The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Do you like birds?  Do you enjoy watching them at a bird feeder or do you like them as subjects of art or science?

Elsa Reisner is an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.  She puts together displays of birds including skeletons and taxidermy of birds.  An older lady who has just passed away has left her collection of taxidermy rare birds to the museum. Elsie is sent by her boss to inventory the collection at the estate.  Elsa makes new friends at the estate and together they start a treasure hunt for a missing rare, illuminated manuscript from the middle ages that can help secure the servants’ futures when the estate is sold.  Will they find the manuscript?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel is set in 1926.  I loved the descriptions of New York City during this time frame and what a night out on the town for young people would be like.

·       Elsa has a handicapped leg from having polio as a child.  She must work through illness and issues with her handicap.  I thought it added an interesting dimension to the story.

·       I also found Elsa’s job fascinating at the museum.  I learned a lot about being an ornithologist and about birds in general.  It made me really want to visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

·       Luke is a World War I veteran and an architectural salvage dealer.  He is working at the estate at the same time as Elsa.  He is still dealing with his own internal issues from the war.

·       I also thought it was interesting that a young girl in the novel, Danielle, displays symptoms of what now would be called autism, but it was not well understood in that time period. 

·       I enjoyed the sweet and clean romance between Elsa and Luke.  The romance was slow burn which is one of my favorite tropes.

·       This novel had an overall theme of forgiveness.

·       There was an interesting discussion of eugenics in the novel.  It was a hot topic during that time period.  The characters all had imperfections, but they were made in the image of God.  I thought this was a powerful theme of the book.

·       I enjoyed the very informative author’s note at the end of the novel.  A lot of the story was based in fact and some of the characters were real people from history.

Overall, The Hudson Collection was a powerful story of forgiveness and acceptance.  I enjoyed the characters, time period, setting, and romance.  It was a unique story, and I would love to read more by this author.

Book Source:  Review copy from Bethany House Books as part of the AustenprosePR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

 BOOK DESCRIPTION

Step into the beguiling world of 1926 New York and discover the power of resilience, friendship, and love from award-winning author Jocelyn Green.

Elsa Reisner's lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the job begins to drain her passion. But fate takes an unexpected turn when she is assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.

As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate's delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants' futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa's body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn't through with her yet.

With the brooding veteran and her handsome colleague joining the search, Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?

AUTHOR BIO

Jocelyn Green (JocelynGreen.com) inspires faith and courage as the bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including the Christy Award-winning The Mark of the King and Drawn by the Current and her On Central Park series.