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An ARC copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
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MY REVIEW:
At the surface, this book is about an estate that is being processed after a wealthy couple has passed away. The main character knew the lady of the house that passed away and she works at the Natural History Museum in the Ornithology department. She is tasked with going through the estate and cataloging all of the bird specimens that are there for the museum to take possession of. This task proves difficult as there are not only a lot of birds to process, but the notes pertaining to where the birds were located and when, are difficult to sift through.
Underneath the surface, this is a story about loss. Every main character featured in this story has lost something of themselves. Elsa, the main character, suffered from polio as a child and still struggles with the affects it had on her body. From her physical ailments to her emotional trauma of feeling different. The salvage dealers she meets at the estate are war veterans and have suffered mental and physical damages that they also try to hide from. The gardener of the property and her daughter have their own challenges as well.
What this book really provides in its entirety, is a reminder that we all struggle with something and how important it is to see people for who they are; we are made up of all these pieces of ourselves and its important to remember that. Embrace all of ourselves and everything else comes in time.
The plot of The Hudson Collection was intriguing in its mystery. I enjoyed all the time spent with Elsa exploring the estate with it’s vast rooms and hidden spaces. There is a lot of mystery around the owner’s past as well which is intricately weaved between the lines of the entire story as the bigger pictures unfold.
Also, with the main character being an Ornithologist, I learned a lot more about birds as well! I especially enjoyed learning about the chickadees and their specific call to one another when a predator arrives. Interesting stuff!
My Favorite Lines:
“What I mean is, I will always be your safe place to land. I can’t give you wings, but I’ll be your solid ground.”
The Hudson Collection, Jocelyn Green
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Step into the beguiling world of 1926 New York and discover the power of resilience, friendship, and love from award-winning author Jocelyn Green.
Elsa Reisner’s lifelong dream of working as an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History is fading as the job begins to drain her passion. But fate takes an unexpected turn when she is assigned to catalog the bequest of a recently deceased patron whose Gothic country mansion holds secrets and treasures waiting to be discovered.
As Elsa delves into her task, she forms an unlikely bond with the estate’s delightful gardener and her daughter, as well as an architectural salvage dealer who still bears scars from the Great War. Together, they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt for a missing relic intended to safeguard the servants’ futures before the estate is sold. At the same time, Elsa’s body seems to betray her with new symptoms from a childhood disease that isn’t through with her yet.
With the brooding veteran and her handsome colleague joining the search, Elsa must navigate the tangled web of secrets and hidden motives along with the changing state of her health. As her deadline looms ever closer, will she be able to secure a new life for her friends before the estate slips from their grasp?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jocelyn Green
Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage.
Her books have finaled in the Christy Awards and Inspirational Readers Choice Awards, and have won gold from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.
Complex and nuanced characters, rich historical detail and twisting plots make her novels immersive experiences. Her fiction has been praised by Historical Novel Society, Romantic Times, Library Journal, historians specializing in her novels’ time periods, as well as popular and acclaimed authors Laura Frantz, Lori Benton, Jody Hedlund, Sarah Sundin, Joanne Bischof, Julie Lessman, and more.
Jocelyn loves Broadway musicals, the color red, Toblerone chocolate bars, Mexican food, and well-done documentaries. She lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and two cats she should have named Catticus Finch and Purrman Meowville.
Visit her at jocelyngreen.com, and receive a free gift when joining her e-newsletter mailing list at jocelyngreen.com/subscribe.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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