num_pages: 523
description: 'Vastly original. Bessy is surely one of the most striking characters in recent cynical, disruptive, tender and very, very funny.' Independent on Sunday Shortlisted for the Orange Prize Scotland, 1863. In an attempt to escape her past, Bessy Buckley takes a job working as a maid in a big country house. But when Arabella, her beautiful mistress, asks her to undertake a series of bizarre tasks, Bessy begins to realise that she hasn't quite landed on her feet. In one of the most acclaimed debuts of recent years, Jane Harris has created a heroine who will make you laugh and cry as she narrates this unforgettable story about secrets and suspicions and the redemptive power of love and friendship.
language: English
title: The Observations
titlecomplete: The Observations
genres: Fiction, Historical, Gothic, Mystery, Scotland, Adult, Adult Fiction, 19th Century, Historical Fiction, Victorian
ratings_count: 7148
places: Scotland
awards: awardedAt: 1167638400000
name: Orange Prize
category: Fiction Shortlist
publisher: Faber & Faber