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@glenjenreads · June 4, 2026

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#glenjensbookreviews 🪞 The Ladie Upstairs ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🪞 “She knew because of the glamour of the big painting, because of the regal nature of its women, that the two ladies of Ropner were surely good and clean and proper and wonderful, and she knew in her heart of hearts that she was theirs, and they were hers to dutifully serve and wait on, and how lucky she was to be in service to such people.” 🪞 Servant Ann can’t remember when or how she ended up at Ropner Hall and longs to become a lady’s maid. Her wish comes true when she becomes the personal maid to Lady Charlotte. Finally she can escape the hell of downstairs life in the kitchen. But soon she discovers that life upstairs has terrors of its own… 🪞 The Ladie Upstairs is the debut novel by Jessie Elland and highlights women’s mental health and eating disorders in the Victorian period. It also examines how women are punished for being sexually active, as well as the rejection of male desire. Class and female identity are also explored. It is a gothic body horror novel with beautiful writing that evokes the setting and atmospheric mood of the story. However, I did struggle to get into the story and it felt quite slow paced. I really liked the ideas explored in the novel, so maybe I just need to revisit the story another time. I think Elland is a very talented writer and I really love her Instagram account, so I’m excited to see what she writes next. This may not have quite worked for me, but if you like that weird girl lit vibe, this might be the one for you! 🪞 Have you read The Ladie Upstairs? 🪞 #bookreview #bookstagram #weirdgirllit #bookflatlay