The Woman in the Hall

by G.B. Stern

From Kirkus review:
Good Stern -- but not tops. A novel that fits perhaps into the class with Long Lost Father rather than The Matriarch, but that has somewhat more substance and depth than some of those in her lighter vein. It is an unusual story, with a character that in retrospect seems hardly convincing but that she makes wholly convincing as one reads. The scene is England of a few years ago -- there is no particular significance to the period; the story is the reason for being, with its indication of the influence of childhood patterns on adult development. G. B. Stern fans want everything she writes. And they are a dependable and substantial number.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, British Literature

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1939

About the author

Gladys Bronwyn Stern or GB Stern (17 June 1890 – 20 September 1973) born Gladys Bertha Stern in London, England, wrote many novels, short stories, plays, memoirs, biographies and literary criticism.

Reviews

[Seonad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely a pageturner. This has the makings of a classic. I really want to watch the film now. I hope this reaches a wider audience now it has been re- published by such a great publishing series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

odd story of a woman swindler and the effect it has on her daughters. I don't think I've ever read such a strange story though Little Dorrit does come to mind, still this is better and more strikingly told. It's just fantabulous to be honest how this woman going from touch to pocket can get so many people to give her money for such obvious lies. Yet it is true, they are mesmerized and taken in by Lorna -- she's good. In fact she's so good that she convinces her own daughter Jasmine that she really is doing it for someone else, not herself, and to make them all happy., The story doesn't end as upbeat as this, but it is convincing. Highly recommended.

[Bine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you sometimes have a sense of how a book might turn out early on? I had when I started reading The Woman in the Hall but yes… I admit it, I was wrong.

Meet Lorna Blake whose daughter Jay is in desperate need of a medical treatment she can’t afford. Mom’s solution is to spin a tale so convincing that the rich lady won’t have a choice but to give her the money. But it doesn’t stop there…

Basically “The Woman in the Hall” as she gets announced by the servants of the London Mansions, becomes a professional begger.

It’s a fascinating page turner and as events unfold we get to see more of the Lorna’s daughters and the consequences this “visiting with Mummy” has on their lives and further motives are revealed.

This is one of the titles which underlines why I love the British Library Women Writers series so much: I hadn’t heard of G. B. Stern before but it turned out to be one of my favourites in the series.

I highly recommend it and I want to stress that this is a series where it is also an absolute pleasure to read the 1930s intro to set the scene but also the afterwards by Simon Thomas.

I admit that I don’t always read notes in books but always in this series! I always read it cover to cover!

Thank you @bl_publishing for sending me a copy of The Woman in the Hall! I really appreciate it and loved the book!

As always: The book was a gift but opinions are all my own.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read any other GB Stern so cannot comment on how this compares with her other works. I'd describe it as an engaging and intriguing novel. The lead character Lorna has a Walter Mitty dimension woven into her dishonesty. She has a total lack of empathy. Though she plays on the emotions of others, she does so from a manipulative distance. I'd be fascinated to hear the view of a psychologist on her character. Its a very unusual book. My lower than average score reflects my view that while an engaging story with an intriguing plot, it isn't always believable and I felt the ending was predictable.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find these reissues by the British Library to be a bit hit or miss for me. Sadly this was a miss even though it had actually been made into a film in the past. A pretty tame story by today’s standards and I couldn’t help making the comparison, even though I wanted to be fair to the novel. You can’t win them all though and I have previously found some really good reissues by this publishing group.