The Woman in the Wallpaper

This is not the type of book that I typically read however when I was offered the chance to read it, I thought why not and I am glad I did.

I am normally put off by lengthy novels but I raced through this brilliant story in just a couple of days. Well worth reading.

I always love an historical novel especially one that weaves around true facts.
Lara and Sofia are two sisters giving in Marseille in the late 18th Century. Unfortunately following the death of their father they are forced to travel North to Jouy, where their aunt is the housekeeper to a wealthy wallpaper factory owner.
Both girls and their mother work in the factory and are given a cottage to live in on the estate.
However, the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution cause a number of tragedies.
This is a story of struggles, love, sadness and mental illness which makes for a great book.

A gorgeously Gothic tale of the French Revolution.

"The Woman in the Wallpaper" opens in Paris, 1789. where a woman enters La Place de la Revolution, and is dazzled by the huge crowd gathered there. Executions are taking pace and she is forced to witness the beheadings. The reader is then transported back one year to Marseilles, and we enter a first-person narrative by Sofi, who is patiently trying to sketch the fishermen in the harbour. Her mother soon arrives though, and drags her and her sister home. When family circumstances change, both girls are told they need to get jobs, to help the family survive.

After a series of mis-adventures, the girls find themselves at the Oberst Factory, which makes fashionable wallpaper. They fall in with Josef, heir to the factory. And that's when things get interesting. They slowly uncover the secret behind the wallpaper, which always features oddly prophetic scenes, and a certain face.

Much of the story is told through the eyes of the sisters - Lara, politically aware, and Sofi, the artistic one, and is set against the background of the French Revolution. The book is over 500 pages long and spends a lot of time examining the role of women during the revolution. As we witness events through the girls' eyes, we realise how hard and horrific that time was, especially for women. As well as the sisters, we meet Josef, and his troubled wife, and his father, and all are fleshed out nicely so we are invested in their fates. Paris, Marseilles and other locations are lovingly described, with bustling markets, breezy harbours and noisy factories. The cast moves through many trials and tribulations, as the mystery behind the wallpaper unfolds, and there are several nicely spooky episodes. This is a gothic novel worthy of the name.

I was lucky to receive a Netgalley ARC, but will happily queue up for a proper copy when it is released in February 2025. Thoroughly recommended for fans of Anna Mazolla, Laura Purcell and Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

This was very atmospheric and vivid. I felt totally transported to Paris and the late 1780s.

Great to see this time focus on women and not men for a change!

The volume of detail did occasionally slow down the plot but overall and enjoyable read.

The Woman in the Wallpaper follows sisters, Sofi and Lara, who find work at a mysterious wallpaper factory during the French Revolution,

While the story starts slow, it’s worth sticking with as it quickly becomes an engaging Gothic tale. It is told from different characters' perspectives, giving insight into the difficult lives of women during this time.

The perfect book for fans of historical fiction, especially those who like a bit of a gothic vibe to their read.