The Other Side of Mrs. Wood by Lucy Barker – Book review

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…

Opening sentence: Mrs Wood’s seances took place in the dark, just as all interesting things should.

The fantastic Mrs Wood

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.

As a Medium she was in the unusual position of being a woman and also able to generate her own income.

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.

Illusion is everything. Once the belief in you has gone, there’s nothing anyone can do.

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?

The Victorian spiritualism fascination

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.

• Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
• Get your copy of The Other Side of Mrs Wood here;
• Published by Fourth Estate 13th June 2023;
• 368 pages;
• My rating: