The Observations

By: Jane Harris

Narrated by: Jane Harris

Scotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her past, Bessy Buckley takes a job as a maid in a big house outside Edinburgh working for the beautiful Arabella. Bessy is intrigued by her new employer, but puzzled by her increasingly strange requests and her insistence that Bessy keep a journal of her most intimate thoughts. And it seems that Arabella has a few secrets of her own - including her near-obsessive affection for Nora, a former maid who died in mysterious circumstances. Then, a childish prank has drastic consequences, which throws into jeopardy all that Bessy has come to hold dear. Caught up in a tangle of madness, ghosts, sex and lies, she remains devoted to Arabella. But who is really responsible for what happened to Nora?

Great book!

Favorite things about this book: 1) Narrator does a great job on the different voices/accents and the manners of speech, i.e. some of Bessie's pert smart-alec comments. She made me laugh out loud in a few places, a rarity in a rather gothic tale, 2) Ms. Harris also kept me guessing. I have read other reviews that complained that some characters are not fleshed out other than Bessie, but that is what keeps me (and Bessie) guessing, 3) the writing is terrific!

I am partial to historical fiction - if you liked The Thirteenth Tale, you'll probably enjoy The Observations. Most gothic-type stories do move rather slow but with a good author there is a joy and delight in the words as you move to the conclusion.

Very much enjoyed this listen

This was a very entertaining listen. The narrator did a phenomenal job and the character development was very well done. Would recommend to anyone that enjoys a good story.

Funny & Extremely Well-Read

Normally, I shy away from books read by their own authors, but after listening to the audio sample, I made an exception. Jane Harris has not only written a highly entertaining book about a sharp-witted Irish girl, working as a maid for a strange English woman in 19th century Scotland - but she also gives voice to her characters with a level of skill that few professional readers possess.

Do yourself a big favor & get this audiobook. You won't be disappointed.

Fabulous narration

Jane Harris is the perfect narrator for this Scottish story. It was a joy to listen to her various sayings and voices. Her humor was delightful. The story is unlike any I have read: from the perspective of a servant rather than the aristocracy. I really enjoyed the book on Audible.

Wonderful

The story was funny without being flip, and the writing excellent. But, best of all was Harris' narration. Sometimes when I'm listening to a book I wonder whether the author intended a particular pronunciation or emphasis. Here, we don't have to guess. I wish there were more Harris books to listen to.