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…
No. 23 Burlington Square begins with the lovely wise old Agnes Humphreys who has a difficult decision to make. Who on earth can she welcome into her home after her lovely old lodger Mr Blanford suddenly passed away? His rooms now lie empty and Agnes needs to decide between 3 people who is most deserving of the rooms. Buts its more than just a business decision for Agnes. No. 23 Burlington Square is home to an eclectic mix of people who rent rooms from Agnes and she desperately does not want to upset the status quo of her own little thrown together family. For that is what these people are to Agnes and the wrong decision could upset those she cares about.
Agnes has lived in the house all her life, surrounded by a lifetime of memories, or 'clutter' as some would call it. Each object in the house invokes either a painful or a beautiful memory for Agnes and she refuses to part with anything, much to the displeasure of her sister who has married well and clearly has not recognised the sacrifices that Agnes made for her and their father when she was growing up. But, Agnes is getting on in years and sometimes her heart overrules her head in her decision making so the decision of who to rent to causes her great consternation. It could all go horribly wrong!
Agnes has the choice of renting to one of 3 people. Firstly there's her wayward niece Clara who constantly parties, has never worked a day in her life and just oozes entitlement. Yet behind the façade there's a real sadness to Clara and a secret she can reveal to no-one. Then there's the young widow Mercy who is as frightened as a deer caught in the headlights. For one so young it appears she's had enough pain in her life to make her run away from her home and come to London for a fresh start. What secrets does she hide? And lastly, there's Stephen who does appear to be a the perfect candidate. But, looks can be deceiving and Stephen is not who he appears. Yet more secrets!
No. 23 Burlington Square is written in multiple timelines, relating to all 3 potential candidates for the rooms. Through each timeline we learn each characters story and how they relate to Agnes and the other characters in the story - Gilbert, Mr Gorski and Jemima. All have their own stories yet through each of the timelines all become intertwined in the stories of our 3 potential renters. This is such a cleverly written book and the multiple timelines works so well. Each giving a potential outcome for that person should Agnes choose them.
The story itself has a very important message - Family is in fact what you make it and those we are tied to because of love, laughter, caring, respect and sometimes grief and circumstances hold the strongest bonds for us. Love can be found in the most unlikeliest of people and indeed places and No. 23 is more than just a place for our characters to lay their weary heads. Its a real home and at its very centre is its beating heart - Agnes. She has always been the one true constant within the house and her own story is both heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time. Another message I took from the book also was that even though destiny can be altered by a decision, does it really ever change the final outcome? A very highly recommended read from the enormously talented Jenni Keer.
Thank you so much for this beautiful review 😊 and for your time reading the book. So glad you enjoyed it.
Jenni x
Thanks you SO MUCH. (I thought I'd commented but it's disappeared.) I loved this review. You are a superstar. Jenni x