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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I adored this, I think it is my favourite Rose Tremain yet. A simple story of a young woman abandoned at birth, fostered till the age of seven, returned to the Foundlings Home till the age of 17, then let out into the world to make her way. Or not as the case maybe. But not so simple, because it is set in the mid1850s, in the truly awful squalor and deprivation of the city of London, Lily has no one, not a single soul to offer her kindness, love or even hope. Because she has committed a murder and now she is just biding her time until she is caught, arrested, found guilty at her trial and hung. There is a ring of Charles Dickens in the telling of this story, even down to the slightly funny names that are reminiscent of Dickens, as well as the characterisations of the people in Lily’s life. And as in all of Dicken’s stories there are characters who are good and kind. After being rescued within hours of her birth by a police officer, Lily goes to a foster family Lily in the country side, where the Parkins are paid to look after her until the age of seven, when by law, she is returned to the awfulness of the Foundling Home. Lily is not the first or last child they foster, but she is the one that they come to love and adore, breaking all their hearts when she has to be returned. How any society can think it is a good thing to do this to children is inexplicable. And the Foundling Home is truly awful in every possible way. Lily comes through all this, finds work with a milliner, the third good and kind person who comes her way. But what about the guilt from the murder, how can she continue to live in herself with what she has done?
This was my first Rose Tremain book, and it won't be my last. I loved the narration of the characters through this book and like the way we had the very young Lily's voice in some chapters and then the now Lily too. I've never wanted someone so much to murder someone! we know from the beginning Lily is a murderer but as her story progress and you find out what happened to her you come to realise or hope that the person she has murdered is the one that "deserves" it, although i know no one really does but this person would never have been brought to justice and you see why Lily feels this is the only way to help others who might need helping later on and not have the same fate as her. this book is written so tenderly, and I loved the passages with Lily and Bridget and Bert of course. I'm looking forward to reading the back catalogue of this authors other works.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, I hated this book. It made me stop reading for months.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide
A new-born baby wrapped in sacking is found at the gateway to a London Park by a young policeman. He walks to the Coram Foundling Hospital and leaves her there. Like all the foundling babies, she is given a name and fostered. Lily is fortunate to have a loving foster family in the Suffolk countryside and her early years are happy, but her return after 6 years to the Foundling Hospital is traumatic as she is forcibly separated from her foster mother Nellie. Her life then is one of enforced routine, religious doctrine and hard work under the watchful eyes of Nurse Maud who takes a sadistic delight in making the lives of her charges utterly miserable.
Mercifully, thanks to the sewing skills learned in Suffolk with Nellie, Lily gets a job in a wig emporium and she begins to have a degree of control over her life as a young woman.
I was utterly gripped by this book although the descriptions of the sheer cruelty and abuse of Lily and the other orphans was very hard to read about at times. She is a remarkable character and Rose Tremain writes beautifully. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read but I’m keen to read another. Any recommendations?
Mercifully, thanks to the sewing skills learned in Suffolk with Nellie, Lily gets a job in a wig emporium and she begins to have a degree of control over her life as a young woman.
I was utterly gripped by this book although the descriptions of the sheer cruelty and abuse of Lily and the other orphans was very hard to read about at times. She is a remarkable character and Rose Tremain writes beautifully. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read but I’m keen to read another. Any recommendations?
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
This is a very sad book as it goes along - the story of a foundling girl who has a cruel upbringing - but it is uplifting in the end. The timeline is fragmented. The reader has to do a little work to put the story together, and when it does come together, it is very satisfying.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Finished in two sittings, saus it all. Loved it!
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the book was so beautifully written but it didn’t give me enough , it just had so many stories that weren’t developed so they didn’t begin before they finished , i loved it and i read it in a day but i hoped for more. however i’d love to read more rose tremain books after this