Le refuge des femmes perdues

by Stacey Halls

Londres, 1847. L'écrivain Charles Dickens et la baronne philanthrope Angela Burdett-Coutts accueillent un groupe de jeunes femmes dans une mystérieuse maison à l'abri des regards et qui fait scandale au sein de la haute société londonienne. Offrant un refuge aux prostituées, aux voleuses et aux plus démunies, le cottage Urania est une seconde chance dans leur vie - mais toutes celles sur lesquelles le sort s'acharne ont-elles envie d'être sauvées ?.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Gothic, Victorian

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2024

About the author

Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also written for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she now works as Deputy Chief Sub Editor. The Familiars is her first novel.

Reviews

[Lisa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House Hold by Stacey Halls is based around Urania Cottage in 1847 London who takes in young women known as the fallen it is sponsored by Charles Dickens & Angela Budette Couttes.

When the young women get there they are not to tell anyone where about’s Urania Cottage is!


Their chores are cooking learning to sew etc they clean & eventually they can leave to go overseas to different parts of the world, Martha was my favourite character she lost her grandmother when young & as we go further on her sister Emily has gone missing, Martha thought she had married the man of her dreams only to find out he was using her, he was a fraud or imposter.

I enjoyed this work of historical fiction it was atmospheric sometimes unbelievable in a good way & how badly women were treated back then.


One thing I want to point out it was a bit confusing towards the end not that it took my enjoyment of this novel away I think the ending was a bit rushed still a solid 4 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok for me. At times I wasn’t sure what the actual plot was and struggled to finish it to be honest. Defo read better by the author. I often think people rate books based on the author alone and not on the actual book itself 🤷‍♀️.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this latest historical fiction much more than the last two of Stacey Hall's novels. I'd say it's purely personal taste.

The Household refers to Urania House, a home for "fallen" women - a project that was set up by Charles Dickens and other philanthropists including Angela Burdett Coutts (yes the banking people). Mr Dickens is barely in the book as Stacey Halls, quite rightly, puts the women centre stage.

We have various women, only some of whose histories we learn throughout the course of the novel including Martha and Emily (who Dickens uses versions of in David Copperfield), Josephine who was a thief and Annie who was in prison with Josephine.

We also delve into the true history of Angela Burdett Coutts who was a survivor of stalking (yes it went on even in the 1800s). Coutts was a fabulously wealthy heiress who struggled to find personal happiness - hardly surprising when she was so traumatised by Richard Dunn, her stalker, who was jailed several times for his behaviour.

Stacey Halls has certainly done these women proud. None of them are portrayed as weak or victims. They are simply women - generally poor, badly educated and given few chances in life. The plan for inmates of Urania House was to educate the women and then give them a new life in one of the colonies - as free women who could choose their own paths in life.

Just as an aside. Angela Burdett Coutts inherited £1.8 million in 1837 (equivalent to £170 million in 2021). After being turned down by the Duke of Wellington when he was old enough to be her grandfather she scandalised society by marrying (at the age of 67) her 29 year old American born secretary. She forfeited 3/5 of her fortune by doing so because a clause in her grandmother's will was designed to deter any marriage to a foreign national. Fascinating stuff.

I really enjoyed this book. Stacey Halls always writes well but the story was, for me, much more interesting than Mrs England or The Foundling.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the advance review copy.

[Charlotte Kersten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of you may know that I went through a hardcore Victorian lit hyperfixation phase in high school that included reading all of Dickens’ novels. This was also my Feminist Awakening era, and the combination of these factors made it a very unique time in my life. With all of this in mind, The Household is pretty much the perfect read for 17 year old Charlotte, and reading it was definitely a restorative act of love for my teenage self. It follows the lives of several women who are meant to restart their lives in Urania House, a social project sponsored by Dickens to “rehabilitate” “fallen” women. The result is thoughtful historical fiction that says a lot about women’s kinship and survival in an era with unjust, hypocritical moral standards that very much reverberate today.

In thinking back over my reading experience, I’m struck by how Halls looks at the extreme class inequality of the Victorian era, its hatred and blame of the poor, and its moral strictures through women’s experiences and the commodification of sexuality. Most of the women at Urania House did survival sex work and were either arrested for that or some form of petty thievery before being offered the chance to learn domestic arts at Uriania House and then emigrate to Australia. While the book never lays the messaging on thick, it’s effective in showing the injustice here, and I was fuming throughout to see these women engage in “immoral” acts to survive in a society that makes their livelihood almost impossible, only to be outcast from that society and have the same men who buy sex from them turn around and call them immoral/fallen/ruined/in need of fixing. Even an immensely wealthy, rich woman like Angela Burdett-Coutts is dismissed by the police, unprotected by the law’s approach to violence against women, and left to protect herself from her stalker with her own resources. The cycle she lives with - him getting arrested, getting released, facing no permanent consequences, and then acting against her again - is one that remains entrenched today.

The relationships between the women are central throughout, and we see how transactional relationships with men are necessary for them to maintain these ties; Josephine supports her girlfriend through sex work and Martha decides to marry the preacher Mr. Bryant for his ability to help her search for her missing sister, for instance. Friendship, sisterhood and romance are all explored well, and Halls also does a great job of showing how these bonds may be challenged by the realities of life for poor people at the time: many of the women have lost track of their families, lost loved ones to illness or hardship, or struggle to maintain contact because they cannot read or write. There are also lots of very grounded little details about the growing trust and affection between the Urania House residents.

I found that the plot got somewhat muddled towards the end where several plot lines combined and resolved very quickly with a lot of coincidences. Several of the women go through quite significant terrible events at this time but their responses in the text are very limited. Perhaps this could be a result of routine violence in their lives, but I found that most of the characters, while fairly solid, lacked a really deep interior focus throughout. I do wish that Halls had been a bit less restrained/muted in this regard. If I’d read this when I was younger I would have been completely obsessed; as it is now, I am very glad I read it and slightly shocked by how much I remembered about the era from my obsession days while reading.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had high promise for this book but felt missed something though

[Jo Rawlins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having seriously loved all Stacey Halls' other books, I was thrilled to read an ARC of The House Hold. An interesting tale set in Victorian England of a house for fallen women.

Surprisingly, it took me the first half really to get into the story and even then the second half was luke warm. Overall, it felt a bit disjointed. There were quite a few characters and although it was easy to keep track of who's who a number of characters felt undeveloped. The subplot following the Richard Dunn character didn't seem necessary. I feel a little disappointed by The House Hold but will still be reading anything Stacey Halls writes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant historical novel, set in Urania House, a home for unfortunate women based on a real place set up by Charles Dickens (who features in the book in a supporting role) One of the benefactors of the home is a wealthy young woman, Angela, whose life has been blighted by a stalker who has remained persistent for over 10 years.
Most of the characters are the young women who become resident at this charitable insitution, whoch provides a safe haven and comfortable lodgings for lasses who have recently left prison, been orphaned, mistreated or otherwise fallen by the wayside.
The characters are wonderfully drawn and the story of their lives is satisfying and complex.
There is Mrs Holdsworth the matron/ housekeeper put in charge of the women, and the residents themselves, scarred Josephine, lonely Martha, seeking her missing sisters, to name just two.
The twists and turns are manifold and the story weaves and winds keeping the reader turning the pages. It provided me with great entertainment over some dull winter days and I applaud the author whose previous works I have also greatly enjoyed.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the very real house for Homeless Women (Urania Cottage) founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts, Stacey Halls has once again managed to explore the poignant realities of life in 19th C Britain, and giving us an insight into the struggles many women faced.

I’ve read and loved all of Halls’ previous books so was beyond excited for the chance to review this. Unfortunately, though I did enjoy reading, it just didn’t live up to my expectations or the depth and emotion that her previous books seem to have.

The writing was still good and the characters (particularly Martha and Josephine) quite relatable and complex but, with the slower pace and muddled plot lines (one of which is never really resolved) I just felt disconnected from our protagonists, which was a shame I saw soo much potential in the opening chapters.

Josephine’s character arc in the second half, and her experiences with poverty, prostitution and crime was interesting, and if we’d had the chance to focus on this a bit more (along with the widespread issues that forced women into such situations) I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more.

Overall, this was a good story, I just felt some of the plot was a little lacking.

Thank you to Manilla Press and Readers First for the finished copy.

[Sophie Breese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the kind of novel I normally read and I hadn’t come across the author before. I am not a pure historical fiction fan - I suppose I would say I prefer more literary historical fiction. Which isn’t to say that this novel is not well written but I think I prefer a more knowing literary text when dealing with history - like novels by Atwood or Sarah Waters.

It took me a long time to read partly because I was on holiday and I think mainly something else which I have been trying to work out. The characterisation was great and the story brilliantly researched and very interesting indeed. I wasn’t sure what the whole shape of the novel was about so perhaps that was why it didn’t resonate with me as much as it might have done. I think I would have preferred a darker edge to the novel. I listened to an interview with the author at the end of the audiobook which was incredibly interesting.

I can see that this would be a five star for many readers. And I may try another novel by Halls.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this I believed Stacey Halls could write no wrong and after reading this, my opinion is confirmed. I wish I hadn’t read it so quickly…This story has a fascinating ensemble of characters, flawed and developed. It even has Charles Dickens flitting about in the background! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Jamie Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two amazing characters in Josephine and Martha but the rest of the book fell flat for me.

Josephine's storyline is genuinely exceptional, and her bond with Alice magical in the beginning, thus making the deterioration of their relationship tragic yet inevitable. The slow, almost boring pace of her life away from the household serves as a brilliant lead up to her prostituting. Her dissatisfaction in this loop of poverty serves makes her return to the household and escape from England imperative.

Similarly, Martha is beautiful. From an indistinct background character to probably the most tragic heroine of the piece. Her brightness and spark is a welcome relief to what I found to be, at times, forgettable prose. My only gripe is that she has two consecutive Dawn Summers-esque 'overhears drama and causes major plot devices' moments.

I didn't particularly care for Angela and found her problems repetitive and her lack of awareness frustrating. This could have been useful and made to expose her lack of knowledge as to the 'plight' of the women in her care, but instead the only person who chastises her for her ignorance is the woman running the household, not one of the girls themselves.

My main gripe with The Household is the insistence that "not all fallen women want to be saved". If that is the novel's aim, it is not achieved. By the end of the book, all of the 'fallen women' rely solely on the house for their salvation from poverty and from misery. I'm not saying this isn't earned, narratively it makes sense given the squalor of Josephine's living arrangements, Martha's abusive marriage, Emily's trafficking etc., however it raises the importance of these relief efforts and the good, upper-class populace who provided and saved these women from dejection. I found this problematic and also inaccurate, especially given the failure of The Rise of the Social movement in the Victorian Era and its derision by the working class. I think the bones of the novel are brilliant, but the execution misses hugely and I was left wanting.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the author explains in her Historical Note, The Household has its basis in historical fact. Charles Dickens, and his friend Angela Burdett-Coutts, really did establish a home for ‘fallen’ women. Described by the author as ‘a halfway house between a refuge and a social experiment’, the intention was that the women – “rescued” from jails, hospitals and workhouses – would be educated, trained for domestic service and then sent to start a new life overseas.

In the book, Dickens stays pretty much in the shadows making only infrequent visits to Urania Cottage in order to record the women’s life stories. One can imagine these forming the basis for some of the female characters in his novels: prostitutes, thieves, women betrayed or reduced to penury. However, he becomes the unwitting accomplice to a deception later in the book.

To outward appearances Angela Burdett-Coutts has everything. She’s extremely wealthy, lives in a magnificent house, possesses a wardrobe of beautiful gowns, and has a glittering circle of acquaintances. Her life experiences are far removed from those of the women of Urania Cottage. Although well-intentioned, her desire to have them learn to play musical instruments or master foreign languages shows just how out of touch she is. But in a way she’s trapped too, by an obsessive stalker who has made her life a misery and means she must be protected not just when she leaves her house but at home too. Interestingly, she has something like an obsession of her own, with a man she counts as a friend but would like to be something more.

Life at Urania Cottage follows a strict and ordered regime but is humane compared with what the women have experienced before: comforts such as clean linen, plentiful and nourishing food, hot water to wash in. The house is presided over by the extremely efficient Mrs Holdsworth who, although at first sight appearing rather stern, has the women’s best interests at heart. She proves this through the course of the book, especially when tragedy strikes as she knows what it’s like to suffer loss.

Although we meet a number of the occupants of Urania Cottage, the book focuses mainly on two of the women: Martha and Josephine. The circumstances that have brought them to Urania Cottage are different but they have both found themselves on the margins of society. Martha is desperately searching for her sister Emily who has unaccountably disappeared from her situation as a maid in a wealthy household. Josephine has also been parted from someone she cared for, someone she believed cared for her. Although very different in character, they form a bond and, during the course of the book, both experience moments of desperation that see them make unwise choices.

The men in the book are not particularly pleasant characters, with the honourable exception of Frank, Mrs Holdsworth’s son, who plays a pivotal role towards the end of the book. But there are unattractive female characters too: brothel keepers, procuresses and stern prison warders.

The author cleverly brings together the different threads of the story at the end of the book giving us a glimpse of a more hopeful future for some of the women even if that means them leaving everything – and everyone – they have known behind.

The Household with its rich cast of characters, skilfully crafted storyline and authentic period detail is a thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable historical novel.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

The household of the title here is Urania Cottage, a house for 'fallen women', which aimed to train them up for service and provide them with a fresh start and was set up by amongst others, Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett Coutts, (of the banking family). Charles Dickens barely features in the story, but Angela does; at the time she was trying to get the cottage working, she was being plagued by a stalker who had just recently been released from prison.

We also get the stories of some of the girls who have ended up in Urania Cottage, mainly Martha and Josephine, with the various threads all coming together towards the end.

I found this one less enjoyable than other novels by this author, possibly partly to do with the multiple story lines in this one. That said, Stacey Halls is one of the few contemporary novelists that I always read, so a less enjoyable book from her is still worth my time.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

[Sarah Oakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling all Dickensian fans!!.... You NEED this book!

✒️She does it again!!! @staceyhallsauthor who brought us The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England, strikes Dickensian gold with what I think is her best novel to date.

🏚️A home for the redemption of ‘fallen women’, Urania Cottage was co-founded by Charles Dickens in Shepherd’s Bush on the then western outskirts of London in the late 1840s following an approach by Angela Burdett-Coutts, heiress to the Coutts banking fortune. The Protagonists in the story are not only Angels the Heiress herself but also some of the "fallen women" who are offered the opportunity to stay at Urania Cottage, we learn if this is a beneficial choice for them or not!

✒️This author has the exquisite knack of combining lesser know historical and factual events and adds a lil sprinkling of fiction to form a story.
I'd never heard of Urania house before but since finishing the book I've inevitably fallen down the Google rabbit hole 🕳️ on the topic.

Even though it's denied, I'm convinced a motive for Dickens involvement was to gleen some true to life experiences from the residents of Urania Cottage for fodder for his novels..but regardless it was a wonderful project to give opportunities to those that needed it so badly

I've added a lil photo of my from The Charles Dickens museum in London, if ever you have chance to visit you must!

This dropped onto my Netgalley inbox just a few days ago but I knew I had to read it straight away...it's a winner!

✒️PUB DATE 11th APRIL 2024

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Headlines:
"Fallen" women
Support and interference
Strange plot device

I have mixed feelings about The Household, the premise of which sounded very promising but the execution felt unpleasing and sometimes lacking in lustre. The story was based on a house for rehabilitating women who had been in prison for various reasons, not all criminal. There were a few benefactors, Charles Dickens and a rich spinster, Angela.

The young women, especially Martha and Josephine were the most interesting characters. Where the plot went a little strange was where the story did full circle related to a stalker that Angela had had for over a decade. The whole story of Angela and Mr Dunn didn't appeal to me and then when that linked up with the household, I was even less keen. The side story of Angela and the Duke was poorly explained and I disliked the wrap up. The ending felt a little rushed and again, a lack of depth to how it culminated left it feeling weak.

The story is supposed to be feminist and yet it lacked an empowering female stance. In fact, the way the women from lower classes were characterised when it came to men, portrayed them as jumping for attention and proposals from a man.

This book isn't bad but it was slow to start and the plot wasn't to my taste. Overall, I wanted to love this book but ended up somewhat disappointed.

Thank you to Manilla Press for the review copy.

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Household by Stacey Halls is set in London in 1847 and centres around the real life opening of Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush. British philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts was one of the wealthiest women in England and a rich benefactor of the project along with Charles Dickens (yes, THE Charles Dickens). Set up in secret to offer fallen young women a new start in life, young girls - including prostitutes, thieves, orphans and model prisoners released from gaol - were offered the opportunity to live in the cottage, learn all of the skills necessary to enter into service and ultimately move to the colonies.

Inspired by history, The Household is told my multiple narrators, including the benefactor Burdett-Coutts, the housekeeper and several residents living at the cottage. This makes for plenty of drama playing out in the richly appointed cottage.

The young girls come from all backgrounds, but I was really moved when one of the characters described the conditions of the female prisoners picking oakum (unravelling rope) at the Tothill Fields, Westminster House of Correction.

"The new girls often cry when their necks hurt and their eyes sting. Most are there a week or two, then vanish; some are on their sixth, seventh, eighth term, as though Tothill Fields is a hotel they return to at leisure. Above the platform, a painted sign declares PRISONERS ARE NOT TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. The room is quiet but never silent, punctuated every few seconds with a sigh, a sneeze, a cough. Now it is November, the infirmary is full, and the morgue waits below like a baby bird with its beak open." Page 32

Well written and expertly researched, I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the project, the daily structure and routines at Urania Cottage and of course the challenges faced by the residents.

Thankfully Charles Dickens is a background character in this tale, regularly interviewing the girls about their history and downfall in an effort to prove they can be reformed and return to society. Here Martha reflects on everything that led her to Urania Cottage:

"But a fall is swift, sudden, when really it isn't like that at all. They imagine it to be a seduction or a moment of weakness, as if we carry this precious thing in a little box on our person. But it isn't a single thing, a single moment. It's more like a series of little deaths." Page 105

Along with Burdett-Coutts and the matron of Urania Cottage, the reader comes to care for the characters, although sadly not all want to be saved. Finally, one of the girls (Martha) reflects on her changing fortunes:

"She looks back upon their meeting now with the distance of time, thinking how wondrous life is. Not long ago she was paying a penny to sleep over a rope in a boarding-house; now she is the wife of a clergyman." Page 254

The Household by Stacey Halls is my fourth book by the author and each of them have been 5 star reads. They have all been stand alone historical fiction novels and I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Highly recommended!

[Angharad Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite literally devoured this book in about 2 sittings! I love the way Stacey Halls writes and I get really invested in the characters!
I can’t wait to read more by this author!

[Dan Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urania Cottage, formed and built to help the formation of habits of firmness and self-restraint to promote good industry, temper, propriety of conduct, truthfulness, temperance, order, and of course cleanliness. Selected fallen women could be given a lifeline, a new chance, but as they will learn, nothing comes with zero cost attached…
In the quiet house in the countryside away from the business and non-stop cacophony of London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women who are to be given a second lease of life, a fresh beginning, should they willingly accept.
The house along with those who reside within its hushed walls are unknown to one another, but those who dwell inside Urania Cottage all share one trait: they are fallen. Offering refuge and solace for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania may be their salvation. Or their new cage.
Meanwhile, just a short carriage ride away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burnett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of this new enterprise known as Urania Cottage, is about to make a discovery that will chill her to the very bone as she learns her stalker of many years has been released from his shackles in prison and could be coming for her but surely after all of these years he has lost interest in her, but as time ticks on, she cannot help but let her thoughts run rampant, and wonder just how she came to be in this position to begin with…
Two very different worlds start to blend into each other like blood soaking into the finest silk, and both sides of the walls of Urania Cottage will see that freedom always comes with a hefty price, with some unable to pay.
A welcome return from one of the great writers of historical fiction, Stacey Halls again weaves a tale of both harrowing courage, and raw emotion.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've loved some of Halls' books and I had high hopes for this one but it just doesn't quite work. The plot is too slow and meandering, honestly about half way through I felt as bored as the girls in the house.

[thea 🧚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of sad that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as stacey halls’ other books (which I devoured in two sittings). The premise of this book is so interesting and and the historical detail is fascinating. However I feel as though I am left wanting more.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First attempt: DNF at 120. Just can’t get into this one at all.

Second attempt: I listened on audio. Still struggled a bit, an awful lot of characters, but finished.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really in my historical and women’s fiction era at the moment and I really enjoy this authors writing! She has a way of building suspense and keeping you hooked! Full of feminine rage, connections through shared trauma and the bonds formed through shared experiences.

Loved that Martha’s character was actually based on a real life woman and her life story, I love it when authors blend reality and fiction together.

Really enjoyed this!! (The pacing was a bit slow to start with)

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story rooted in history, however tenuously!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Urania Cottage in Shepherd’s Bush, London, was a home for ‘fallen women’ founded in 1846 by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts. Their vision was to provide a safe place for young women to rehabilitate after serving prison sentences or working on the streets as prostitutes. At Urania Cottage they would receive an education and the opportunity to train as domestic servants, enabling them to start new, more respectable lives overseas. In her latest novel, The Household, Stacey Halls imagines the stories of some of these women.

During the period covered in the novel, there are many young women staying at Urania Cottage, but Halls chooses to focus on two of them. One is Martha who, while trying to rebuild her own life at the cottage, is also worrying about her sister, Emily, who has disappeared. As Martha grows more desperate about Emily, she is driven to make a decision she may later regret. The other is Josephine, who had expected a close friend to accompany her to Urania Cottage. When the friend never arrives, Josephine must decide whether to continue participating in the scheme or leave in search of happiness elsewhere.

Dickens himself is mentioned now and then but always stays in the background, never becoming an actual character in the novel. Angela Burdett-Coutts, on the other hand, has a much larger role. We meet Angela as a woman in her early thirties who several years earlier inherited a fortune from her banker grandfather, making her one of England’s wealthiest people. She is becoming known as a philanthropist and Urania Cottage is one of her first big projects.

Angela’s privileged lifestyle means she struggles to truly understand the needs of the women at the cottage, but she and Dickens both enter into the project with the best intentions. However, despite Angela’s wealth and position she still has problems of her own to deal with – such as being stalked by Richard Dunn. She had thought she was safe from Dunn when he was sent to prison for four years, but now he’s been released early and is on her trail again. As I read, I wondered whether this was a fictitious storyline, but I looked it up and found that, yes, Richard Dunn was a real person and did obsessively pursue Angela Burdett-Coutts as described in the book. It seems that other parts of the novel I had assumed were invented were also based on historical fact; after finishing the book I was interested to learn that many of the incidents described as happening at Urania Cottage were taken from Dickens’ letters to Angela and even inspired his own David Copperfield.

The Household is fascinating in many ways, yet it’s probably my least favourite of Stacey Halls’ books. The separate stories of Angela, Josephine and Martha never quite blend together properly and give the novel a disjointed feel. I found the first half very slow and although there’s a twist towards the end that I hadn’t seen coming, it happens too late to really change the way I felt about the book overall. Still, I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to learn about life at Urania Cottage and will look forward to whatever Stacey Halls writes next.

[Nads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Stacey Halls. She is just a brilliant Historical Fiction writer. She find stories to tell and tells them with such passion. This book was no mean feat. There were so many characters and angles of the story to tell and Halls did it perfectly with strong writing style. The characters were well developed despite there being quite a few.
The story itself is a heartwarming one. A venture set up by a committee of benefactors to rehome and re-educate young women who have fallen on hard times and have recently got out of prison. One such benefactors is Charles Dickens, the great writer, who isn't prominent in the book by plays a certain part. The main benefactor, Miss Burdett-Coutts is a kind-hearted but lonely woman, who in her 30s and despite her large wealth, has noone to share it with but close family friends and help Dr and Mrs Brown. Throughout the novel, she is plagued by a stalker who had made life hard for decades because she refuses to marry him. His obsession ends up effecting the girls at Urania Cottage, whose lives and outlook drastically change due to the love and care or Mrs Holdsworth (the matron), her son Frank and Mrs Burdett Coutts herself.
The girls were also wel developed, focusing mainly on two of them whose choices effect everyone.
A scandal ensues and its up to everyone to protect the girls at Urania Cottage before they embark on a life changing adventure to foreign lands to work and start fresh.

I find Hall's books easy to read so I had no problem going back to it. The ending felt a bit rushed and was tidied up a bit too quickly for me. I would have liked to delve into the stalker a bit more and would have liked to read about a more pronounced comeuppance.

That being said, I'm a Stacey Hall's fan and will always be reaching for her new books when they arrive.

[Angelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really loved all of Halls' other works, but this one didn't work as well for me. The story line is intriguing - I'd never heard of Urania Cottage or its history, so I appreciated being introduced to this early form of reform/redemption/halfway house sort of thing. I also appreciate that Halls clearly did a lot of research and you can see it in the descriptions. However, the descriptions can sometimes be overwhelming and it simultaneously feels as if a lot and nothing are happening at the same time. It might be that we are moving through so many different story lines with so many different characters, which eventually kind of come together. That didn't really give much opportunity to feel connected with any of the characters in a meaningful way. None of the romances really made much sense to me because either the male characters weren't developed enough or we just couldn't see the relationship developing. The ending had many happy coincidences that maybe brought things together too quickly and easily.

I still enjoyed reading it - it's an interesting subject and Halls is a good writer, but I didn't love it and did find myself skimming past some of the descriptions. I will continue to read new works by Halls, but I'm not sure if I would revisit this one.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This shouldn't have felt boring as the premise was definitely intriguing with real life historical figures and events setting a backdrop for other fictional characters and their stories. The social injustice of Victorian London is something I would normally find interesting. 

But this feels too episodic in plot structure. I became quickly bored with things looking like something happening which then turned out to be nothing. The characters were underdeveloped and Halls didn't give me chance to take time to get to know them and connect with them in their troubles. So, therefore, instead I didn't care. The pacing was all wrong tripping through plot with a disposable attitude rather than care in building moments of emotion and significance.

DNFd at 29%. I often feel that books based on fact can fall foul to the level of research and historical accuracy at the expense of good story and character development - it's a hard balance and this book didn't work for me.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me will know that queen of historical fiction, Stacey Halls, is one of my favourite authors ever - so I'm very grateful/excited to have been approved for an advanced copy of her newest novel, The Household! (Huge thank you to NetGalley and Manilla Press!)

The Household is set at Urania Cottage, a real-life house for 'fallen women' founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts (who feature as characters in the book!) back in the 1800s. We follow a group of young women who are sent to the institution following release from prison - and in true Stacey Halls style, there's some dark twists and turns along the way.

Did I love this one as much as Stacey Halls' other books? Maybe not. My attention started to waver a little bit, hence the 4 stars, but I did still love it nevertheless. If you've got this one on pre-order or are planning to buy it in April, then you're in for a treat!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Stacey Halls tells a bewitching story which transcends the limits of social classes, and focuses on female characters. I absolutely adored the characters in this book, particularly enjoying how multifaceted they were. Moreover, kindness - whether searching for it or bequeathing it - is quite an important theme, balanced between compulsory acts of service and decisive justice.
I found interesting that the characters question technical legalities on various scales, especially when they compared stealing stockings to colonising a whole country.
Another historical fiction book to treasure on our shelves!

[Hatti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely read with some good plot twists