Author:
Christine Trent
Publication
Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher:
Kensington
In
1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the
undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides
comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and
arranges funerals.
Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his
grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in
a scheme to sell arms to the South. Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission
of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham
disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And
the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…
“Violet
glanced at the mantel clock over the fireplace. Nearly ten o’clock in the
morning, time to visit the Stanley family. She gathered up her cavernous
undertaker’s bag, filled with embalming fluids, tinted skin creams, cutting
tools, syringes, fabric swatches, and her book of compiled drawings of coffins,
mourning fashions, flowers, and memorial stones. Going to the display case, she
pulled out a selection of mourning jewelry and added the pieces to her bag.” – ARC
Copy pg. 3
“‘Now,
Mr. Stanley, this might look a bit frightening, but let me assure you that it
won’t hurt a bit. I promise to be gentle and to fix everything so that you wife
will hardly notice that I have had to muddle about you.’ Graham had taught her
that talking to the deceased helped wash away the dread of working with a dead
body. Many customers also talked to the deceased, and those who did, like Mrs.
Stanley, seemed to adjust better to their losses.”- ARC Copy pg. 14
“This
was why the dead were so much more pleasant to work with than the living.” –
ARC Copy pg. 68
“The
cries of the dying diminished as she continued on with her gruesome work of
inspecting bodies, hoping that one might have a flicker of life. The carnage
was revolting, even for her well-trained senses. People were slice in half, their
entrails spread in a horrifying mess around them. Others were bloodied and
battered beyond any sort of recognition, with flies already having discovered
this fresh buffet tucked away in the brick tunnel. Most of them had massive
scalding on their bodies, making Violet realize how fortunate she was. No
amount of makeup or prosthesis would ever make these poor people look whole
again. They needed immediate burial.” – ARC Copy pg. 132
A
historical fiction novel surrounding the life of a female undertaker? Yes, and it was so brilliant! Christine Trent
is a historical fiction author to be rivaled with because in all my years as a
historical fiction fan, I have not found many who can draw me in quite like she
can. In her latest novel, she tells the story of Violet Morgan, a Victorian
undertaker. We are slowly introduced to the career and receive many different
view points on death. One reason why I love Christine Trent so much is because
she writes for feminists like me. She writes about strong, courageous women who
are working in some sort of trade and demand some type of respect. Violet Morgan
married an undertaker, but that surely does not signify that she is beneath
him. In fact, she eventually takes over Morgan Undertaking because of her
husband’s lack of focus and his recent shady actions concerned with some type
of conspiracy movement involving the Confederacy. Violet never knows what to
expect, especially in the business of death, but she is about to be thrown an
entirely unexpected curveball.
What
intrigued me so much about this book were obviously Violet’s character and her
occupation. I know I keep saying this but she is a female undertaker! In
Victorian times! This is just not something that I normally come across in
books. Trent really captured Violet’s love and passion for her job and was even
starting to sell it to me. She added personal touches like having Violet talk
to the dead as she dresses and cleans them. Violet really loves her career and lets
nothing and no one, not even her husband, stand in her way. I found Violet to
be an inspiration because as I started to compare her character to myself, I
realized that I could never be in half of the situations that she found herself
in.
I
also loved the facts that were on display throughout the book and the author’s
website regarding the Victorian culture and customs pertaining to their
deceased. For instance, the Victorian era did not support the embalming of
their deceased and it was actually looked down upon. Now, of course, that doesn’t
mean that Violet doesn’t agree with it, but many people found it to be
un-Christian like. Trent definitely captured the times and the Victorian era through
her writing and vivid descriptions. All of the practices were acknowledged such
as the mourning periods they went through as well as descriptions of the
various funerals that were held and how they varied depending on social class. I
would honestly recommend this book to anyone breathing! It will be forever on
my shelf, and I hope rumors are true that this is going to be a new series!!
Fingers crossed :)
***A
big thank you to the publishers at Kensington for provided me with a copy of
this book in exchange for my honest review***
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