This book had such an interesting premise but it fell a little short.

The first half took me quite a while to plough through but after the halfway mark it picked up the pace.

I enjoyed following Mrs Wood and the rivalry between the two mediums. It had amusing parts to it and I did enjoy reading it on the whole.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The Other Side of Mrs Wood is not the first book I've read this year about Victorian mediums and spiritualists, I seem to be going through a paranormal phase!

This book was an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the world of seances and the rivalry between mediums trying to avoid the ultimate shame of being revealed as a fraud. And it was great. I really empathised with Mrs Wood because she worked hard and her heart was in the right place, even though she knew she was cold-reading her clients not really communing with the dearly departed.

An enjoyable read with a satisfying ending.

A historical fiction with charm, drama and the odd unsettling undercurrent.

The setting and scene was so vivid in this book, I felt transported back to the 1800s and delved into the world of spiritualism. Mrs Wood is a celebrated medium who suspects she’s reached her peak and devises all sorts of theatrics to compete with the new trends but is determined to uphold her principals. She employs a trainee to showcase her own skill but may have bitten off more than she can chew as her new protégé shows remarkable talent that appears to surpass Mrs Wood. When her trainee starts to unearth long buried secrets about Mrs Wood’s past during her trances, things she couldn’t possibly know, things get tense. A character driven plot that explores the world of mediumship but also feminist themes of age politics, social status and the emerging movement of women’s suffrage.

The tone was introduced as cosy drama but there were times when I was questioning what was real and what was staged at the séances, so there are dark undertones that keep you on your toes. The brilliant writing made everything feel so real, it felt like I was right there at the séances and carried away with the drama. The same tone flows through the character development, slowly building tension as Mrs Wood becomes more paranoid. She holds herself in high regard and justifies herself when she frowns upon other’s practices that are not entirely different to her own. A complex character whose flaws I could sympathise with and found myself rooting for her.

An insightful, fun and thrilling read. Definitely recommended if you enjoy cosy crime or mysteries and in the mood for historical fiction.

Mrs Violet Wood is London's premier medium. Her ambition and work ethic are relentless, and her unique abilities have earned her quite the reputation among London's elite. Mrs. Wood knows just how to read her wealthy patrons and deliver them exactly the messages they long to hear from their loved ones visiting from beyond the grave. However, one London newspaperman is on a quest to expose the false mediums among them, just as the pressure increases to outperform the upstart Americans - who to Mrs. Woods horror are promising their audiences more and more fantasised visions. When Mrs. Wood learns her own finances are in crisis, she realises she must raise her own profile to secure her career and her place in society, or risk being quickly replaced by the next big thing.

Set in Victorian England. Mrs. Wood and her assistant Miss Newman hold seances for the wealthy in London. Mrs. Wood is a medium who is highly regarded. But then she is usurped by her "protege" Miss Finch. The historical elements to this book were interesting. This book gives us an insight into the workings of mediums, We also get a glimpse of the type of people who attended these seances. This is a well written and entertaining story with likeable characters. I really quite enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #4thEstateWilliamCollins and the author #LucyBarker for my ARC of #TheOtherSideOfMrsWood in exchange for an honest review.

Mrs Wood is a medium. One of London's finest. Her "abilities" have rendered her most popular amongst London's elite. Basically she knows what they want and knows how to deliver!
But her finances are not as robust as once they were and, with her star waning compared to more up and coming mediums with more flamboyant offerings, she is forced into taking action.
Then, one day she meets Emmie Finch, a young woman who appears to have similar talents. She takes her under her wing and starts to train her as her apprentice... All appears to be going well until Emmie starts to turn. To bite the hand that feeds. Slowly edging Mrs Wood away from her own clients. And when challenged, issues an ultimatum. Leaving Mrs Wood with seemingly nowhere to turn.
But a wounded, cornered animal should never be further poked. With pretty much nothing left, the only thing left for Mrs Wood to do is to fight back, dirty.
This is an excellent example of historical fiction. Set in the late 1800s the time and place are very well described and I was easily able to immerse myself into both. The research which the author has clearly done well, shines throughout the book. Special nod also goes to the rise of the suffragette movement.
Yes it is on occasion a little slow but I believe that that well reflects the main character's frustration. As well as having quite a bit to set up initially. Time and place setting, character introductions, explanation into the realms of mediumship. That said, it really never dragged for me as I was interested and intrigued and, although I did guess a few things ahead, I was mostly just swept away with the story being told.
Did I like Mrs Wood? Interesting question... She had her good parts and bad parts - like everyone I guess. Did she bring things upon herself? Definitely didn't help matters. Did she overplay the victim card? On occasion. Did I want her to succeed? Heck yeah... And that about sums it up.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Violet Woods is London’s most celebrated medium. Along with her companion/assistant, Miss Newman, she offers comfort for her wealthy patrons as she makes connections to their lost loved ones.

However, things change when Mrs Woods’ path crosses with Miss Emmeline Finch - a much younger medium keen to learn how to develop her skills (and increase her finances) with the help of Mrs Woods. In order to stay relevant in a society that can tire of people and things quite quickly, Mrs Woods agrees to help and Violet and Miss Finch soon become the talk of society, as well as The Spiritual Times. But is all as it seems? Will the pupil overtake her teacher? And is London big enough for two celebrated mediums?

Lucy Barker creates a vivid sense of 1870s London in this richly entertaining novel. With the backdrop of the Suffragette movement and a growing sense of the importance of women’s independence (Mrs Woods is a self-sufficient widow who earns her own money), Barker’s prose also deals with some real issues of the time through her vivid and inspiring characters. It also tackles the theme of age v youth and illusion v reality. This is a great read for fans of historical fiction who also like a tale with a ghostly twist and ambiguous characters.

This is a lovely, sweet and cosy story about a spiritualist Medium in Victorian London. Mrs Wood is the most well known in her field but when she suffers a financial disappointment she takes on a young trainee. in the hopes of making some more money off the girl's burgeoning talents. However, things don't quite go to plan. A wonderful look at London society in the late 1800s with some fantastic characters and a touch of wry wit. Highly recommended.

Highly recommend this book! Not my usual genre but I really enjoyed it. Was written well and kept you wanting to know what happened next.

The novel is set in Victorian London and follows Mrs Wood, a highly regarded and sought after celebrated medium who serves well to do clients, holding regular seances and private readings. The spectacle is facilitated by her wonderful assistant, Miss Newman (who is also a suffragette). When a young woman shows up on Mrs Wood’s door asking to be her pupil, the usual order of Mrs Wood’s life is thrown into chaos.

Barker does a great job of making us care about the main characters and their relationships despite their flaws - in particular Mrs Wood and Miss Newman (who is the MVP imo).

I found the story did lag a bit in the middle, but it is definitely worth seeing through to the end!

Overall a really charming, really fun novel - great summer read.

Pick up this book up if: you wish Sabrina the teenage witch came with a bit more history

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a while to get into this book and I didn’t find myself racing to get back to it each night. It was alright, with an easy to follow narrative and characters. The historical elements were interesting and enjoyable. I just don’t think it’s my kind of book but I can see it being a quick read for many.

Also, I’d never come across the word dandling before but I definitely know what it means after reading it so many times throughout this book.

Unfortunately I was disappointed with this book. I really like historical novels usually but I found it very slow going and gave up for a while. I persevered second time but didn't particularly enjoy it. I can, however, appreciate that a lot of readers will enjoy it just not for me.

I absolutely loved this assured debut from Lucy Barker. Mrs Wood is a celebrated medium, holding regular seances for a well to do established clientele in Victorian west London. She agrees to take on a young woman as a pupil, which becomes a decision she regrets. Mrs Wood’s assistant Miss Newman is an endearing character, as is her commitment to the women’s suffrage movement. The novel offers insights into the practice of mediums, and the research and meticulous methods employed to bring about successful seances. The novel is very well paced, and would make a fabulous series brought to the screen. Highly recommended!

The Other Side of Mrs Woods is set in victorian Britain, centreing on mediumship and the obsession of the upper echelons of society with mediumship.

Mrs Woods herself has decades of experience, maintaining her reputation while others have been exposed... that is, until she takes on a new assistant.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book and the insight into the tricks employed, the ethical questions raised and the commentary on social fickleness.

Most of all, I loved the satisfying ending despite all that happens throughout and look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to the publishers for the e-arc
Mrs Wood is an unique story about two rival mediums in Victorian London and this was a setting I really enjoyed as I am a West London local and was fun to recognise the street names and all.

I did enjoy this book, specially the female leads, the conversations about social status and norms paired with the paranormal plot. The portrayal of the time period was spot on.

I did find the pacing slightly off and took me a while to get into the story. There was a bit of repetition in the mundane and some over focus in descriptions that didn't add much to the plot or character growth. When it did pick up around 60% in, I found the revelations and secrets predictable but I still enjoyed it regardless.

I loved the relationship between Mrs Wood and Miss Newman and the introduction of the subject of suffragettes. I enjoyed our "villain" portrayal. The way the ending was brought up seemed a bit farfetch but I enjoyed the way Mrs Wood processed it and how it drew a parallel between the two characters.

The author has definitely drawed my attention and I will be reading moreof her work in the future.

Mrs. Wood is a Medium. She hosts seances in the hope that she can bring some comfort to those in pain. Mrs. Wood is also living with a secret, one that no-,one knows, and would ruin her if it came out. Miss Finch also has 'the gift'. She is young and inexperienced though, her talent needs fine tuning, making flawles. Would Miss Finch be the perfect assistant for Mrs. Wood?...A really entertaining tale that takes the reader on a journey into 1800's London

Enjoyable piece of Victoriana, set in the world of spiritualism and focusing on ‘the great Mrs Wood” as she looks to secure her future through bringing on a protégée, with predictable repercussions as she starts to displace her teacher.

Lovely world building - the pressure of running a “small business” as a widow, the shadowy and theatrical world of the medium, the nascent suffrage movement etc - all come together to build a thoroughly entertaining novel. The morality of being a medium is addressed, albeit not to the extent I might have liked - the difference between providing comfort to the bereaved and fleecing grieving family members is blurred at best, and this could have been addressed more easily explicitly- however that would have been a different book. The ending touches on this, albeit obliquely, which I rather liked.

This was a very entertaining romp through Victorian society and their fascination with mediums, death and contacting the dead. I enjoyed it greatly.

Wow loved this one and that conclusion left me one happy reader! Would be fascinated to learn what inspired the author and would love to know more of the history of the introduction of seances in the 19th Century. Thank you for this treat of a story!

I love a good historical drama and The Other Side of Mrs. Wood is certainly that! Set in Victorian London, Mrs. Violet Wood is one of the most respected mediums in town. She throws Grand Seances that only the elite members of society attend. Her ability to converse with the spirits is held in such high esteem. Everyone wants a seat at her table, until they don’t…

Mrs Wood is a widow who, after her late-husband’s investments take a plunge, suddenly finds her income from being a medium more important than ever.

Luckily, she can actually earn her own money and this feminist theme on the story reveals the core of Mrs Wood’s independent, strong character. The theme continues in Mrs Wood’s assistant, Miss Newman, who is an early adopter of the suffragette movement.

The thing is – as a medium (or anyone else in the upper echelons of society) reputation is everything. Even with no internet, word spreads fast around high society circles – especially thanks to Magnus Clore, editor of the Spiritual Times who can make or break careers.

Once you loose your good name as the best medium in London, you will never recover. To be called out as a fraud or – even worse – as boring, is something always thrumming away in the background for Mrs Wood.

Therefore she hatches a plan. One delivered to her by circumstance that she perhaps doesn’t take the time to think through. She takes on an apprentice – Emmeline Finch. Known as Emmy, she is a young girl who is a fan of Mrs Wood’s and wants to emulate her, perhaps a little too much…

In many ways, Mrs Wood is mistress of her own downfall but desperate people can make the wrong decisions. It’s how she then turn things around for herself that adds thrill and drama to the tale. What lengths will she actually go to?

Apparently mediums were basically the celebrities of the time in the 1800s. They were revered and held a lot of sway. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy historical fiction, the way it embeds seeds of society as it was, so I learn as I read.

Mrs Wood is a great character because she blends the performance art of her role with empathy. She knows the comfort her clients get from believing they are talking to their loved ones who have passed. She also know how to put on a fantastic show, making her truly enticing.

The Other Side of Mrs Wood was a highly enjoyable trip to Victorian London – a historical tale with added spirits and society drama.

It’s 1873 and in Notting Hill, London, Mrs. Wood is preparing for one of her famed seances. She is one of the best mediums in town and the wealthy and well to do flock to her gatherings. The fame of her ‘Flight of Mrs. Wood’ in which the ‘naughty spirits’ teleported her into a tree outside the house is still fondly remembered. The reader meets her as she is about to hold a séance for 25 regulars and 8 guests, drawn by a monthly ballot ‘from the masses’. She has her team on hand; Jack Starr, her pirate guide from beyond the grave and her companion, Miss Newman. It’s an older clientele and Mrs. Wood has her sights set on expanding her circle to perhaps include royalty. And so with sumptuous food and drink which she provides, the séance begins.
But Mrs. Wood, married and divorced prior to the book, is feeling her age. She is on the cusp of 40 and little noises that are part of the proceedings should not be coming from her knee and joints. And Mr Larson, who looks after her financial affairs since the death of Mr Wood, has unwelcome and unexpected news. A major investment has failed and economies have to be made. And to add to her woes, there are younger mediums appearing all the time and being extolled in the magazine, ‘Spiritual Times’ by its editor, Marcus Clore. And she hears after the séance, ‘a poorly stifled yawn.’ Something needs to be done and she will have to up her game.
It’s then that Mrs. Wood notices a young girl standing outside her house looking up at the window. She has seen her before but now she resolves to find out who she is and what she wants. After cornering her in the street, she discovers that the girl, Emmeline Finch is 16, and has aspirations of becoming a medium herself. Mrs. Wood, influenced by her money worries and looking for a new attraction, takes Emmeline under her wing and begins to train her. This is a decision that she will soon come to regret as the pupil begins to outstrip the master and her world and her lucrative seances may be about to come crashing down. And, even worse, Emmeline appears to know about Mrs. Wood’s past and her connection to a disgraced medium who was brought down by fraud. The scene is set for an unmasking and banishment. But who will it be?
I loved this book! It was right up my street as I find Victorian mediums and their world fascinating. The first part of the book seemed a little slow as the reader is introduced to Mrs. Wood’s comfortable world, her social milieu, the etiquette and her position in society. The Victorians were enthralled by mediums and the spirit world and I was immediately reminded of Sir William Crookes and the dubious ‘appearances’ of Katie and also Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But I felt that this slow moving section of the book was necessary in order to understand Mrs. Wood. The trickery used by mediums and indeed herself is hinted at but she does not see herself as a fraud. Instead, she is helping her clients to contact their departed loved ones and she is the conduit. As she is fond of saying ‘Illusion is everything.’ Mrs. Wood's humble beginnings and how she became a medium are hinted at and the novel picks up pace as Emmeline begins to insinuate herself into Mrs. Wood'sHe’s abusive and controlling and orders Mum and Silvie around in front of the others. Silvie notices a bruise and fingermarks on Mum’s arm and there is a nasty scene with her and Dad by the river. It culminates in the building of the Ghost Wall which is based on the ones that the ancient Britons built to repel invaders complete with animal skulls. And then history starts to repeat itself as Silvie realises how far Dad will go to keep her in line….. world and the cosy existence that she has created for herself begins to vanish.
This is an accomplished debut novel from Lucy Barker and while I wouldn’t describe is as historical comedy’ it was very funny in parts and there are good observations. For example, one of Mrs. Wood’s clients is a Miss Cram with her ‘fleet of Jack Russells’ and the post séance ‘small talk over cups of tea replete with dog hairs bobbing across the surface like drowning spiders.’ At the end there is a very good twist. The narrative is in the third person and is interspersed with letters and articles from the ‘Spiritual Times’. Its editor is soon promoting Emmeline at every chance as she begins to eclipse Mrs. Wood. However, a young medium that he previously championed is denounced as a ‘a devious strumpet’ and her rise and fall are documented in the magazine’s pages. There is also a sub plot involving Miss Newman and her involvement with suffragettes and this was an interesting sidelight on the role of women in Victorian society. Mrs. Wood is an independent woman with her own means despite being an outsider. She has reinvented herself and does not look kindly on Mr Lawson’s attempts to propose marriage to her. As Miss Newman observes ‘It’s rather amusing, don’t you think. How everyone else sees you as a woman of means and ability while he can’t see beyond his assumption that you’re desperate for a husband. ‘
One of the most interesting parts of the book was when Mrs. Wood and Miss Newman are sitting in a coffee house and people watching passersby. They pick up all kinds of clues about them and show their ability to be able to ‘read’ and assess people. It was very reminiscent of Holmes and Watson.
I really enjoyed the descriptions and the details and it was this that gave the book its liveliness and intrigue. I look forward to the author’s next book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.