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Norah Lofts

Born

in Shipdham, Norfolk, The United Kingdom

August 27, 1904

Died

September 10, 1983

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

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Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show character Norah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts. ...more

Combine Editions
Norah Lofts’s books

Average rating: 3.98 · 23,616 ratings · 1,768 reviews · 109 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Concubine 3.97 avg rating — 3,246 ratings — published 1963 — 53 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Town House (House, #1) 4.21 avg rating — 1,612 ratings — published 1959 — 35 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anne Boleyn 3.95 avg rating — 1,266 ratings — published 1979 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The King's Pleasure 3.91 avg rating — 1,236 ratings — published 1969 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House at Old Vine (House, #2) 4.23 avg rating — 1,012 ratings — published 1961 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How Far to Bethlehem? 4.23 avg rating — 906 ratings — published 1964 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Eleanor the Queen 3.78 avg rating — 928 ratings — published 1955 — 48 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House at Sunset (House, #3) 4.23 avg rating — 816 ratings — published 1962 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lost Queen 3.72 avg rating — 856 ratings — published 1968 — 45 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lute Player 3.82 avg rating — 657 ratings — published 1951 — 55 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Norah Lofts…

Series by Norah Lofts

House (3 books)
by

Norah Lofts

4.22 avg rating — 3,440 ratings

Gad's Hall (2 books)
by

Norah Lofts

3.92 avg rating — 1,027 ratings

Quotes by Norah Lofts (?)

“Alongside the practical thought something else struggled and, like an escaped butterfly, took wing: the assurance of something wonderful awaiting her. Just around the corner......”
― Norah Lofts

tags: butterflies, daisy, optimism

27 likes

“Perhaps I am the only person who, asked whether she were a witch or not, could truthfully say, "I do not know. I do know some very strange things have happened to me, or through me."

Lady Alice Rowhedge”
― Norah Lofts, Bless This House

tags: merravay, mid-stuart, suffolk, the-lady-s-ride, witches

24 likes

“Don't worry about it, Borage. I've always been inclined to think that the Apostle Paul was similarly afflicted. He speaks often of a bodily weakness, and men have been at pains to name it, attibuting to him everything from lameness to lung sickness. But I think the clue lies in his experience on the road to Damascus. Tell me, do you see a great light?
Dr. Trudgett”
― Norah Lofts, Bless This House

7 likes

See all Norah Lofts's quotes »

Polls

What book about the Tudors or the Tudor World would you like to read in April 2021?

The Raven's Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn by Adrienne Dillard

9 votes, 22.5%

After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England by Leanda de Lisle

8 votes, 20.0%

Who Killed Kit Marlowe?: A Contract to Murder in Elizabethan England by M.J. Trow

6 votes, 15.0%

Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson

5 votes, 12.5%

The Pilgrimage of Grace: The Rebellion That Shook Henry VIII's Throne by Geoffrey Moorhouse

3 votes, 7.5%

The Cradle King: The Life of James VI and I, The First Monarch of a United Great Britain by Alan Stewart

3 votes, 7.5%

A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess

3 votes, 7.5%

La Reine Blanche: Mary Tudor, a Life in Letters by Sarah Bryson

2 votes, 5.0%

The King's Pleasure by Norah Lofts

1 vote, 2.5%

The Eyes of the Queen by Oliver Clements

0 votes, 0.0%

40 total votes

4 comments

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Norah Lofts’s Followers (316)

Norah Lofts

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Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Norah Lofts’s books