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mandikaye 's review for:
25 Library Terrace
by Natalie Fergie
If houses could talk, 25 Library Terrace would have one hell of a story to tell—and Natalie Fergie makes sure we hear it in every layered, lovingly told detail.
Spanning more than a century, this quiet, character-driven novel unfolds through the lives of several women who, at different points in time, call the same Edinburgh house home. From Ursula’s census-defying feminism in 1911 to the post-pandemic threads tying everything together in 2022, this is a story that thrives on the gentle unraveling of family secrets, shifting societal norms, and the often-unexpected echoes of the past.
The pacing is on the slower side—this isn’t a book to rush through. But if you love stories where time hops feel earned, and the emotional payoff builds like the layers of wallpaper in an old Victorian terrace, you’ll be well rewarded. Also: census records as a narrative device? Nerdy and excellent.
It’s not quite a tearjerker, but it is quietly profound—and will especially hit if you’ve ever looked at your house and wondered who else found heartbreak, hope, or healing within those walls.
Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review—like a census protest, this opinion is entirely my own.