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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This book has lots of promise and is told in multiple POV, but it just didn't always do it for me. The story is great and some of the characters are really hard to like (maybe, that is what Ms Bennett was going for).
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2020.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2020.
Heartbreak, mystery, strong female characters, history, different points of view, drama, and a strong plot - what more could I ask for in a novel?
It was hard for me to get into this book at the beginning. I think that this was simply because I wasn't sure how everything fit together. Quickly, this drove me to keep reading because I had to figure everything out! I loved these characters. I found myself connecting with Sarah, sympathizing with Anna, and enthralled by Connie. The author's ability to weave these story-lines together and create a compelling and interesting novel is amazing. This is a new to me author and I found myself quickly researching her other works.
It was hard for me to get into this book at the beginning. I think that this was simply because I wasn't sure how everything fit together. Quickly, this drove me to keep reading because I had to figure everything out! I loved these characters. I found myself connecting with Sarah, sympathizing with Anna, and enthralled by Connie. The author's ability to weave these story-lines together and create a compelling and interesting novel is amazing. This is a new to me author and I found myself quickly researching her other works.
If there were ever to be a perfect bookclub book, it would be The Orphan House.
Beautifully portrayed charecters, who were so vivid reading The Orphan House almost felt like watching it on the big screen, every place, person, and circumstance came to live and felt almost tangible. From growing up in an orphanage, to leaving a deceiptful marriage, overcoming family illnesses and secrets, to re-finding old love, and traveling to far off lands, The Orphan House will surely touch your soul.
The interweaving of timelines and families through hardships and triumphs over generations and across oceans came together to be all tied up in a bow by the last page.
Highly recommend for a light yet fulfilling read.
Merged review:
If there were ever to be a perfect bookclub book, it would be The Orphan House.
Beautifully portrayed charecters, who were so vivid reading The Orphan House almost felt like watching it on the big screen, every place, person, and circumstance came to live and felt almost tangible. From growing up in an orphanage, to leaving a deceiptful marriage, overcoming family illnesses and secrets, to re-finding old love, and traveling to far off lands, The Orphan House will surely touch your soul.
The interweaving of timelines and families through hardships and triumphs over generations and across oceans came together to be all tied up in a bow by the last page.
Highly recommend for a light yet fulfilling read.
Beautifully portrayed charecters, who were so vivid reading The Orphan House almost felt like watching it on the big screen, every place, person, and circumstance came to live and felt almost tangible. From growing up in an orphanage, to leaving a deceiptful marriage, overcoming family illnesses and secrets, to re-finding old love, and traveling to far off lands, The Orphan House will surely touch your soul.
The interweaving of timelines and families through hardships and triumphs over generations and across oceans came together to be all tied up in a bow by the last page.
Highly recommend for a light yet fulfilling read.
Merged review:
If there were ever to be a perfect bookclub book, it would be The Orphan House.
Beautifully portrayed charecters, who were so vivid reading The Orphan House almost felt like watching it on the big screen, every place, person, and circumstance came to live and felt almost tangible. From growing up in an orphanage, to leaving a deceiptful marriage, overcoming family illnesses and secrets, to re-finding old love, and traveling to far off lands, The Orphan House will surely touch your soul.
The interweaving of timelines and families through hardships and triumphs over generations and across oceans came together to be all tied up in a bow by the last page.
Highly recommend for a light yet fulfilling read.
‘The Orphan House’ by Ann Bennett is a drama inspired by her great-grandfather’s time as superintendent at a county school for pauper children in England. Previously published as “The Foundling’s Daughter,” it weaves together the stories of 3 women spanning nearly 90 years, telling their stories through first person narration, flashbacks, and diary entries.
This book is a blend of so many elements:
- Family drama
- Intrigue and mystery
- Vivid descriptions of both Britain and India
- Small-town vibes
- Home renos
- Just a touch of clean romance
- Second chances
- Retrospection
- Women’s studies
Definitely worth a read if you appreciate historical and/or women’s fiction.
Thanks to Forever Publishing and Grand Central Publishing for a complimentary copy to review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This book is a blend of so many elements:
- Family drama
- Intrigue and mystery
- Vivid descriptions of both Britain and India
- Small-town vibes
- Home renos
- Just a touch of clean romance
- Second chances
- Retrospection
- Women’s studies
Definitely worth a read if you appreciate historical and/or women’s fiction.
Thanks to Forever Publishing and Grand Central Publishing for a complimentary copy to review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This book has three points of view, Anna's diary in the past, Connie in the past and the present and Sarah visiting her father William in the present. Connie is the daughter of Reverend Ezra who runs an orphanage next to their home, Cetar Hall. Connie's father takes Anna in from India, Connie is in love with her father's driver, Tommy. Everything comes to a head and then a smashing conclusion.
I loved this story of history, secrets, love and family. The characters were well thought out and the plot was immersive. I just couldn't stop reading about Connie, her family and their past. Her father was a real piece of of work and the fake religious bullshit was so spot on. I loved reading Anna's diary the most, it was my favourite part of the whole book...what that poor girl went through. The reveal was one of my guesses and I loved that there were two possible outcomes, it kept the book interesting throughout because all I wanted to do was figure it all out, I needed to know...I love when I book can make me enjoy it that way. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction with a bit of mystery.
With many thanks to NetGalley, Ann Bennett and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the giving of the ARC.
I loved this story of history, secrets, love and family. The characters were well thought out and the plot was immersive. I just couldn't stop reading about Connie, her family and their past. Her father was a real piece of of work and the fake religious bullshit was so spot on. I loved reading Anna's diary the most, it was my favourite part of the whole book...what that poor girl went through. The reveal was one of my guesses and I loved that there were two possible outcomes, it kept the book interesting throughout because all I wanted to do was figure it all out, I needed to know...I love when I book can make me enjoy it that way. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction with a bit of mystery.
With many thanks to NetGalley, Ann Bennett and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the giving of the ARC.
Very slow in the beginning but I definitely enjoyed the thrill of the mystery. It’s the only thing that really kept me going
Wonderful story. Richly told and so satisfying to finish... loved the descriptions of India.
The Orphan House centers on the stories of 3 women, Sarah, Connie, and Anna as their lives intersect upon the selling of the house once owned by the minister that oversaw the old orphanage.
While her husband is traveling abroad, Sarah is visited by police who want to inspect the financial records of the restaurant business she shares with her husband. While helping the police, she discovers that not only was her husband mixed up with some bad business partners, he appears to have been having an affair as well. She leaves immediately and goes to her father’s house where she can plan her next move.
Connie Bourroughs, last remaining member of the Bourroughs family find herself in long term care follow a fall. Her father Minister Ezra Bourroughs, local legend and director of the local orphanage entrusted Connie with his belongings and personal papers, making her promise never to let anyone else see them. Her promise becomes impossible to keep when she must sell the house in order to cover her living expenses in care.
1934 - Anna, her family surrounded by scandal and her father in prison for bad business dealings, finds herself in India living with an aunt who marries her off to a military man with his own demons. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Anna makes a mistake that sends her back to England where she crosses paths with a young Connie Bourroughs and entrusts her with a secret.
As historical fiction, the book did a good job describing Indian under English rule in the 1930’s from the perspective of an officer’s wife. I would have been interested to read more about it and about the orphanage system in England at the time.
The pacing of this book didn’t work for me. It was very slowly paced and disjointed, the time and narrator changes weren’t quite as smooth as I would have liked them to be and other than Anna, I didn’t feel that the characters were written to have any depth. The mystery reached a very predictable resolution.
I did feel for Anna and for Sarah’s father in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
While her husband is traveling abroad, Sarah is visited by police who want to inspect the financial records of the restaurant business she shares with her husband. While helping the police, she discovers that not only was her husband mixed up with some bad business partners, he appears to have been having an affair as well. She leaves immediately and goes to her father’s house where she can plan her next move.
Connie Bourroughs, last remaining member of the Bourroughs family find herself in long term care follow a fall. Her father Minister Ezra Bourroughs, local legend and director of the local orphanage entrusted Connie with his belongings and personal papers, making her promise never to let anyone else see them. Her promise becomes impossible to keep when she must sell the house in order to cover her living expenses in care.
1934 - Anna, her family surrounded by scandal and her father in prison for bad business dealings, finds herself in India living with an aunt who marries her off to a military man with his own demons. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Anna makes a mistake that sends her back to England where she crosses paths with a young Connie Bourroughs and entrusts her with a secret.
As historical fiction, the book did a good job describing Indian under English rule in the 1930’s from the perspective of an officer’s wife. I would have been interested to read more about it and about the orphanage system in England at the time.
The pacing of this book didn’t work for me. It was very slowly paced and disjointed, the time and narrator changes weren’t quite as smooth as I would have liked them to be and other than Anna, I didn’t feel that the characters were written to have any depth. The mystery reached a very predictable resolution.
I did feel for Anna and for Sarah’s father in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed THE FOUNDLING’S DAUGHTER by Ann Bennett, where the stories of three women living very different lives intersect in this interesting book of historical fiction.
I think the author did a great job of weaving the individual narratives of Anna, Connie and Sarah. They are divided by age and circumstance but their lives are significantly impacted by the actions of men in their lives. For Anna and Connie, there’s also the additional pressure of living in a time where people were much less forgiving in their attitudes.
In addition to the characterisations, I felt Bennett did a wonderful job in describing the surroundings and atmosphere Anna, Connie and Sarah found themselves in. There’s the secretive, oppressive atmosphere of the orphanage Connie lived in, while Anna finds herself immersed in a strange world where the foreign and tantalising sights and sounds of India are ignored and are actively being eradicated by the British community she finds herself living within.
It took me a bit of time to warm up to the book. After an intriguing prologue, we learn Sarah’s story first, and I felt it was stretched too thin. There was so much going on in her life that to fit all in, there was not enough attention given to her. Having said that, I don’t want more if her story at the expense of the others. For me, Anna was the standout character in this book.
This was the first book I have read by this author, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her other works.
I think the author did a great job of weaving the individual narratives of Anna, Connie and Sarah. They are divided by age and circumstance but their lives are significantly impacted by the actions of men in their lives. For Anna and Connie, there’s also the additional pressure of living in a time where people were much less forgiving in their attitudes.
In addition to the characterisations, I felt Bennett did a wonderful job in describing the surroundings and atmosphere Anna, Connie and Sarah found themselves in. There’s the secretive, oppressive atmosphere of the orphanage Connie lived in, while Anna finds herself immersed in a strange world where the foreign and tantalising sights and sounds of India are ignored and are actively being eradicated by the British community she finds herself living within.
It took me a bit of time to warm up to the book. After an intriguing prologue, we learn Sarah’s story first, and I felt it was stretched too thin. There was so much going on in her life that to fit all in, there was not enough attention given to her. Having said that, I don’t want more if her story at the expense of the others. For me, Anna was the standout character in this book.
This was the first book I have read by this author, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her other works.