Review: The Hudson Collection

Title: The Hudson Collection

Author: Jocelyn Green

Publisher: 4th June 2024 by Bethany House Publishers

Pages: 368 pages

Genre: Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

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?

My Thoughts

Jocelyn Green’s ‘The Hudson Collection’ provides a perfect balance between history, mystery and romance. Taking place in New York City after the Great War, readers follow Elsa who is a young ornithology researcher. She attends a country mansion just outside NY on the Hudson River, to catalogue a bird collection of the deceased residents estate.

‘I need someone to go examine the Hudson Collection - named for the river which flows next to the estate - to see what condition the birds are in.’

This is a multifaceted gem of a novel covering a whole range of engaging topics. Firstly there is obviously much about orthology which was interesting. The story also has a strong focus on Elsa who is a polio survivor and struggles both physically and socially. Then there is a range of other themes such as eugenics, autism, PTSD and discrimination for those with disabilities. 

“Father’s view has always been that the weaklings should be allowed to die. Natural selection and all that. He says that even if they did grow up, they would only reproduce more weaklings and lower the quality of the gene pool.”

Set in 1920s New York there are visits to places such as Coney Island and Central Park - much bird watching to undertake there. There is a mystery surrounding the search for a  valuable manuscript from the Middle Ages which makes for a climactic ending. ‘The Hudson Collection’ is a story with a great mystery, friendship to romance and an overarching theme of having faith by being loving and accepting of yourself. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.