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Miss Mole
Miss Mole is set between the wars and is the story of Hannah Mole, a fortyish spinster who ekes out a living as a companion or housekeeper -- she has a sharp tongue and quirky spirit that sometimes get her into trouble. At the beginning of the novel she's returned after a long absence to the fictional town of Radstowe (which is a thinly disguised portrait of Bristol). Miss Mole is not getting along well with her current employer and after a few days in a boarding house, gets a new job via her cousin Lilla, who is from the wealthier side of the family and has some good contacts. Without revealing the family connection, Lilla recommends her for a job as a housekeeper of sorts for a rather stuffy, pompous minister named Robert Corder, whose wife has recently passed away.
The household consists of Reverend Corder, a nonconformist; daughter Ethel, who's rather desperately looking for a man so she can escape the house; young Ruth, who is still in school and longing for a mother figure; and their sassy cousin Wilfred, who's attending medical school nearby. Wilfred's presence in the house is rather awkward and raises a few eyebrows, but his mother is wealthy and the Reverend can't risk offending her. A spinster housekeeper/chaperone is exactly what they need to keep the house respectable -- or so they think. Miss Mole moves in and simultaneously elevates their lives and yet turns things upside-down. She's comforting and yet slyly subversive, and Reverend Corder doesn't quite know if he should appreciate her or fear her, as Hannah is smarter than he is. Wilfred takes to her instantly, recognizing her sharp with, and Ruth grows to love her. Eventually, though, there are whispers about Miss Mole's background which much be addressed, and we learn the real reason for her long absence from her hometown.
The household consists of Reverend Corder, a nonconformist; daughter Ethel, who's rather desperately looking for a man so she can escape the house; young Ruth, who is still in school and longing for a mother figure; and their sassy cousin Wilfred, who's attending medical school nearby. Wilfred's presence in the house is rather awkward and raises a few eyebrows, but his mother is wealthy and the Reverend can't risk offending her. A spinster housekeeper/chaperone is exactly what they need to keep the house respectable -- or so they think. Miss Mole moves in and simultaneously elevates their lives and yet turns things upside-down. She's comforting and yet slyly subversive, and Reverend Corder doesn't quite know if he should appreciate her or fear her, as Hannah is smarter than he is. Wilfred takes to her instantly, recognizing her sharp with, and Ruth grows to love her. Eventually, though, there are whispers about Miss Mole's background which much be addressed, and we learn the real reason for her long absence from her hometown.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1930
106 people are currently reading
2308 people want to read
About the author
E.H. Young
20 books38 followersBorn Emily Hilda Young.
Although almost completely forgotten by recent generations, E. H. Young was a best-selling novelist of her time. She was born the daughter of a shipbroker and attended Gateshead Secondary School (a higher grade school later renamed Gateshead Grammar School) and Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, Wales. In 1902, at the age of 22, she married Arthur Daniell, a solicitor from Bristol, and moved with him to the upscale neighbourhood of Clifton.
Here, Young developed an interest in classical and modern philosophy. She became a supporter of the suffragette movement, and started publishing novels. She also began a lifelong affair with Ralph Henderson, a schoolteacher and a friend of her husband.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Young went to work, first as a stables groom and then in a munitions factory. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Ypres in 1917. The following year she moved to Sydenham Hill, London to join her lover, now the headmaster of the public school Alleyn's, and his wife in a ménage à trois. Young occupied a separate flat in their house and was addressed as 'Mrs Daniell'; this concealed the unconventional arrangement.
This change seems to have been the catalyst that she needed. Seven major novels followed, all based on Clifton, thinly disguised as 'Upper Radstowe'. The first of these was The Misses Mallett, published originally under the title The Bridge Dividing in 1922. Her 1930 novel Miss Mole won the James Tait Black Award for fiction. In the 1940s, Young also wrote books for children, Caravan Island (1940) and River Holiday (1942).
After Henderson's retirement and the death of his wife, Young moved with him to Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. They never married. During the Second World War, she worked actively in air raid precautions. She lived in Wiltshire with Henderson until her death from lung cancer in 1949.
Although popular in her time, Young's work has nearly vanished today. In 1980, a four-part series based on her novels – mainly Miss Mole – was shown on BBC television as "Hannah". The feminist publishing house Virago reprinted several of her books in the 1980s, and the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society has marked her Clifton home with a plaque.
The 'E H Young Prize for Greek Thought' was an annual essay prize awarded in her memory at Bristol Grammar School.
(Wikipedia)
Although almost completely forgotten by recent generations, E. H. Young was a best-selling novelist of her time. She was born the daughter of a shipbroker and attended Gateshead Secondary School (a higher grade school later renamed Gateshead Grammar School) and Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, Wales. In 1902, at the age of 22, she married Arthur Daniell, a solicitor from Bristol, and moved with him to the upscale neighbourhood of Clifton.
Here, Young developed an interest in classical and modern philosophy. She became a supporter of the suffragette movement, and started publishing novels. She also began a lifelong affair with Ralph Henderson, a schoolteacher and a friend of her husband.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Young went to work, first as a stables groom and then in a munitions factory. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Ypres in 1917. The following year she moved to Sydenham Hill, London to join her lover, now the headmaster of the public school Alleyn's, and his wife in a ménage à trois. Young occupied a separate flat in their house and was addressed as 'Mrs Daniell'; this concealed the unconventional arrangement.
This change seems to have been the catalyst that she needed. Seven major novels followed, all based on Clifton, thinly disguised as 'Upper Radstowe'. The first of these was The Misses Mallett, published originally under the title The Bridge Dividing in 1922. Her 1930 novel Miss Mole won the James Tait Black Award for fiction. In the 1940s, Young also wrote books for children, Caravan Island (1940) and River Holiday (1942).
After Henderson's retirement and the death of his wife, Young moved with him to Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. They never married. During the Second World War, she worked actively in air raid precautions. She lived in Wiltshire with Henderson until her death from lung cancer in 1949.
Although popular in her time, Young's work has nearly vanished today. In 1980, a four-part series based on her novels – mainly Miss Mole – was shown on BBC television as "Hannah". The feminist publishing house Virago reprinted several of her books in the 1980s, and the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society has marked her Clifton home with a plaque.
The 'E H Young Prize for Greek Thought' was an annual essay prize awarded in her memory at Bristol Grammar School.
(Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
January 1, 2025
Do you know that famous line of poetry by Mary Oliver:
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Such a sumptuous, impassioned query, Ms. Oliver, and a good one, too, but it's a question that can really only be asked of a contemporary individual, and a free one, to boot.
Imagine asking such an indulgent question of an enslaved person, or an imprisoned one, or one trapped in an abusive marriage?
Or, how about posing that same question to one of so many women, throughout the centuries, who could neither work nor inherit property or wealth?
How about asking Miss Hannah Mole, the protagonist of this particular story, what she, a poor, plain woman, born around 1890 in England, is going to do with her “one wild and precious life?”
Well, you can ask her. . . sort of. . . by reading this novel, and Miss Mole can answer you. . . sort of. . . by showing you how she lives.
You might be surprised to learn that Miss Mole did, at one point in her life, in the early 1920s, take a lover, despite being an unmarried woman.
You might be horrified (or amused) to know that Miss Mole tells lies, almost compulsively, and makes up tall tales and fictional people, both to get through the monotony of menial jobs and to cover up for past lies that have already placed her in precarious positions!
Miss Mole also indulges in shoes she can't really afford so that she may look down at her own feet and appreciate their beauty herself, to make up for how society perceives her “plain” face or her shabby clothes.
And she is hopelessly devoted to nature. She, the woman who is compared to both the unseen mole and the humble pigeon, never fails to notice the changing colors of the season or which way the wind is blowing. . . and now we must return briefly to Mary Oliver:
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Very few individuals would have taken the time to wonder what a woman like Hannah Mole wanted to do with her life, but Miss Mole showed this reader that a person's life happens, regardless of equity, generosity, compassion or opportunities.
Turns out, she had a few things to teach me.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Such a sumptuous, impassioned query, Ms. Oliver, and a good one, too, but it's a question that can really only be asked of a contemporary individual, and a free one, to boot.
Imagine asking such an indulgent question of an enslaved person, or an imprisoned one, or one trapped in an abusive marriage?
Or, how about posing that same question to one of so many women, throughout the centuries, who could neither work nor inherit property or wealth?
How about asking Miss Hannah Mole, the protagonist of this particular story, what she, a poor, plain woman, born around 1890 in England, is going to do with her “one wild and precious life?”
Well, you can ask her. . . sort of. . . by reading this novel, and Miss Mole can answer you. . . sort of. . . by showing you how she lives.
You might be surprised to learn that Miss Mole did, at one point in her life, in the early 1920s, take a lover, despite being an unmarried woman.
You might be horrified (or amused) to know that Miss Mole tells lies, almost compulsively, and makes up tall tales and fictional people, both to get through the monotony of menial jobs and to cover up for past lies that have already placed her in precarious positions!
Miss Mole also indulges in shoes she can't really afford so that she may look down at her own feet and appreciate their beauty herself, to make up for how society perceives her “plain” face or her shabby clothes.
And she is hopelessly devoted to nature. She, the woman who is compared to both the unseen mole and the humble pigeon, never fails to notice the changing colors of the season or which way the wind is blowing. . . and now we must return briefly to Mary Oliver:
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Very few individuals would have taken the time to wonder what a woman like Hannah Mole wanted to do with her life, but Miss Mole showed this reader that a person's life happens, regardless of equity, generosity, compassion or opportunities.
Turns out, she had a few things to teach me.
November 5, 2025
Miss Mole was such a cow in the first two chapters of this book that I almost gave up on page 20. I'm glad I persevered, though, because after a decidedly odd start, this quickly morphed into a beautiful story of female strength and the importance of human kindness. I do wish that things had ended a little better for young Ruth, but that aside, this was an extremely satisfying read.
December 9, 2020
Ah, the irrepressible Miss Mole! A spinster housekeeper/companion with a real sense of humor, the ability to be realistic and optimistic at the same time, and the inability to hold her tongue. One of those old fashioned books that I love so much (written in 1930) published by Virago Press. Going on my favorites shelf.
July 10, 2024
Miss Mole is a single, forty-year old housekeeper, who makes her way at the beginning of this novel from a position with a wealthy old lady to a position with the family of a Nonconformist pastor, Mr. Corder. Mrs. Corder has died, leaving her husband, a daughter who is attempting to run the house with mixed results, a younger daughter who is confused and missing her mother, a son attending Oxford, and a twenty-year-old nephew who boards in his uncle’s home.
What Miss Mole brings to this family dynamic is everything they need, even though they often fail to realize her value or appreciate her efforts. Each of the characters is drawn beautifully, and even those who are unlikeable are understandable. There is much to pity or rue in Miss Mole’s life, but she is a paragon of optimism, and I loved her for it.
This capacity for waiting and believing that the good things were surely approaching had served Hannah very well through a life which most people would have found dull and disappointing. She refused to see it so; it would have been treachery to herself.
You cannot help feeling there is something very special about a person who can look adversity in the face, admit mistakes, and still find the joy in her own soul and character.
I do not believe I have ever met anyone, within literature or without, like Miss Hannah Mole. She is amazingly strong, self-contained, assertive but kind, generous, and always willing to see the humor in any situation. She has a past; she has secrets; and throughout the novel we readers are trying to decipher exactly what they are. She is a little afraid to say, and we are a little afraid to know.
Although seriously involved in the life of Miss Mole and the future of her charges, there is so much levity in the writing of E.H. Young that I spent as much of my time laughing as sighing. In researching a bit about this author, I believe she may have been as unique a person as her character, which no doubt explains her ability to draw Hannah so perfectly.
I suspect this is going to be one of the best reads I have in 2024 and one that will stay with me for a long, long time. This is my second book by Young, but surely not my last. Needless to say, a big sloppy 5-stars from me.
What Miss Mole brings to this family dynamic is everything they need, even though they often fail to realize her value or appreciate her efforts. Each of the characters is drawn beautifully, and even those who are unlikeable are understandable. There is much to pity or rue in Miss Mole’s life, but she is a paragon of optimism, and I loved her for it.
This capacity for waiting and believing that the good things were surely approaching had served Hannah very well through a life which most people would have found dull and disappointing. She refused to see it so; it would have been treachery to herself.
You cannot help feeling there is something very special about a person who can look adversity in the face, admit mistakes, and still find the joy in her own soul and character.
I do not believe I have ever met anyone, within literature or without, like Miss Hannah Mole. She is amazingly strong, self-contained, assertive but kind, generous, and always willing to see the humor in any situation. She has a past; she has secrets; and throughout the novel we readers are trying to decipher exactly what they are. She is a little afraid to say, and we are a little afraid to know.
Although seriously involved in the life of Miss Mole and the future of her charges, there is so much levity in the writing of E.H. Young that I spent as much of my time laughing as sighing. In researching a bit about this author, I believe she may have been as unique a person as her character, which no doubt explains her ability to draw Hannah so perfectly.
I suspect this is going to be one of the best reads I have in 2024 and one that will stay with me for a long, long time. This is my second book by Young, but surely not my last. Needless to say, a big sloppy 5-stars from me.
February 12, 2022
Another Virago Modern Classic from a way back when and another winner in my book!
At the end I was verklempt (translation: weeping or on the verge thereof).
Miss Mole is an interesting character and I very much liked her. She was a housekeeper for a widowed Reverend, Robert Corder, and a pseudo-governess to his two girls, Ethel and Ruth. Miss Mole was going on 40 years old, Ethel was 23 and Ruth was a teenager...if her age was stated (which it probably was) I missed it. There is a middle-aged man who works in a bank and lives near them, Mr. Blenkinsop, who actually is a key character in the novel. And then there is someone who every now and then is alluded to who appears to be a past lover of Miss Mole. A lover?! In that day and age? Scandalous, and a bit unusual because Miss Mole is portrayed as a spinster. Nobody knows about him, including really the reader because he is only alluded to. And I kept on wondering throughout the novel who the dude was and how that would enter into the denouement of the story.
Well let me tell you...
I shan’t tell you a damn thing!!! You’ll have to read the book! 😅 😂
And you will say at the end “My that was a good read!” 🙂 🙃 😉
On the back cover of the Virago paperback it is stated that of Young’s 12 works of fiction this is considered to be her masterpiece. It was winner of the coveted James Tait Black Memorial Prize of 1930.
I am no doubt going to be reading more of this author – I loved this book!
Reviews (all very complimentary....as they should be!)
• https://fromfirstpagetolast.com/2020/...
• https://karensbooksandchocolate.blogs...
• https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2021/...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2011/...
At the end I was verklempt (translation: weeping or on the verge thereof).
Miss Mole is an interesting character and I very much liked her. She was a housekeeper for a widowed Reverend, Robert Corder, and a pseudo-governess to his two girls, Ethel and Ruth. Miss Mole was going on 40 years old, Ethel was 23 and Ruth was a teenager...if her age was stated (which it probably was) I missed it. There is a middle-aged man who works in a bank and lives near them, Mr. Blenkinsop, who actually is a key character in the novel. And then there is someone who every now and then is alluded to who appears to be a past lover of Miss Mole. A lover?! In that day and age? Scandalous, and a bit unusual because Miss Mole is portrayed as a spinster. Nobody knows about him, including really the reader because he is only alluded to. And I kept on wondering throughout the novel who the dude was and how that would enter into the denouement of the story.
Well let me tell you...
I shan’t tell you a damn thing!!! You’ll have to read the book! 😅 😂
And you will say at the end “My that was a good read!” 🙂 🙃 😉
On the back cover of the Virago paperback it is stated that of Young’s 12 works of fiction this is considered to be her masterpiece. It was winner of the coveted James Tait Black Memorial Prize of 1930.
I am no doubt going to be reading more of this author – I loved this book!
Reviews (all very complimentary....as they should be!)
• https://fromfirstpagetolast.com/2020/...
• https://karensbooksandchocolate.blogs...
• https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2021/...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2011/...
March 23, 2021
As I get older, I find myself in sympathy with older characters, and with impatience for the young. Miss Mole is a fine character, much suited to my new sensibility. She is almost forty and a housekeeper for middle class families. Hannah Mole is much more, as well. She has a wondrous, inner life and is smart, witty and unconventional. These characteristics often get her into trouble at work and is why she is often looking for a new job.
This is not a comic novel, a!though funny, incongruous things happen, it is a novel about ideas. The families she works for don't really see her as a person, and this is one of the things Hannah teaches them if they are worthy of it. She finds work through her cousin, a snobby grand dame who gives money and patronage to the local minister.
The minister's family, the Corders, employ Miss Mole. Mr. Corder is stuffy, conventional and rather stupid. His eldest daughter, Ethel, is a nervous version of her father. The youngest child, Ruth has potential. Ruth is intelligent, sad and lonely and Miss Mole takes the child to her heart. Miss Mole makes everything better, not only for the Corders, but for anyone whose hearts are open to love.
This is not a comic novel, a!though funny, incongruous things happen, it is a novel about ideas. The families she works for don't really see her as a person, and this is one of the things Hannah teaches them if they are worthy of it. She finds work through her cousin, a snobby grand dame who gives money and patronage to the local minister.
The minister's family, the Corders, employ Miss Mole. Mr. Corder is stuffy, conventional and rather stupid. His eldest daughter, Ethel, is a nervous version of her father. The youngest child, Ruth has potential. Ruth is intelligent, sad and lonely and Miss Mole takes the child to her heart. Miss Mole makes everything better, not only for the Corders, but for anyone whose hearts are open to love.
November 30, 2021
I can’t imagine anyone reading this book and not coming away absolutely enthralled by Miss Mole. She is such an irresistible lady! She always tries to look on the bright side, a lie or two is acceptable. She is a lady with so little to call her own but yet so largesse in spirit.
This book is humorous and heart breaking. It had me smiling, it had me tears!
Such a wonderful book.
I am so enjoying my foray into these older forgotten treasures that are reissued by Virago modern classics as well as Persephone books.
Published: 1930
This book is humorous and heart breaking. It had me smiling, it had me tears!
Such a wonderful book.
I am so enjoying my foray into these older forgotten treasures that are reissued by Virago modern classics as well as Persephone books.
Published: 1930
July 20, 2024
Miss Mole stole my heart because she is just one of a kind. Life for a woman in her 40s without a husband or family can be difficult in 1930 Radstowe (near London). Hannah Mole works and lives for others as a housekeeper or companion; her life is never hers to live. She makes next to nothing and looks rather shabby BUT indulges on her shoes! (I like her!!)
She stood on the pavement, a thin shabby figure, so insignificant in her old hat and coat, so forget of herself in her enjoyment of the scene, that she might have been wearing a cloak of invisibility.
Hannah finds herself living with the Corder’s, Mr. Corder, a widower and the pastor of the local parish and his two daughters, Ruth and Ethel. Hannah becomes entwined in the lives of the girls doing what she does best, taking care of them and winning the girls over with her lovely personality. Mr. Corder proves more difficult to soften. Hannah has been recommended to Mr. Corder by Mrs. Lilia Spenser-Smith, the town’s rich patroness who is also her cousin. However, Lilia does not wish the townspeople to learn that she is related to Hannah. Hannah’s humble farm upbringing does not implore Lilia to desire a relationship with her. This places Hannah in a new home (so Lilia is not obligated to invite her to her home).
Getting to know Miss Hannah Mole, one would believe she is the perfect companion and friend with a kind nature and loving attitude. Her biggest quirk is her mischievous mind and her belief in telling little white lies. She looks for the best in others and never complains. One only wishes she had been lucky in love. The author does such a fantastic job of showing how life was very difficult for women like Miss Mole during this time. Hannah takes care of everyone else and her life can be very lonesome. She doesn’t really get to be herself in this lifestyle. It make one think about how strong she is for being able to conceal her own self and put others first – but who is taking care of Hannah?
Without actually making that confession, her mind went on to imagine what a real love might have been. But such loves do not come in the way of the Miss Moles of this world, and now she was nearly forty. And thinking thus, she allowed the threatening wave of her loneliness, avoided for so long, to sweep over her, and she stood still in the street, helpless while it engulfed her. It fell back, leaving her battered, but on her feet, and longing for a hand to help her upward before she could be swamped again, but she longed in vain and it was a weary woman who walked up Beresford Road and found no comfort in the ruby glow of Mr. Samson’s window curtains. She assumed her usual look of competence as soon as she entered the house. Employers do not expect their servants to have visible emotions, and professional pride straightened her back when she went into the dining room.
I truly enjoyed getting to know this understanding and lovely woman. In a world that was not made for women like Hannah, she proves how she can get along well and find a bit of herself in the process.
July 10, 2024
As a reader, I’m always searching for that next 5-star read. I have books on my TBR shelf that I’m eagerly anticipating reading and a lot of the time these best sellers, new releases or well known classics, do indeed turn out to be very enjoyable. And then there is the very rare occasion, when when a book comes along and you just know you have to read it immediately and you discover a story that propels itself into your top 10 books of all time.
I was not expecting this from Miss Mole, and it was a last minute decision to join in with the classics group, but Hannah Mole just provided the perfect story for me to sink into another era, a more gentile world and to get absorbed in an eclectic group of characters lives, but chiefly that of Hannah Mole who represented for me a kind of Mary Poppins or grown up Anne of Green Gables figure. Not without faults, but aware of her shortcomings, Hannah Mole may appear plain on the outside but she possessed a heart of gold. Her intellect, sense of humour and willingness to do good for others won me over and every twist and turn was perfectly crafted by Young, culminating in a near perfect ending to this charming fairytale.
I’m really going to miss you Hannah Mole, but you now have a place on the ‘favourite’ shelf of my bookcase so I can revisit you again in the future!
I was not expecting this from Miss Mole, and it was a last minute decision to join in with the classics group, but Hannah Mole just provided the perfect story for me to sink into another era, a more gentile world and to get absorbed in an eclectic group of characters lives, but chiefly that of Hannah Mole who represented for me a kind of Mary Poppins or grown up Anne of Green Gables figure. Not without faults, but aware of her shortcomings, Hannah Mole may appear plain on the outside but she possessed a heart of gold. Her intellect, sense of humour and willingness to do good for others won me over and every twist and turn was perfectly crafted by Young, culminating in a near perfect ending to this charming fairytale.
I’m really going to miss you Hannah Mole, but you now have a place on the ‘favourite’ shelf of my bookcase so I can revisit you again in the future!
July 6, 2024
Miss Mole is a plain woman approaching the age of forty who has been working as a housekeeper or a companion to old women. She asks her cousin Lilla, from the wealthier side of the family, if she can help her find a new position in Radstowe. Lilla finds her employment as a housekeeper in the home of the pompous widower Reverend Robert Corder, his two daughters, and his nephew. Mrs Corder had recently died and the two girls were finding life difficult without a mother. Miss Mole has lots of energy, and a good sense of humor that she often has to hide while she is presenting an innocent proper attitude to Mr Corder. Miss Mole can see his frustration when someone leaves his parish or disagrees with him:
"Thirty or forty years earlier, he would have been a happier man. It would not have been necessary, then, to make the mental compromises he found so bewildering; he would have been set firmly on the infallibility of his creed and his authority as its exponent would have been unquestioned. . . Being a man of great energy but no intellect, he felt bound to give the appearance of keeping abreast of modern thought, while his mind resented, and did not really make, the effort."
Miss Mole is warm, imaginative, and perceptive as she helps Mr Corder interact with his daughters. He loved his daughters, but forgot that they also had unique personalities and ideas.
Miss Mole also has a secret from her past which could ruin her if it was revealed. When someone from her hometown shows up in Radstowe, Miss Mole becomes very worried since life is precarious for a spinster with very little savings in 1930s England.
The novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1930. The book is a little confusing in the first chapters, but it's worth staying with it. Its social commentary is witty and shows some early feminism. The book also shines light on the double standards of the time, and the difficulties facing spinster women. After the tragic losses of men in World War I, there were many women living a lonely existence who had wished for their own home with a husband and children. But society was not kind to them. This is my first time reading E. H. Young, and I feel fortunate that Virago has been reprinting works from beloved classic authors. 4+ stars.
"Thirty or forty years earlier, he would have been a happier man. It would not have been necessary, then, to make the mental compromises he found so bewildering; he would have been set firmly on the infallibility of his creed and his authority as its exponent would have been unquestioned. . . Being a man of great energy but no intellect, he felt bound to give the appearance of keeping abreast of modern thought, while his mind resented, and did not really make, the effort."
Miss Mole is warm, imaginative, and perceptive as she helps Mr Corder interact with his daughters. He loved his daughters, but forgot that they also had unique personalities and ideas.
Miss Mole also has a secret from her past which could ruin her if it was revealed. When someone from her hometown shows up in Radstowe, Miss Mole becomes very worried since life is precarious for a spinster with very little savings in 1930s England.
The novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1930. The book is a little confusing in the first chapters, but it's worth staying with it. Its social commentary is witty and shows some early feminism. The book also shines light on the double standards of the time, and the difficulties facing spinster women. After the tragic losses of men in World War I, there were many women living a lonely existence who had wished for their own home with a husband and children. But society was not kind to them. This is my first time reading E. H. Young, and I feel fortunate that Virago has been reprinting works from beloved classic authors. 4+ stars.
November 29, 2022
Miss Mole is a great character; she's not conventional, but she (nearly) always looks on the bright side. She's getting on in years, and she has a past. As the novel opens, she is about to leave her employment as a paid companion to a fusty old lady, having taken the 2 shillings given to her to buy cotton to pay for tea and a bun in a cake shop. She bumps into her very conventional cousin who knows of a non-conformist widower who needs a house-keeper, so she breezes in to a rather gloomy household in the hopes of improving both hers and their lots. She will not be to everyones taste, but I found her a joy to spend time with.
July 15, 2024
“Who would suspect her of a sense of fun and irony, of a passionate love for beauty and the power to drag it from its hidden places?”
People surprise you if you let them.
Meet Miss Hannah Mole: a unique heroine if there ever was one. She’s a forty-year-old housekeeper with little to rely upon. She has lost in love, is disrespected by her closest relation, and has been taken advantage of in her personal business. She has a trump card though: she can rely, most definitely, on herself.
“I don’t think getting used to things is the right way to deal with them … I think that’s wasting them. You’ve got to use them all the time.”
Miss Mole wastes nothing. On the one hand, she often does what is least approved of by others, and firmly believes in the virtue of lying when needed. On the other hand, she finds the best in everything, and helps those around her to do the same.
She has taken a position in the home of the widowed minister Robert Corder and his family--a group that desperately needs her wisdom and positive attitude--and one by one, they come to rely on her.
There’s something about people who, by training, circumstances, or conscious desire, spend their hours in the care of others. Their mind, their body, even their psyche is geared to think of others first, to put personal needs aside again and again, and Hannah does this admirably. But even the most selfless person has needs of their own. E.H. Young does a brilliant job of helping the reader understand Hannah’s needs, through the slow revelation of her secrets and surprises.
It’s a mystery novel, where the mystery is the life of Miss Hannah Mole, a rare individual, an inspiration, and a character to savor.
People surprise you if you let them.
Meet Miss Hannah Mole: a unique heroine if there ever was one. She’s a forty-year-old housekeeper with little to rely upon. She has lost in love, is disrespected by her closest relation, and has been taken advantage of in her personal business. She has a trump card though: she can rely, most definitely, on herself.
“I don’t think getting used to things is the right way to deal with them … I think that’s wasting them. You’ve got to use them all the time.”
Miss Mole wastes nothing. On the one hand, she often does what is least approved of by others, and firmly believes in the virtue of lying when needed. On the other hand, she finds the best in everything, and helps those around her to do the same.
She has taken a position in the home of the widowed minister Robert Corder and his family--a group that desperately needs her wisdom and positive attitude--and one by one, they come to rely on her.
There’s something about people who, by training, circumstances, or conscious desire, spend their hours in the care of others. Their mind, their body, even their psyche is geared to think of others first, to put personal needs aside again and again, and Hannah does this admirably. But even the most selfless person has needs of their own. E.H. Young does a brilliant job of helping the reader understand Hannah’s needs, through the slow revelation of her secrets and surprises.
It’s a mystery novel, where the mystery is the life of Miss Hannah Mole, a rare individual, an inspiration, and a character to savor.
January 2, 2010
Oddly, the word that springs to mind for this one is "charming." Ok. I really like E.H. Young; this is the fourth book of hers I've not only read but owned. All are set in the early 20th century, so there's always a cultural hump to get over, but this time I find the hump a little...different. The story concentrates on Miss Mole, a 40ish housekeeper working for a minister's family, who makes her own fun by use of her sharp, witty mind. Great! So it's kind of a disappointment when the ending begins to devolve into a more typical scandalous-past love story. It's not entirely typical--no melodrama (leave that to the kids in the minister's family, oh man)--but the last few pages definitely dip toward oh-I-am-saved territory. That's not to discount the rest of the book--I'm pretty happy with it on the whole--but you'd think the interesting figure of Miss Mole would be able to use that mind to deal with her past herself, love affair notwithstanding.
October 30, 2025
I settled into this book each night before I fell asleep, reading about the deceptively quiet Miss Mole whose life has been more than anyone who meets her can guess, whose fantasy life sustains her as she works as a companion to humorless, irritating women (think of the life of the second Mrs. DeWinter if Max had not swooped in and carried her off to Manderley & she was now nearing 40). Miss Mole’s employers do not take her on trips to Monte Carlo, they keep her busy fetching & carrying in small English cities with very little to feed her soul. She leaves her last job to become a housekeeper to a Nonconformist minister and his family, and suddenly Miss Mole’s life become more challenging and emotionally richer. She is in that awful category of “spinster” caused by the loss of so many young men in the war, but she now finds people to care about who care about her in return, but she must tread carefully as she has secrets. The characters in this book are well-drawn and flawed, and I loved my time with them. I tried to read it slowly, but I kept getting pulled in by all the domestic dramas and I was rooting for most everyone to reach a happy outcome. A lovely book, and I shall be reading more of E.H. Young’s books. Highly recommended.
July 12, 2024
Miss Hannah Mole is an almost 40yo spinster who gets by as a companion/housekeeper. After leaving one position her rich snobby cousin gets her a job as the Ministers housekeeper looking after him, his two daughters and a nephew. She’s forthright and intelligent, as well as positive and with a wicked sense of humour. She also has a secret in her past. The strength of this character is what makes this such an enjoyable and easy read.
May 26, 2018
At first, I thought this was just an excellent character study, devoid of plot. That's certainly right up my alley. Hannah Mole is certainly the most well-developed character, but there is also Robert Corder, a minister and her employer. Also strong supporting characters are Corder's daughters, Ruth and Ethel.
This is apparently Young's best known, best liked work. I might be willing to poke around and see if there is another I might like. I liked this very much, but I'm not likely to chase after many others by her. A good, solid 4 stars that builds to 5, but doesn't quite climb over that line.
All stuffy things had been implied, for Ruth, in the name of housekeeper; stuffy frocks, thick stockings, a prim face and an oppressive sense of duty, yet here was Miss Mole looking, for all her lack of fashion, like a lady who belonged to a world unconnected with chapels, where beauty and leisure were expected and attained. It was a peep through a door Ruth had always wanted to open, and she said quietly, "I like it when you're not darning."I don't think it is possible to create a really good character study without some action. At least I probably wouldn't read it. But the action here is quiet, and perhaps the most important action took place before the book opens. It is set late in the decade plus between the Great War and the onset of the Great Depression and takes place over just a few months time. Despite some perhaps too frequent very long, complex sentences, the prose is just what I like.
This is apparently Young's best known, best liked work. I might be willing to poke around and see if there is another I might like. I liked this very much, but I'm not likely to chase after many others by her. A good, solid 4 stars that builds to 5, but doesn't quite climb over that line.
May 30, 2009
Oh Miss Mole, you long suffering thing. Honestly, I don’t know how you do it. Suppressing all of that intelligence, wit and humour takes a lot of energy and I don’t blame you for the occasional outburst. Do not judge yourself so harshly. You are not the type of person who can suffer fools gladly. You squirm internally while looking dutiful. I wish you had been MY companion or housekeeper. I would have been so grateful for your love and attention. You are a fabulous character who deserves to be happy. (And your love of fine shoes is so endearing!)
What a shame that your secret past is about to undo all the fine work you’ve done with this poor screwed up family. Dare we hope for you? How will it all end?
What a shame that your secret past is about to undo all the fine work you’ve done with this poor screwed up family. Dare we hope for you? How will it all end?
November 11, 2014
What a lovely book.
Miss Mole is a wonderful character and she does get her man in the end.
I loved it.
Miss Mole is a wonderful character and she does get her man in the end.
I loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2022
Five stars, but also huh… This is a book that definitely needs re-reading for me to capture the complexities of the characters. Do yourself a favor and read slowly.
But no matter because the five stars this time are 100% for the character of Miss Hannah Mole. She is fabulous! There are soooo many middle age, spinster housekeepers in English literature but I can’t think of a single other one who comes to life as vividly and irrepressibly as Miss Mole. I love that her delightful personhood is always at the forefront of the novel, so much so that I often forgot she was fitting the role of “housekeeper” at all. She is herself before she is a cog in society’s wheel. She has a vibrant inner life and, despite her years of servitude, she marches to the tune of her own internal music.
Miss Mole is wise and innocent at the same time, like GK Chesterton. What does that mean exactly? I’m still figuring that out but I think it has something to do with being open to the grand adventure of life. I think it may also have to do with a shrewdness about the undercurrents of life instead of just the surface appearance. Ethel and Robert Corder are far from shrewd; they have a self-centered naïveté to them that means they require protection from the world (and from themselves). Hannah sees something of her own shrewdness in Wilfrid, I think. They are kindred spirits despite the generation gap between them. Ruth needs protection too, but she has more substance to her than her father and sister so she needs a different kind of protection.
I think Miss Mole’s name—Hannah—is significant. The biblical Hannah spent many years longing for a child. Miss Mole is an idealist who spends years longing for freedom from the drudgery of her life. Does she, like the biblical Hannah, get what she wants? The interesting twist with Hannah Mole is how she manages to make the best of her years of servitude. She’s like Anne Shirley with a secret source of delight. I love that despite her outcast role in society (because she is penniless and a spinster) people are drawn to her because of that inner delight. (Either that or repulsed by it but too bad for those people!)
Lots more that could be said. I haven’t even considered yet some of the main plot points. Will be ruminating on them.
But no matter because the five stars this time are 100% for the character of Miss Hannah Mole. She is fabulous! There are soooo many middle age, spinster housekeepers in English literature but I can’t think of a single other one who comes to life as vividly and irrepressibly as Miss Mole. I love that her delightful personhood is always at the forefront of the novel, so much so that I often forgot she was fitting the role of “housekeeper” at all. She is herself before she is a cog in society’s wheel. She has a vibrant inner life and, despite her years of servitude, she marches to the tune of her own internal music.
Miss Mole is wise and innocent at the same time, like GK Chesterton. What does that mean exactly? I’m still figuring that out but I think it has something to do with being open to the grand adventure of life. I think it may also have to do with a shrewdness about the undercurrents of life instead of just the surface appearance. Ethel and Robert Corder are far from shrewd; they have a self-centered naïveté to them that means they require protection from the world (and from themselves). Hannah sees something of her own shrewdness in Wilfrid, I think. They are kindred spirits despite the generation gap between them. Ruth needs protection too, but she has more substance to her than her father and sister so she needs a different kind of protection.
I think Miss Mole’s name—Hannah—is significant. The biblical Hannah spent many years longing for a child. Miss Mole is an idealist who spends years longing for freedom from the drudgery of her life. Does she, like the biblical Hannah, get what she wants? The interesting twist with Hannah Mole is how she manages to make the best of her years of servitude. She’s like Anne Shirley with a secret source of delight. I love that despite her outcast role in society (because she is penniless and a spinster) people are drawn to her because of that inner delight. (Either that or repulsed by it but too bad for those people!)
Lots more that could be said. I haven’t even considered yet some of the main plot points. Will be ruminating on them.
December 26, 2022
I had a failed attempt under my belt already when this one was chosen for Raising the December bookclub read. It took me three attempts this month to get my reading rhythm established. My initial impression of Miss Mole wasn’t a favorable one and I found myself aligning with her cousin on my first impression (horrible of me, I know!). E.H. Young’s writing style took me about 65 or so pages to feel it flowing and the story gripped me. Young tends to get very descriptive and (in my opinion) verbose in scene setting.
However, once Miss Mole arrives to the Reverend Corset’s household and assumes her place as housekeeper, the story became quite enthralling for me. I quickly abandoned my initial dislike of Hannah Mole and found she won me over as deftly as she wins Ruth over in the novel. Miss Mole is a clever, witty, and a striking observer of humanity. She has a past which adds an element of suspense to the novel. All in all, it was a wonderfully written novel and story. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more of Young’s novels.
However, once Miss Mole arrives to the Reverend Corset’s household and assumes her place as housekeeper, the story became quite enthralling for me. I quickly abandoned my initial dislike of Hannah Mole and found she won me over as deftly as she wins Ruth over in the novel. Miss Mole is a clever, witty, and a striking observer of humanity. She has a past which adds an element of suspense to the novel. All in all, it was a wonderfully written novel and story. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more of Young’s novels.
November 25, 2025
Hanna Mole ha passato la sua intera esistenza a servire gli altri. Negli anni è passata di famiglia in famiglia, ha girato l’Inghilterra, ricoprendo di volta in volta il ruolo di governante o dama di compagnia.
Ora la nostalgia di casa l’ha riportata a Radstowe, dove Hanna è cresciuta e dove ancora c’è un piccolo cottage dalle pareti rosa, immerso in un meleto, che le appartiene e che nasconde al suo interno i più dolci e dolorosi ricordi della sua esistenza.
Ha quasi paura di spingersi fin lì Hanna, di vedere con i propri occhi il passato sgretolarsi davanti a lei, divenire polvere, non può permettersi che l’ideale lasci il posto al reale, poiché, così facendo, perderebbe anche l’unico sentimento che si è mai permessa di provare.
Nonostante le mansioni umili ricoperte nel corso degli anni, Hanna Mole è una donna intelligente e arguta, capace di comprendere le persone che la circondano con un veloce colpo d’occhio, abile nell’intuirne i bisogni, i desideri, i pensieri come fossero i propri, disposta a tutto pur di rendere felice gli altri, anche a sacrificare sé stessa.
continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
Ora la nostalgia di casa l’ha riportata a Radstowe, dove Hanna è cresciuta e dove ancora c’è un piccolo cottage dalle pareti rosa, immerso in un meleto, che le appartiene e che nasconde al suo interno i più dolci e dolorosi ricordi della sua esistenza.
Ha quasi paura di spingersi fin lì Hanna, di vedere con i propri occhi il passato sgretolarsi davanti a lei, divenire polvere, non può permettersi che l’ideale lasci il posto al reale, poiché, così facendo, perderebbe anche l’unico sentimento che si è mai permessa di provare.
Nonostante le mansioni umili ricoperte nel corso degli anni, Hanna Mole è una donna intelligente e arguta, capace di comprendere le persone che la circondano con un veloce colpo d’occhio, abile nell’intuirne i bisogni, i desideri, i pensieri come fossero i propri, disposta a tutto pur di rendere felice gli altri, anche a sacrificare sé stessa.
continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
December 15, 2020
Really lovely 1930 novel about Hannah, a middle-aged spinster companion/housekeeper who has a vivid imagination, sly intelligence, keen sense of observation, deep appreciation of beauty, pointed insight into human nature (her own and others'), lively wit, and sometimes loose relationship with the truth--characteristics that help make her mundane life bearable, but that also sometimes jeopardize her livelihood. She obtains a position working for a family who really needs her in many ways, but at potential personal cost to her.
The book starts a bit slowly; it took me a little while to become accustomed to the detailed descriptions and leisurely introspection. But rapidly I became delighted with Hannah's rich inner life and humorous self-awareness. She is minutely attuned to the intricacies and pitfalls of personalities, interactions, and social negotiations, and her observations ring true--except occasionally; but then she quickly recalibrates. It's a fascinating, dear story.
"Hannah had the homeless and the childless person's dislike for Christmas. There were few people from whom, in the course of her career, she had not been completely severed, and to those she wrote, but the paucity of her acquaintances and her lack of real intimacy with them were very present to her at this time of year and almost persuaded her of some failure in herself, but it was not easy...to make friends outside the house in which she was a dependent, and to most of the people she had served, often wholeheartedly, sometimes with misguided zeal, becoming absorbed in their affairs as though they were her own, she remained as mere Miss Mole, whose importance vanished with her useful presence. She was accustomed to this state of things but it still amazed her. A human being, to her, was a continuous wonder, a group of human beings made a drama of which she was half creator, half spectator, and she was baffled to know how people amused themselves without this entertainment which never palled and never ended. Hannah was not one of those who considered it a waste of time to lose a train and have to wait on a station platform, who shut their eyes, or read a paper, in railway carriages: she was thrilled by the sight of strangers and by the emanation of their personalities, and it was hard to understand that they did not get the same excitement from her neighbourhood."
And, after enduring a poetic reading by the pompous Mr. Pilgrim: "'So you didn't enjoy the recitation?' [Mr. Corder] asked with some eagerness. 'It was one of the brightest moments of my life,' she replied, 'but then, I'm afraid I'm not charitable.'"
Many thanks, as always, to Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow for bringing this book back into print and introducing me to the author--who, luckily, was quite prolific, so I'll look for more of her work.
The book starts a bit slowly; it took me a little while to become accustomed to the detailed descriptions and leisurely introspection. But rapidly I became delighted with Hannah's rich inner life and humorous self-awareness. She is minutely attuned to the intricacies and pitfalls of personalities, interactions, and social negotiations, and her observations ring true--except occasionally; but then she quickly recalibrates. It's a fascinating, dear story.
"Hannah had the homeless and the childless person's dislike for Christmas. There were few people from whom, in the course of her career, she had not been completely severed, and to those she wrote, but the paucity of her acquaintances and her lack of real intimacy with them were very present to her at this time of year and almost persuaded her of some failure in herself, but it was not easy...to make friends outside the house in which she was a dependent, and to most of the people she had served, often wholeheartedly, sometimes with misguided zeal, becoming absorbed in their affairs as though they were her own, she remained as mere Miss Mole, whose importance vanished with her useful presence. She was accustomed to this state of things but it still amazed her. A human being, to her, was a continuous wonder, a group of human beings made a drama of which she was half creator, half spectator, and she was baffled to know how people amused themselves without this entertainment which never palled and never ended. Hannah was not one of those who considered it a waste of time to lose a train and have to wait on a station platform, who shut their eyes, or read a paper, in railway carriages: she was thrilled by the sight of strangers and by the emanation of their personalities, and it was hard to understand that they did not get the same excitement from her neighbourhood."
And, after enduring a poetic reading by the pompous Mr. Pilgrim: "'So you didn't enjoy the recitation?' [Mr. Corder] asked with some eagerness. 'It was one of the brightest moments of my life,' she replied, 'but then, I'm afraid I'm not charitable.'"
Many thanks, as always, to Dean Street Press and Furrowed Middlebrow for bringing this book back into print and introducing me to the author--who, luckily, was quite prolific, so I'll look for more of her work.
October 31, 2024
Ms mole is glass half full kind of girl who has a great sense of humor and likes to stir the pot. She is 40ish, single works in service to others and can’t seem to save her money. Her cousin gets her a position for her widowed pastor keeping house and helping with the children which she does generously.
I should surely take a page out of her book and be happy in the moment I have, Hannah Mole has a vivid imagination and can eke out pleasure from the simplest activities.
Ms Mole also has a secret that is coming back to haunt her and she will have to find a way to come to terms with her past.
5 stars to the endearing Ms Mole.
I should surely take a page out of her book and be happy in the moment I have, Hannah Mole has a vivid imagination and can eke out pleasure from the simplest activities.
Ms Mole also has a secret that is coming back to haunt her and she will have to find a way to come to terms with her past.
5 stars to the endearing Ms Mole.
February 9, 2017
This is my first book by E H Young and I am enraptured. There are touches reminiscent of Barbara Pym and Dorothy Whipple, but she definitely has her own unique style. This was a page turner and quite delightful. Now I will begin the happy task of reading many more of her novels.
November 21, 2025
This book was not for me. I am a plain-spoken person, a Sagittarius by sign, a person who does not care for hints and and hidden facts, but likes straight arrows. I have never cared much for mystery novels. Tell me plainly what is going on. I believe in tolerance and forgiveness, too. Just tell me the story and chances are, things will be okay with me. But don’t dance around the truth, because that will just simply drive me nuts!
This novel frustrated the hell out of me. The structure was such that in one chapter, events would be hinted at but nothing revealed, the next chapter would only partially explain what was going on, and some of it would not be revealed until the last chapter of the book. This approach happened so often that I was tempted to throw the book across the room. Who wanted to read to the last chapter if all the preceding ones were a confusing torture? There were two reasons that I finished the book. One was that so many of my friends loved this book. The other was that it was slotted to fill a challenge. Otherwise it would have been a DNF and I would have given it 1 star.
It had an intelligent and compelling main character, granted with flaws, but who doesn’t have flaws? There were some interesting supporting cast members, some descriptive prose, and a theme dealing with the sexism and ageism of her day, all of which I found only partially redeeming. For those reasons, it may climb from a 2.0 cliff to 2.5 stars, but just the skin of its teeth.
This novel frustrated the hell out of me. The structure was such that in one chapter, events would be hinted at but nothing revealed, the next chapter would only partially explain what was going on, and some of it would not be revealed until the last chapter of the book. This approach happened so often that I was tempted to throw the book across the room. Who wanted to read to the last chapter if all the preceding ones were a confusing torture? There were two reasons that I finished the book. One was that so many of my friends loved this book. The other was that it was slotted to fill a challenge. Otherwise it would have been a DNF and I would have given it 1 star.
It had an intelligent and compelling main character, granted with flaws, but who doesn’t have flaws? There were some interesting supporting cast members, some descriptive prose, and a theme dealing with the sexism and ageism of her day, all of which I found only partially redeeming. For those reasons, it may climb from a 2.0 cliff to 2.5 stars, but just the skin of its teeth.
May 11, 2025
'This was the story which had to be re-arranged for Lilla's benefit, but Hannah trusted to the inspiration of the moment and wasted no time which could be spent on the beauty of the October day.'
I had not expected to enjoy this book so much, but I absolutely loved Miss Mole! She is witty, resourceful, kind, naughty, quirky, cheerful, wise... and humorous, of course. I laughed and cried, and was very sorry to finish this book.
I had not expected to enjoy this book so much, but I absolutely loved Miss Mole! She is witty, resourceful, kind, naughty, quirky, cheerful, wise... and humorous, of course. I laughed and cried, and was very sorry to finish this book.
April 30, 2010
Miss Mole can be summed up pretty easily: Mary Poppins for adults.
E. H. Young was one of those best selling authors whose works are now found mostly in "Friends of the Library" book sales. If you do come across a copy, though, snap it up and save it for one of those dreary winter evenings when you need the book equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa (and read it while drinking real, actual hot cocoa).
The novel's premise is fairly simple--it is a classic governess tale, complete with shrewish, snobby female relative, clueless bachelor love-interest, and horrible, spoiled kids. To be fair, Miss Mole is not precisely a governess--she's employed as a housekeeper for Mr. Robert Corder's somewhat unconventional family. But if she is hired to look after his children and make sure dinner gets put on the table, she seems to spend most of her time babysitting the adult population of the town of Radstowe.
In this respect, Miss Mole is a fairly conventional story--perky governess/housekeeper whips everyone around her into shape with a combination of clever tricks, charisma, and refreshing candor. You only need to read once, for example, that her employer is a minister to know that he's going to turn out to be the worst kind of hypocritical preacher--blind to his own faults, judgmental of others, and completely lacking in compassion. But if many of the figures and situations in Miss Mole are familiar and well-trodden, the character of Miss Mole herself is a creation wholly grounded in the 1920s and 30s. She's a late Victorian woman struggling in the interwar period with the changing demands of feminism, gender stereotyping, and sexual desire. If she shares some similarities with her literary forbearer, Jane Eyre (another Victorian governess), well, let's just say it's hard to imagine Jane Eyre making jokes about muffins or buying fancy shoes. Rather, Hannah is "stuck"; she was raised in one century and has to cope with existence in another. She's pretty well equipped in many ways to deal with her situation--she has a vibrant sense of humor and resiliency. But for all the story's wit and comedy, Miss Mole strikes me as a bittersweet tale, covered over with a Happily Ever After. For every one Hannah Mole, who triumphs over the evil-ish Robert Corder and the snobby cousin Lilla, there were hundreds of Miss Moles who faced lifelong fiscal and emotional vulnerability to the whims of others (especially other married women). To put it bluntly--Miss Mole is a window into a generation of women who were completely unprepared for the radical social changes of the twentieth century. They were raised to be dependent and pushed into a world where dependence was no longer an option.
Rather than simply papering over the complexities of the 20s and 30s for women, the novel confronts them head on. This isn't a lost classic--E. H. Young could have, at times, benefited from tighter editing, for example--but for all that, it is a hidden little gem of a book--sparkling and thoughtful at the same time.
E. H. Young was one of those best selling authors whose works are now found mostly in "Friends of the Library" book sales. If you do come across a copy, though, snap it up and save it for one of those dreary winter evenings when you need the book equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa (and read it while drinking real, actual hot cocoa).
The novel's premise is fairly simple--it is a classic governess tale, complete with shrewish, snobby female relative, clueless bachelor love-interest, and horrible, spoiled kids. To be fair, Miss Mole is not precisely a governess--she's employed as a housekeeper for Mr. Robert Corder's somewhat unconventional family. But if she is hired to look after his children and make sure dinner gets put on the table, she seems to spend most of her time babysitting the adult population of the town of Radstowe.
In this respect, Miss Mole is a fairly conventional story--perky governess/housekeeper whips everyone around her into shape with a combination of clever tricks, charisma, and refreshing candor. You only need to read once, for example, that her employer is a minister to know that he's going to turn out to be the worst kind of hypocritical preacher--blind to his own faults, judgmental of others, and completely lacking in compassion. But if many of the figures and situations in Miss Mole are familiar and well-trodden, the character of Miss Mole herself is a creation wholly grounded in the 1920s and 30s. She's a late Victorian woman struggling in the interwar period with the changing demands of feminism, gender stereotyping, and sexual desire. If she shares some similarities with her literary forbearer, Jane Eyre (another Victorian governess), well, let's just say it's hard to imagine Jane Eyre making jokes about muffins or buying fancy shoes. Rather, Hannah is "stuck"; she was raised in one century and has to cope with existence in another. She's pretty well equipped in many ways to deal with her situation--she has a vibrant sense of humor and resiliency. But for all the story's wit and comedy, Miss Mole strikes me as a bittersweet tale, covered over with a Happily Ever After. For every one Hannah Mole, who triumphs over the evil-ish Robert Corder and the snobby cousin Lilla, there were hundreds of Miss Moles who faced lifelong fiscal and emotional vulnerability to the whims of others (especially other married women). To put it bluntly--Miss Mole is a window into a generation of women who were completely unprepared for the radical social changes of the twentieth century. They were raised to be dependent and pushed into a world where dependence was no longer an option.
Rather than simply papering over the complexities of the 20s and 30s for women, the novel confronts them head on. This isn't a lost classic--E. H. Young could have, at times, benefited from tighter editing, for example--but for all that, it is a hidden little gem of a book--sparkling and thoughtful at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2022
I saw myself in Miss Mole. That's all it took for me to love this story. Beyond that, all the characters were so human. The descriptions were masterful, I want to read everything E.H. Young has written.
April 13, 2022
A bit dated but enjoyable. Quaint. See here for a much better review.
May 23, 2017
Brilliant.
I know that word is overly used in reviews but frankly, there is no better word for this book. My mom recommended this and I am so very, very glad she did.
I do not want to tell too much about the story because in doing so I would give away what is so precious about this novel, the unfolding of it all. Miss Mole is not always a reliable narrator but not in the newfangled "Girl on the Train" sense but in the very human way we have of trying to make our lives less drab and humdrum and dare I say it, less sad?
There are moments in this book, true moments that will stay with you and so many great passages. Here is one that jumped out at me and will give you a taste of the prose;
"I shall never forget it," he said, his head in his hands.
"No, but other people will , and that's what really matters. That's our weakness-- and our strength. There's no shame," she said, as though to herself, "no disappointment, no disillusionment, we can't bear if we can keep it to ourselves. It's the beastly curiosity and the beastly speculations of other people that get one on the raw. ..
I know that word is overly used in reviews but frankly, there is no better word for this book. My mom recommended this and I am so very, very glad she did.
I do not want to tell too much about the story because in doing so I would give away what is so precious about this novel, the unfolding of it all. Miss Mole is not always a reliable narrator but not in the newfangled "Girl on the Train" sense but in the very human way we have of trying to make our lives less drab and humdrum and dare I say it, less sad?
There are moments in this book, true moments that will stay with you and so many great passages. Here is one that jumped out at me and will give you a taste of the prose;
"I shall never forget it," he said, his head in his hands.
"No, but other people will , and that's what really matters. That's our weakness-- and our strength. There's no shame," she said, as though to herself, "no disappointment, no disillusionment, we can't bear if we can keep it to ourselves. It's the beastly curiosity and the beastly speculations of other people that get one on the raw. ..
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