Patterson House
In 1873, Maudie, a young and pregnant maid at Patterson House, a sprawling mansion on the shores of Lake Ontario, Canada, struggles up the back stairs to her third-floor room. While shocked to see her master William Patterson’s body hanging by the rafters, she spits on it for his past abuses.
In 1916, young Alden Patterson, William’s granddaughter, sneaks out of the servant’s entrance of Patterson House to attend a march for the temperance movement. However, after finding a baby in a trash bin, she is compelled to return home since the authorities are busy controlling the parade. Alden’s stern father instructs her to take care of the baby and names her Constance. When her father succumbs to cholera and her brothers die in WWI, Alden is left with large debts. She takes in boarders, and moody Constance assists in the housekeeping. A former gardener, John, returns and takes over the maintenance of the crumbling mansion. But the crash of 1929 and the strange behavior of a tenant—Carling, Maudie’s son—threaten Alden’s survival.
As stated in the acknowledgements, award-winning author Jane Cawthorne writes about “women in moments of crises and transformation.” She does remarkably well in narrating the development of this novel’s two main characters, Alden and Constance. Cawthorne, a former resident of Toronto, provides interesting details in the settings and scenes around the city. While Patterson House is fictional, its vivid description likens it to any of the rambling mansions in The Beaches neighborhood. The norm for women to play a subservient role in that era are aptly demonstrated in the impediments faced by Alden and Constance in attempting to lead a respectable life. While Carling’s misogynistic behavior, in contrast to John, is somewhat exaggerated, it nevertheless highlights his deplorable character. Few readers would consider him excused by his unfortunate upbringing. The introduction of a ghost adds appeal to the novel—an informative read.
