Reviews - The London House

248 reviews for:

The London House

Katherine Reay

3.89 AVERAGE

neoo5's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative tense medium-paced

lpryan89's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-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: Complicated

ambereatsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is dual timeline WWII historical fiction novel that focuses on a woman, Caroline, who’s great aunt is accused of betraying her family and country by marrying a German man. Caroline dives into her family history in an effort to prove that these accusations are false.

I loved the distinctive way the author chose to unravel this decades old story. We follow the events of the past through a series of letters while Caroline also conducts ancestry research in the present. The epistolary sections were some of my favorite. I loved getting to know these characters through their intimate words to each other. The mystery element was so well done. I needed to know what happened to these twin sisters that the war forced to stay apart.

The present timeline was equally engaging. I appreciated how the events of the past were woven into the current dynamics of the family. The growth that each member exhibited was a great lesson about how it’s never too late for second chances. I will be adding this author to my must read list going forward!

stumblingintobooks's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a page turning novel! I absolutely loved that I needed to know Caroline Waite’s true story, and I wasn’t putting the novel down until Caroline Payne found those answers about her great aunt.

Caroline is named after her great aunt Caro, her grandmother, Margaret’s twin. A twin that supposedly died when she was young, but really didn’t, because the “truth” is more shocking and the road is paved by Nazi afiliations, or is it?

The novel was a tiny bit confusing at the beginning when it was flipping from modern Caroline Payne and historical Caroline Waite, but once I figured it out the story shifts into an epistolary tale.

I love that the story is conveyed between Caro’s letters and Margo’s diary entries to Beatrice; it is a unique story style and Reay does it wonderfully. I love the mystery behind why Caroline is searching for the truth, how Mat is helping her, and the struggles she has with her family and specifically her father.

If you enjoy Historical Fiction, strong female twins, a different perspective on WW2, and are looking for a unique writing style, I highly recommend this novel!

@katherinereay @harpermusebooks @uplitreads #thelondonhouse #katherinereay #uplitreadscampaign

joannasbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

The London House was unlike any WWII novel I've read before. Caroline is working her job in the states when she's approached by an old journalist friend from college who is writing a story about her aunt Caro, an aunt who she thought died at age 7. After finding out not everything she's been told has been true, she flies to London to visit her estranged mother and find some answers. These answers are found with lots of research, letters and digging. Throughout the novel we didn't get any first hand perspective of what happened to sisters Caro and Margo during the war, but rather we learned about their lives through letters back and forth to each other which were not only interesting but very powerful. Caroline and Mat are determined to get some answers. There is a mystery to what really happened with Caro and it was eye opening seeing it play out and also seeing how it effects Caroline's current relationships with her family and love interests. I will say, there was a lot of research which sometimes becomes a bit dull, but I liked how the author made the book more that just the mystery. Definitely a unique, enjoyable read!