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thelizmaguire 's review for:
The London House
by Katherine Reay
"The London House" is Reay's first historical fiction foray. In the interest of full disclosure I have a soft spot for Reay after immensely enjoying her "homey" Winsome Series ("The Printed Letter Bookshop" and "Of Literature and Lattes") so I snapped up "The London House" while it was a Kindle deal and was surprised to find I already owned it when I went to purchase it earlier this month! I love when that happens. Historical fiction is a hard genre for a lot of reasons. There's not just the texture of the craft itself to consider -- telling a good story -- but the layers and layers of context and finally the weaving together of often times several threads. Knowing Reay had pulled that off in the Winsome series I jumped into "The London House" with two feet. Slight spoilers ahead!
Caroline is almost thirty and struggling. After a traumatic event left a hole in the Payne family twenty years earlier, Caroline -- the youngest -- is left with the pieces. We meet Caroline as she's facing her father's acquiescence to his cancer diagnosis, an absent mother, and asking herself the all important: What am I doing with my life? question. There's a lot there already and Reay then throws into the mix more and more -- in the Payne sisters Margaret and Caroline, the Schiaparelli fashion house, the British Secret Service in World War II -- is your head spinning? It's okay if it is! But somehow, and I credit Reay's lengthy experience as a writer, it all lands. This is one of the finest woven historical fiction novels I've yet to encounter. Longtime fans of the genre will enjoy the story and structure, while new readers would be lucky to start their libraries with this gem.
Well researched and well written The London House" by Katherine Reay was a great start to my 2022"Book about Letters" series, where I read and review a book about letters once a month, for my for my hobby project Flea Market Love Letters.
Caroline is almost thirty and struggling. After a traumatic event left a hole in the Payne family twenty years earlier, Caroline -- the youngest -- is left with the pieces. We meet Caroline as she's facing her father's acquiescence to his cancer diagnosis, an absent mother, and asking herself the all important: What am I doing with my life? question. There's a lot there already and Reay then throws into the mix more and more -- in the Payne sisters Margaret and Caroline, the Schiaparelli fashion house, the British Secret Service in World War II -- is your head spinning? It's okay if it is! But somehow, and I credit Reay's lengthy experience as a writer, it all lands. This is one of the finest woven historical fiction novels I've yet to encounter. Longtime fans of the genre will enjoy the story and structure, while new readers would be lucky to start their libraries with this gem.
Well researched and well written The London House" by Katherine Reay was a great start to my 2022"Book about Letters" series, where I read and review a book about letters once a month, for my for my hobby project Flea Market Love Letters.