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The House of Memories
A tender and deeply moving novel from a million-copy bestselling author. Perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes, this is a story about how sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones that matter most. Following a tragic accident, Ella O'Hanlon flees to the other side of the world in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoilt half-sister. In London, Ella is taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, whose extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her. Along with other members of the very colourful Fox family, Lucas helps Ella to see that she is not the only one still hurting, and that forgiveness can be the greatest healer in a family and in a marriage.
___________ Praise for Monica 'Monica McInerney is at the very top of her game . . . If you've yet to read her books, treat yourselves IMMEDIATELY!' Patricia Scanlan, bestselling author of A Time For Friends 'You'll be laughing out loud one minute and crying the next ' Cosmopolitan ' Heart-warming . . . A lovely read' Hello! Magazine 'McInerney is a must-read author for women's fiction fans around the world' Huffington Post 'The sort of feel-good read you long to get back to' Hilary Boyd, bestselling author of Thursdays In The Park 'Exploring universal family issues of loss, rivalry, ageing and grief, this is a warm, witty and moving novel' Woman's Day 'McInerney's bewitching multigenerational saga lavishly and lovingly explores the resiliency and fragility of family bonds' Booklist 'A world of family, love, warmth and heartbreaking secrets that will sweep you up . . . Superb' Books of all Kinds 'You'll be laughing in one breath, crying in the next . . . If you haven't discovered McInerney yet, now is the time to do so' Better Reading
___________ Praise for Monica 'Monica McInerney is at the very top of her game . . . If you've yet to read her books, treat yourselves IMMEDIATELY!' Patricia Scanlan, bestselling author of A Time For Friends 'You'll be laughing out loud one minute and crying the next ' Cosmopolitan ' Heart-warming . . . A lovely read' Hello! Magazine 'McInerney is a must-read author for women's fiction fans around the world' Huffington Post 'The sort of feel-good read you long to get back to' Hilary Boyd, bestselling author of Thursdays In The Park 'Exploring universal family issues of loss, rivalry, ageing and grief, this is a warm, witty and moving novel' Woman's Day 'McInerney's bewitching multigenerational saga lavishly and lovingly explores the resiliency and fragility of family bonds' Booklist 'A world of family, love, warmth and heartbreaking secrets that will sweep you up . . . Superb' Books of all Kinds 'You'll be laughing in one breath, crying in the next . . . If you haven't discovered McInerney yet, now is the time to do so' Better Reading
428 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
162 people are currently reading
2273 people want to read
About the author
Monica McInerney
46 books1,127 followerswww.monicamcinerney.com
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Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling author of twelve novels including The Godmothers, The Trip of a Lifetime, Hello from the Gillespies, The House of Memories, Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters and Those Faraday Girls (named General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards) and a short story collection, All Together Now. Her first children's book, Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat, will be published in Australia/NZ in November 2021.
Monica, 56, grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley wine region of South Australia, where her father was the railway stationmaster and her mother worked in the local library. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked in children’s television, tourism festivals, book publishing, arts marketing, the music industry and as a waitress, a hotel cleaner, a Kindergym instructor and a temp. For nearly thirty years she and her Irish husband have been moving back and forth between Australia and Ireland. They are currently in Australia.
Visit her website at www.monicamcinerney.com
facebook.com/monicamcinerneyauthor
instagram.com/monicamcinerneyauthor
Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling author of twelve novels including The Godmothers, The Trip of a Lifetime, Hello from the Gillespies, The House of Memories, Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters and Those Faraday Girls (named General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards) and a short story collection, All Together Now. Her first children's book, Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat, will be published in Australia/NZ in November 2021.
Monica, 56, grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley wine region of South Australia, where her father was the railway stationmaster and her mother worked in the local library. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked in children’s television, tourism festivals, book publishing, arts marketing, the music industry and as a waitress, a hotel cleaner, a Kindergym instructor and a temp. For nearly thirty years she and her Irish husband have been moving back and forth between Australia and Ireland. They are currently in Australia.
Visit her website at www.monicamcinerney.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
January 19, 2019
My reading experiences with Monica McInerney are uneven - some good, some just okay. The House of Memories is just okay.
On the one hand it is incredibly emotional. A baby is dead and every member of the family is grieving which brought tears to my eyes many times. Somehow though it ended up like a competiton over who was grieving the most or who had the most reason to be the sad. My sympathy ended up with Aiden who was genuinely heart broken but still managed to act like an adult human being. Ella not so much.
The story was told from different POVs which was a good idea since there is only so much heart break one can take from one person at a time. I loved Lucas and Charlie but Jess.....? I did understand what the author was trying to do and that Jess was a totally unreliable narrator but I struggled to read her chapters at all.
So I had my ups and downs with it but I was certainly interested and there was no way I would have not finished it.
On the one hand it is incredibly emotional. A baby is dead and every member of the family is grieving which brought tears to my eyes many times. Somehow though it ended up like a competiton over who was grieving the most or who had the most reason to be the sad. My sympathy ended up with Aiden who was genuinely heart broken but still managed to act like an adult human being. Ella not so much.
The story was told from different POVs which was a good idea since there is only so much heart break one can take from one person at a time. I loved Lucas and Charlie but Jess.....? I did understand what the author was trying to do and that Jess was a totally unreliable narrator but I struggled to read her chapters at all.
So I had my ups and downs with it but I was certainly interested and there was no way I would have not finished it.
January 8, 2013
I felt uneasy through a fair bit of this book. At first I wasn't sure whether I was being played with, but then I realised the story line is pretty straight forward, even though it ranges over a number of different points of view and deftly incorporates a variety of styles.
There's the first-person narrative of the brittle main character Ella; the stage-managed diary entries of her narcissistic younger half-sister, Jess; the folksy-jolly emails of her step-brother Charlie; and the heartfelt letters of her estranged husband Aidan.
The aspects of the various styles and characters that unnerved and sometimes irritated me, I discovered, were carefully crafted: I was meant to feel that way. Just as I was meant, slowly, to come to see the complexity behind the tragic events that provide the background to this story.
Last year, as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, I came across a genre-bending category: "family drama with elements of crime". I'm not sure this book fits: it's perhaps not dark enough; but it's almost. The story is very human. It portrays characters who act and react badly, who have been driven to extremes by circumstances. Who don't or can't always see things from others' points of view.
It's a moving and uneven story; uneven not through lack of writerly skill, but because the narrations of the characters - and the characters themselves - aren't always what they seem.
Who will enjoy The House of Memories? People who love reading about Aussie ex-pats in London and imperfect blended families; and readers who don't mind being stretched emotionally in a way that resolves with a sense of hope, if not happiness, at the end.
There's the first-person narrative of the brittle main character Ella; the stage-managed diary entries of her narcissistic younger half-sister, Jess; the folksy-jolly emails of her step-brother Charlie; and the heartfelt letters of her estranged husband Aidan.
The aspects of the various styles and characters that unnerved and sometimes irritated me, I discovered, were carefully crafted: I was meant to feel that way. Just as I was meant, slowly, to come to see the complexity behind the tragic events that provide the background to this story.
Last year, as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, I came across a genre-bending category: "family drama with elements of crime". I'm not sure this book fits: it's perhaps not dark enough; but it's almost. The story is very human. It portrays characters who act and react badly, who have been driven to extremes by circumstances. Who don't or can't always see things from others' points of view.
It's a moving and uneven story; uneven not through lack of writerly skill, but because the narrations of the characters - and the characters themselves - aren't always what they seem.
Who will enjoy The House of Memories? People who love reading about Aussie ex-pats in London and imperfect blended families; and readers who don't mind being stretched emotionally in a way that resolves with a sense of hope, if not happiness, at the end.
December 12, 2014
I adored this book. Yes, I am a fan of Monica McInerney's books but this one really drew me in. I related to Ella. Ella O'Hanlon has a close relationship with her uncle Lucas who loves all things to do with foxes. Her relationship with her younger, half sister Jess has from the beginning been fraught with jealousy and resentment. And with good reason, I might add, given the favoured treatment Jess gets from her parents Meredith and Walter. I hate parents who play favourites and they certainly did. They needed a good talking to about parenting.
When a tragic accident occurs Ella finds herself unable to cope. Her grief is a living, palpable thing. The description of grief in page 106 is so raw and so real. I have never been in exactly the same situation but the feeling of grief was so well articulated that I associated completely. While I may not have agreed with a lot of Ella’s decisions, I could understand her reactions and her inability to talk about what had happened. This book produced a lot of responses in me compassion, anger, frustration, tears (more than a few) and smiles. It also produced times where I would have liked to smack a few heads together to help them see sense, but that only shows how absolutely involved in the lives of these characters I was.
I loved the emails from Ella’s half brother Charlie. Charlie is a lovely character. The diary entries from Jess only served to confirm my opinion that she was a selfish, spoilt brat. The reader does get more insight into her feelings and character, as the book goes on but it still never changed my opinion of her greatly. Perhaps because Jess reminded me too much of someone I used to know who had been similarly favoured and spoiled. Aiden, well what can I say about Aiden? Except that along with Ella, he was often the one who made me cry.
Any book that can involve me so emotionally is a good book. I’ve read most of Monica McInerney's books but this is probably my favourite and why I have changed my rating from four and a half stars to five. Read it and weep, and you will. But in a good way. It is so worth reading.
When a tragic accident occurs Ella finds herself unable to cope. Her grief is a living, palpable thing. The description of grief in page 106 is so raw and so real. I have never been in exactly the same situation but the feeling of grief was so well articulated that I associated completely. While I may not have agreed with a lot of Ella’s decisions, I could understand her reactions and her inability to talk about what had happened. This book produced a lot of responses in me compassion, anger, frustration, tears (more than a few) and smiles. It also produced times where I would have liked to smack a few heads together to help them see sense, but that only shows how absolutely involved in the lives of these characters I was.
I loved the emails from Ella’s half brother Charlie. Charlie is a lovely character. The diary entries from Jess only served to confirm my opinion that she was a selfish, spoilt brat. The reader does get more insight into her feelings and character, as the book goes on but it still never changed my opinion of her greatly. Perhaps because Jess reminded me too much of someone I used to know who had been similarly favoured and spoiled. Aiden, well what can I say about Aiden? Except that along with Ella, he was often the one who made me cry.
Any book that can involve me so emotionally is a good book. I’ve read most of Monica McInerney's books but this is probably my favourite and why I have changed my rating from four and a half stars to five. Read it and weep, and you will. But in a good way. It is so worth reading.
October 5, 2012
I have had mixed opinions of Monica McInerney's previous books. I liked The Alphabet Sisters, loved Those Faraday Girls, thought At Home with the Templetons was interesting but uneven and hated Lola's Secret (dear publishing gods, please spare us from any more books that center on wise, all-knowing elderly women who know how to use technology and are able to use their wisdom and all-knowingness to communicate with young people. These women are unsufferable and make me want to throw things - ie the book I'm reading that features these irritating protagonists - at the wall. Thank you.), so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Either way, McInerney has a nice, easy writing style, so I figured even if her new book wasn't great it would be a relaxing way to spend a few hours away from the high stress levels of my everyday life ("CAPS LOCK IS HOW I FEEL ALL THE TIME, RICK!"). Boy, was I wrong.
The House of Memories opens with a chapter detailing the childhood of Ella Fox/Baum/O'Hanlon and the special relationship she has with her uncle, Lucas. After we wade through the standard broken-home childhood tale (parents divorce, remarry, step-brother, new baby, jealously, et cetera cetera et cetera) we get to the crux of the story - Ella's baby has died. The book then separates into chapters told from the point of view of different characters, with some (very annoying) email chapters and others alternating between the first and third chapter.
I have no problem with having multiple narrators, even if (as is clearly signposted in this book ALL THE TIME for the benefit of those who have memory problems, I imagine) these narrators are unreliable. I have no problem with epistolary writing - The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society is one of my favourite books. What I do have a problem with is books that are so predictable that, after reading the third chapter, it is possible to plot what happens in every chapter until the end. There is pleasure in reading genre fiction - it's nice to know that the right couple will get together in the end in a romance novel, for example - so I understand that books can be about the journey rather than the destination. But if both the journey and the destination suck...step away from the book.
I am a bit bummed about contemporary fiction at the moment. Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth was a massive disappoint. I started Zadie Smith's new book NW but abandoned it because of the stream-of-consciousness writing style. This book completely sucked. Am I picking bad books, or has the standard of published works dropped recently? I'm about to start Gone Girl, which has received great reviews. If that sucks as well, I might stop reading anything published after the turn of the century and stick to books that have passed the test of time!
The House of Memories opens with a chapter detailing the childhood of Ella Fox/Baum/O'Hanlon and the special relationship she has with her uncle, Lucas. After we wade through the standard broken-home childhood tale (parents divorce, remarry, step-brother, new baby, jealously, et cetera cetera et cetera) we get to the crux of the story - Ella's baby has died. The book then separates into chapters told from the point of view of different characters, with some (very annoying) email chapters and others alternating between the first and third chapter.
I have no problem with having multiple narrators, even if (as is clearly signposted in this book ALL THE TIME for the benefit of those who have memory problems, I imagine) these narrators are unreliable. I have no problem with epistolary writing - The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society is one of my favourite books. What I do have a problem with is books that are so predictable that, after reading the third chapter, it is possible to plot what happens in every chapter until the end. There is pleasure in reading genre fiction - it's nice to know that the right couple will get together in the end in a romance novel, for example - so I understand that books can be about the journey rather than the destination. But if both the journey and the destination suck...step away from the book.
I am a bit bummed about contemporary fiction at the moment. Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth was a massive disappoint. I started Zadie Smith's new book NW but abandoned it because of the stream-of-consciousness writing style. This book completely sucked. Am I picking bad books, or has the standard of published works dropped recently? I'm about to start Gone Girl, which has received great reviews. If that sucks as well, I might stop reading anything published after the turn of the century and stick to books that have passed the test of time!
September 27, 2012
Heartfelt and poignant, The House of Memories explores the overwhelming nature of grief in the wake of tragedy. In pain and anger, Ella O'Hanlon blames her husband, Aiden and her half sister, Jess, for the accident that ripped her life apart. Unable to forgive them, she leaves her life behind in a futile attempt to manage the devastation that engulfs her. When her beloved Uncle Lucas invites her to stay with him in England, Ella agrees, hoping for some respite from the agony of her loss but soon discovers there is no escape from the memories of love.
The House of Memories has such a simple premise but is a wonderful novel with compelling emotional depth. Tragedy inspires a maelstrom of emotions and each person touched by it deals with it differently. The first person point of view provides insight into Ella's process of grieving, her heartbreak, confusion and bitterness bared to the reader with an honesty that incites heartfelt compassion.
How Aiden, Ella's husband, and Ella's family are faring both with their grief and their concern for Ella, is glimpsed through email exchanges, diary entries and letters. I admired the way in which McInerney lets us believe that perhaps Ella's skewed perception of her family's reaction to the loss is accurate but slowly we learn that her view is coloured by her own insular grief. Having cut herself off from them all Ella, and therefore we, cannot see the ways in which they are hurting too.
It's important that you know, however, that there is as much heart and warmth in The House of Memories as there is angst and drama. The family dynamics are complex but at its core there is real love between it's members. There are touches of delightful humour too, memories of childhood pleasures, Charlie's family email missives and even Jess's over enthusiastic use of exclamation marks.
A moving story of family, love and forgiveness, I thought The House of Memories was a captivating novel and one I would happily recommend.
August 28, 2014
I loved this! I'm giving it 4.5 stars. I’ve always enjoyed Monica McInerney books, although I did feel that some of them were rather light and fluffy and somewhat predictable, but this one seems to have stepped up a notch. I listened to it as an audiobook, so I’m not sure if that had something to do with it, but I think the subject matter and the heartbreak throughout the book are probably what made it feel more substantial.
The narrator, Catherine Milte, did an excellent job with the various voices - from the main character, Ella, a 30-something year old bereaved mother, running from painful memories, Aiden, her Irish husband, to Felix, their 20-month old son, Jess, Ella’s 22 year old, very young and immature and excitable half-sister and Lucas, Ella’s British uncle, amongst others.
I’m looking forward to Monica McInerney’s next book, Hello From the Gillespies.
The narrator, Catherine Milte, did an excellent job with the various voices - from the main character, Ella, a 30-something year old bereaved mother, running from painful memories, Aiden, her Irish husband, to Felix, their 20-month old son, Jess, Ella’s 22 year old, very young and immature and excitable half-sister and Lucas, Ella’s British uncle, amongst others.
I’m looking forward to Monica McInerney’s next book, Hello From the Gillespies.
October 20, 2012
The House of Memories is one of those, 'I can't put down books.' Wonderful characters, wonderful story. I had the pleasure of attending Monica McInerney's brunch talk in Perth at the Parmelia Hilton on the 12th October 2012, and what a lovely lady she is. Monica spoke about House of Memories and the story behind her writing it. It was wonderful to read her book after listening to her talk.
May 9, 2013
Having been through the despair of losing a child myself, I really felt the emotions of this book myself.The selfish and often irrational tide of grief that can (and does) overwhelm one is dealt sensitively and with great charm... And it is hoped that we all have those quirky relatives that will do everything in their power to help you through it and restore the calm and patiently wait for the tide to inevitably turn once more. Thank you Monica McInerney.
October 10, 2012
Ella O’Hanlon has been running for nearly two years now. She’s been travelling from one place to the next, working any job she can find, trying to forget the devastating tragedy that occurred that shattered her life beyond repair. Ella is incapable of talking to anyone about it and she wants to be as far away from the people in her old life as possible because all they want to do is talk about it, stirring up memories so painful that she cannot bear them.
She’s fled from Australia halfway around the world to London and her uncle Lucas. His multi-level terrace house was fascinating to her as a child and the two have maintained a close relationship over the years, exchanging hundreds of letters, faxes and emails. Lucas has a proposition for Ella, to keep her in one place for a while. A university lecturer and researcher, his house has always been open to an eclectic bunch of students who live with him while they conduct their PhD research and earn extra money by tutoring the sons and daughters of London’s rich on the side, organised by Lucas. Now several things have gone missing from the houses the students are tutoring at and Lucas wants Ella to find out who the culprit is discreetly.
Lucas also wants Ella to see that she’s not the only one hurting because of that devastating accident. It has affected so many people, not least of all Ella’s husband Aidan, whom she left, and her half sister Jess, whom she cannot bear to even think of, let alone talk to or even see. Ella blames the both of them for what happened, so deep in her grief and loss is she that she cannot even begin to understand how others feel, or the fact that her own way of dealing is devastating them even further.
Lucas and Ella’s step-brother Charlie know that trying to talk to her about anything will only result in her packing up and running again, somewhere far away. They hope to show her in a more subtle way that only by forgiving and reuniting with the people that are sharing her dark pain, can Ella heal.
My grandmother introduced me to Monica McInerney’s books some years ago and I’ve read several over the years and I think just about all of them have made me cry and this one is no exception. There are different levels of crying in books for me – the tearing up, the tears that leak out, the small sobs and then….ugly crying that cannot be stopped. And that’s the level this book achieved.
I found it very easy to put myself in Ella’s situation, because we have things in common. And the depth of pain that she was experiencing was so real, came through so strongly on the page that I couldn’t help but feel it as well. In Ella’s running, I saw a way in which I myself, would be tempted to deal with what she was going through. Keeping busy, keeping on the move, removing yourself from all of the memories (both the good and the terrible bad), cutting yourself off from family and people that love you, simply because they want to deal with it in a different sort of way. Ella is barely functioning when she arrives at Lucas’s house, she cleans obsessively just to keep herself busy, keep herself tired so she doesn’t have a chance of sitting down and relaxing and having a small memory creep into her brain. This is good in theory, but it isn’t always good in practice and Ella is often bombarded by her memories, including the ones of where she met Aidan, in this very house. Through Ella’s memories we learn her story, their story, because Ella is not grieving alone.
It’s very easy to forget about the man in a situation like this. But Aidan’s grief is just as devastating and all-encompassing as Ella’s, perhaps even more so because he knows that she partially blames him and she’s also left him as well. Sometimes I felt for Aidan even more than I did for Ella, his character was so powerful even though he didn’t often appear on the pages. He deals with his grief in a different way, the only way that he can in order to work through his own considerable pain. Where Ella seeks to keep it all in, locked away inside of her, Aidan does not.
This is a fabulously written book with truly beautifully constructed characters. The character of Jess, Ella’s half-sister and the other person Ella blames for her loss, was so well done. When she first appears on the page (the narrative is split between Ella, emails from Ella’s stepbrother and sometimes Lucas, Jess’s diary entries and letters written by a person left up to the reader to guess) she comes across as vain, shallow and spoiled and the reader has Ella’s perceptions of her sister to back up and colour their own. Slowly, over time and reveals does the true character of Jess emerge and yes, her story had me bawling too!
Despite the fact that I sobbed through some of this book (especially towards the end, I had to put aside until after my children had gone to bed, because I knew I was going to be that bad), or perhaps because of the fact that I sobbed through it, it’s become one of my favourite reads of the year. Maybe because I found it so easy to see myself as Ella. Maybe because I found their story so heartbreakingly beautiful. I almost never re-read sad books but this is one I can see myself re-reading, in fact I probably should re-read it because I think I’ll feel differently about things that occur in the earlier stages of the book now that I have the full story.
She’s fled from Australia halfway around the world to London and her uncle Lucas. His multi-level terrace house was fascinating to her as a child and the two have maintained a close relationship over the years, exchanging hundreds of letters, faxes and emails. Lucas has a proposition for Ella, to keep her in one place for a while. A university lecturer and researcher, his house has always been open to an eclectic bunch of students who live with him while they conduct their PhD research and earn extra money by tutoring the sons and daughters of London’s rich on the side, organised by Lucas. Now several things have gone missing from the houses the students are tutoring at and Lucas wants Ella to find out who the culprit is discreetly.
Lucas also wants Ella to see that she’s not the only one hurting because of that devastating accident. It has affected so many people, not least of all Ella’s husband Aidan, whom she left, and her half sister Jess, whom she cannot bear to even think of, let alone talk to or even see. Ella blames the both of them for what happened, so deep in her grief and loss is she that she cannot even begin to understand how others feel, or the fact that her own way of dealing is devastating them even further.
Lucas and Ella’s step-brother Charlie know that trying to talk to her about anything will only result in her packing up and running again, somewhere far away. They hope to show her in a more subtle way that only by forgiving and reuniting with the people that are sharing her dark pain, can Ella heal.
My grandmother introduced me to Monica McInerney’s books some years ago and I’ve read several over the years and I think just about all of them have made me cry and this one is no exception. There are different levels of crying in books for me – the tearing up, the tears that leak out, the small sobs and then….ugly crying that cannot be stopped. And that’s the level this book achieved.
I found it very easy to put myself in Ella’s situation, because we have things in common. And the depth of pain that she was experiencing was so real, came through so strongly on the page that I couldn’t help but feel it as well. In Ella’s running, I saw a way in which I myself, would be tempted to deal with what she was going through. Keeping busy, keeping on the move, removing yourself from all of the memories (both the good and the terrible bad), cutting yourself off from family and people that love you, simply because they want to deal with it in a different sort of way. Ella is barely functioning when she arrives at Lucas’s house, she cleans obsessively just to keep herself busy, keep herself tired so she doesn’t have a chance of sitting down and relaxing and having a small memory creep into her brain. This is good in theory, but it isn’t always good in practice and Ella is often bombarded by her memories, including the ones of where she met Aidan, in this very house. Through Ella’s memories we learn her story, their story, because Ella is not grieving alone.
It’s very easy to forget about the man in a situation like this. But Aidan’s grief is just as devastating and all-encompassing as Ella’s, perhaps even more so because he knows that she partially blames him and she’s also left him as well. Sometimes I felt for Aidan even more than I did for Ella, his character was so powerful even though he didn’t often appear on the pages. He deals with his grief in a different way, the only way that he can in order to work through his own considerable pain. Where Ella seeks to keep it all in, locked away inside of her, Aidan does not.
This is a fabulously written book with truly beautifully constructed characters. The character of Jess, Ella’s half-sister and the other person Ella blames for her loss, was so well done. When she first appears on the page (the narrative is split between Ella, emails from Ella’s stepbrother and sometimes Lucas, Jess’s diary entries and letters written by a person left up to the reader to guess) she comes across as vain, shallow and spoiled and the reader has Ella’s perceptions of her sister to back up and colour their own. Slowly, over time and reveals does the true character of Jess emerge and yes, her story had me bawling too!
Despite the fact that I sobbed through some of this book (especially towards the end, I had to put aside until after my children had gone to bed, because I knew I was going to be that bad), or perhaps because of the fact that I sobbed through it, it’s become one of my favourite reads of the year. Maybe because I found it so easy to see myself as Ella. Maybe because I found their story so heartbreakingly beautiful. I almost never re-read sad books but this is one I can see myself re-reading, in fact I probably should re-read it because I think I’ll feel differently about things that occur in the earlier stages of the book now that I have the full story.
July 14, 2016
Was für ein schönes Buch!
Ich habe es mir auf Empfehlung einer Freundin zugelegt und ich muss sagen: Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht, außer, dass das Buch viel zu schnell ausgelesen war.
Ella verliert durch einen tragischen Unfall ihren kleinen Sohn und zieht sich seitdem aus dem Leben zurück. Schuld an dem Unfall war ihre Halbschwester Jess.
Die Geschichte wird zum größten Teil aus der Sicht von Ella geschildert. Man erfährt nach und nach, was passiert und wie sie sich fühlt. Man kann den Schmerz aus ihren Gedanken herauslesen und es wird einem selbst schwer ums Herz. Man leidet und trauert richtig mit.
Gleichzeitig gibt es Ausschnitte aus Jess' Tagebuch. Die junge Frau scheint den Tod ihres Neffen überwunden zu haben. Ihre Tagebucheinträge sind fröhlich und frisch, das steht im Gegensatz zu Ellas Passagen. Allerdings merkt man auch hier zwischen den Zeilen, dass nicht alles so wunderbar ist, wie Jess es dastellt.
Außerdem gibt es Briefe, die Ellas Mann an den verstorbenen Sohn schreibt. Hier standen mir regelmäßig Tränen in den Augen. Es war so traurig und trotzdem so schön.
Und dann gibt es noch E-Mails, die Ellas Halbbruder an die Familie schreibt. Diese sind witzig und bilden einen schönen Gegensatz zur Trauer.
Dass das Buch so abwechslungsreich erzählt wurde, hat mir richtig gut gefallen. Es werden ja nicht nur die Perspektiven gewechselt, sondern auch die Art des Erzählens. Daumen hoch!
Auch die Sprache war sehr flüssig und gut zu lesen. Ich könnte gar nicht aufhören. Und obwohl das Buch knapp 500 Seiten hat, war es nach zwei Leseabenden vorbei. Leider.
Ich werde die Autorin im Auge behalten, denn die Geschichte war einfach wunderbar!
Ich habe es mir auf Empfehlung einer Freundin zugelegt und ich muss sagen: Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht, außer, dass das Buch viel zu schnell ausgelesen war.
Ella verliert durch einen tragischen Unfall ihren kleinen Sohn und zieht sich seitdem aus dem Leben zurück. Schuld an dem Unfall war ihre Halbschwester Jess.
Die Geschichte wird zum größten Teil aus der Sicht von Ella geschildert. Man erfährt nach und nach, was passiert und wie sie sich fühlt. Man kann den Schmerz aus ihren Gedanken herauslesen und es wird einem selbst schwer ums Herz. Man leidet und trauert richtig mit.
Gleichzeitig gibt es Ausschnitte aus Jess' Tagebuch. Die junge Frau scheint den Tod ihres Neffen überwunden zu haben. Ihre Tagebucheinträge sind fröhlich und frisch, das steht im Gegensatz zu Ellas Passagen. Allerdings merkt man auch hier zwischen den Zeilen, dass nicht alles so wunderbar ist, wie Jess es dastellt.
Außerdem gibt es Briefe, die Ellas Mann an den verstorbenen Sohn schreibt. Hier standen mir regelmäßig Tränen in den Augen. Es war so traurig und trotzdem so schön.
Und dann gibt es noch E-Mails, die Ellas Halbbruder an die Familie schreibt. Diese sind witzig und bilden einen schönen Gegensatz zur Trauer.
Dass das Buch so abwechslungsreich erzählt wurde, hat mir richtig gut gefallen. Es werden ja nicht nur die Perspektiven gewechselt, sondern auch die Art des Erzählens. Daumen hoch!
Auch die Sprache war sehr flüssig und gut zu lesen. Ich könnte gar nicht aufhören. Und obwohl das Buch knapp 500 Seiten hat, war es nach zwei Leseabenden vorbei. Leider.
Ich werde die Autorin im Auge behalten, denn die Geschichte war einfach wunderbar!
January 1, 2013
Enjoyable tearjerker. I sobbed my way through the end in a by carthartic, satisfying manner. As you would expect from Monica McInerney, this book rollicks along, a quick read with a deliciously flawed main character. I loved the toxic relationship with the younger sister, and of course the resolutions that ensued. Great holiday read.
April 9, 2013
I loved this book - mind you, Monica is one of my favourite authors. I found her characters so real, to the point where I felt like giving a couple of them a well-deserved slap, and wanted to hug the others. As you can tell, I was drawn into the story completely and can't wait for the next one!
September 10, 2024
Such a beautifully written story of love and loss. Could not put it down.
March 6, 2019
Absolutely loved this book. Clever, heartbreaking, and hopeful.
November 7, 2023
The House of Memories is easily a 5-star book in my opinion. The tragedy, the character development, the love and the unexpected ways grief takes people is done in a wonderful way. I cried - a lot - and laughed. It was a beautiful dive into the importance of family and self, and I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who was looking for an emotionally impactful novel.
June 30, 2024
Love love love this book. It gave me all the feels.
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Catherine Milte
Duration: 12 hrs, 24 min. 1.25x Speed
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Catherine Milte
Duration: 12 hrs, 24 min. 1.25x Speed
December 30, 2012
I loved the latest book in Moncia McInerney's repertoire. I found myself crying, laughing and happy the whole time I was reading the novel.
After a tragedy that tore Ella and her family apart she has been running. From city to city and then from country to country. She's been running from her life, her problems and those who love her.
I felt myself empathizing with Ella and her situation and I could completely understand her reason for running away in order to keep busy, forget, hide from the pain as sometimes it just seems like the right thing to do, to try and help yourself heal, yet, as we discover when reading The House of Memories, our pain, anguish, anger and fear always catch up with us and we just need to learn to deal.
This book is great, and for those who have ever dealt with loss, then it can touch a nerve and make the tears that much more intense, but it also means that your love of the book will be that much more intense.
A must read for all Monica McInerney fans.
After a tragedy that tore Ella and her family apart she has been running. From city to city and then from country to country. She's been running from her life, her problems and those who love her.
I felt myself empathizing with Ella and her situation and I could completely understand her reason for running away in order to keep busy, forget, hide from the pain as sometimes it just seems like the right thing to do, to try and help yourself heal, yet, as we discover when reading The House of Memories, our pain, anguish, anger and fear always catch up with us and we just need to learn to deal.
This book is great, and for those who have ever dealt with loss, then it can touch a nerve and make the tears that much more intense, but it also means that your love of the book will be that much more intense.
A must read for all Monica McInerney fans.
October 26, 2017
Could not get into this one. I normally love to read Monica's books, but found this didn't keep my interest, normally I can't put Monica's books down, didn't connect to the people, the story or the setting, I can usually picture the scene's in my mind's eye but not this time, unfortunately disappointing.
December 6, 2018
If it's a movie, it has the ingredients of being a tear jerker. This is my 5th book of the author. I've forgotten the stories though coz I read them years ago.
Loyalty, family conflicts and relationships, death in the family. These held my attention to finish the book in two days.
Loyalty, family conflicts and relationships, death in the family. These held my attention to finish the book in two days.
September 30, 2012
Very sad but a great read. Couldn't put it down.
January 22, 2015
This one is a tear-jerker. A great big tear-jerker but, as always, I enjoyed reading a Monica McInerney novel. Wish I had an uncle as loveable as Lucas.
December 30, 2014
Such a beautiful, heartfelt, emotional book. The author really captures grief in a tangible way, tempering it with humor. Excellent story of family and coming together after pulling away.
February 6, 2021
3.5 stars. This book was surprisingly enjoyable! This story centers around Ella O'Hanlon who has just arrived at her Uncle Lucas' old house in London. We are introduced to this favourite and eccentric uncle through Ella's memories of him and his house from when she was a young girl. We also know that Ella, now and adult, has experienced a great tragedy and her arrival at Lucas' is part of her dealing with her grief. As we meet the other characters in the story, the tragedy and its consequences are slowly revealed. There were some side characters and storylines that I thought could have been left out, but all in all I enjoyed this book. Definitely will look into some of this author's other works.
March 31, 2021
I like how the family had to learn to stick together to overcome their depression, Jessica was going through pain, that some readers couldn’t really see. It was sad but good, I especially loved the ending, those letters that Aidan wrote for Felix were lovely, it was a beautiful book, the one thing that I didn’t really like was the fact that Ella needed her uncle to tell her that she can’t run away from grief, but in the end she learns that she can’t run away from her loved ones, she can’t blame anyone for her son’s death. I really loved this book, I liked how the ending gave you a bit of hope for Aidan and Ella’s future. Sometimes Jessica’s chapters were not very good, because it made her out to be selfish, when she isn’t really selfish at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2020
After just finishing The Godmothers a couple of weeks ago I discovered I had this book on my TBR shelf and decided to get it read!
Such a sad story about Ella and Aiden whose almost 2 yo son has tragically died in a terrible accident which has affected everyone in the family.
Ella flees to London to be with her Uncle Lucas and find a purpose in life. Meanwhile the rest of the family are trying to cope in their way which has torn them all apart.
I enjoyed this book, it is quite sad and their are a lot of storyline’s happening but it was easy to keep up with and you couldn’t help feel sorry for the family, but it did end in a satisfying way.
Such a sad story about Ella and Aiden whose almost 2 yo son has tragically died in a terrible accident which has affected everyone in the family.
Ella flees to London to be with her Uncle Lucas and find a purpose in life. Meanwhile the rest of the family are trying to cope in their way which has torn them all apart.
I enjoyed this book, it is quite sad and their are a lot of storyline’s happening but it was easy to keep up with and you couldn’t help feel sorry for the family, but it did end in a satisfying way.
March 27, 2020
Ella and Aidan have a wonderful marriage, completed by the birth of their son, Felix. When he dies at twenty months from an accident Ella blames her sister and husband and leaves. Whilst I find this hard to understand I was drawn in by her wonderful Uncle Lucas and his house. The author manages to make you feel Lucas' love for the house - a chaotic place where you can feel safe and supported. The warmth of Lucas' unconditional love and his wise counsel combine with his unorthodox lifestyle to make this book a moving story of two people who have to deal with an unbearable tragedy.
February 13, 2019
Author did a great job of conveying emotions in this book. It was at least a five hanky read.
July 26, 2022
3.5! This book lost me in the middle, but the ending was beautiful and heartbreaking/warming. Overall a sad, hopeful story about grief and love.
June 22, 2014
I absolutely adored and loved this book. It's a been a while, where I've had the urge to read through a book, and have trouble putting it down. Not only that, but I actually cared about every single character in this story. Even the supporting role characters, and that truly never happens to me. I'll always find one character that I cannot deal with. Not so in this story.
Filled with raw emotions, sadness, confusion, family, love and hurt, it takes you on such a high level of roller coaster emotions that you can't help but fall into a deep connection with these characters. I almost wished they were a real life family and that this was their true story.
Ella O'Hanlon grew up with an almost self centered mother (Meredith), a step-father (Walter) who really didn't pay much attention to her, a step-brother (Charlie) who became her best friend and their half sister (Jess), whom she always had a hard time liking and getting a long with. Tied to all of this, is also, Ella's uncle Lucas. Lucas is Ella's now-deceased father's younger brother, who she has ALWAYS been close to and has always been in her life. Ella pretty much grows into a woman with success, a loving marriage with her true love, Aidan and they start their family. They have a little boy named Felix.
After a tragic accident happens to this family, Ella decides to flee to London in an attempt to start over, fix her hurt and leaves behind the two people she thinks are at fault for all of this hurt--Jess & Aidan. When she arrives at her uncle Lucas's door step, she's once again swept up into the extraordinary tales of the house, just like when she was a little girl. She's reminded by all the memories this house has for her, and all the comforts that it has always provided for her.
Lucas gives Ella a mission of helping him figure out whose stealing items from the houses that his tutors are working in. Lucas has always boarded language tutors in his him, and that's how Ella, even met her Aidan. Working along side them and even secretly to uncover a secret, also helps Ella feel useful and lets her mind rest, with no longer having to think about the horrible accident that has befallen her and her family.
While all of this is going on, Jess, her half sister, who has also dreamed of becoming a theater star, has been sent off to London, by her mother and father as a last minute gift. Charlie, Lucas and even Aidan have secretly been in contact all along to try and mend fences, heal hearts and get back together a family that should have never come unbroken to begin with.
When something once again, befalls this family, they all unexpectedly come together, and face emotions, that they all tried to hide deep down. Can they all learn how to forgive, heal and become a family once again?
As I said, I cared and wanted to know about all these characters, and the author gives us just that. We get to see all of these characters lives. Charlie with his wonderful, humor filled emails about his family. Lucas and his secret love affair and the secrets the house holds on it's own. Jess, who even though, seems like a spoiled brat, has a heart of gold and is just trying to find her way in the word. Even Ella's mom and step-dad are involved here. It's just a truly wonderful story.
It is an emotional story with is filled with humor and sadness, in equal measures. It's both uplifting and tragic. It's a tale that shows, no matter what, the bond of a family and their love for each other can prevail all. How even the bond between a husband and wife, can sometimes, be saved, simply because of one word: LOVE.
Filled with raw emotions, sadness, confusion, family, love and hurt, it takes you on such a high level of roller coaster emotions that you can't help but fall into a deep connection with these characters. I almost wished they were a real life family and that this was their true story.
Ella O'Hanlon grew up with an almost self centered mother (Meredith), a step-father (Walter) who really didn't pay much attention to her, a step-brother (Charlie) who became her best friend and their half sister (Jess), whom she always had a hard time liking and getting a long with. Tied to all of this, is also, Ella's uncle Lucas. Lucas is Ella's now-deceased father's younger brother, who she has ALWAYS been close to and has always been in her life. Ella pretty much grows into a woman with success, a loving marriage with her true love, Aidan and they start their family. They have a little boy named Felix.
After a tragic accident happens to this family, Ella decides to flee to London in an attempt to start over, fix her hurt and leaves behind the two people she thinks are at fault for all of this hurt--Jess & Aidan. When she arrives at her uncle Lucas's door step, she's once again swept up into the extraordinary tales of the house, just like when she was a little girl. She's reminded by all the memories this house has for her, and all the comforts that it has always provided for her.
Lucas gives Ella a mission of helping him figure out whose stealing items from the houses that his tutors are working in. Lucas has always boarded language tutors in his him, and that's how Ella, even met her Aidan. Working along side them and even secretly to uncover a secret, also helps Ella feel useful and lets her mind rest, with no longer having to think about the horrible accident that has befallen her and her family.
While all of this is going on, Jess, her half sister, who has also dreamed of becoming a theater star, has been sent off to London, by her mother and father as a last minute gift. Charlie, Lucas and even Aidan have secretly been in contact all along to try and mend fences, heal hearts and get back together a family that should have never come unbroken to begin with.
When something once again, befalls this family, they all unexpectedly come together, and face emotions, that they all tried to hide deep down. Can they all learn how to forgive, heal and become a family once again?
As I said, I cared and wanted to know about all these characters, and the author gives us just that. We get to see all of these characters lives. Charlie with his wonderful, humor filled emails about his family. Lucas and his secret love affair and the secrets the house holds on it's own. Jess, who even though, seems like a spoiled brat, has a heart of gold and is just trying to find her way in the word. Even Ella's mom and step-dad are involved here. It's just a truly wonderful story.
It is an emotional story with is filled with humor and sadness, in equal measures. It's both uplifting and tragic. It's a tale that shows, no matter what, the bond of a family and their love for each other can prevail all. How even the bond between a husband and wife, can sometimes, be saved, simply because of one word: LOVE.
February 9, 2021
I have loved nearly all that I have read of Monica McInerney's books (definitely not "Lola's Secret") including this one. As usual, her writing flows along effortlessly and her characters are well-drawn. Her plots can be a bit predictable, but I find this comforting rather than annoying, and I am happily involved to the end. The death of a baby in a tragic accident is a more serious theme than her usual, and the author handles it impressively. The family members react in widely varying ways - some could be called extreme - just as people do in real life. I have worked with grieving people, and I think that reading this book would be validating for those bereaved, and educational for anyone about the many ways of grieving. Mainly, though, it is a great read.
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