Jocelyn Greens’ newest release, The Hudson Collection, takes us back to 1926, New York. Elsa Reisner discovered a love of birds as she recovered from polio as a child. Now, her days are spent at the Museum of Natural History, categorizing and stuffing an endless number of birds. An unexpected bequeath to the museum soon finds her in an old mansion, preparing to be torn down. Surrounded by people with hidden motives, it soon turns into a race to find a priceless medieval aviary.
My Thoughts
One thing I have come to appreciate about Jocelyn Green’s novels is how rich in historical detail they are. It’s the little tidbits she weaves throughout the story that bring richness to her work. If I’m reading a Jocelyn Green novel, I know I will run across something that will have me going down a historical rabbit hole. The Metropolitan Affair was no different, as I soon found myself looking up incubator babies and a link between Superman and eugenics.
The Metropolitan Affair is a slower-paced novel. I usually don’t enjoy slower-paced novels, but in this case, the pacing fits perfectly with the heroine’s physical limitations from polio. I enjoyed this story and its characters, although I do believe the author introduced two characters too quickly and didn’t do enough relationship-building to make me care about their plight.
When Luke was introduced, with a large scar marring his appearance, I prepared myself. Much to my relief, he didn’t fall into the “no one will love me, I’m scarred for life, you deserve a whole man” trope. His awareness of his scars was more out of consideration of others than from vanity or low confidence.
After reading The Metropolitan Affair, I appreciated the author’s change of direction regarding the dynamics of Elsa and her family. Our society is too quick to jump to conclusions about parents’ choices, and our feelings can further muddy that. This was an excellent example of how a healthy family dynamic can emerge from dysfunction and misunderstanding.
CONTENT
Red Flag Characters – Any characters that exhibited red flags were not played off as okay or romantic. One character in particular is a walking red flag. his lack of care for Elsa, whom he considers a friend, when contrasted to the others in Elsa life that actually do care about her well-being, could be a good conversation starter for a book club or with an older teen daughter.
Religious Content-Moderate.
Sexual content– kissing, thankfully lacking the lengthy descriptions often found in women’s fiction.
Cursing– none
Violence– light.
This Old Nest 