"A Perfect Hand" | Reviewed by Diane Lick

If you like Victorian historical fiction/romance then “A Perfect Hand” is the book for you! Ayelet Waldman has written a very clever take on the intrigue of love mixed with class consciousness, gender roles, and political climate of the era. The asides that the narrator issues to the “dear reader” make the story even more enjoyable.

The year is 1879 and the main characters are Miss Alice Lockey, Lady Jemima, Mr. Smythe-Roberts, Sir Wynstowe, and Charles Wells.

Alice, a young farm girl who was placed into service at the Alderwick Estate has now worked her way up to becoming Lady Jemima Alderwick personal maid. Lady Jemima has reached the age where she must marry and has set her sights on the handsome Mr. Smythe-Roberts. Because he isn’t the eldest son in his family, he will not inherit his family title and estate.

Though Sir Wynstowe has his own estate, is wealthy, and also handsome, he does not interest Lady Jemima. The gentleman is quite the hypochondriac and also is seen as slightly eccentric. Charles Wells is Sir Wynstowe’s valet, a young man raised in a work home, good fortune bringing him into service at Sir Wynstowe’s estate.

When Alice and Charles meet in the servant's dining hall the romances get complicated. How can this young couple be together when they work on different estates?       

This novel is more than a romance however. Waldman also tell the story of class, detailing the lives of servants with little time to themselves because of household and personal responsibilities. There are shoes to be cleaned, muddy hems to be washed, as well as dirty linens. 

Alice and Charles are well read servants, perhaps unusually so. This allows them to think about their positions and the limits of their world.  Alice in particular reflects on the class and gender biases of the era, the fight for women’s suffrage and other rights paramount at the time. As such, Alice meets and befriends people who are leading this political fight. 

But back to the romances: Alice and Charlie form a plan to get their lady and lord wed so that they also can marry. This plan moves the story along. Is the couple successful? Does true love win out? There’s only one way to find out.

Buy the book.