Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC!

This is an interesting psychological gothic novel about a woman that eventually drives herself mad. She obsesses over the remark one woman makes, to the point that it’s all she can think about, and is determined not only to prove everyone wrong, but also, prove her husband has secrets.

Mrs March is a very complex character. In some ways, I loved her, and in others, I couldn’t stand her. One thing that frustrated me the most is how much weight she put on that single remark from an acquaintance, and yet she doesn’t even read her husband’s book to find out for herself. I feel that if she had read the novel, or talked to her husband properly about how she felt and whether he had truly based the character on her, then she wouldn’t have been driven mad.
Mrs March is also a very judgemental character; she always had something to say about those around her (in her head mostly) and it is especially apparent how she thinks of the character within the novel, Johanna, as being completely abhorrent just because she’s a sex worker. She hasn’t read the novel, she doesn’t truly know what the character is like, so who is she to judge?

I don’t think we are ever given a date as to when this novel takes place, but from the cover, and the way that Mrs March and her husband are as characters, I assume it to be around the 1950’s. With this in mind, the character of her husband, Mr March, is true to that era, but to me, he is still a bit of a dick.
He’s always running off leaving Mrs March, never inviting her to go with him to his events or really valuing her opinion.
It seems however, he used to; as Mrs March comments that she always used to read his drafts (albeit she did not enjoy it).

Without giving anything major away, Mrs March starts to see things that others cannot, such as cockroaches, and this is the start of her spiral into a madness that she cannot escape or control. She gets these ideas in her head, some of which are almost on point, but not quite.

Virginia Feito’s writing style is brilliant, delving deep into the inner workings of Mrs March’s mind, we get to see her character with all her flaws, learning her memories as she allows us to.
I also really liked the fact that we only find out Mrs March’s first name on the very last page, it created a requirement to keep reading.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel, however, I will say I felt a little bereft at the end, and I did feel it was lacking something.

3.5 out 5 stars

Thank you to the author and 4th Estate Books via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love me a look into a mad woman’s psyche. And oooh did I enjoy Virginia Feigo’s debut gothic thriller about the equally repulsive and relatable Mrs March and her descent into madness.

The reader is forced to stay inside her head; a not so pleasant place to be as it is filled with turmoil, jealousy, and paranoia. She’s an unreliable narrator which adds to the overall suspense - one really questions every twist and turn; are they real or just a product of her impending insanity?

It’s deliciously disturbing and I was so close to giving it a 5-star rating, but some aspects should have deserved further exploration. With that being said, it’s a really captivating and chilling character-driven slow-burner.

Married to a successful author, Mrs March is delighted that his latest book is a success. When it is suggested that the book, about a whore, is modeled on her she is horrified. As her life crashes down around her many secrets are exposed. Is she losing her grip on reality? Very entertaining.

Described as Ottessa Moshfegh meets Shirley Jackson, I was intrigued. So pleased to report this is a 5 star fantastic novel. Our protagonist, Mrs March, begins to unravel after her husband’s latest novel appears to have taken inspiration from Mrs March herself. Locked in a high pressure world of keeping up appearances the psychological toll overwhelms her in increasingly terrifying ways.
.
I loved the pacing of this novel. At its heart it’s a character study with just the right amount of tension without going too off the rails too fast. If Moshfegh’s gross out body horror stuff is a step too far for you, you might find a home with Feito.
.
The writing was on point. Feito’s observation on how low self esteem can crush a persons spirit was so spot on. There was one passage that genuinely made me laugh out loud at a point I was really not expecting. I honestly can’t recommend this book highly enough.

The problem began just after the publication of George March's most successful novel to date. Everyone but Mrs March (we know her first name only on the last page) seemed to either be reading it or had already done so. Every day Mrs March went to the local patisserie to buy olive bread but on that particular morning, Patricia asked, as she was wrapping the bread, but isn't this the first time he's based a character on you? She mentioned that Johanna, the principal character had 'her mannerisms. Perhaps this would not have mattered, except for the fact that Johanna is the whore of Nantes - a weak, plain, detestable, pathetic, unloved, unloveable wretch.

A more confident woman could have laughed the comment off but Mrs March is not confident. George bought her a pair of mint-green leather gloves and Mrs March wears them because she likes to think of herself as the kind of woman who would have selected such a bold color for herself. What matters is how things look to other people: she has no view, no judgement of her own and this is obvious to other people. Soon the connection between Johanna and Mrs March becomes more widely known and the cruelty - some might call it teasing, others would refer to pranks - began along with Mrs March's descent into psychosis.

We're never quite sure of when the story is set. There's no technology to speak of. Much of the physical location is the claustrophobic flat in New York's Upper East Side, complete with Martha, the housekeeper, Jonathan, the March's eight-year-old son and regular parties designed to further George's literary career.

The madness, as it evolves, comes from within, growing from a childhood with emotionally distanced and uncaring parents, through an unwelcome sexual experience to a marriage that might be comfortable but provides little in the way of emotional support and care. Virginia Feito's writing is perfectly pitched to convey the inevitability of the spiralling decline into psychosis: at no point did I feel that it could have gone any other way. It doesn't feel wrong that it's a long time before we know her first name: she is Mrs rather than a person in her own right and when that is undermined what happens is inevitable.

Did I enjoy the book? No, I can't say that I did: it's not a story to deliver enjoyment. I did appreciate it though - and if you want a novel that leaves you feeling deeply unsettled then this could be the book for you. It's Feito's debut novel and I'll be interested to see where she goes from here. I'd like to thank the publishers for allowing Bookbag to have a review copy.

Mrs March is an Upper East Side mother who is married to George, a famous novelist. It’s a comfortable, wealthy life in which she doesn’t have to do very much except supervise her housekeeper, Martha, and go out to buy her beloved olive bread.
In fact, it’s when she’s buying her daily treat in her local store, that her life begins to start unravelling. While serving her, the proprietor asks if the central character in George’s new book, a blowsy prostitute named Johanna, is based on her. Appalled, Mrs March runs from the store, never to return.
It seems as if everyone is talking about the book and she can’t escape it. Excerpts from it are broadcast in a rest room and even she begins to wonder if Johanna is based on her. And so begins Mrs March’s descent from admiring her mint green gloves to suspecting George of murder. A missing girl is found murdered near the cabin where George and his editor go hunting and she starts playing detective. The reader is taken into her world as she organises a glittering book party for George and goes about her life as she searches for another olive bread supplier while believing that complete strangers have stopped to stare and laugh at her. It soon becomes apparent that she is an unreliable narrator and that she is disintegrating mentally and very quickly. When she is served swordfish in a restaurant it appears to blink at her, cockroaches invade the apartment and she always feels that she’s wearing ‘somebody else’s clothes.’ I really admired the convincing way in which the author leads us into Mrs March’s increasingly fractured psyche. The bustling world in which she appears to live is empty, she seems to have little to do all day apart from supervising Martha, and taking care of her son, the strange, withdrawn, Jonathan. I wondered what would happen to him in later life?
Mrs March is reading ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier and in the book the heroine is also called ‘Mrs March’ throughout the book. The reader never learns her Christian name and we only discover this Mrs March’s at the very end. However, a lot goes on under the surface as the reader learns more about her background and what lies beneath. A privileged but icy, detached family life, a long buried and unwelcome sexual encounter in Spain and her adolescent imaginary friend, Kiki, who is based on a girl in a Vermeer painting. She is a woman on fire and I could really sense her rage forcing its way up to the surface. The book is full of very dark, bible black humour which counterbalanced the collapse of the heroine’s life.
The book has been compared to ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and I could understand why. I was also reminded of Roman Polanski’s ‘Repulsion’ in which Catherine Deneuve goes mad in a South Kensington flat in the midst of Swinging London.
An extraordinary debut novel and already one of my favourite books of the year. And what a killer cover! Definitely a writer to watch.
My thanks to Harper Collins/4th Estate Books and Netgalley for an ARC.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected. The cover and some of the descriptions lead you to believe that it is set in the 1950s But as you read on it becomes apparent that it isn’t- use of the microwave and video tapes for example. But it’s never quite clear which era it is set in which I leads to ambiguity at times.

The story is told entirely through the mind of Mrs March, who becomes more and more paranoid throughout the book, as she believes her husband has based his central character of a new book on her, the character in question being an ugly, charmless prostitute. Her narration is unreliable at best and at times very frustrating, as she suffers hallucinations and suspects her husband of murder.

I didn’t find this a particularly enjoyable read, I gave to confess that I skim read at times so that I could get to the end. But it is very different to a conventional story and therefore some may find it interesting. 3.5 stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ArC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you

Mrs March is the supportive wife of a famous author living in New York. She has been very much in the background until his latest novel is published and she hears people refer to a character who appears to be based on herself but in a derogatory way.

This book wasn't really for me - Mrs March is a frustrating character who is difficult to warm to, with few redeeming features thanks to her paranoia. The book is a very slow read and lacks tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the opportunity to read and review Mrs March.

It’s taken me a few days to get my head round this and to be honest I’m still not sure I entirely understand what I’ve just read but not in a bad way.

This is a dark and haunting story showing how this woman, Mrs March, descends into paranoia and self destruction. The majority of the story is set in Mrs March’s apartment which she shares with her husband and son. This really added to the intensity of it all as you can clearly see Mrs March’s mental state deteriorate and the enclosed space of the apartment really honed in on this uneasy feeling and claustrophobia.

I’m still not sure how to categorise the book as at times it felt like a thriller with the added storyline about a young girl being killed. But I can definitely say that it’s one of those books that you should go into blind – I found not really knowing just what it would entail certainly helped get into Mrs March’s mindset as if she was feeling confused then I as the reader certainly was.

I don’t want to give anything away so all I will say is to enjoy delving into the strange and at times frightening mind of Mrs March….it’s definitely worth it!

What happens when your husband is a famous author and everyone you know and meet reads all his books?
Well Mrs March knows all about this as her husband is no other than George March!
When George releases a new book Mrs March really can't be bothered to read it. But when people start commenting about how much they loved the character Johanna and that it reminds them of her she is utterly shocked as the character is an aged out fat prostitute!
Whilst spyingi n George's study to have a look at the book Mrs March comes across a news clipping about a murdered woman in the hunting town of Gentry which is George's and his editor Edgar go hunting.
Mrs March decides to go to the cabin in Gentry to see for herself what her husband and Edgar have been up to.
This book is a breath of fresh air and will make you lol in places.

What an intricate descent into complete disassociation. Mrs March herself was a beautifully described,
frustrating and tragic character. I wanted to slap her mother and I wasn't keen on George either. I wanted her to read the book for herself so she'd know who Johanna really was, it may have helped.

I am not sure what genre this book was. Mrs March, the main character of the book, is an Upper East Side housewife, married to a famous novelist. A proud woman, Mrs March is a doting wife and mother with a very routined life - same shops, same acquaintances, no surprises. This is until a shopkeeper at her favourite patisserie suggests that George Marsh’s latest novel’s protagonist, a prostitute, was based on Mrs March,

At this point, the tidy and routined life of Mrs March starts to slowly unravel, as does her sanity.

I am a minority in that I didn’t enjoy this novel. It has been described as a ‘slow-burner’, but it was too slow for me. The minutiae of a woman’s declining mental health is always uncomfortable to read, but I felt that her symptoms seemed a bit stereotypical - the jealousy, the

Mrs March quickly becomes a very un likeable character, shallow and without substance and I don’t know if it was this lack of empathy or it was because of another reason that I found that I didn’t care about her. It is difficult to feel invested in a character when you find them annoying and frustrating.

I was also unsure what was going on in relation to the murdered girl storyline - it felt like a very clunky way to reference Mrs March’s declining MH, it was just to big of a leap to feel real.

I found it difficult to find the enthusiasm to finish this book, but I did, hence the 2 star review.

As I’ve previously said, I’m clearly in the minority with feeling this way, so if you like this genre of book, I would still say to you “give it a go”.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, given in exchange for this unbiased review.

Mrs March is a debut novel by Virginia Feito, an exploration of the fragility of identity and the smothering weight of expectations.
In short, the respectable Mrs March is married to George, an acclaimed novelist who has just released a new book, and it’s when Mrs March is out buying olive bread from her favourite patisserie that the shopkeeper remarks upon this book. She is convinced that the main character in the book (a whore) must be based on Mrs March, which sends Mrs March in a downward spiral of growing paranoia and total unraveling. She simply never suspected the possibility of such a betrayal.
It’s a dark, disturbing read but just too slow for my liking, although it is well written with good character study.
Big thanks to Virginia Feito, Fourth Estate and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

‘Mrs March’ is, I found, quite an unsettling novel but also one that you can’t bear to put down.

The story follows the eponymous Mrs March, the wife of a successful author, as she reels from discovering that her husband’s latest novel has an insalubrious character who appears to be very similar to herself in every other way. What is worse, people are commenting on the comparison publicly. Setting off a chain of events, we follow Mrs March as she becomes increasingly paranoid, before the novel ends with a startling and disquieting conclusion, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next.

This book is so well written it leaves you practically breathless from following the thought processes and actions of the protagonist, Mrs March. I loved so many aspects of the story, too – the descriptions of New York, the crackling tension of the Marches apartment, and the fact that the period in which the book is set is ambiguous, or so I found. There are some small clues, such as the mentions of a microwave, video tapes and television show titles, but otherwise I found it tricky to pin down. Although the cover of the book is extremely handsome with its 1950s style, I’m not convinced it is this period, though some of the mannerisms and values of the characters do reflect this era.

As mentioned, I found this novel unsettling and, to some extent, I feel uncomfortable for enjoying the story so much when the primary character is clearly unwell. That said, the quality of the writing is undeniable and the riveting plot keeps the pages turning.

I am extremely grateful to the publishers, 4th Estate, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication. This review is based upon the advance copy I was sent.

Mrs March is the wife of the best-selling author George March. She’s the picture perfect supportive wife living in the Upper East Side in New York. George’s new book is a huge hit and Mrs March struggles with how the main character, a prostitute, seems to have many of her characteristics and mannerisms. Did her husband base the character on her? What will people think? Mrs March spirals into a world of paranoia and it has devastating consequences for her and her family.

The first thing I have to say about this book is that the central character is so unlikeable; I really grew to hate her and her actions/thoughts throughout this book. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities and projects her often-times grotesque thoughts and ideas onto those around her. She’s incredibly cold, showing no affection for her son. Feito succeeds in creating a memorable character with Mrs. March!

The book is written entirely from the perspective of the character’s inner thoughts and we don’t find out her first name until the very last sentence of the book. This novel is full of disturbing events and descriptions and there are plenty of twists within the story to make it a simmering read that you don’t want to put down.

Mrs March is an analysis of how fragile the human mind can be and the exploration of societal pressures on the protagonist is very interesting. We never know the exact time period that this story is set in but I would guess the 1970s/early1980s. I get a real Jackie Kennedy/Stepford Wives vibe from Mrs March! Feito’s descriptions of Mrs March and the other characters and places featured within the book are very vivid and really help set the mood of the story. I like Feito’s writing style and look forward to her next book.

If you enjoyed My Sister is a Serial Killer, I would recommend Mrs March as another quirky, dark and original story to wrap your head around! You will continue to question everything in this book right up to the very last sentence.

Thanks to NetGalley & Fourth Estate for the ARC. Mrs March will be published on the 5th of August.

This is a stylish, mannered debut by an American author who has been compared to Shirley Jackson and Ottessa Moshfegh. I can appreciate these comparisons as it doesn’t take long to realise that underneath the veneer of respectability something dark might just be going on.
Feito drips feeds this to us and this could frustrate some readers. I felt a little frustrated myself at times but I kept reading and it did draw me in. Mrs March’s husband has a successful new novel out and his wife is told she resembles his main character. She hasn’t read the book but knows that Johanna is a hard-to-like prostitute. This causes shifts in Mrs March’s mental balance and as things go off-kilter she begins to suspect her husband is a killer. Plot-wise that’s about it, but there’s much more than plot going on here.
Mrs March is self-centred and only sees the world from her point of view. It’s a third person narrative but the formality holds the reader at bay. Mrs March is not referred to by her first name.
There’s also the setting – the smart New York apartment, but when is it set? There’s a 1960’s Jackie Kennedy- as- style- icon vibe, with real furs being worn, the Lawrence Welk show on TV but there’s nothing to cling onto here and there are Rubik’s cubes which only became a thing in the 80’s. I found myself highlighting every reference to try and pin this down realising that Feito is playing with us, unsettling us throughout which is very effective. It doesn’t matter when it was set but it feels like it does.
I felt undertones of the work of Ira Levin, not just “Rosemary’s Baby” but also “Sliver” and “The Stepford Wives” and as I was obsessed with his work when a teenager I experienced quite a nostalgic chill even though Feito’s work is a 2021 publication.
The disorientation the author nicely sets up is enriched by hallucinations, something is definitely not right here. I was expecting a “Ka-boom!” moment to hit me between the eyes which Ottessa Moshfegh’t “Eileen” did to me, but Feito is content to keep us simmering and questioning what we are reading but not sure of what questions to ask of ourselves. This makes for a slick, surprisingly emotionally complex debut.
Mrs March is published in the UK by Fourth Estate on 4th August 2021. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I still can't make my mind up about this book, it's very odd and I like a novel that's a bit different. However, considering its an account of a woman's descent into paranoia, I didn't find it as unsettling or claustrophobic as I expected, and I'm still searching for the dark humour. I must admit there were times in the middle where I did skim read a bit but wanted to stay with Mrs March until the inevitable conclusion.
Thank you to netgalley and 4th estate for an advance copy of this book

From the publisher: George March’s latest novel is a smash hit. None could be prouder than Mrs. March, his dutiful wife, who revels in his accolades and relishes the lifestyle and status his success brings. A creature of routine and decorum, Mrs. March lives an exquisitely controlled existence on the Upper East Side. Every morning begins the same way, with a visit to her favourite patisserie to buy a loaf of olive bread, but her latest trip proves to be her last when she suffers an indignity from which she may never recover: an assumption by the shopkeeper that the protagonist in George March’s new book – a pathetic sex worker, more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs. March. One casual remark robs Mrs. March not only of her beloved olive bread but of the belief that she knew everything about her husband – and herself – sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey, one that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs. March’s past.

My thoughts: I found this to be a really interesting noir drama, dark with some dry humour and with quite a claustrophobic chill running through. As readers, we are inside Mrs March's head for the entirety of the story and so are very close as we witness her unravelling. It's quite a compelling read, rich in the detail of her everyday life and also the flashbacks to moments in her past which give us the bigger picture. There's a lot about relationships, maternal love, families and a great deal about social etiquette, all minutely observed. Engrossing, different and very readable, I would recommend if you like a dark thriller with a slow burn.

A dark descent into paranoia and madness (or is it....) I found this very reminiscent of Shirely Jackson and Patricia Highsmith. Unsettling, jarring, and brilliantly written.

Mrs March is the tale of a rich New York woman, set at some point in the second half of the twentieth century, following her descent into paranoia and delusional fantasy. It starts when the assistant at her favourite bakery suggests that the pathetic sex-worker main character of her husband’s latest bestselling novel is based on Mrs March herself. Mrs March can never shop there again, even though she was used to eating their delicious olive bread daily.

Mrs March is anxious and unhappy. She sees copies of the book everywhere and is convinced others are laughing at her. Things get worse when she starts to suspect that her author husband is actually a murderer and sets out to discover the truth.

Claustrophobic domestic noir with a shocking ending. A recommended read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.