.
Story Synopsis:
1927. With the death of one tenant, there’s a vacant room to let in No. 23 Burlington Square. The owner, an old lady named Agnes Humphries, has three potential candidates, each of whom has at least one reason in favour of being allotted the room.
Clara Goodwin: Agnes’ nonconformist niece who is a rebel but is also family.
Stephen Thompson: A respectable banker with all the right credentials.
Mercy: A widow who seems to carry a heavy burden on her young shoulders.
Whom will Agnes select as the new tenant?
This is where the book takes the road not taken.
In three standalone timelines, we see Agnes offering the room to each of the three candidates, thereby giving us the chance of observing if and how the fate of the character alters due to their presence at No.23.
The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various characters.
Bookish Yays:
😍 I love the idea of the plot. Of the three candidates, it is very easy to pick a deserving one for the house. (I think most of us readers would root for Mercy to be ‘the chosen one’.) So the author cleverly gives us the three timelines, beginning with the most problematic character – Clara, then going to Stephen, and finally Mercy. It was fun to see how the characters develop once they become tenants a No.23. Each timeline had its own appeal, and it is hence very tough to say which one worked the best for me.
😍 There are already three tenants in residence at the house, and these too are quite distinct in age and behaviour. The family in the basement has a philanderer husband, an overworked wife, and many kids. The old man on the first floor is an ex-pianist once famous but now arthritic and forgotten. The young man on the topmost floor, about whom no one knows anything except that he loves to click photographs and that he is quite pale. Each of the new tenant’s storyline intersects with that of one of the existing tenants. This adds an intriguing layer to the book as each alternate path feels different from the rest not just in plot but also in focal characters.
😍 Agnes has the right kind of personality to carry the entire novel. She is a complicated old lady with no filters in her mouth and no secrets in her stomach, but also with no limits to her heart. She made me cringe with her blunt comments, but she also won me over with her mostly benevolent attitude towards the other characters.
😍 Every single prominent character in the story has an unrevealed backstory. Some of these were quite easy to guess, while others caught me by surprise. Most of the secrets are distinct from each other, and through these secrets, the novel explores several themes relevant to the time and age such as the war and its aftermath, the women’s suffrage movement, gender discrimination, societal conformance, and homophobia. The themes add depth to the story.
😍 The romance is kept to a minimum, with the characters’ personal development getting a greater focus.
😍 I loved how the eponymous house was described. It was huge, fitting for a story with so many characters. However, it wasn’t written as a pristine residence in its heyday, but rather, as an old house that might have lost its splendour but still has its charm. The clutter inside (both of characters and of objects) added to its appeal.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 Not all the characters are likeable. Clara is especially tough to feel connected with. I mostly enjoyed this greyish portrayal of the key people as it made the story more realistic. However, some of the characters go from good to bad (or vice versa) abruptly, making their behavioural changes feel unconvincing.
😐The story contains plenty of historical references in terms of newsworthy events and pastimes. However, for some reason I cannot put my finger on, the story hardly ever *feels* historical. Even when something obviously “past” is occurring, the characters seem contemporary, especially in their manner of speaking.
😐 Clara’s story, which is the first of the alternate timelines, is too lengthy. It takes up nearly half of the book. Some parts of her timeline could easily have been trimmed as there were many repetitive scenes. The other two timelines fare much better. All three timelines though held enough surprises to keep my interest.
Bookish Nays:
😒 Because of the format of the plot and the number of characters, there is a lot of character hopping in each timeline. The third-person voice helps to a certain extent, but the jumps in narration are still too many. Moreover, this shifting perspective nullifies how we can have so many secrets in the plot when even the secret holder is holding the metaphorical mic of narration.
😒 There are too many convenient coincidences in the plot.
All in all, this is a feel-good kind of story that is better read without overanalysing. The innovative concept of seeing three alternative scenarios through the three tenants is the USP of this novel.
Definitely recommended to historical drama lovers who would enjoy an unusual sliding doors story focussed more on characters and historical themes than on light-hearted fun or romance.
3.75 stars.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye on the date specified at the top of some chapters while reading. Else, you might be confused for a while.
My thanks to Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of “No. 23 Burlington Square”, and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The book is currently available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
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Author Jenni Keer:
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Bookbub Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jenni-keer
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Blurb:
London, 1927: One house. Three lives. A decision that will change everything. A powerful, unique timeslip story, perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Miniaturist, and Lucinda Riley.
On the morning of Friday 5th August, 1927, Miss Agnes Humphries – the landlady of the attractive, if-slightly-shabby, white-fronted townhouse at Number 23 Burlington Square – has a decision to make.
The rooms of the second floor lie empty, since poor Mr Blandford’s unfortunate demise, God rest his soul. And Agnes must make up her mind as to who will be her new lodger… Will it be her spirited, young niece Clara, who drifts through the glamorous world of London’s Bright Young Things? Or Stephen, the sensible, church-going, respectable banker who seems just be too good to be true? Or the timid war widow named Mercy, who is clearly running from something – or someone…?
Agnes must choose between them. But what will her decision lead to? One of the choices could result in scandal, one in devastation, and one could even lead to happiness. If only she gets it right…
As all three lodgers enter Number 23, in alternate timelines, relationships are formed and destroyed, feathers are ruffled, and secrets are exposed. Three different choices. Three very different paths. And Agnes is to discover that nobody – including herself – is quite who they seem…
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Check out this book:
Buy Links: https://mybook.to/burlingtonsqsocial
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This has been a stop on the #No23BurlingtonSquare blog tour conducted by Rachel's Random Resources. (@rararesources) Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review, and for your considered thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJenni
My pleasure! I enjoyed your book a lot, so it was a delight to review. :)
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