The Trouble with Mrs. Montgomery Hurst Review

Review of “The Trouble with Mrs. Montgomery Hurst”

By: Katie Lumsden

            In the county of Wickenshire the most eligible bachelor Mr. Montgomery Hurst got engaged to an outsider, a widow from London with 3 children, and everyone in the community had an opinion on it. The older generation of county were determined to get their children married, and the younger generation felt the pressure to get married even when they didn’t desire it.

            “Montgomery Hurst” was a fun and joyful read with an atmosphere that was cozy with its suburban setting, despite the characters being surrounded by gossipy neighbors. As I was reading, I was eager to turn the pages and consume the next chapter to find out what would happen next.  The drama was familiar for those of us who were entertained by Jane Austen and Anthony Trollop novels where the conflict was, who was going to marry who and who was misbehaving.  In the community.  Lumsden provided readers with a cast of charming characters and a story about what happens when an outsider with a questionable pedigree becomes part of the community.

Mrs. Montgomery Hurst caused a chain reaction of gossip when Mr. Montgomery brought her home as his wife. She was not only an outsider from London, but a widow with three children. Most of the town only cared that she was previously married with children and not if she was a good person, because it meant Monte Hurst wasn’t available to their daughters anymore.  They felt he slighted their daughters by him wasting time marrying someone who had already been married and had the added baggage of children.  He was surrounded by a bevy of young beautiful desperate girls who were eager for a husband; why not one of them over someone who was already on the shelf?  

Mrs. Hurst wasn’t going anywhere there was pressure put upon her to throw a social gathering so they could critic her. They didn’t care how she felt or who she was. They only one wanted a reason to gossip. That was why despite Mrs. Hurst being the title character, it wasn’t about her, but the community and how they responded to her. 

The Hurst’s only friends were the Ashpoints. Amelia admired and immediately liked Mrs. Hurst. She tried to help her survive public scrutiny.  The sympathy and understanding from Amelia towards Mrs. Hurst knowing how the community and family would act was in response to her own secrets making her feel ostracized by society, because if they found she was gay it could ruin her reputation. She felt like an outsider herself and knew she would disappoint her father who was concerned that she showed no interest in marriage. She admired Mrs. Hurst for her having traveled the world but didn’t know that her new neighbor’s travels meant she was running from someone. Amelia was patient with Mrs. Hurst though she didn’t know everything about her.

Like most novels of this period, there was an examination of the class system and how people were treated that had a different social and financial status. Amelia’s lover, Clara, had a lot more to worry about due to her family being financially strapped.  Amelia had written a book and could live off of her own earnings once it got published while Clara couldn’t. Clara knew she couldn’t leave her family and not marry a wealthy man so her family would be financially stable. We also have the character of Diggory, Amelia’s brother, who was in love with Lady Rose Wickford and wanted to marry her, but her brother Alex saw Diggory as beneath the Wickford’s in status.  He tried to sabotage the relationship and only pretended to be friends with Diggory as a favor to Diggory’reputation. 

            For her sophomore novel, Kate Lumsden writes a story that is reminisce of an Austen and Trollop with a modern flavor that was easy and a pleasurable read.