Mary Reilly is an alternate telling of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s told from the point of view of Dr. Jekyll’s housemaid, Mary, an observant young woman who is nonetheless somewhat blind to what’s going on around her. She keeps a journal of her observations, in which she chronicles the increasingly bizarre behavior of the man she calls Master; and her encounters with his new assistant, Edward Hyde.

It’s not a long book, only about 250 pages, but there’s a lot packed in. At first glance, it would seem odd that Dr. Jekyll seeks out the company of a lowly housemaid; but they really have a lot in common, both having gone through, or going through, periods of darkness in their lives—Mary with the demon her father, and Dr. Jekyll with his demon Mr. Hyde.

The tension in this novel, especially in Mary’s encounters with Mr. Hyde, is palpable, as is the London fog, which seems to surround everything. Right from the opening scene (which I won’t describe; you have to read it for yourself), I was immediately hooked into the story May’s language and grammar are colorful, too, and make her voice unique. The end of the book is somewhat marred by the anonymous postscript, but otherwise I enjoyed this novel. It’s been a number of years since I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but from what I can recall, Valerie Martin stays pretty close to Stevenson’s book. Mary is for the most part knowledgeable about the world; but in several others, she’s a complete innocent. ( )

This is a fabulous story about one of Dr Jekyll's domestic staff - Mary Reilly. It cleverly weaves in extracts from Robert Louis Stevenson's `Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. The length may seem short but Valerie Martin packs a lot into this story. All of the characters are wonderful and with Martin's eye for detail the imagery brings the household to life.

I haven't read the original story, but know of the plot and I found it entertaining and enthralling to read about it from one of the original characters. It's a bit like looking at a painting and wondering about what really when on behind the story. Even the way in which writers of the time would put lines after the initial for street names etc has been adopted by Martin, giving it a authentic feel time wise.

The ending makes you reflect on what life genuinely must've been like for domestic staff at that time and I would certainly go on to read the original classic itself plus more by the author herself. Several pleasant hours whiled away with this book. It felt authentic of it's time even by the layout and chapter dividings, let alone everything else the author succeeded with ( )

I read this immediately after reading "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", and it made a very interesting companion piece. Martin is a really great writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work. ( )

Didn't finish this. Not sure whether I just wasn't in the mood or it wasn't very good. Got just under halfway through and found I just didn't care about the character and nothing had happened to suggest any future interest. I'd say the original is good enough not to need this addition.

an interesting take, i read this when it came out back in the 90's. not my favorite work, and I wouldn't say Martin is going to reinvent gothic literature or our understanding of women in it. An interesting attempt, nonetheless. ( )