The Household by Stacey Halls – a book review

I’ve read all of Stacey Halls historical fiction books and enjoyed them a lot, so I was excited to read The Household.

I took the book on holiday with me and picked it up whenever I got the chance, it was riveting. I really enjoyed my little break away from the family when I took some laundry to the launderette. While I was waiting for the washing I sat in the sunshine reading in peace. Ah, if only I had taken more washing 🙂

The Blurb

The house, she was promised, is the first clean page in a new book for girls like her . . .

1847, Shepherds Bush. Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women is about to open its doors. Part refuge, part reformatory, the house and its location are top secret, and Martha Gelder and Josephine Nash among its first inmates. But faced with the chance to redeem themselves, how badly do they want it?

Across town, in her Piccadilly mansion, Dickens’ friend, the millionaire Angela Burdett Coutts, receives news that turns her orderly world upside down. Her stalker has been freed from prison, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women’s worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

My Review of The Household

I really enjoyed The Household, Stacey Halls is a captivating writer. The young girls are taken from prison to a new home where they are given warm clothes and beds, plenty of food and lessons. They are also taught housekeeping duties so that they can become useful in households in Australia eventually. It’s the chance these young women never thought they would get.

The house is nice enough, but they are locked in and only allowed out on errands. Their lives are dictated by a committee which includes Charles Dickens and a rich lady Angela Burdett Coutts.

Many of the young women run off when they get the chance and Angela is disappointed. But she has other things to worry about as there is a man that has harassed her for many years who has just been released from prison.

There is a lot going on in this book, stories of the girls, stories of Ms Burdett Coutts and we here of Mr Dickens but he doesn’t actually have a part in the book. From the (few) books that Dickens wrote, he painted a different perspective of people of the time. Yes, this books still has the not so nice things, but it also has kind and generous characters. Including Dickens himself who did actually set up a home for fallen women with Ms Burdett Coutts.

We had the first young woman at the house, Martha who was looking for her missing sister and ended up being conned by a man. There was also Josephine who wanted to be with the girl she met in prison but life was tough outside of the house and she once again fell on hard times. Ms Burdett Coutts was in a love with an older man, a count, who refused to marry her. It was difficult to see how all the different threads would wind up together, but they did and it was a satisfying ending.

I have enjoyed all of Stacey Halls books and you can read my reviews here:

The Familiars

The Foundling

Mrs England

Let me know if you’ve read any or if you like historical fiction.

Join in my book worms linky by clicking the following badge.