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The Ladie Upstairs

‘A fever dream of a novel’ Lucy Rose, author of THE LAMB

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About this listen

 'A fever dream of a novel. Fuelled by sapphic femgore, it's sick and sultry, and a deeply beguiling masterclass in the perverse; I couldn't put it down!' Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

'Devilishly addictive and delightfully gory from an exciting new voice in literary horror. Northanger Abbey meets Saltburn' Christine Anne Foley, author of Bodies

Scullery drudge Ann longs to become a lady's maid. Ann can't quite remember how or when she arrived at the grand Ropner Hall, but she loathes spending her days toiling in the dank kitchen.

When a chance meeting with Ropner's Lady Charlotte leads to the opportunity to become her personal maid, Ann is convinced she has finally escaped her own version of hell. But has she? As Ann's new life above stairs takes a sinister twist, will it turn out that the terrors lurking up there are worse than the devils she knows below?

Jessie Elland's deeply visceral debut is a dark and twisted tale of ambition and desire. Are you brave enough to enter Ropner Hall?

'Disgustingly beautiful and sharp with shame. The Ladie Upstairs is an addictive, feverish and strangling read' Charlotte Paradise, author of Overspill

'Beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and a strange, twisty, dreamlike plot' Lauren Wilson, author of The Goldens

©2025 Jessie Elland (P)2025 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2025 Jessie Elland Ghosts Historical Fiction Horror

Critic reviews

A delirious, ultra-visceral body horror, the book is not for the faint of heart
The Ladie Upstairs is a fever dream of a novel. Fuelled by sapphic femgore, it's sick and sultry, and a deeply beguiling masterclass in the perverse; I couldn't put it down! (Lucy Rose, author of THE LAMB)
Devilishly addictive and delightfully gory from an exciting new voice in literary horror. Northanger Abbey meets Saltburn (Christine Anne Foley, author of BODIES)
Elland's voice is established and enchanting, leading you unarmed into the unexpected. Her prose is disgustingly beautiful and sharp with shame. The Ladie Upstairs is an addictive, feverish and strangling read (Charlotte Paradise, author of OVERSPILL)
Beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and a strange, twisty, dreamlike plot (Lauren Wilson, author of THE GOLDENS)
This is a visceral gothic, macabre story . . . an always engaging and decidedly singular novel
A beautifully twisted gothic nightmare. Fans of Sarah Waters will love this book (Kelly Mullen, author of)
All stars
Most relevant
Puzzling yet engrossing right till the end. Amazing 👏 for a first novel. Well done Jessie, looking forward to where your mind goes next 😃

Shining new star!

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Appreciate the well written narrative but I struggled with this and wound have abandoned it if I didn’t have the need to finish every book (almost) I start,
I was expecting more horror and the ending was unsatisfying.
Excellent narration.

Gothic Style read

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This was a rich story about obsession and control. The setting of Ropner Hall was vividly described. There was a dream like quality to it, which at times turned to nightmare. the ending and reveals were so shocking. Well worth the read and so well narrated by the author.

A dark and lush gothic

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Goodness, I had to force myself to see this through. What could have been a reasonable story was marred by excessive descriptions and waffle, which must have accounted for 80% of the text. A good few of the storylines were unrealistic of a country house of the period, and had me rolling my eyes. Author clearly has promise but needs to rein back on the flowery language. Not for me.

Overly descriptive and far fetched

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