A Beautiful Historical Novel, Perfect For Fans Of Call The Midwife
’Before she goes to bed, she looks back at the handsome instrument, silent for so long, wondering how it is that, though everybody has left her, she is the ghost.’
Somehow, despite being intrigued by the premises of all her previous books, ’The Household’ is my first time reading a novel by Stacey Halls. Now I can safely say that it certainly won’t be the last. If you’re a fan of historical fiction or shows like ‘Call The Midwife’ then this will surely be a hit with you too.
Within moments I was whisked away by the immersive writing within ’The Household’ transported to a world that is vividly depicted and felt grimly true to life for the ‘fallen’ women of Victorian London. The writing style really suited the historical setting of the novel, including its variations of speech, without feeling overtly heavy as some novels can do. It vividly captures the stiflingly vast divide between life for the various classes of London at the time, taking the reader from grand stately homes to the slum style housing that many were forced to resort too. It never shies away from the bleak reality of life at this time, and depicts a range of how these women came to be ‘fallen’, yet somehow transfuses the tale with touches of warmth too. Hence my mention of ‘Call The Midwife’; it’s historical setting (albeit an earlier one than the series), true to life approach and heartfelt moments of warmth can’t help but bring the comparison to mind.
Character wise there’s a variety of individuals to meet, most of them female. From a variety of backgrounds, with differing troubles in their pasts, they felt fleshed out in a realistic manner. Surprisingly my favourite was probably Mrs Holdsworth, the matron of Urania Cottage, along with Martha who you can’t help but feel for. Charles Dickens is referenced frequently but keeps an air of mystery by never appearing upon the page in person.
Seeing how the various ‘fallen’ women reacted to life within Urania Cottage was one of my highlights and I was always intrigued whilst within this setting. The stalker storyline was one of the features that initially drew me towards this novel and that, I’ll admit, I’m somewhat conflicted about. On the whole I felt that it realistically depicted the kind of obsession that can occur and the route that it ultimately went down certainly caught me off guard. Yet the conclusion to this aspect of the storyline felt rushed to me and the motivations behind Dunn’s actions somewhat contradictory on occasion. Money and attraction both seemed to drive him but when one overrode the other I wasn’t fully convinced.
Ultimately I recommend ’The Household’ to anyone who enjoys historical fiction; especially the ones that aren’t afraid to depict its bleakest realities whilst somehow infusing them with a sense of warmth. It’s a novel that I can see appealing to many a reader although the stalker storyline, for me personally, had its highs and lows. Regardless I shall certainly be checking out more by the author in the future.
As a final note to UK readers the hardback edition is beautifully set out with gorgeous endpages.
Somehow, despite being intrigued by the premises of all her previous books, ’The Household’ is my first time reading a novel by Stacey Halls. Now I can safely say that it certainly won’t be the last. If you’re a fan of historical fiction or shows like ‘Call The Midwife’ then this will surely be a hit with you too.
Within moments I was whisked away by the immersive writing within ’The Household’ transported to a world that is vividly depicted and felt grimly true to life for the ‘fallen’ women of Victorian London. The writing style really suited the historical setting of the novel, including its variations of speech, without feeling overtly heavy as some novels can do. It vividly captures the stiflingly vast divide between life for the various classes of London at the time, taking the reader from grand stately homes to the slum style housing that many were forced to resort too. It never shies away from the bleak reality of life at this time, and depicts a range of how these women came to be ‘fallen’, yet somehow transfuses the tale with touches of warmth too. Hence my mention of ‘Call The Midwife’; it’s historical setting (albeit an earlier one than the series), true to life approach and heartfelt moments of warmth can’t help but bring the comparison to mind.
Character wise there’s a variety of individuals to meet, most of them female. From a variety of backgrounds, with differing troubles in their pasts, they felt fleshed out in a realistic manner. Surprisingly my favourite was probably Mrs Holdsworth, the matron of Urania Cottage, along with Martha who you can’t help but feel for. Charles Dickens is referenced frequently but keeps an air of mystery by never appearing upon the page in person.
Seeing how the various ‘fallen’ women reacted to life within Urania Cottage was one of my highlights and I was always intrigued whilst within this setting. The stalker storyline was one of the features that initially drew me towards this novel and that, I’ll admit, I’m somewhat conflicted about. On the whole I felt that it realistically depicted the kind of obsession that can occur and the route that it ultimately went down certainly caught me off guard. Yet the conclusion to this aspect of the storyline felt rushed to me and the motivations behind Dunn’s actions somewhat contradictory on occasion. Money and attraction both seemed to drive him but when one overrode the other I wasn’t fully convinced.
Ultimately I recommend ’The Household’ to anyone who enjoys historical fiction; especially the ones that aren’t afraid to depict its bleakest realities whilst somehow infusing them with a sense of warmth. It’s a novel that I can see appealing to many a reader although the stalker storyline, for me personally, had its highs and lows. Regardless I shall certainly be checking out more by the author in the future.
As a final note to UK readers the hardback edition is beautifully set out with gorgeous endpages.