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Lily. Storia di una vendetta
Appena partorita, in una notte d'inverno del 1850, la piccola Lily è stata abbandonata ai cancelli di un parco londinese, in balia dei lupi e del gelo notturno. Salvata per caso da un agente di polizia, ha conosciuto per breve tempo il conforto di una casa, prima di essere rigettata nel crudele mondo delle istituzioni vittoriane. Ad attenderla, ora che è cresciuta, c'è la salvezza o la rovina? Cosa accadrà quando l'uomo che le fa battere il cuore scoprirà che Lily è un'assassina?
«Nessuno scrittore riesce a immergersi in un periodo storico e renderlo cosí pulsante e vivo come fa Rose Tremain. Nessuno ha la capacità di farvi emozionare in questo modo. In questo romanzo generoso e straordinariamente bello Tremain è all'apice della sua bravura. Non vi resta che leggerlo e lasciarvi trasportare».
Neel Mukherjee
C'è chi passa la sua prima notte di vita in una morbida culla, circondato dall'affetto dei genitori, e chi invece no. Lily Mortimer è stata infilata in un sacco e lasciata ai cancelli di un parco, esposta al gelo e alle bestie feroci. Si è salvata solo per il passaggio fortuito di un giovane agente di polizia. Affidata alle cure amorevoli di una contadina, ha trascorso i suoi primi sei anni di vita tra i luminosi campi del Suffolk, ma poi, come prescritto dalla legge, il grigiore di Londra e la freddezza dell'orfanotrofio l'hanno reclamata indietro. Punizioni, cattiverie e soprusi sono stati a lungo la quotidiana ricetta del Foundling Hospital per soffocare ogni ribellione di Lily e degli altri bambini orfani e indigenti come lei. Ora, a quasi diciassette anni, la giovane è finalmente libera e, grazie alle sue doti nel cucito, ha un impiego gratificante in un emporio di parrucche. In piú, un sorriso gentile ogni domenica in chiesa la che il futuro le riservi finalmente l'attesa serenità? Ma il passato non allenta la morsa su di lei. La assillano sempre gli stessi orribili ricordi, il senso di colpa e la paura della forca. Perché nessuno ancora lo sa, ma Lily è un'assassina... Rose Tremain porta il lettore nella fuligginosa Londra di metà Ottocento, un posto bigotto, spietato e perverso dove i trovatelli vengono trattati come delinquenti e la buona condotta si insegna a urli e sberle, ma dove c'è spazio anche per la gentilezza, per l'amicizia e per l'amore.
«Nessuno scrittore riesce a immergersi in un periodo storico e renderlo cosí pulsante e vivo come fa Rose Tremain. Nessuno ha la capacità di farvi emozionare in questo modo. In questo romanzo generoso e straordinariamente bello Tremain è all'apice della sua bravura. Non vi resta che leggerlo e lasciarvi trasportare».
Neel Mukherjee
C'è chi passa la sua prima notte di vita in una morbida culla, circondato dall'affetto dei genitori, e chi invece no. Lily Mortimer è stata infilata in un sacco e lasciata ai cancelli di un parco, esposta al gelo e alle bestie feroci. Si è salvata solo per il passaggio fortuito di un giovane agente di polizia. Affidata alle cure amorevoli di una contadina, ha trascorso i suoi primi sei anni di vita tra i luminosi campi del Suffolk, ma poi, come prescritto dalla legge, il grigiore di Londra e la freddezza dell'orfanotrofio l'hanno reclamata indietro. Punizioni, cattiverie e soprusi sono stati a lungo la quotidiana ricetta del Foundling Hospital per soffocare ogni ribellione di Lily e degli altri bambini orfani e indigenti come lei. Ora, a quasi diciassette anni, la giovane è finalmente libera e, grazie alle sue doti nel cucito, ha un impiego gratificante in un emporio di parrucche. In piú, un sorriso gentile ogni domenica in chiesa la che il futuro le riservi finalmente l'attesa serenità? Ma il passato non allenta la morsa su di lei. La assillano sempre gli stessi orribili ricordi, il senso di colpa e la paura della forca. Perché nessuno ancora lo sa, ma Lily è un'assassina... Rose Tremain porta il lettore nella fuligginosa Londra di metà Ottocento, un posto bigotto, spietato e perverso dove i trovatelli vengono trattati come delinquenti e la buona condotta si insegna a urli e sberle, ma dove c'è spazio anche per la gentilezza, per l'amicizia e per l'amore.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2021
515 people are currently reading
5735 people want to read
About the author
Rose Tremain
77 books1,103 followersDame Rose Tremain is an acclaimed English novelist and short story writer, celebrated for her distinctive approach to historical fiction and her focus on characters who exist on the margins of society. Educated at the Sorbonne and the University of East Anglia, where she later taught creative writing and served as Chancellor, Tremain has produced a rich body of work spanning novels, short stories, plays, and memoir. Influenced by writers such as William Golding and Gabriel García Márquez, her narratives often blend psychological depth with lyrical prose.
Among her many honors, she has received the Whitbread Award for Music and Silence, the Orange Prize for The Road Home, and the National Jewish Book Award for The Gustav Sonata. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Restoration and has been recognized multiple times by the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. In 2020, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. Tremain lives in Norfolk and continues to write, with her recent novel Absolutely and Forever shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.
Among her many honors, she has received the Whitbread Award for Music and Silence, the Orange Prize for The Road Home, and the National Jewish Book Award for The Gustav Sonata. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Restoration and has been recognized multiple times by the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. In 2020, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. Tremain lives in Norfolk and continues to write, with her recent novel Absolutely and Forever shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 722 reviews
August 9, 2021
Although abandoned as a newborn baby, on a cold and foggy November night in Victoria Park, London in 1850, Lily Mortimer’s first six years were idyllic - hard backbreaking labour, but idyllic nonetheless, as she was fostered by a kind and loving farming family. Nellie and Perkin Buck and their sons, loved Lily and she loved them right back. Surrounded by the beautiful landscape of rural Suffolk, and with a family and animals that she loved, Lily was really happy.
After six years, she was returned to the Foundling Hospital where she had been cared for as a baby, that was the law, that she be returned to their care after the six years were up. The parting, when it came was heartbreaking for all concerned.
Life in the Foundling Hospital is harsh and cruel, a place where children are shown no love, indeed they’re reminded constantly of their worthlessness. Eventually, because of her excellent sewing skills, as taught by her foster mother Nellie, Lily is given a place at Belle Prettywood’s Wig Emporium, where she is highly regarded for her skills, but nobody knows that Lily has a secret, something that could seal her fate with the gallows!
This is particularly well written historical fiction, bringing 19th century rural Suffolk and London, deliciously to life. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for Lily, and the narrative plays on one’s curiosity, pulling the reader ever onwards on a journey that is impossible to predict.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto and Windus for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
After six years, she was returned to the Foundling Hospital where she had been cared for as a baby, that was the law, that she be returned to their care after the six years were up. The parting, when it came was heartbreaking for all concerned.
Life in the Foundling Hospital is harsh and cruel, a place where children are shown no love, indeed they’re reminded constantly of their worthlessness. Eventually, because of her excellent sewing skills, as taught by her foster mother Nellie, Lily is given a place at Belle Prettywood’s Wig Emporium, where she is highly regarded for her skills, but nobody knows that Lily has a secret, something that could seal her fate with the gallows!
This is particularly well written historical fiction, bringing 19th century rural Suffolk and London, deliciously to life. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for Lily, and the narrative plays on one’s curiosity, pulling the reader ever onwards on a journey that is impossible to predict.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto and Windus for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
July 27, 2021
‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here’, foundling Lily certainly has. After six very happy years being fostered by Perkin and Nellie Buck on their Suffolk farm she is reluctantly returned, as required, to the London Foundling Hospital known as Coram. After what must feel like a lifetime of harshness and suffering she goes to work at Belle Prettywood’s Wig Emporium. When we first meet Lily she’s 17, it’s 1867 and she is wracked with guilt which weighs her down with the enormity of a crime that is making her ill. The story goes backwards and forwards filling in the gaps which works extremely well.
Rose Tremain never lets her readers down as the quality of the writing is so vivid that images spring off pages in full technicolour so we hear the sounds, see the sights, wince and gasp at some of the horrifying experiences at Coram. Lily’s start in life has love and kindness which contrasts so sharply with the inhuman cruelty that is the lot of orphans at this time. They bear the brunt and the taint of their abandonment and are punished for it which completely breaks your heart at the injustice. Lily does get revenge but that’s what haunts her because she’s a good person which she demonstrates time and time again. She is an excellent central protagonist, she bears and wears the scars, she’s courageous in her rebelliousness at the orphan, she’s very brave, has a deep conscience and a long memory of that early love especially from Nellie. You feel such empathy for her and the things that happen to her move you to tears. All the characters are well portrayed with real flair as they come to life before your eyes. Some are kind and loving like Nellie and Belle, right to the opposite end of the spectrum and they make your heart bleed for their unfortunate victims. Although this is a harsh tale, there are some snippets of humour usually when Belle is around, she’s just wonderful. It’s a very powerful story which builds and builds with an ending that feels just right.
Overall, if you like well written historical fiction, with a good plot that you can immerse yourself in then this may just fit the bill.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto and Windus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Rose Tremain never lets her readers down as the quality of the writing is so vivid that images spring off pages in full technicolour so we hear the sounds, see the sights, wince and gasp at some of the horrifying experiences at Coram. Lily’s start in life has love and kindness which contrasts so sharply with the inhuman cruelty that is the lot of orphans at this time. They bear the brunt and the taint of their abandonment and are punished for it which completely breaks your heart at the injustice. Lily does get revenge but that’s what haunts her because she’s a good person which she demonstrates time and time again. She is an excellent central protagonist, she bears and wears the scars, she’s courageous in her rebelliousness at the orphan, she’s very brave, has a deep conscience and a long memory of that early love especially from Nellie. You feel such empathy for her and the things that happen to her move you to tears. All the characters are well portrayed with real flair as they come to life before your eyes. Some are kind and loving like Nellie and Belle, right to the opposite end of the spectrum and they make your heart bleed for their unfortunate victims. Although this is a harsh tale, there are some snippets of humour usually when Belle is around, she’s just wonderful. It’s a very powerful story which builds and builds with an ending that feels just right.
Overall, if you like well written historical fiction, with a good plot that you can immerse yourself in then this may just fit the bill.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto and Windus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
November 7, 2021
Rose Tremain rarely disappoints, but this her latest novel didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It’s the story of Lily Mortimer who is abandoned as a baby and taken in by the Foundling Hospital in London. After 6 happy years with a foster family she is returned to the hospital for training, where, predictably, she is cruelly treated. She manages to survive and sets out to forge some sort of life for herself, though never forgives her earlier ill treatment. The book is obvious well researched and Tremain can’t write badly if she tries, but I felt that she descends too far into sentimentality here. It’s an emotional read, for sure, and indeed I was moved on occasion by the harshness with which Lily is treated, but perhaps the cruelty is taken just one step too far. Cruel nurses are one thing, but to make one of them particularly perverted gives it all an unnecessary gothic twist. Although the narrative is well plotted overall, there are some extraneous episodes which felt like padding – a trip, for example, to Kensal Green cemetery that leads nowhere, a plot line that simply fizzles out. So it’s a good entertaining historical read, but not a subtle or nuanced one, with a predictable ending, and not quite up to Tremain’s usual standard.
December 24, 2021
Abandoned newborn Lily is fostered out to a loving family in the countryside, but after six years the law states that foundlings must be returned to the foundling hospital to be trained for future employment, and in this cruel place Lily's harsh life begins. So much to love here, Rose Tremain's beautiful prose pulled me into Lily's world, I felt her despair and anguish and the grim conditions of Victorian London, but also the beauty of the Suffolk countryside and the love and warmth she experienced there. A lovely, gentle, heartbreaking and beautifully written story, 4.5 stars.
September 3, 2022
2.5 stars
I had high hopes for this book. While it did keep my interest (and I read it in one sitting), this is only because I’m interested in the period and the subject. Unfortunately it was quite dull and not the ‘tale of revenge’ expected. It felt like the author was trying to rewrite Hetty Feather for adults.
The first part held promise as we see Lily begin her life as a foundling child, finding comfort with a family in Suffolk, before returning to the misery of the Foundling Hospital. The countryside is very picturesque and well-written, although the prose is structured quite strangely.
Once Lily is an adult the book becomes monotonous. Nothing really happens, although there are lots of ‘almost’ events. Her big secret isn’t really a secret at all, as it’s fairly clear who she’s murdered and why long before we’re told.
There are some interesting characters, but we never learn enough about them. Bridget is very much a Helen to Lily’s Jane Eyre and Sam is a seemingly important character who ends up being irrelevant; his reaction to Lily’s confession is out of character and disappointing.
Lily’s final ‘happy’(?) ending is underwhelming. We are left with unresolved questions and a feeling that this book never truly reached its climax.
I had high hopes for this book. While it did keep my interest (and I read it in one sitting), this is only because I’m interested in the period and the subject. Unfortunately it was quite dull and not the ‘tale of revenge’ expected. It felt like the author was trying to rewrite Hetty Feather for adults.
The first part held promise as we see Lily begin her life as a foundling child, finding comfort with a family in Suffolk, before returning to the misery of the Foundling Hospital. The countryside is very picturesque and well-written, although the prose is structured quite strangely.
Once Lily is an adult the book becomes monotonous. Nothing really happens, although there are lots of ‘almost’ events. Her big secret isn’t really a secret at all, as it’s fairly clear who she’s murdered and why long before we’re told.
There are some interesting characters, but we never learn enough about them. Bridget is very much a Helen to Lily’s Jane Eyre and Sam is a seemingly important character who ends up being irrelevant; his reaction to Lily’s confession is out of character and disappointing.
Lily’s final ‘happy’(?) ending is underwhelming. We are left with unresolved questions and a feeling that this book never truly reached its climax.
November 13, 2021
Subtitled ‘A Tale of Revenge’, the narrative moves back and forth in time between Lily’s early years spent with a foster family, her time at the London Foundling Hospital and her subsequent employment at Belle Prettywood’s Wig Emporium. Throughout the book Lily is convinced that the crime she has committed will one day be discovered and that she will be condemned to death as a result. The circumstances of the crime are only revealed towards the end of the book, posing the question whether a crime of this nature can ever be justified even if its motivation is to save others.
The book has echoes of the novels of Charles Dickens in the way it describes the experiences of those unfortunate enough to find themselves orphans. However, the cruel treatment experienced by the children taken in by the London Foundling Hospital is of a more extreme, and perverted, nature than anything found within the pages of Oliver Twist. That treatment is in stark contrast to the affection Lily experiences from her foster family, Nellie and Perkin Buck and their three sons, on their farm in Suffolk. That idyllic existence comes to a sudden end when, at the age of six, Lily is removed from the family and returned to the Foundling Hospital. There, along with the other foundlings, she is ordered to ‘forget absolutely’ those who cared for her during the first years of her life; indeed she is told her foster family looked after her only because they were paid. The foundlings’ position is compared to slaves whose masters care nothing for them, but recognise only their monetary value. ‘You are like them… You are like those slaves. For did you not work for the people paid to care for you?’ In fact, Lily is cruelly beaten when, in an early expression of defiance, she attempts to write a letter to Nellie Buck.
A further cruel feature of the system is the way the foundlings are regarded as being the ‘carriers’ of the sins of their mothers – not their fathers, note. They are told they possess an innate wickedness, ‘a blood-wickedness which could lead then into deep thickets of sin and transgression’. Only through obedience and hard work can they pay for the supposed degeneracy of their mothers. As it transpires, wickedness and degeneracy is the province of others, particularly one especially monstrous character.
I found the absence of chapter breaks and the sudden unannounced changes in timeline (at least in my ARC) rather distracting and left me confused at times. However, whatever reservations I may have had about the book’s structure, there’s no doubt about the author’s ability to create beautiful prose. For example, when Lily and her friend, Bridget, travel through the countryside as evening falls in search of a place of refuge. ‘The air they breathed had a taste to it of things burned and gone. And it was not still. It moved in strange patterns, like a wispy black scarf threatening to touch their faces, then suddenly disappearing to reveal the way ahead..’
A side plot involves Lily search for the mother who abandoned her. The book also depicts Lily’s growing friendship with her employer, the irrepressible and flamboyant Belle, and Lily’s confused feelings towards Sam who is both her guardian angel but also the person who might bring her to justice.
Lily is a character you can’t help rooting for and, although bleak at times, the book has great period atmosphere and a touching ending that offers a little ray of light in the darkness.
The book has echoes of the novels of Charles Dickens in the way it describes the experiences of those unfortunate enough to find themselves orphans. However, the cruel treatment experienced by the children taken in by the London Foundling Hospital is of a more extreme, and perverted, nature than anything found within the pages of Oliver Twist. That treatment is in stark contrast to the affection Lily experiences from her foster family, Nellie and Perkin Buck and their three sons, on their farm in Suffolk. That idyllic existence comes to a sudden end when, at the age of six, Lily is removed from the family and returned to the Foundling Hospital. There, along with the other foundlings, she is ordered to ‘forget absolutely’ those who cared for her during the first years of her life; indeed she is told her foster family looked after her only because they were paid. The foundlings’ position is compared to slaves whose masters care nothing for them, but recognise only their monetary value. ‘You are like them… You are like those slaves. For did you not work for the people paid to care for you?’ In fact, Lily is cruelly beaten when, in an early expression of defiance, she attempts to write a letter to Nellie Buck.
A further cruel feature of the system is the way the foundlings are regarded as being the ‘carriers’ of the sins of their mothers – not their fathers, note. They are told they possess an innate wickedness, ‘a blood-wickedness which could lead then into deep thickets of sin and transgression’. Only through obedience and hard work can they pay for the supposed degeneracy of their mothers. As it transpires, wickedness and degeneracy is the province of others, particularly one especially monstrous character.
I found the absence of chapter breaks and the sudden unannounced changes in timeline (at least in my ARC) rather distracting and left me confused at times. However, whatever reservations I may have had about the book’s structure, there’s no doubt about the author’s ability to create beautiful prose. For example, when Lily and her friend, Bridget, travel through the countryside as evening falls in search of a place of refuge. ‘The air they breathed had a taste to it of things burned and gone. And it was not still. It moved in strange patterns, like a wispy black scarf threatening to touch their faces, then suddenly disappearing to reveal the way ahead..’
A side plot involves Lily search for the mother who abandoned her. The book also depicts Lily’s growing friendship with her employer, the irrepressible and flamboyant Belle, and Lily’s confused feelings towards Sam who is both her guardian angel but also the person who might bring her to justice.
Lily is a character you can’t help rooting for and, although bleak at times, the book has great period atmosphere and a touching ending that offers a little ray of light in the darkness.
October 28, 2024
A neat and perfectly formed Victorian tale of pain, suffering, abuse, redemption and revenge. There really isn’t anything bad about this book, it just seems a little “gothic by numbers”. A little gothic beige. Happy ending? probably.
January 10, 2022
Lily was a disappointing first foray into Rose Tremain's work. This was surprising as the plot overview seemed promising—a gothic novel about a Victorian era orphan who commits a vengeful murder. Unfortunately it just isn't done convincingly. Tremain relies on clumsy internal dialogue in an attempt to develop the character of Lily—there's a lot of "She wanted to say... but she didn't...". Bleh. The plot was likewise very underdeveloped despite so much happening, and attempts at melodrama felt contrived and unbelievable. In particular, the murder and Lily's obsession with being found out didn't feel high stakes enough to hold the plot together. The result was a protagonist I didn't understand and a plot I didn't care about.
Do I go back and try something else from Tremain, or is her work just not for me?
Do I go back and try something else from Tremain, or is her work just not for me?
October 27, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Abandoned at the gates of a London park one winters night in 1850, baby Lily Mortimer is saved by a young police constable and taken to the London Foundling Hospital. Lily is fostered by an affectionate farming family in rural Suffolk, enjoying a brief childhood idyll before she is returned to the hospital, where she is punished for her rebellious spirit. Released into the harsh world of Victorian London, Lily becomes a favoured employee at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium, but all the while she's hiding a dreadful secret.
This is another book that I think your better off reading blind. I found it to be quite an emotional read. The rawness of the poverty and suffering people suffered in the Victorian era doesn't bare thinking about. The book is descriptively written and the characters felt true to the era and the storyline is captivating on so many levels. I loved this book from beginning to end.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK and the author #RoseTremain for my ARC of #Lily in exchange for an honest review.
Abandoned at the gates of a London park one winters night in 1850, baby Lily Mortimer is saved by a young police constable and taken to the London Foundling Hospital. Lily is fostered by an affectionate farming family in rural Suffolk, enjoying a brief childhood idyll before she is returned to the hospital, where she is punished for her rebellious spirit. Released into the harsh world of Victorian London, Lily becomes a favoured employee at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium, but all the while she's hiding a dreadful secret.
This is another book that I think your better off reading blind. I found it to be quite an emotional read. The rawness of the poverty and suffering people suffered in the Victorian era doesn't bare thinking about. The book is descriptively written and the characters felt true to the era and the storyline is captivating on so many levels. I loved this book from beginning to end.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK and the author #RoseTremain for my ARC of #Lily in exchange for an honest review.
May 1, 2022
I cannot go on reading this no matter how much I love her novels Merival and Restoration. This is just not grabbing me and Lily is just a drip. It bugs me that I paid almost $40 for this book I was so very keen to get my mitts on and Ghosh I’m not going to finish it, but life is too blooming short to see if it gets more interesting. I also commuted a book crime and skipped to the end and yes it really is not worth finishing.
DNF
DNF
December 12, 2021
This had a very modern Dickensian feel to it - full of colourful characters - wickedness, morality, London soot and the vision of a bucolic countryside. It charts the course of Lily - abandoned at birth and brought up a Foundling child. From her horrific treatment by the charity and it's employees to her employment as a wig maker - we see Lily struggle with her fate. It took a while to hook me - but the second two thirds were storytelling at its best!
July 2, 2025
“Per anni e anni Lily aveva mentalmente chiamato quel posto la porta dell’inferno, ma non aveva mai pronunciato quelle parole ad alta voce”.
Si tratta di un luogo reale, il Foundling Hospital di Londra, sorto a metà dell’Ottocento (il tempo di questa vicenda) per accogliere orfani abbandonati alla nascita, soprattutto da ragazze madri che non potevano e non volevano essere identificate.
Anche Lily, protagonista e narratrice di questa storia, è una “figlia della colpa” e come tale sarà trattata dall’istituzione che dovrebbe pietosamente accoglierla. Ma di pietà Lily non trova nemmeno l’ombra nel luogo che diventerà invece teatro delle peggiori angherie che una bambina possa sopportare, ma a cui lei intimamente non si sottometterà mai.
Era usanza che i neonati vivessero temporaneamente con genitori affidatari che venivano ricompensati col denaro. Allo scoccare del sesto anno però i bambini venivano consegnati al collegio dove, già traumatizzati per il distacco da una famiglia normale (e spesso anche affettuosa), erano soggetti a una vita di stenti e spesso di abusi, giustificata dal fatto di essere macchiati della stessa impronunciabile onta delle loro madri.
Ed ecco che cosa li aspetta: mortificazione e silenzio. Lavoro e soggiogamento. Patimenti e punizioni. Ovviamente in nome di dio e della giustizia.
Che Lily sia diventata un’assassina, lo sappiamo fin dall’inizio. Chi sia l’oggetto del suo (giusto) odio lo scopriremo ben presto. Seguiamo intanto le sue disavventure, i suoi vani tentativi di fuga, le sue sventurate amicizie infantili, i suoi sofferti o frustrati afflati affettivi e infine la sua parziale emancipazione.
Il romanzo mette insieme diverse esperienze narrative: un po’ Dickens, un po’ formazione, un po’ thriller, un po’ novella sentimentale. Il tutto decisamente troppo condito, insomma.
Anche i piani temporali, che si susseguono e si sovrappongono, entrano a tratti in un garbuglio confuso, perché in un presente e in un passato remoto si insinua anche un passato prossimo (il tempo in cui Lily compie il suo delitto) che offusca la chiarezza del racconto.
Per concludere: se vogliamo una storia ottocentesca di orfani maltrattati meglio l’intramontabile Dickens, se vogliamo una storia di collegio/prigione meglio Chalandon (La furia) o Jean Baptiste Andrea, (L’uomo che suonava Beethoven). Per non parlare di Musil e Fleur Jaeggy. Dai quali qui siamo sideralmente lontani.
Si tratta di un luogo reale, il Foundling Hospital di Londra, sorto a metà dell’Ottocento (il tempo di questa vicenda) per accogliere orfani abbandonati alla nascita, soprattutto da ragazze madri che non potevano e non volevano essere identificate.
Anche Lily, protagonista e narratrice di questa storia, è una “figlia della colpa” e come tale sarà trattata dall’istituzione che dovrebbe pietosamente accoglierla. Ma di pietà Lily non trova nemmeno l’ombra nel luogo che diventerà invece teatro delle peggiori angherie che una bambina possa sopportare, ma a cui lei intimamente non si sottometterà mai.
Era usanza che i neonati vivessero temporaneamente con genitori affidatari che venivano ricompensati col denaro. Allo scoccare del sesto anno però i bambini venivano consegnati al collegio dove, già traumatizzati per il distacco da una famiglia normale (e spesso anche affettuosa), erano soggetti a una vita di stenti e spesso di abusi, giustificata dal fatto di essere macchiati della stessa impronunciabile onta delle loro madri.
Ed ecco che cosa li aspetta: mortificazione e silenzio. Lavoro e soggiogamento. Patimenti e punizioni. Ovviamente in nome di dio e della giustizia.
Che Lily sia diventata un’assassina, lo sappiamo fin dall’inizio. Chi sia l’oggetto del suo (giusto) odio lo scopriremo ben presto. Seguiamo intanto le sue disavventure, i suoi vani tentativi di fuga, le sue sventurate amicizie infantili, i suoi sofferti o frustrati afflati affettivi e infine la sua parziale emancipazione.
Il romanzo mette insieme diverse esperienze narrative: un po’ Dickens, un po’ formazione, un po’ thriller, un po’ novella sentimentale. Il tutto decisamente troppo condito, insomma.
Anche i piani temporali, che si susseguono e si sovrappongono, entrano a tratti in un garbuglio confuso, perché in un presente e in un passato remoto si insinua anche un passato prossimo (il tempo in cui Lily compie il suo delitto) che offusca la chiarezza del racconto.
Per concludere: se vogliamo una storia ottocentesca di orfani maltrattati meglio l’intramontabile Dickens, se vogliamo una storia di collegio/prigione meglio Chalandon (La furia) o Jean Baptiste Andrea, (L’uomo che suonava Beethoven). Per non parlare di Musil e Fleur Jaeggy. Dai quali qui siamo sideralmente lontani.
August 29, 2022
I expect either an incredibly happy ending or some sort of moral to a story that describes child abandonment, neglect, emotional torture, sexual abuse which lingers into adulthood. Otherwise why would anyone enjoy reading such a thing. This poor protagonist has no luck with love when they grow up either because she fall in love with the person who saved her and is married but is also a police so he has a duty to arrest her when she confesses to him that she killed the person who abused her (when she actually didn't need to confess).
This story would have been so much better if the melancholy was compensated somehow. Maybe she opens up and orphanage where children no longer have to go through the emotional torture of being raised by a family then separated from them. Maybe she becomes a mother in Rookery Farm and gives her daughter a childhood she couldn't have. Or she goes back to Rookery Farm where she lives the rest of her life pretty much the same as it used to be - with everyone around and full of love.
But no. She is forced to run away from her love to Rookery Farm where her foster father is dead, 2 of the 3 brothers have left and Nellie the foster mother who is the most beloved to her has dementia of some sort (although she does remember Lily and we see she was sad to let her go). Then it ends with her thinking if the police come after her (Sam Trench the person she loves being the head detective if they arrive) then she would drop herself in a dark well.
Some parts of the book are utterly pointless and immature. Why do men fall helplessly in love with Belle Prettywood? Apparently she makes them orgasm (and make walrus sounds?) like no one else could. The whole searching for a grave for Belle is also pointless padding. In fact, much of the story about Belle was pointless. And for the person who shows Lily love, we don't know much about Belle; her character isn't developed sufficiently. The whole story about the lady making religious figurines who Lily thinks could be her mother was also pointless. Thinking about it, it seems like the author decided this book was going to just be a sad story with no other point. In that respect it was a success: a story which is great at describing a hopelessly horrible life of a person with no other point.
Also the word "choked" was overused in this book.
This story would have been so much better if the melancholy was compensated somehow. Maybe she opens up and orphanage where children no longer have to go through the emotional torture of being raised by a family then separated from them. Maybe she becomes a mother in Rookery Farm and gives her daughter a childhood she couldn't have. Or she goes back to Rookery Farm where she lives the rest of her life pretty much the same as it used to be - with everyone around and full of love.
But no. She is forced to run away from her love to Rookery Farm where her foster father is dead, 2 of the 3 brothers have left and Nellie the foster mother who is the most beloved to her has dementia of some sort (although she does remember Lily and we see she was sad to let her go). Then it ends with her thinking if the police come after her (Sam Trench the person she loves being the head detective if they arrive) then she would drop herself in a dark well.
Some parts of the book are utterly pointless and immature. Why do men fall helplessly in love with Belle Prettywood? Apparently she makes them orgasm (and make walrus sounds?) like no one else could. The whole searching for a grave for Belle is also pointless padding. In fact, much of the story about Belle was pointless. And for the person who shows Lily love, we don't know much about Belle; her character isn't developed sufficiently. The whole story about the lady making religious figurines who Lily thinks could be her mother was also pointless. Thinking about it, it seems like the author decided this book was going to just be a sad story with no other point. In that respect it was a success: a story which is great at describing a hopelessly horrible life of a person with no other point.
Also the word "choked" was overused in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2021
3.5 stars+ I really enjoyed my first Rose Tremain novel. It was an easy, entertaining and refreshingly quirky read. One reviewer described it as more Dickensian than Dickens. It has touches of fairytale, plenty of melodrama, significant historical interest and some tough scenes of childhood neglect and abuse. The plot takes many unexpected turns (on the way to a rather more predictable ending) and the cast of characters are memorable and intriguing. I’m left a little incomplete in terms of Lily’s relationships with Sam and Belle. Perhaps these characters aren’t fleshed out quite well enough for me to understand their significance and motives. I visited the London Foundling Hospital a few years ago (it’s now a museum) but I would undoubtedly get more out of it having read this book. Already looking forward to my next Rose Tremain novel - Islands of Mercy.
March 8, 2023
A strong 4. 5 star Read from me..
Borrowed from the library but will now be purchasing my own copy.. ☺️
Really enjoyed this historical fiction by Rose.
Well written novel set in Victorian London.
A descriptive/upsetting story of Lily's life as a Foundling.
Adored Lily and was routing for her throughout.
Beautiful prose which transported me inside the story.
My first story by Rose Tremain but will definitely read more.
Would definitely recommend 💕
Borrowed from the library but will now be purchasing my own copy.. ☺️
Really enjoyed this historical fiction by Rose.
Well written novel set in Victorian London.
A descriptive/upsetting story of Lily's life as a Foundling.
Adored Lily and was routing for her throughout.
Beautiful prose which transported me inside the story.
My first story by Rose Tremain but will definitely read more.
Would definitely recommend 💕
June 30, 2021
A dark Gothic tale full of imagery and hope and heartbreak.
In London, in the winter of 1850, baby Lily Mortimer is found abandoned at the gates of a park by a young police constable, who takes her to the London Foundling Hospital. As was the custom she is fostered out, to a farming family in rural Suffolk, where she is loved, and taught to sew. At the age of six she is returned to the hospital, to be sent out to work. Because of her sewing skills she finds herself at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium, where she finds favour. But Lily has a secret which will haunt her and determine her fate.
And so the scene is set for this slightly different tale from Rose Tremain. I haven’t read any of her books before, but I am a fan of historical fiction, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Let’s get one thing out of the way, though. Yes, there are definitely echoes of Sara Collins “Confessions of Frannie Langdon” in here, and it would be hard not to make comparisons, but actually, the story is quite different. Across the years, the policeman who found her keeps watch over Lily and when he meets her again, there is an instant attraction between them and it is this story which takes us forward. But some of the best bits are where Lily and her friend Bridget venture out into London.
It’s a moving tale, frustrating in parts, heart-breaking in others. I have to admit to skimming a few parts of the book, really just because I wanted to see where this was all going. Parts of the story are told in retrospect, which can be a bit frustrating, but slowly the tale is told. I was pleased to receive a NetGally ARC to review, but I’ll be purchasing the book for another read when it comes out.
This book will appeal to fans of Sara Collins, Laura Purcell and Stacey Halls. Definitely one to add to your book pile.
In London, in the winter of 1850, baby Lily Mortimer is found abandoned at the gates of a park by a young police constable, who takes her to the London Foundling Hospital. As was the custom she is fostered out, to a farming family in rural Suffolk, where she is loved, and taught to sew. At the age of six she is returned to the hospital, to be sent out to work. Because of her sewing skills she finds herself at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium, where she finds favour. But Lily has a secret which will haunt her and determine her fate.
And so the scene is set for this slightly different tale from Rose Tremain. I haven’t read any of her books before, but I am a fan of historical fiction, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Let’s get one thing out of the way, though. Yes, there are definitely echoes of Sara Collins “Confessions of Frannie Langdon” in here, and it would be hard not to make comparisons, but actually, the story is quite different. Across the years, the policeman who found her keeps watch over Lily and when he meets her again, there is an instant attraction between them and it is this story which takes us forward. But some of the best bits are where Lily and her friend Bridget venture out into London.
It’s a moving tale, frustrating in parts, heart-breaking in others. I have to admit to skimming a few parts of the book, really just because I wanted to see where this was all going. Parts of the story are told in retrospect, which can be a bit frustrating, but slowly the tale is told. I was pleased to receive a NetGally ARC to review, but I’ll be purchasing the book for another read when it comes out.
This book will appeal to fans of Sara Collins, Laura Purcell and Stacey Halls. Definitely one to add to your book pile.
October 22, 2021
It's an interesting story that does immerse you into Victorian Life, be it in the lovely Suffolk countryside, the dirty streets of London, or the awful Foundling Hospital.
We follow Lily from when she is found abandoned as a baby up until she is around 18 years old. I felt her plight of feeling returned by her foster parents, but not knowing that by law she must be sent back so her training can begin to be able to become a worker in the future. Eventually, she goes out to work and she does well at the wig emporium, as her foster mother taught her how to sew well.
Lily is actually a sweet-natured girl, making friends with another girl at the hospital and they both try to run away to find their foster parents. but because they try to escape, one of the Nurses is cruel to her.
The story is less about her being a murderer and more about her plight in these times.
It was a short book and overall I found it quick and generally easy to read. However, I did find that the narrative jumped about from the present to her childhood with her foster parents, then at the Foundling Hospital which at times caused confusion, and there were no chapter breaks, just one paragraph after another. I don't know if this was because it was an ARC, but it certainly didn't help.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
We follow Lily from when she is found abandoned as a baby up until she is around 18 years old. I felt her plight of feeling returned by her foster parents, but not knowing that by law she must be sent back so her training can begin to be able to become a worker in the future. Eventually, she goes out to work and she does well at the wig emporium, as her foster mother taught her how to sew well.
Lily is actually a sweet-natured girl, making friends with another girl at the hospital and they both try to run away to find their foster parents. but because they try to escape, one of the Nurses is cruel to her.
The story is less about her being a murderer and more about her plight in these times.
It was a short book and overall I found it quick and generally easy to read. However, I did find that the narrative jumped about from the present to her childhood with her foster parents, then at the Foundling Hospital which at times caused confusion, and there were no chapter breaks, just one paragraph after another. I don't know if this was because it was an ARC, but it certainly didn't help.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
July 24, 2022
I would have probably enjoyed this more if I hadn’t known it was by Rose Tremain, whose work I normally love. The content and realism was definitely my bag, but I found the story difficult to follow, jumping across timelines and it also seemed to lack depth of plot and subtlety. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
July 4, 2021
Another engrossing and memorable novel by Rose Tremain, Lily is the story of an abandoned Coram Foundling Hospital baby who is fostered by a loving farming family in Suffolk until she is six years old. The law dictates that, after this time, she must return to the orphanage to learn humility, duty and gratitude despite a daily dose of punishment, abuse and humiliation.
After her institutional years, rebellious Lily is employed at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium and enjoys learning her craft and working within a friendly female community. Yet, memories of her time in the foundation and a need to understand her origins underpin her daily life. Will she be able to quiet the voices and the pictures in her head?
Tremain has given us a courageous and determined heroine in Lily. Despite the fact that she has little education and been shown scant affection, she is determined not to become ground down by her circumstances. Through the author’s portrayal of the characteristically vicious Victorian attitude to illegitimate children, she reinforces just how significant a child’s start in life is (perhaps echoes here of her previous memoir ‘Rosie’). Her formative years, spent in a rural idyll provides the strength she needs to believe in herself and, whilst some of her actions are morally wrong, who can blame her for what she does?
This is a wonderful read. The story could, equally, become a powerful screen adaptation. Rose Tremain’s use of period details is entirely convincing; her characters are alive on the page and her narrative reinforces the importance of kindness in an unkind world. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
After her institutional years, rebellious Lily is employed at Belle Prettywood's Wig Emporium and enjoys learning her craft and working within a friendly female community. Yet, memories of her time in the foundation and a need to understand her origins underpin her daily life. Will she be able to quiet the voices and the pictures in her head?
Tremain has given us a courageous and determined heroine in Lily. Despite the fact that she has little education and been shown scant affection, she is determined not to become ground down by her circumstances. Through the author’s portrayal of the characteristically vicious Victorian attitude to illegitimate children, she reinforces just how significant a child’s start in life is (perhaps echoes here of her previous memoir ‘Rosie’). Her formative years, spent in a rural idyll provides the strength she needs to believe in herself and, whilst some of her actions are morally wrong, who can blame her for what she does?
This is a wonderful read. The story could, equally, become a powerful screen adaptation. Rose Tremain’s use of period details is entirely convincing; her characters are alive on the page and her narrative reinforces the importance of kindness in an unkind world. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
February 16, 2023
Written in Tremain’s dependably enjoyable style, this book was let down by the plot. It’s not difficult to pull on the heartstrings when describing child abuse, so yes, it was moving at times, but parts of it seemed lazy and/or nonsensical.
There was a whole section during which Lily tries to find out if a certain woman is her mother, but she has no reason to believe she is.
A turning point of the plot hinges on the idea that someone would receive a potentially life-changing letter, and go to bed with it clutched in their hands without having read it.
The book is structured in such a way that it moves from the past to the present, chapter by chapter, but at one seemingly arbitrary point, the author decides to throw in the murder, as if she suspected that our curiosity was waning.
This is the third Tremain book that has really disappointed me lately, so even though she used to be one of my favourite writers, I’m finished with her.
There was a whole section during which Lily tries to find out if a certain woman is her mother, but she has no reason to believe she is.
A turning point of the plot hinges on the idea that someone would receive a potentially life-changing letter, and go to bed with it clutched in their hands without having read it.
The book is structured in such a way that it moves from the past to the present, chapter by chapter, but at one seemingly arbitrary point, the author decides to throw in the murder, as if she suspected that our curiosity was waning.
This is the third Tremain book that has really disappointed me lately, so even though she used to be one of my favourite writers, I’m finished with her.
August 18, 2024
Neanche l'emozione dell'incontro tra Lily e il suo salvatore, parecchi anni dopo quella tragica notte, riesce a smuovere qualche emozione, anche perché l'autrice decide di far virare il rapporto sulla via dell'attrazione sessuale.
Il finale risulta scontato e, allo stesso tempo, incompleto laddove Lily fa ritorno nel luogo in cui più si è sentita amata, ma Tremain sceglie di chiudere tutto in fretta, lasciandoci col dubbio su cosa ne sarà di lei.
La recensione completa nel blog
Il finale risulta scontato e, allo stesso tempo, incompleto laddove Lily fa ritorno nel luogo in cui più si è sentita amata, ma Tremain sceglie di chiudere tutto in fretta, lasciandoci col dubbio su cosa ne sarà di lei.
La recensione completa nel blog
July 24, 2024
Un libro decisamente mediocre: trama, scrittura, ritmo. Tutto.
Una storia banalotta e superficiale che accompagna bene, però, i caldi e oziosi pomeriggi estivi.
Da leggere se capita in mano ma non vale la pena di cercarlo.
Una storia banalotta e superficiale che accompagna bene, però, i caldi e oziosi pomeriggi estivi.
Da leggere se capita in mano ma non vale la pena di cercarlo.
August 18, 2024
Zo een boek dat in je hart kruipt was dit. Eén waarbij je heel hard meeleeft met het personage. Eén waarbij je adem stokt wanneer Lily iets ergs/onnoemelijks overkomt, of onrecht wordt aangedaan. Eén waarbij naar het einde toe de tranen in je ogen komen omdat je haar wanhoop en hoop voelt. Eén waarbij je aan het einde van het lezen kan zeggen "ik heb geweend".
Ik zou nooit zelf dit boek meegenomen hebben uit de bib, maar in de Podcast van BBC "A Good Read" beval iemand een boek van Rose Tremain aan en ik wou dat wel lezen. Alleen, ze hadden enkel dit boek in onze bib.
Ja, het was het lezen meer dan waard. Het enige spijtige is dat ik het niet in één keer heb gelezen. Er komen altijd taken en andere wensen in de weg. Maar toch, zelfs al las ik soms maar 1 hoofdstuk op een dag, was ik steeds direct mee met Lily en haar verlangen naar Rookey Farm en naar geborgenheid.
En zijn we steeds niet allen zo onderweg, ploeterend, op zoek naar die totale geborgenheid en veiligheid die we slechts sporadisch kennen of gekend hebben.
Ik zou nooit zelf dit boek meegenomen hebben uit de bib, maar in de Podcast van BBC "A Good Read" beval iemand een boek van Rose Tremain aan en ik wou dat wel lezen. Alleen, ze hadden enkel dit boek in onze bib.
Ja, het was het lezen meer dan waard. Het enige spijtige is dat ik het niet in één keer heb gelezen. Er komen altijd taken en andere wensen in de weg. Maar toch, zelfs al las ik soms maar 1 hoofdstuk op een dag, was ik steeds direct mee met Lily en haar verlangen naar Rookey Farm en naar geborgenheid.
En zijn we steeds niet allen zo onderweg, ploeterend, op zoek naar die totale geborgenheid en veiligheid die we slechts sporadisch kennen of gekend hebben.
August 30, 2022
I enjoyed the Anne with an e orphanage vibe. It was dark and gritty and how I like it. . the book is split between lily's pov as an adult and pov as a child and I def preferred her pov as a child because of this. I also liked the tone shift on the edgier scenes. I loved Nellie & Lilys relationship 💞
But it took way too long to get to the premise of the book. most of the book was boring too and I didn't care about Lily in her adult pov. I feel like the book would be more effective if the story was in chronological order. I didn't like how the dialogue was written. they sounded robotic and like they didn't have emotion. The children didn't really sound like children either and they spoke like adults.
But it took way too long to get to the premise of the book. most of the book was boring too and I didn't care about Lily in her adult pov. I feel like the book would be more effective if the story was in chronological order. I didn't like how the dialogue was written. they sounded robotic and like they didn't have emotion. The children didn't really sound like children either and they spoke like adults.
January 16, 2023
3.5⭐
À peine commencé déjà fini tellement on est porté par cette plume limpide et maîtrisée. Impeccable équilibre entre la douceur romanesque et le terrible chemin de vie du personnage. L'écriture évocatrice nous transporte en un rien de temps dans les rues de Londres à l'époque victorienne où se côtoient violence et misère, mais aussi dans les belles campagnes anglaises, seul refuge pour notre héroïne dickensienne, seul rempart contre un destin funeste auquel elle tente d'échapper.
À peine commencé déjà fini tellement on est porté par cette plume limpide et maîtrisée. Impeccable équilibre entre la douceur romanesque et le terrible chemin de vie du personnage. L'écriture évocatrice nous transporte en un rien de temps dans les rues de Londres à l'époque victorienne où se côtoient violence et misère, mais aussi dans les belles campagnes anglaises, seul refuge pour notre héroïne dickensienne, seul rempart contre un destin funeste auquel elle tente d'échapper.
July 8, 2024
In “Lily. Storia di una vendetta” riecheggiano le ambientazioni descritte da Charles Dickens, nel modo in cui Rose Tremain descrive le esperienze di coloro che sono così sfortunati da ritrovarsi orfani: però, rispetto a Oliver Twist, il trattamento crudele subito dai bambini accolti dal London Foundling Hospital è di natura più estrema e perversa di qualsiasi cosa si trovi nelle pagine di Dickens. Questo trattamento, si contrappone all’affetto che Lily, la protagonista, prova per la sua famiglia adottiva, Nellie e Perkin Buck e dei loro tre figli, nella loro fattoria nel Suffolk.
Ma tutto finisce improvvisamente quando, all'età di sei anni, Lily viene allontanata dalla famiglia e riportata all'Ospedale dei Trovatelli.
“A volte Lily si domanda perché non abbia strillato, lottato, cercato di scappare – magari per nascondersi nel coperchio della scuola-teiera di Miss Oldroyd –, ma forse sapeva, già a sei anni, che non sarebbe servito a salvarla dal suo destino, perché quel destino era lí da sempre, come un’ombra nella mente, come un sogno che va e viene, solo che ormai non era piú né un sogno né un’ombra, ma un momento reale del tempo.”
Lì, insieme agli altri trovatelli, le viene ordinato di “dimenticare assolutamente” coloro che si sono presi cura di lei nei primi anni della sua vita; infatti le viene detto che la sua famiglia adottiva si prendeva cura di lei solo perché veniva pagata.
“Faceva freddo su quelle scale, e sembrava non ci fosse neanche un filo di luce e Lily pensò: Questo dev’essere proprio il centro dell’orfanotrofio, il cuore, senza finestre, il posto che i bambini non devono vedere.”
La posizione dei trovatelli è paragonata a quella degli schiavi i cui padroni non si preoccupano di loro, ma riconoscono solo il loro valore monetario.
“– Voi siete come loro, – si sentivano dire i trovatelli. – Siete come quegli schiavi. Non avete forse lavorato per persone che erano pagate per accudirvi? Non avete faticato nei campi a raccogliere pietre? Non siete usciti nelle mattine gelide dell’inverno per dar da mangiare al bestiame? Non avete dovuto sopportare isolamento e solitudine? E alla fine di tutto cosa avete ricavato da quel luogo che chiamavate casa? Un ninnolo, forse. I vestiti che avete addosso. ”
In tutto il libro Lily è convinta che un giorno il crimine da lei commesso verrà scoperto e di conseguenza sarà condannata a morte. Le circostanze del delitto vengono svelate solo verso la fine del libro, ponendo la questione se un crimine di questa natura possa mai essere giustificato anche se la sua motivazione è quella di salvare gli altri.
Lily è un personaggio a cui ci si affeziona e, anche se a volte tetro, il libro ha una fantastica atmosfera d'epoca e un finale toccante che offre un piccolo raggio di luce nell'oscurità.
“ – Non era un bambino, a essere intrappolato in quel pozzo gelido dove respirava a malapena, era una bambina, ero io, perché è questo che è diventata la mia vita: un’esistenza a metà, marcia e asfissiante, da cui non c’è possibilità di fuga.
Rimane completamente immobile. Il sole le batte sul collo, dove i capelli sono raccolti in una semplice crocchia. Anche Jesse è immobile al suo fianco, ma dopo qualche istante posa la mano aperta accanto alla sua e Lily si commuove nel vedere quelle due mani l’una accanto all’altra, due mani aggrappate. Guarda giú verso la profondità dell’acqua, che sembra piú vasta di com’era una volta, come se potesse arrivare fino al centro della terra.”
Ma tutto finisce improvvisamente quando, all'età di sei anni, Lily viene allontanata dalla famiglia e riportata all'Ospedale dei Trovatelli.
“A volte Lily si domanda perché non abbia strillato, lottato, cercato di scappare – magari per nascondersi nel coperchio della scuola-teiera di Miss Oldroyd –, ma forse sapeva, già a sei anni, che non sarebbe servito a salvarla dal suo destino, perché quel destino era lí da sempre, come un’ombra nella mente, come un sogno che va e viene, solo che ormai non era piú né un sogno né un’ombra, ma un momento reale del tempo.”
Lì, insieme agli altri trovatelli, le viene ordinato di “dimenticare assolutamente” coloro che si sono presi cura di lei nei primi anni della sua vita; infatti le viene detto che la sua famiglia adottiva si prendeva cura di lei solo perché veniva pagata.
“Faceva freddo su quelle scale, e sembrava non ci fosse neanche un filo di luce e Lily pensò: Questo dev’essere proprio il centro dell’orfanotrofio, il cuore, senza finestre, il posto che i bambini non devono vedere.”
La posizione dei trovatelli è paragonata a quella degli schiavi i cui padroni non si preoccupano di loro, ma riconoscono solo il loro valore monetario.
“– Voi siete come loro, – si sentivano dire i trovatelli. – Siete come quegli schiavi. Non avete forse lavorato per persone che erano pagate per accudirvi? Non avete faticato nei campi a raccogliere pietre? Non siete usciti nelle mattine gelide dell’inverno per dar da mangiare al bestiame? Non avete dovuto sopportare isolamento e solitudine? E alla fine di tutto cosa avete ricavato da quel luogo che chiamavate casa? Un ninnolo, forse. I vestiti che avete addosso. ”
In tutto il libro Lily è convinta che un giorno il crimine da lei commesso verrà scoperto e di conseguenza sarà condannata a morte. Le circostanze del delitto vengono svelate solo verso la fine del libro, ponendo la questione se un crimine di questa natura possa mai essere giustificato anche se la sua motivazione è quella di salvare gli altri.
Lily è un personaggio a cui ci si affeziona e, anche se a volte tetro, il libro ha una fantastica atmosfera d'epoca e un finale toccante che offre un piccolo raggio di luce nell'oscurità.
“ – Non era un bambino, a essere intrappolato in quel pozzo gelido dove respirava a malapena, era una bambina, ero io, perché è questo che è diventata la mia vita: un’esistenza a metà, marcia e asfissiante, da cui non c’è possibilità di fuga.
Rimane completamente immobile. Il sole le batte sul collo, dove i capelli sono raccolti in una semplice crocchia. Anche Jesse è immobile al suo fianco, ma dopo qualche istante posa la mano aperta accanto alla sua e Lily si commuove nel vedere quelle due mani l’una accanto all’altra, due mani aggrappate. Guarda giú verso la profondità dell’acqua, che sembra piú vasta di com’era una volta, come se potesse arrivare fino al centro della terra.”
January 18, 2023
A very descriptive and upsetting story of Lily’s life as a foundling. Very interesting view of life in the 1850’s and a true tale of revenge.
November 9, 2022
When I realised (almost a year later) that Rose Tremain had a new book out and found it in a sale, I bought it without further ado. I love her style and enjoy her novels regardless of what she writes about. In winter 1950, Lily is abandoned as a baby and saved by a young policeman, ending up at the London Foundling Hospital. Her story is told in alternating chapters by young Lily as she grows up, and Lily after she leaves the London Foundling Hospital to face the world. We meet the fascinating cast of characters who shape Lily's life, the policeman Sam Trench, the evil hospital nurse, and Belle Prettywood - the colourful businesswoman who becomes Lily's employer and friend. Tremain rarely disappoints, and she is on form here, telling a fascinating story with her unique style that engages from start to finish.
May 21, 2024
This took me by surprise, I was hooked by the end. It shouldn’t have been a surprise because I love historical fiction and have enjoyed Rose Tremain’s books before. But still, heartbreaking and a little bit odd. I found the romance or feelings between Lily and Sam a bit hard to believe and sometimes it felt a little bit Victoriana stereotype. Nonetheless a lovely book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2021
First of all: What this isn't. Lily is not a joyful, bawdy, Dickensian romp, replete with cheeky cockney clichés and rosy-cheeked orphans.
What Lily is: Dark, shocking, seedy and with some content which may, genuinely, upset some readers. As far from a colourful, chocolate-box rendering of Old London Town as it's possible to get.
Lily is a foundling, born in London but belonging nowhere. Her memory of a stint with foster parents, in a countryside setting which is a Constable sunset compared to the Doré hellscape that is Victorian London, sustains her through her later years at the Foundling Hospital. There, she is abused (in every sense of the word), isolated, desperate. Life regains a modicum of its early colour when she is apprenticed to a larger than life wigmaker - Lily finds a facsimile of family, of belonging. The darkness, though, remains - but it's in her soul, where she guards a fierce need for revenge, and later, a dark and terrible secret.
Lily is beautifully written, with prose that shimmers and stinks with bosky glory and syrupy effluence. We meet one of the most grotesque figures ever encountered in literature; her fate, the reader feels, is entirely deserved, however shocked we may be for thinking so - there is much here which challenges our educated, twenty-first century sensibilities. There is a sort of redemption, albeit tinged with the fact that certain actions cannot be forgotten, or their effects shrugged off, however apparently justifiable.
It's not an easy read, and much of the subject matter leaves the reader with an uneasy, sullied feeling, as if the very dirt clogging the Victorian gutters has crept under the skin. However, it's very well done, and Lily herself is a wonderfully drawn character; spirited, flawed, and all too human.
But please, don't go into this expecting a cosy, wintry fireplace-fitting read. Because that is one of the things Lily most definitely is not.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What Lily is: Dark, shocking, seedy and with some content which may, genuinely, upset some readers. As far from a colourful, chocolate-box rendering of Old London Town as it's possible to get.
Lily is a foundling, born in London but belonging nowhere. Her memory of a stint with foster parents, in a countryside setting which is a Constable sunset compared to the Doré hellscape that is Victorian London, sustains her through her later years at the Foundling Hospital. There, she is abused (in every sense of the word), isolated, desperate. Life regains a modicum of its early colour when she is apprenticed to a larger than life wigmaker - Lily finds a facsimile of family, of belonging. The darkness, though, remains - but it's in her soul, where she guards a fierce need for revenge, and later, a dark and terrible secret.
Lily is beautifully written, with prose that shimmers and stinks with bosky glory and syrupy effluence. We meet one of the most grotesque figures ever encountered in literature; her fate, the reader feels, is entirely deserved, however shocked we may be for thinking so - there is much here which challenges our educated, twenty-first century sensibilities. There is a sort of redemption, albeit tinged with the fact that certain actions cannot be forgotten, or their effects shrugged off, however apparently justifiable.
It's not an easy read, and much of the subject matter leaves the reader with an uneasy, sullied feeling, as if the very dirt clogging the Victorian gutters has crept under the skin. However, it's very well done, and Lily herself is a wonderfully drawn character; spirited, flawed, and all too human.
But please, don't go into this expecting a cosy, wintry fireplace-fitting read. Because that is one of the things Lily most definitely is not.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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