The Hidden Gallery

Picking up shortly after the events of [b:The Mysterious Howling|6609748|The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1)|Maryrose Wood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347467632s/6609748.jpg|6803715], indefatiguable teenage governess Penelope Lumley is back, along with her charges, Alexander, Beowulf, and Casseopia Incorrigible, three siblings who were actually (probably) raised by wolves. Also back is Nutsawoo, the squirrel that Casseopia unexpectedly adopted as a pet after he crashed Lady Constance's Christmas party. When the human inhabitants of Ashton place are packed off to London during estate repairs, poor little Nutsawoo is left behind.

“Of course we will send postcards to Nutsawoo. And we shall bring show more him back a present as well. In fact,' she went on, with the instinctive knack every good governess has for turning something enjoyable into a lesson, and vice versa, 'I will expect all three of you to practice your writing by keeping a journal of our trip so that Nutsawoo may know how we spend our days. Why, by the time we return, he will think he has been to London himself! He will be the envy of all his little squirrel friends,' she declared.

Penelope had no way of knowing if this last statement was true. Could squirrels feel envy? Would they give two figs about London? Did Nutsawoo even have friends?”

While Penelope attempts to make the children's (and, indeed, her own) first trip to London educational and culturally enriching, strange events continue to follow the quartet, including a creepy warning from a mysterious gypsy woman, a guidebook that is often less than helpful, a confusing encounter with Penelope's former headmistress and more strange behavior from Lord Ashton. More questions than clues regarding the Incorrigibles' origins (as well as Penelope's) pile up, with no real answers, but since this is only the second of six books, I'll assume that all the mysteries will eventually be solved.

In the meantime, I'll be satisfied with charming passages like this:
“Nowadays, people resort to all kinds of activities in order to calm themselves after a stressful event: performing yoga poses in a sauna, leaping off bridges while tied to a bungee, killing imaginary zombies with imaginary weapons, and so forth. But in Miss Penelope Lumley's day, it was universally understood that there is nothing like a nice cup of tea to settle one's nerves in the aftermath of an adventure- a practice many would find well worth reviving.” show less

Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."

The Incorrigible children actually were.

Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.

Despite Penelope's civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance's Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so many show more opportunities to further the education of her unique students. But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards' bearskin hats, which drive the children wild--not to mention the abundance of pigeons the Incorrigibles love to hunt. As they explore London, however, they discover more about themselves as clues about the children's--and Penelope's--mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways. . . . show less

I did not read The Mysterious Howling before starting on The Hidden Gallery: I was much too impatient to start reading about the Incorribles to take the time to go to the library (or bookstore) for a copy. I had been looking forward to reading about governess Penelope Lumley and the three children ever since I first heard of The Mysterious Howling, but I always had too many other books already at hand that were begging to be read... Luckily, I found that I didn't need to be familiar with the first book to enjoy the second.

Many references are made to the events in The Mysterious Howling, but always with just enough context to simply make me curious and eager to read that book, rather than confused and frustrated that I was missing part show more of the plot or story. Thus, while it is probably very helpful to have read the first book, I don't think it is necessary to do so before starting on this one, if by chance you can't get hold of The Mysterious Howling before acquiring The Hidden Gallery.

In The Hidden Gallery, the Ashton Place household temporarily relocates to London. Even for the clever Penelope, London is a confusing and strange city, which leads to some very humorous scenes, such as the children mistaking one of the Buckingham Palace guards for a bear. Luckily, Penelope was given an illustrated guidebook to help her find her way - though it, too, is strange, with illustrations of Alpine pastorals rather than city scenes, and short verses rather than proper descriptions save for eight pages going on in great detail about the Gallery of Overuse of Symbolism in Historical Portraits in the British Museum.

There is a mystery which never quite gets solved, though many clues are placed along the way, should a clever reader try to figure out the answer. Presumably, this mystery was introduced in the first book and will be answered in a future one.

I daresay that Lady Constance is my favorite character in the book, and I was sad that she had so few appearances. Her reactions to different things about London were a running joke throughout the book, as were descriptions/fondness of ferns, and quotes from Agatha Swanburne (I get the impression that they're also common in the first book).

If there was anything I didn't like about the book, it's that the third one is so far off from being published. The Hidden Gallery is positively delightful, terribly fun. The way Maryrose Wood plays with language in the storytelling is fantastic, rather like a gentler, tea-and-cake version of Lemony Snicket, whom I also love to read, particularly the first few books in that series.

I can't recommend this book enough for anyone who enjoys children's books! show less

Governess Penelope Lumley is off to London with her three pupils - Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia Incorrigible - and their guardians, Lord and Lady Ashton. Penelope is excited to be able to visit with her beloved former headmistress, Miss Mortimer, and begins planning educational walking tours around the city for herself and the children using the guide Miss Mortimer sent to her. Things begin to go awry as soon as she and the Incorrigibles step off the train, from getting lost to strange proclamations from a fortune teller, but Penelope continues to be optimistic. When a luncheon with Miss Mortimer takes a mysterious turn, Penelope becomes determined to get to the bottom of who may be threatening her beloved Incorrigibles and why show more they were left in the woods to be raised by wolves in the first place.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place books are spoofs of classic governess novels (such as Jane Eyre) and poke a lot of fun at Victorian life and culture, and this second book in the series certainly delivers on those counts. The fact that the children were actually raised by wolves is a gimmick that is still paying off in The Hidden Gallery, although I find that the children have stagnated a bit in their development and acculturation. In the first book (which I read a few months ago so have not reviewed here), the children had just been discovered so could not speak human language and were terrified of their new situation. The process of their linguistic and cultural acquisition was handled in a manner that was both charming and hilarious, as were Penelope's reactions to and methods of teaching the children. In this second book, while still charming and often hilarious, the children did not develop very much further. True, they are all clever and learn quickly, whether it's navigation techniques or geometry, but their skills did not seem to improve very significantly. Perhaps it is inevitable that they would not develop as much as during the first book, but more individual character evolution would have been nice to see, as in my mind the three children are almost interchangeable.

This lack of character development does not apply to Penelope, who is earnest and also very clever, if a bit naive. She doesn't shy away from a challenge (if it wasn't already obvious when considering her pupils), even if that challenge is befriending the moody, spoiled Lady Ashton. Indeed, Penelope has the sort of astute intellect that would be a menace if she discovered the powers of sarcasm. The addition of Simon Harley-Dickinson - whose surname I nearly always misread as Harley-Davidson - to the cast of characters was welcome, and I also enjoyed learning more about housekeeper Mrs. Clarke.

There is an entangled mystery to the Incorrigible Children books, and that is why the children were raised by wolves in the first place and what connection Lord Ashton has to them. Penelope is also tied up in all of this as an orphan who has the same hair colour as the Incorrigibles. Now, by the end of the first book it was obvious what was going on with Lord Ashton (I won't ruin it for you though), and by the end of The Hidden Gallery Penelope seems to have it figured out although it is not spelled out to the reader. True, perhaps Maryrose Wood assumes all the readers know what is going on with Lord Ashton, but it seems drawn out longer than necessary. I worry that, as much as I delight in these books, the mysteries will be drawn out to the point that the books will become episodic. I sincerely hope that does not come to pass.

As soon as I found out that there was a second book about Penelope and the Incorrigibles, I was determined to get my hands on it, and overall this sequel does not disappoint with its pokes at Victorian culture that made me giggle out loud. I am now waiting to get my paws on the third. show less

Description: Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."

The Incorrigible children actually were.

Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.

Despite Penelope's civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance's Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so show more many opportunities to further the education of her unique students. But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards' bearskin hats, which drive the children wild—not to mention the abundance of pigeons the Incorrigibles love to hunt. As they explore London, however, they discover more about themselves as clues about the children's—and Penelope's—mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways. . . .

Thoughts: I'd been meaning to get around to the rest of this series since soon after reading the first one, but something else always caught my fancy. Don't ask me why, in the midst of a SEVERE reading slump, this one finally got my attention, but I was sucked in immediately.

There is nothing absolutely amazing about this series. It is quite and charming but not explosive or revolutionary. But there is something about the quiet way it refuses to relinquish it's secrets, the way it taunts the reader with a near constant stream of references to the big mystery without hardly ever giving ANY actual insight whatsoever, that keeps you rabidly gobbling up pages.

I have 19 million theories about the mystery surrounding the Incorrigibles, Miss Lumley, Lord Ashton, even Judge Quinzy, but I can't say with ANY assurance that any of them is even close to being valid. It's delightfully infuriating. I'm used to children's mysteries being quaint but very easy to suss out and this one is just about the quaintest and the LEAST easy to suss out.

In this particular installment, very little real action takes place. The children and Ms Lumley see the sites of London, Mrs. Ashton acts like an idiot (shocking, I know), Ms Lumley makes a friend, and hints are dropped all over the place about the mystery, but there is really very little going on here. Does it matter? Nope. You still want to devour every page and run right on to the next book because, damnit, at some point someone HAS to give some concrete answers!

I've read eBooks of the first 2 of these but I luckily snagged the audio of #3, narrated by KATHERINE KELLGREN! Yay!

Rating: 3.9

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4

http://www.librarything.com/topic/160137#4402488 show less

Description: Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."

The Incorrigible children actually were.

Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.

Despite Penelope's civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance's Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so show more many opportunities to further the education of her unique students. But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards' bearskin hats, which drive the children wild—not to mention the abundance of pigeons the Incorrigibles love to hunt. As they explore London, however, they discover more about themselves as clues about the children's—and Penelope's—mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways. . . .

Thoughts: I'd been meaning to get around to the rest of this series since soon after reading the first one, but something else always caught my fancy. Don't ask me why, in the midst of a SEVERE reading slump, this one finally got my attention, but I was sucked in immediately.

There is nothing absolutely amazing about this series. It is quite and charming but not explosive or revolutionary. But there is something about the quiet way it refuses to relinquish it's secrets, the way it taunts the reader with a near constant stream of references to the big mystery without hardly ever giving ANY actual insight whatsoever, that keeps you rabidly gobbling up pages.

I have 19 million theories about the mystery surrounding the Incorrigibles, Miss Lumley, Lord Ashton, even Judge Quinzy, but I can't say with ANY assurance that any of them is even close to being valid. It's delightfully infuriating. I'm used to children's mysteries being quaint but very easy to suss out and this one is just about the quaintest and the LEAST easy to suss out.

In this particular installment, very little real action takes place. The children and Ms Lumley see the sites of London, Mrs. Ashton acts like an idiot (shocking, I know), Ms Lumley makes a friend, and hints are dropped all over the place about the mystery, but there is really very little going on here. Does it matter? Nope. You still want to devour every page and run right on to the next book because, damnit, at some point someone HAS to give some concrete answers!

Rating: 4.08

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4
Audio: 5

http://www.librarything.com/topic/160137#4402488 show less

The worst part about this book was that it was compared to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Comparing one book to another, arguably, more popular book, or series, or author, or what have you is very dangerous, as it causes the astute reader to view the work at hand through a more critical lens usually reserved for books and series and authors who have proven their worth enough to get there.

This gave me a terrible first impression of the book, as I've read other books in the past that have been likened to other, more popular books, series, and authors, some even to the point of declaring themselves superior, only to be let down.

So, what can I say about the author, Maryrose Wood, and her ability to overcome these show more publisher-laden handicaps?

One word: Wow.

Now other words: Wood has crafted here an atypical governess story, clearly inspired by the Victorian-era chick-lit, but also with a healthy dose of modern-day humor, and a bit of the hair of the dog that bit ya.

The premise of the series as a whole, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, is that some feral foundlings, the eponymous children who are dubbed with the surname Incorrigible are put under the charge of a governess named Penelope who has more pluck than anything else. By the end of the first volume, she's managed to convince them to sit up straight, use utensils, and stop eating most woodland creatures. Nevertheless, their surrogate lupine parentage comes through at the most inopportune times.

In the second volume, the one I'm reviewing, the Ashtons, their servants, the Incorrigibles, and Penelope all go to London, where many mysteries are reveled, some are only slightly uncovered, and many, many more are introduced.

While Maryrose Wood is not exactly Lemony Snicket, she is Maryrose Wood, and that should be enough. show less