The House at Sunset

House #3

by Norah Lofts

“At the age of seven I was a skilful pickpocket. I could also sew neatly, write a tolerable hand, make a curtsey and a tolerable introduction, dance a little and play simple tunes on the harpsichord ... I saw nothing strange in one day running barefoot and the next mincing along in silk hose and satin slippers.”

From street urchin daughter of an inveterate gambler to mistress of the Old Vine, Felicity Hatton’s story begins the last part of Norah Lofts’ enduringly popular Suffolk Trilogy which began with The Town House and continued with The House at Old Vine. With the coming of the 20th century, the house was in decline—soon to be broken into apartments and shops, including a café serving the increasingly poorer passing trade. For Public Health Inspector Jonathan Roper it was a disgrace that should be demolished without further ado.

But whether they loved it or hated it, the the Old Vine had affected every person who came into contact with it. Their stories were woven into the house’s timber, bricks and mortar; the ghosts of love, hate, jealousy, deceit and murder haunted it—and when the very fabric of the house itself was threatened, the battle for its survival must commence.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Romance, Audiobook, Historical Romance

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

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

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

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

Reviews

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Norah Lofts that I ever read. I was living in Suffolk when I walked into the base library in a big hurry as I didn't have much time and grabbed this one as they had nicely placed it in a display so it attracted my attention. She managed to make this old house absolutely fascinating to me and I never had much interest in houses until this one. I was hooked from that moment on and had to read more and more of these and now own most of them.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of the trio, House at Sunset- is my least favorite of the three for this Old Vine building. BUT it is still 3.5 star and I rounded it up for the skill in which Norah Lofts changes the narrators' sensibilities as the centuries turn. The 18th century, it still has far more "thought hours" concerned with food/shelter- basic work, than it does with more what we would call First World Problems of today (anxiety, depression, desires unfulfilled, education or fame as a goal- all those kinds of problems). Before this, the class status (fixed for the majority) of work purpose to eat and sleep, that was always number #1 coupled with manipulative power of influence to control those first two essentials (food and shelter).

NOW- not at all. Beginning in the 1800's and definitely in the latter parts of that century, food availability seems a given. Even if you DO have to steal it. Regardless, it is THERE.

And that exact difference is what Lofts grabs in this last novel of the trio. But it is my least favorite because it is so sad. Sad, not only in decline of the building, but also in its division and in the entire comprehension of what it means to its occupants. Until this last 150 years (this ends just after WWII) of the saga- there is always some human who seems to hold OLD VINE house as his/her core. Not now. Not even the inspector from the Baildon's Building Code bureaucracy feels any depth to or for it, IMHO.

Lofts is best before about 1850. Her Felicity here!! And the character David. Both are rather departures in the modern sense of being, more or less, all of one-piece personalities. Now it has become all about druthers and escapades (or should I really say escapes). Individuals have some choices? And Lofts doesn't do the moderns to the depths as she does for the characters of simpler times, wants, needs, and power structures of far smaller size.

Lofts tries to make this one a circle, so that some of the end characters revert back to something tied to the very beginning of the building. So we have a return to an Abbey, for instance. And another black haired stranger. Other minutia, too. Which is interesting for those who think of karma or growing/shrinking over and over again, or some kind of balance as a life force or history circle. Certainly some of the very threads of this house's history of conflicts are repeated. But in this particular book, I do think the connections for all symbolism; it tended to break. In fact, during the last 100 years we are not seeing a descendant at all. It is more just a history of buyers or traders for the house.

Sad too.

One thing I absolutely do know. Few writers grab little girls with too much imagination or ego as Norah Lofts did. Not in any age for the writing OR for the character written.

She does better on older men than most writers too. And in siblings, if they "fit" or "not"- especially after adulthood.

This is not the Lofts book that should be read as a stand alone, IMHO.

As we leave Baildon, it now has 20,000 residents. And for the first time, not everyone native knows everyone, nor their extended families. The railway is not as important because vehicles can take you anywhere. And because of that the Station Street, Southgate, Abbot's Walk and all else is worth a pittance to what it was. Location, location, location.

Some of us know all about that bugger that is the real in real estate. So a lifetime of industry and work may result in being "underwater" for the longest staying. One of the lessons here that once again rolls around on the wheel of fortune. Again and again. Maybe the answer for the wise is to keep moving on. A slight spoiler. Ironically in this last book, most of the narrators do. Not as in former centuries where some lived and died in the same house.

One thing I did notice. I believe both series and most of her books have a Plant (surname)in them. And that person always seems to have dreams of moving away. And yet, they never seem to have accomplished that at all when you are reading 200 years later in the history.

[Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was no philosopher, but it seemed to me that I could see straight; simply because this life was the only one we had, it should be as good as we could make it.

This (third) part of 'House' series was more a collection of stories around/about the house at Old Vine than a family saga (like two other parts). These stories took place between the first half of XVIII century and the fifties of XX. There were seven stories, the shortest had only around twenty pages.

You could see faster changes, social and economic. There was also a more noticeable issue of women's lot, their rights and a role in the society. So, this book showed very well the changes of the last two hundred years.

Real knowledge drifts into the mind imperceptibly.

What I love especially in Norah Lofts' writing is her a non-judgmental way of describing the characters. The character may have been a good naive person or a murderer - Lofts treated them all the same. She was a storyteller, not a judge.

A good daughter, they say. A cattle-dealer's daughter who dreamed too long and woke up too sudden.

Some stories were very touching. I have even cried one time.

It was good while it lasted, wasn't it?

All those tales (from all three books) contained many emotions: sadness, anger, fear, love, hate, resignation, hope. I can't tell they were heartwarming novels. Most of the heroes and heroines didn't get what they wanted. But seeing it as a whole you can feel that you are a part of something bigger, that although your struggles, your life seem to be next to nothing, nonetheless you are this tiny part and nobody/nothing can erase you, your even tiny, tiny mark.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the House trilogy, this one abandoned the genealogical thread of the first two after its opening stories. The focus now is only on the house and the stories of the unrelated people who lived and worked there from the 1800s to mid-1950s. As a result, I think, I was better able to recognize the metaphorical dimensions of all three books. This was an enjoyable reading experience. The trilogy provided an informative, easy to digest history of England from the 14th to mid-20th centuries; it offered realistic, engaging characters; it reflected the memes that animated the British culture in each era; it provoked through its depiction of the variety of ways that people succumb to or take direction of their destinies and the often unintended consequences of both approaches.

[John Newcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the remarkable end of a tremendous trilogy and possibly the best of the three. The books tell the story of a house from the middle ages to the 1950s and how it changed and the people who lived in it. This book takes us from Georgian England to post war austerity. The residents include the good, the bad and the ugly and one hopes the old vine survived 1960s destructive planning.

[Teresa “Teri” · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

The last in The Suffolk Trilogy, by Norah Lofts. Not what I had expected, but still excellent in a different way. I’m glad I’m now aquatinted with Ms. Lofts’ writing!

[Fiona Brichaut · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope I live long enough to forget this trilogy so I can read it all over again and enjoy it a second time.

Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book of the Suffolk House series. In this succession of stories of those who lived in Old Vine (from the 14th to the 20th centuries) there is no repetition. Every story is unique. Each character is unique. The settling and history uniquely fits the time of each story. I suspect this series has a touch of genius about it. That is what kept me reading. The series probably deserves 5 stars but subjectively I’m rating it 3. I didn’t love it. The stories were just ok.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third of the Suffolk trilogy and every bit as good as the others. I was dreading coming to the end but all is resolved in a most satisfactory manner- I might have known Norah Lofts wouldn't let me down! I only wish someone would write a history of the house from the 1950's (where this one ends) to the present day.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this four stars although I didn't enjoy it quite a much as the first two in the series. Perhaps because the house is losing it's character now and the stories are more modern and less connected to each other. However it's still a very well written book, with engaging characters and compelling little tales of human trials and tribulations.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It spans the mid-eighteenth century to the 1950s through the lives of seven owners of the house. This is the third book in the Suffolk House trilogy by Norah Lofts. I think that Norah Lofts is a wonderful writer and give this story an A+!

[Jan Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love her characters-it as if I get to know them personally and sad when they leave and I don't get to know what happens next! Excellent read.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is my first written review of this book, it isn't my first time reading it. In fact, I'm not even sure how many times I have read it, but it must be 3 or 4 times. That alone gives an indication that it is one of my favorite "comfort" reads! It is that, for sure, although this time through I did read it with a more critical eye and discovered some flaws that didn't bother me before, but now rankle somewhat. The author uses some language and attitudes in expressing the fictional opinions of one of her narrators, Lydia Walker, that would never have been used in the 1850's, the time period of her "tale." Through-out the book, there are several continuity issues which should have been picked up by careful editing.
However, any book by Norah Lofts, despite a few errors, is almost always going to be far better than any current book of historical fiction! This author is a master storyteller who knows her history and how to use her narrative skills! She is just a delight to read because one becomes immersed in the interwoven lives of the families who dwell in the environs of her fictional world in and around Layer Wood. These families make appearances in all her books which are set in her home county of Suffolk. This particular tale is the third and last part of her "House" trilogy, the others being: THE TOWN HOUSE and THE HOUSE AT OLD VINE. Of the three, I feel this one is the least enjoyable. It may be because the house itself is now in decline and it is painful to think of it sliding away into obscurity and ruin. Also, she brings it up to what was the present day when it was written, but even that, 1956, is now a long time ago, so that one can't help but wonder what its fate may have been at this late date. I found the ending unsatisfying and loose-ended.
Although I admire the author, Norah Lofts, tremendously, she does not go in for the traditional happy ending and most of her books are bittersweet at best. This one is even more somber than most! Having said that, it's still a great read and one I will continue to turn to when I want to feel comfortable in a well-known story that feels like home.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy is about a house, built in the late 1300s, on land given to Martin Reed, escaped serf (read slave) by the monks of the Baildon monastery for services rendered. The land once was a vineyard but now the vines were so old they wouldn't grow. From Martin's lifetime, through one phase to the next, through very different proprietors, each with their own fascinating stories - the narrative is helped by "Interludes" that explain the stories of individuals - the house evolves, though it's different incarnations in the 20th century into something very different, unrecognisable, in fact, from the house that Martin Reed built. The disappointments of some of the residents are very sad - Hatton Follet, for example, who truly loved the house, to the daughter of the last private owner, who also loved it as a child but whose hopes to buy it back - I won't say more because it would be a spoiler. I could have cried when a public health inspector finds the true extent of the house 's descent into squalor, but rest assured the end isn't as it seemed it would be. One thing - there is one character, the son of a saintly butcher - whose own story I will simply have to imagine from the hints Ms Lofts gives. This is the last in a trilogy that anyone interested in historical fiction will love

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final volume in the House trilogy that follows the Old Vine and the people who lived in it from when it is built in the late 14th century through its decline in the 20th century. The House at Sunset begins in the mid-18th century and concludes in the 1950s. During these two hundred years, the Old Vine goes from a fading but still lovely house to a dilapidated and ramshackle block of storefronts and cheap apartments. When it is threatened with demolition, it gets a reprieve due to its history and the possibility of an unlikely rescue.
I>The House at Sunset has an interesting cast of characters, and an equally interesting look at the way an old building interacts with the onslaught of modernity. It's a very bittersweet book, however, as it chronicles a decline and thus most of the house's inhabitants suffer from bad decisions, bad luck, or a combination of the two. There are no truly happy endings and a lot of uncertainty. Still, Lofts gives a compelling portrait of ordinary people and their lives from the Enlightenment to the present.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely engrossing.
This is the 3rd of Lofts’ “House” trilogy spanning from the 15th through the 20th centuries.
Central to the books is the house built on an old abbey vineyard in Suffolk. The property is enlarged upon and adapted to fit the times and the owners.
Through 5 centuries and portraying a vast cast of characters who either live in the house or have a close connection, underlying is always the emotional and psychological connection to home experienced (positive or negative) by the characters.
Lofts never panders and the writing is subtle, never heavy handed, trite or predictable.
She assumes the reader knows history and that references to historical events will be understood.
Just fascinating and enlightening!

[Allie Cresswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favourite of all the books. I was sorry that the original family gave up the house to strangers. I found it increasingly difficult to visualise Old Vine in its more recent iterations. I wished there were some schematics or illustrations.
I see now that this book isn’t as much about the house as I thought. It’s about the succession of people who lived there and, as such, is really a sequence of vignettes or short stories, all set in the same place. I like the concept, but it isn’t what I recall from my first readings so many years ago.

[Margaret Conmey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Definitely the weakest of the trilogy with fewer links to the house
After the first story the family association with the house has ended and the house is divided into shops
The house declined fro the 1850s -1950s til it seemed likely to be demolished but was saved in the last story
Although one or two good chapters/ short stories ( the First World War story and the last one) overall I found this book disappointing

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked book 1.

Book 2 was boring.
This one started off quite interesting, the girl was a pickpocket..and then later the one who didn't marry except then a wanderer...

But then it descended into a lot of dreary tales of people coming and going, into the place, the place being sold, chopped up into shops and various unrelated people coming and going.
Then it ended. There was no real tale to it except here's some people who lived part of the time, here.

Meh.

[Marjorie P Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book at times. A few chapters were good but yet many were boring, the characters uninteresting. I didn’t care about them at all. The first two books of this Vine trilogy were excellent, and I believe the second book to be the best. I did like how the story came full circle in this third book and a happy ending appears on the horizon.

[Pat Sharratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars

Really enjoyed this trilogy, have given first two books 5 stars but, because of some of the racist inclusions in the latter part of the book which I found quite offensive, I have deducted two stars.

[Sheila Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Canterbury Tales" revisited.

I have finished reading all three books. They remind me greatly of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" except that instead of miles the travelers go through the centuries. Each one has a message in its tale but are linked together through time by a house.

[HDubois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about: the last of a trilogy covering from the middle of 18th to the middle of the 20th century.
I liked: AS always the different characters throughout the different generations
I didn't like: I thought the last story was a bit too easy, it missed the intricacies of the others. I would have liked a more surprising end.

[Thomas Tesdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all three of the books and enjoyed everyone but some of the stories in the third book seemed to finish rather abruptly. This did not detract from my enjoyment of the Nora Lofts book

[Nancy M Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorest of the three.

Disjointed, separate stories, only vaguely connected to the Old Vine. I enjoyed the first two, but not this one. Sorry.

[L B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first two.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The closer this got to the present, the less I liked it, but it’s still a tour de force.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a happy ending, this is.not the series for you. If you wasn't murder, mayhem, disasters and unhappy love relationships, then these are for you.

[Susan Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The house at sunset

The diverse story writing ability of this author is mind boggling. For a history buff, the jump from generation to generation is soul feeding

[Gena Lott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third and last book in Lofts's series about the English manor house.
A great ending.
Learned a lot of historical facts from this series.