Shirley

by Kaoru Mori, 195 pages

This is a collection of unrelated short stories about Victorian maids Shirley, Nellie, and Mary as they find comfortable homes, watch their young charges grow up, and deal with loveable aging pranksters.

Written before but collected and published after Mori's similarly-set, now classic series Emma, these are a nice glimpse into the author's developing interests and skill as much as they are a snapshot of an era. It's all a bit idealized, I'm sure, but I still love Mori's vision of the period and its society. Besides all the wonderful historical detail, she also has a habit of creating strong, independent women in charge of their own destinies in a time that was not always encouraging. Shirley's mistress is a perfect example of this. She lives on her own (with the new addition of young Shirley to help with the housework), runs a café frequented by flirtatious old men, and is frequently nagged by concerned relatives about her ever more likely spinsterhood. But she looks at her options, makes her own choices, and is happy. I don't know if Mori will ever return to any of these characters' stories, but I'd happily read them if she did.