The Footman

by A. O'Connor

From the country mansions of 1930s Ireland, to the decadence of 1940s wartime Paris to the courtrooms of London in modern times. What the Footman saw . . . In 1930s Ireland, Joe Grady becomes the footman at the stately home Cliffenden, owned by the glamorous Fullerton family. Joe is enthralled by the intrigue and scandal above stairs, and soon becomes a favourite of the daughter of the house, Cassie. There is mounting pressure on Cassie to marry American banker Wally Stanton. But Cassie is having a secret affair with the unsuitable Bowden Grey. What the Footman did . . . When Cassie and Bowden’s affair is discovered in disgraceful circumstances, the lovers are banned from seeing each other. Joe risks his position at Cliffenden, becoming a messenger between them, until he finds himself making a choice that will change the lives of everyone at Cliffenden forever. Decades later, Joe has achieved great success as a barrister. When suddenly Cassieis arrested for a sensational crime, he sets out to discover what happened to her in the intermittent years. He realises his actions at Cliffenden set off a chain of events that led to murder. But is Cassie guilty? Innocent or guilty, can Joe ever make amends for his part in her downfall?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, World War II

455 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2015

About the author

A. O'Connor is the bestselling author of The House, The Secrets of Armstrong House, The Left Handed Marriage and The Footman. A graduate in History and English from the National University of Ireland Maynooth and Trinity College Dublin, the author has contributed to two collections of short stories in aid of Barnardos Charity and played a key role in A.M.D's Fighting Blindness campaign. The House has been translated into German and the Russian edition is due for publication in 2016.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable read for me. I had never read anything by this author before, and the premise was very interesting to me since I loved the TV series Downton Abbey. The blurb I read indicated it was similar to that so I was hooked. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. The story transitions from the 1930s, 40s and into 1988, but it was never confusing and was very easy to follow. This well written novel starts out in 1930s Ireland, then two Paris during the beginning of the German occupation of France and the later timeline is in London. I was fully engrossed in this. Family saga with lies and betrayal and historical fiction sprinkled throughout. It was captivating! The ending was quite satisfying, and I was pleasantly surprised when it did not take a turn that I was afraid of like a lot of other more romantic novels. In other words, the ending was not predictable, and made me like it even more. I am definitely interested in reading more books by this Irish author.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A O'Connors past couple of books have really been great reads and this one was no exception.
Right from the start I just knew it was going to be good. I loved the story and the way it went from present to past. It was easy to read, perfect holiday book.

My only slight problem was the wrong geographical location of a certain place mentioned in the book. The place in question is actually in the North West of England, not in North East, as was said in the book.

[Maura O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline, so well-written and really enjoyed how to book was pieced together jumping between current day and the past. Absolutely loved this book, would highly recommend!

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading by O'Connor. I could easily say that I was not disappointed. Wonderful book,especially for Downton Abbey fans. It is a fantastic book I was sad it had to have an end

[Pamela Harju · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was good, but I didn't like the characters. What bothered me most was how poorly written the book is. Where was the editor on this one?

[Sarah Messenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had suspense, very believable story and great history. Loved all the characters, some charming and some not. It was hard to put down and I was sad when it ended.

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved seeing how close Cassie and Teddy were. Teddy may have had his faults (alcoholic, gambler, and a bad temper), but he did truly care about his sister and helped to look out for her (other than when it came to Bowden anyways).

It was a surprise to find out that Joe didn’t pass on that last letter about Bowden’s travel plans to Cassie. He kept saying to himself that he was doing it for Cassie because he didn’t want her to ruin her life, but he wasn’t thinking about Cassie. If he was, he would have taken into consideration the way Wally treated her and how uncomfortable she was around him. What Joe was really thinking about that whole time was Wally’s proposal to him about becoming the butler in their home. He was only thinking about securing his own future, not worried about how Cassie was going to feel.

Part of me feels like Joe shouldn’t have given Cassie that letter at the very end. It was too late to change anything and just made Cassie upset over not getting to live the life she originally wanted. But she did at least deserve to know that Bowden hadn’t just abandoned her and did truly love her.

Kind of a depressing ending, but seemed fitting as well.

[H. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, emotive, engaging and very readable.

[Pam Mcvay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich stories and emotions between the Irish classes:

I couldn’t put The Footman down. Each story is almost complete and a few more twists came to keep me reading. I didn’t even know the Irish had upper class. But, like Downton Abbey, there are ladies, butlers, footmen, snobbery and people with hearts of gold. We travel fro pre-WW I to the 80s, London and Paris. The footman is a great secret keeper!

[Sunnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the classes there existed rather strict rules and understandings. But, what if one party or the other split those rigid rules until there was a mere diaphanous curtain between the two? Are they friends or simply friendly? Who determines the direction of their new relationship? Do shared secrets allow each party to have secrets of their own? If so, is one allowed a secret that has the potential to change the other’s life and possibly change their own at the same time? Joe, a lower class young man finds himself thrust into a role he never aspired to attain, that of footman for the posh local family. Joe stumbles his way through an on-the-run training that has his head spinning. The grandness of it all has him reeling while the family is blissfully unaware of his former life, his aspirations, his likes or dislikes. After all, Joe is merely a temporary fill-in for the holidays. Yet somehow he catches the eye of spoiled, pampered Cassie, the family’s only daughter. Before long there are secrets between them despite their differences in the standing between the classes. Is one using the unaware other? Is one of them willing to put the other in jeopardy? Can one ever atone for using the other? The Footman, by A. O’Connor, takes us along in a taut novel that shows how casual relationships can be, while revealing gut-wrenching details of various characters actions, leaving scars that can last a lifetime. Led along at a comfortable pace, we nevertheless feel every turn of the screw. Only the ending found me wanting things to have turned out differently. No explicit sexual scenes, nor graphic violence, yet tension from beginning to end. I would certainly enjoy reading more by this author.

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Story

Plot of this book makes it hard to put down and author creates characters that are multidimensional and believable. Admired Cassie for her resilience, kindness, courage, and wit. If the protagonist was the "footman," there was little to admire except perhaps his tenacity and intelligence. Without spoiling story line, suffice to say that it was no surprise that he ended up a lawyer. Very good, entertaining read. I agree with previous reviewer that this would make a great movie. Not sure that Hollywood today could create epic movies of merit without adding vulgarity or unwanted political commentary, but can always hope. I look forward to reading more from A. O'Connor.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+ stars
This book follow the life of Cassandra Fullerton and is set from before the 2nd World War up to the present.
Cassie & Teddy lived with their parents in Cliffenden, a big house in a village in Ireland, cared for by servants, a Butler and a young boy Joe, the Footman.

This is one of 4 books in which A O'Connor writes about Ireland during different war eras from an Irish perspective.
This book is a page turner, a little bit predictable at times.
Ended too suddenly though.

I love his books, but I marginally preferred his first 7 books, which were all set in the present day.

[joan shute · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was wonderful as all the books by A. O'Connor are.
I think he is an author that is not well know but writes a wonderful story
with characters fully developed and interesting.
I am reading all he wrote, including The House, and The Secrets of Armstrong House,
and The legacy of the Armstrong house.
I don't know why he is not on any list of writers, i just think he
should be more well known.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a flight home from Ireland. It was the perfect read for that. I felt just like I could picture everything. The book was so enjoyable, the plot not guessable and pleasantly surprising.

[Vicki Dodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing story

I love the way the author took the reader from the current to past! Not one I wanted to put down, a page turner

[Kymm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again this author, A. O'Connor, has enthralled me with another fantastic book. I discovered his books in mid June and have already read 6 of them, each one being as good if not better than the last. The Footman is no different. It starts out in Dublin where a young man, Joe Grady interviews for a footman position at the Cliffenden house, the home of the Fullerton family. He is beyond happy when he gets the position and soon becomes part of the staff and becomes close with the family, especially their daughter Cassandra (Cassie). He helps Cassie pass notes to her one true love, a farmer that lives nearby, who her parents have forbidden her to see because he's not in their station or position in life. They force her to marry a rich American banker even though he's a boorish man who she doesn't even like. The story jumps ahead to present day where Joe Grady is now a barrister and working in London. He hears about Cassie through a newspaper article saying she's been arrested for murder, he goes to her and without telling her who he is at first, helps her. The characters are fabulous and real, I loved most of them and felt as though I was in the book with them. Something not all authors are able to accomplish for me. The descriptions of the house and surroundings were so good it's as though I was living in the same time period. A. O'Connor's books always have a story within the story which is where all the twists and turns of a good mystery take place. Did she commit murder or didn't she? What has her life been like all these years later? These were all questions Joe wanted to ask, but needed to wait for the right time. Excellent book especially for historical fiction fans or fans of Downton Abbey. I couldn't put it down and couldn't turn the pages quick enough.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up in Galway, Ireland, just to get to know irish authors. Definitely not the best pick of mine...
The story of "The Footman" by A. O'Connor starts with Joe, a barrister, who gets the news that a woman, Cassandra Fullerton, who he knew from his first job as a footman, is accused for murder and have been catched after 50 years of being on the run. As he has a strong connection to this woman, he decides to take her case and get to know her story from when she left her home, where Joe served. Told in flashbacks going back to the 30s, the reader follows the story of Cassie, who was forced into marriage with a hell of a guy. As Joe playes his role in this story, he is carrying his own package of guilt around with him. The story evolves up to the occupation of France by the Germans.
This book is definitely not well written. Furthermore, the first half of the book was just full of any cliché you could come up with. The second half gets better since the difficulties due to the occuptaion of Paris by the Germans and the resulting conflicts gave the book a little more depth. But that could definitely not hide that the characters are not well worked out and most of story is easy forseeable. Still, have to admit, the book was interesting enough to keep me going. Woulnd't recommend it though.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

This story of a young footman in the Irish home of wealthy employers in the late 1930's was well done as his story is told in 1988 in flashback. His relationship with the family, especially the daughter, is one he observed as a servant. Fifty years later a high profile murder case is tried wherein she is the defendant.

The plot is solid and interesting. My only criticism is the courtroom procedures and questioning by prosecutor and defense counsels. I believe the author should have done a bit more research into that aspect to have made it more believable. I may be a bit of a stickler in my opinion, but it seemed a weak part of the overall plot.

It is a suspenseful story, though, with a bit of a mystery. I enjoyed reading it for those qualiities.

I would recommend to readers of historical fiction.

[TiffanyLamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not help but like this story.

I will start by saying that the book was very poorly edited (as I read before-hand in other reviews) but am glad that I read it. The characters aren't flawless and the story allows you to excuse their downfalls in a charming way. With colorful words, the author paints a very fresh romance. I enjoyed the lack of sex scenes, and the approach of a good, full bodied storyline. The ending is beautifully sealed. Maybe this is the euphoria from the after-read talking but this book is one of my new favorites. If you can, read past the grammar errors and misspellings. Live a little.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a horrible book written by an amateur. It starts out in a big house in Ireland and ends with a murder trial. The writer cannot even write grammatically correct sentences, e.g., "Me and the children went to the park." He/she tells, not shows: "She wore her fur coat and her most expensive dress." What did the dress look like? What color was it? Many unbelievable things happened in the story, like the mother and father busting into the daughter's hotel room where she was having sex with her boyfriend. I doubt that they both went. The characters are flat. It seems to me this person cannot get a manuscript past editors, so he/she self-published.

[stephanie farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story covering two eras

I enjoyed this book but it was not one that I would call a real page turner. The idea of the story was good but I found it dragged on towards the end. The main character Cassie proved to be a real heroine even though at the start she was typical of her upbringing and of the period. Joe bettered himself but lived with his demons until he helped Cassie right her wrongs from her past.

[Debra Reedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book I've read by this author I have really liked. This story was excellent and reminded me a little Downton Abbey. The lives of aristocrats can be very complicated and sometimes very sad. My only complaint about this book would be that I felt it should have had more to the ending and it seemed incomplete.

[Fauve K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. Loved how it jumped between timelines, however I would have liked more details about what happened to the parents after/during the events. More resolutions but it's true to life... You don't always get to come full circle and resolve everything to a "happily ever after" would recommend. Read in a few days.

[Barbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the first part of this book . However, I was disappointed when it became tedious to the end. It felt as if the author himself was bored with it and simply patched the remainder of the story together. Continuity was lost, parts left out, other aspects too far fetched. I wish I had loved it.

[Loretta Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a very intriguing and heartwarming story.

The author has written a story of the lives of a well to do person as well as their servants. A most intriguing story of the effects each class of people have on each other. Enjoyable reading with many twist and turns that will keep you entertained.

[Diane Withrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing twisting pair of stories- two lives that intersect and influence each other’s in very unexpected ways. The aristocratic Irish woman and peasant lad who live through the Nazis-each fighting battles- move in and out of each other’s lives. There were aspects that didn’t feel authentic to my sense of plausibility- hence the medium rating.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lawyer in 1988 takes over the murder case of a woman he knew 50 years before -- when he was teenaged footman at an aristocrat's manse and she was the party-girl daughter of the house. The young woman is deeply in love with a man whose parents have no money, so of course they don't want her to marry him. They want her to marry a wealthy American banker, not only for his money, but because the parents are in debt and need the man's money to save their big house and lifestyle. She murders him when they are living in Nazi-occupied Paris and has been on the run for the last half-century. As the footman, the guy who is now her lawyer was actually responsible for her not being able to run away with the love of her life when he deliberately failed to deliver a letter to her from her lover. Nice plot.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grower

The story starts a little slow, but really picks up towards the end. I'm not sure I liked the characters but I felt a lot of sympathy for them. I enjoyed the way it was written. I didn't like the amount of swearing, although it was mostly from Wally and showed how vile he was.

[Beth deAcosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read this GREAT book. Most often I can determine within 30 minutes if a book suits my interest. This one really let me enjoy a GREAT book....first page to the last page. His writing definitely puts you in each scene where you actually forget where you really are.
Very vivid and authentic!!! Take this chance, read it for yourself and you will be very pleased! Double WOW WOW!!!🛋📚📖