The Umbrella

Harriet Gordon #0.5

by A.M. Stuart

The cause may be righteous, but the price she had paid had been too high

The short heart wrenching prequel to SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE - the first in the Harriet Gordon Mysteries.

London 1909: Returning to London after her years in India ended in the tragic death of her husband and son, Harriet Gordon struggles to find her place in her parent's comfortable middle class world.
The suffragette movement answers the need for belonging until she is falsely accused of assaulting a police constable and finds herself in Holloway ...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Novella, Edwardian, Historical Mystery

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 17, 2023

About the author

Australian author, A.M. Stuart's love affair with Singapore began in 2000 when she moved, with her family to Singapore, where she lived for 3 years, throwing herself into exploring the history and the different cultures of the island.
The idea for the Harriet Gordon Mysteries was born in the microfiche room of Singapore's National Library when she came across an advertisement in a 1905 edition of the Straits Times… "An Englishwoman undertakes Typing and Shorthand… She guarantees… absolute secrecy"!
The first Harriet Gordon Mystery, SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE, was published in 2019 and has been followed by REVENGE IN RUBIES, EVIL IN EMERALD, TERROR IN TOPAZ and AGONY IN AMETHYST. There will be more to come!
Born in Kenya, her family came to Australia when she was ten years old. Outside writing, she enjoyed a varied career as a lawyer in a wide number of fields including the military and as a senior executive in the fire services. She also writes historical fiction as ALISON STUART.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this short but very rewarding prequel to this lovely series Harriet Gordon is back living in London with her parents, after the deaths of her husband and son in India. The year is 1909 and the Suffragette movement is very active. Harriet gets caught up with the enthusiasm and finds herself arrested and imprisoned in Holloway with some very unpleasant consequences.

All these facts are already known to readers of the series so far but it was interesting to be taken back and experience events as they happened. The umbrella of the title plays an important role which I believe was new information.

This is altogether a great series and I am currently awaiting book six. This small taste was an enjoyable stop gap in the meantime.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was London in 1909 and Harriet Gordon was grieving the loss of her husband James, and son Thomas. The suffragette movement had just started and quite unexpectedly Harriet became embroiled in a march to Parliament, where the police constables attacked the women with glee. Bruised and in pain, Harriet was arrested and taken to Holloway Prison. What followed was the stuff of nightmares...

The Umbrella is a short prequel which is #0.5, and slots in before the first in the series, Singapore Sapphire. Aussie author A.M. Stuart has given a heartbreaking account of the very early days of the suffragette movement in London, and the misguided and brutal treatment the women in prison received. A short, but highly entertaining story of Harriet's life before she joined Julian in Singapore. Highly recommended.

With thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect little novella that serves as an origin story for Harriet. I’m always horrified by the treatment of suffragettes at Holloway.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Umbrella is book 0.5 in the Harriet Gordon series by A. M. Stuart. Harriet Gordon and her family returned to London in 1909, and it was not an enjoyable return. Her husband and son were killed, and she struggled to live again in her parents' home until she joined the suffragette movement, where she found a family. This ended when she was accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer and ended up in Holloway. Readers will continue to follow Harriet Gordon to discover what happens.

The Umbrella is an excellent historical short story by A. M. Stuart and an enjoyable book to read. I engage with the story and its characters from the first page, and it holds through to the end. The Umbrella is a prequel to Singapore Sapphire, which focuses on Harriet Gordon. M. Stuart readers.

I appreciate how A. M. Stuart portrays her characters and their interactions. The Umbrella is well-researched and written by A. M. Stuart, and her lively portrayals of the setting complement the book's plot.

I recommend this book.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

***MINOR SPOILERS ***
This book is a prequel to the Harriet Gordon series. I do not recommend it as a standalone but only to someone who has read the series or intends to do so. The author also writes romances as Alison Stuart.
The story is set in 1909 in England and recounts the events that are mentioned in the main stories of the series. Harriet has become involved with the suffragette movement in England. She has returned to England after the death of her husband and son. She feels stifled by the return to living at home as if she were a child again but she also feels the cause is important.
Harriet is arrested, along with others, for protesting. During the protest, someone hits a police officer with Harriet’s umbrella and she is charged with assault. Harriet figures out who has done this and why, which is the mystery part of the story.
It is a very quick read (51 pages). The expectations and actions of people felt true to the time. It is a vivid look into the fervor of the suffragettes as well as the likely impatience and anger that others, including the status quo, feel towards them.
In the story, Harriet meets Eloise, a cousin of Robert Curran, who is the male main character in the series. He is not mentioned by name, only as a cousin living in the east and who is a good man.
I gave the novella 5 stars as I like the main stories of the series which I have already read.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story featuring Harriett's time as a suffragette in London before she goes to Singapore. Not a lot of new info here but a bit more detail on how she became involved in the movement, how she came to be at the protest and how she was arrested for a crime she didn't commit. The story does expound on how her umbrella came to be in someone else's possession and used to hit the officer. Mrs. Ada Brown was the mother of a man who committed suicide in jail after being convicted by Harriett's father. She came to the house to confront him but encountered Harriett instead. When she left the house, she took Harriett's umbrella and used it to get her revenge. The story also details Harriett's hunger strike and her near-death experience from being force fed. Like I said, no new territory is covered but the extra details are nice the have when reading the Singapore series.

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Umbrella gives readers a fascinating insight into Harriet Gordon, who has returned from India to her parents’ home in London after the deaths of both her husband and her son in Bombay. It’s clear that Harriet has not settled happily back into either the family fold or London society as the story opens. The women’s suffrage movement is gaining momentum at the same time and it’s not long before Harriet becomes involved. I was intrigued by the glimpse we were given of the treatment metered out to women arrested during their suffrage protests and later in the perfectly vile Holloway Prison. This book is only very short, yet it serves as a perfect introduction to the Harriet Gordon Mysteries, which are set in Singapore.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. This short story could have been about 20 pages longer, which would have made it more interesting and more in-depth. But it was an okay read with one harrowing passage.

SYNOPSIS: "The cause may be righteous, but the price she had paid had been too high.

The short, heart-wrenching prequel to SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE - the first in the Harriet Gordon Mysteries.

London 1909: Returning to London after her years in India ended in the tragic death of her husband and son, Harriet Gordon struggles to find her place in her parent's comfortable middle class world. The suffragette movement answers the need for belonging until she is falsely accused of assaulting a police constable and finds herself in Holloway..."

[Stacy Tomaszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short prequel to Stuart's Harriet Gordon series adds a little backstory and supplements what we already know about Harriet. It's certainly worth reading after reading the main series (or at least the first installment). Although there isn't much here that is new, I particularly appreciated the feeling of suffocation Harriet felt - it makes it easier to see why she joined the suffragettes and why she moved to Singapore.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It just occurred to me where the title of this book comes from, and it is interesting how it intersects from the beginning to the end where Harriet ends up leaving England for Singapore. Even though this is a novella, it shows quickly Harriet's early suffragette involvement and how she ends up joining her brother, Julian in Singapore. Even though it isn't necessarily graphic, I found it graphic enough for me. The forced feeding, etc. I am glad it was a novella and not a full-length novel.

[Douglas Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short novella that serves as a prequel to the Harriet Gordon series in colonial Singapore. Would likely not be of great interest to those who either haven't read the Harriet Gordon series, or plan to read them. The story fills in a part of Harriet's life that is alluded to in her Singapore tales. A nice, breezy writing style.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a prequel I thought it did a good job of introducing us to Harriet. We learned that she is stronger than she knows, and that strength will be serving her well in her next adventures.

I received a free copy via Bookfunnel; this is my honest review.

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super quick read introducing the reader to Harriet Gordon. I consider it a teaser for Singapore Sapphire, which I will be reading next. I have a feeling that Harriet is going to stepping in to the thick of things.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filling the Gap

Fantastic quick read and worthy prequel to the Harriet Gordon series. Fills in the information on Harriet’s conviction before the series starts and shows her honing her detective skills even then.

[Doreen Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting short story

I happened to read Mrs. Stuart's first 4 Harriet Gordon books prior to coming across this prequel to book one. This story gave a better insight to Harriet's family and why she is able to endure the many scary situations in the other Gordon mysteries. I very much enjoy this author and the characters she develops. I am eagerly awaiting her next story, coming soon.

[Preili Pipar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eellugu Harrieti lugudele. Olles ennem läbi lugenud kõik nö põhiraamatuf, siis oli tegelikult päris huvitav saada ka täpsem info selle kohta, mis juhtus enne seda, kui Harriet Inglismaalt ära kolis. Sest on ju põhiraamatutes palju vihjeid selle kohta.

[Deborah Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting more to the story. This novella tells us how Harriet ends up in jail for protesting with the suffragette movement. Her trauma is explained in detail. It is no surprise that she goes to Singapore and to her more open minded brother!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that provides the background story about Harriet's arrest during the suffragette protest.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year Harriet spent after returning to England from India. The experience that sends her off to Singapore, interesting but nothing new as too the horrible actions taken towards suffragists.

[Denise]

It is 40 pages, the last 11pages belong to another book by AM Stuart.

[Jill Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting if not a little chilling story to fill in the blanks.

[Jane Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only 58 pages

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read that provides some context to Harriet's life.

[Marnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story that adds a lot to Harriet's story.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short but amazing story introduces us to Harriet. We see how her life has endured a tragedy and how she deals with it. Ready for more.