A captivating historical story set in Victorian London. Stacey Halls has produced another superb well-written book. The characters of the girls are so engaging, I felt I just had to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The story starts with a gentle, sustained pace and gradually speeds up towards the end. There are plenty of surprises as the story progresses and the atmosphere of Victorian London is clearly captured. This is a book about prisons in their various forms and the struggles women face to find a sense of freedom. Highly recommended.

Excellent historical fiction written by a skillful author. This is a genre that I really enjoy so it was a complete pleasure to read. The characters, setting and concept were engaging throughout and I didn't want the book to end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in 1847, Urania Cottage provides a refuge and safe haven, a second chance at life for a group of previously criminalised young women.

Based on real places, people (Charles Dickens was a benefactor of Urania Cottage), and events, accompanied with wonderfully imagined characters and relationships, Stacey Halls brings Urania Cottage to life.

Halls creates atmosphere and setting, building a dark and gloomy, intimidating London, offset with a busy, warm, and inviting safe place for both the women who live there, and its beneficiaries to visit.

I did feel that there were a few too many characters, which meant at times it was a little difficult to keep track of each, and also, whilst each was endearing in their own way, I didn’t feel each of them received the full character development or story arc they deserved. I think this could have been developed quite easily into a longer series exploring the characters moving in and out of Urania Cottage.

I really enjoyed this book, I looked forward to picking it up, and was fully invested in the characters. It’s only my second Stacey Halls, but won’t be my last, and it’s my favourite so far! The Household is released on 11th April, but is available for pre-order now.

Thank you Netgalley, Bonnier Books and Stacey Halls for an advanced copy of this book to read.

I have already read all of Stacey Halls’ previous books, The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. I loved them all and so I was excited to receive an arc of this book, based on historical fact. It is set in the Dickensian period at Urania Cottage, a home set up by Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts for fallen women. The purpose of this was to teach the girls to read and write, instruct them in the ways of looking after a household and give them religious teaching. The aim was to send them to Australia to begin a new life there.. We are introduced to some of the girls and follow their friendships and day to day lives. We have Martha, whose sister has disappeared, Josephine who is scarred, Polly and Lydia to name a few. Martha’s aim is to find her missing sister Emily. We also are introduced to Mrs Holdsworth, who is in charge of the cottage. I found I was engrossed in each of the characters and was rooting for them to be successful in their exploits. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, I would recommend this book. My thanks go to NetGalley, Stacey Halls and Manilla Press for an e-arc of this enjoyable book.

This book was nothing like the rest of Stacey’s other books. I was really excited for the one because the previous books were all 4 to 5 stars for me. This one left me disappointed. There were no surprise elements to the book. The entire time we are trying to figure out why he’s so obsessed with one of the characters, but it’s never revealed to us, which I think is what frustrates me the most. There are many plot holes and elements that just didn’t need to be added.

Loved this fictionalised version of something real, involving real people - a real house that Dickens set up with some other people, which helped 'fallen women'. These women have not had easy lives and it is easy to sympathise with them even while you know they need second and third and fourth chances. Equally, Angela needed sympathy even in her gilded cage

This book was just so much fun. It was fascinating to say the least. It was easy to get through. Every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it up again. Overall, this was a full 5 stars read.

This is my favourite of Stacey Halls's books so far (although I haven't yet read The Foundling)! A really good work of historical fiction, it tells the story of a number of people all involved somehow in Urania Cottage, a house designed to rehabilitate 'fallen women' in the Victorian era. I thought everything was really great: the writing, the atmosphere, the characterisation, the historical detail, and especially the way it was all woven together. Less plotty than her other books but I think this is why I enjoyed it more!

WOW! My first book by Stacey Halls and her others have not been put on my to be read pile.

This was such a good read, it was historical and felt factual, I felt that the author had done her research about the times that she was writing about. The characters all felt credible and I loved how the story developed around it's characters. The story dealt with the lives of "fallen women" in such a sympathetic way, all were considered as victims and I really liked that detail about each character's past was included. By doing this, the author made you feel that she was drawing you into their lives.

I would recommend this book without hesitation and have already recommended it to a number of friends.

This is a well researched and beautifully written historical novel based in London in 1847. It provides a glimpse of different social classes, the challenges that each face with some interesting dynamics when these different worlds meet. The main characters are well developed and the story has a strong start with a good balance of suspense and intrigue.

My only minor criticism is that the closing chapters felt a bit rushed and some key questions were left unanswered.

I enjoyed this compelling historical novel from the author of Mrs England. At first I found it difficult to get into, because there were so many characters and I wasn't sure what the hook of the story was. As I read more, I became interested in the story, although I felt that there should have been fewer characters to allow them to be better developed.

The story is based on a real situation, Urania Cottage, a home for 'fallen women' founded by the author Charles Dickens and financed by the heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts. The idea is that the women come to the cottage from prison and are trained for eventual careers in domestic service in the colonies. We follow the fate of the inmates and the matron who is employed to look after them. The different elements of the plot include the heiress' stalker, the missing sister of one inmate, and the separation of two women who were lovers in prison. The author's attention to detail is excellent and I could imagine the novel as a costume drama on TV, so clear were the events and settings in my mind. If you enjoy historical fiction with a focus on women, set in Victorian times, this is definitely one for your wishlist.

[Review will be on my blog, 3rd April]

While Stacey Halls has managed to create another set of characters that endear themselves to you and capture your heart, I found this book quite hard to get into… it felt a bit disjointed, with a lot going on but not much happening…and until 75% in, things don’t start to really come together and be woven together. While the ending is good, it feels a bit rushed and like quite a few things are just left to fizzle out… so, while I enjoyed it, it did not quite meet the high standards I’ve come to expect from her books

I was a huge fan of the previous books by this author but I found this one slower and less interesting.
I actually really enjoyed the final 25% as I felt more happened in thus portion of the story than the rest of it.
I also preferred the parts set at the house over the side stories.
A bit disappointing to be honest as I had high hopes for it.

I really enjoyed this one! It took me a bit to get into it due to the amount of characters and then I was super invested. A bunch of strong women doing their best despite their circumstances in Dickens times. I didn't know a thing about that side of Dickens, helping women to reform themselves to find a better life by placing them at The Household. It is very atmospheric and mysterious, really good historical fiction. I have to say, I enjoyed this book more than The Familiars and The Foundling!

The Household by Stacey Halls

It’s Dickensian London, where Angela Coutts, Society Lady, together with members of a committee of do-gooders,set up Urania Cottage, a refuge for so called fallen women. Here they are taught new skills and rehabilitation back into a meaningful life probably in the Colonies. An unlikely array of characters, rich, poor, kind and shady, shaped by their backstories, find their worlds intertwine across a canvas covering absolute poverty to almost unimaginable opulence.

There is an afternoon tea style pacing to this novel, which picks up speed towards the end, reminiscent of Pip’s exploits at the climax of “Great Expectations”. By the end, I had an affection for many of the protagonists and wondered what the future held for them.

Stacey Halls is one of my all time favourite, go to authors, and this is not a disappointment! As always she paints a thoroughly intriguing and hard to put down story. I was engrossed with it all, not knowing how it was going to turn out, but I loved every second.
I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc.

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When young ladies are not doing as they are told, they might well need rescuing and sending to “The Household”. Here they will learn how to run a house and their behaviour will be improved. Sadly, the household itself is not exactly as it seems and the very people supposed to be the role models are not what they seem.

I did wonder at the start of this book how the story would come together but, once again, Stacey Halls does not disappoint. The strong female characters in this novel make it a pleasing read and the fact that any rescuing is done only by other women adds to the positivity of the story. I definitely enjoyed this novel and I would recommend it. If you haven’t read anything by Stacey Halls, go and read them all now!

Great 'spinoff ' tale around one of Charles Dickens' social experiments - a home for the redemption of fallen women founded by Angela Burdett-Coutts in the 1840s. (Google her, she sounds amazing!) Wonderful characters, background stories, friendships, relationships along with poverty, hunger, overcrowding and desperation. Kindness is a theme that features a lot.
It's not just the 'fallen women' who have the problems either. Known as the 'richest heiress in England' at the time, Angela Coutts, in this story has a long-standing and dangerous stalker - very believable from the amount of coverage she got in the press then.
I loved this book, I felt some of the characters thought in a bit of a 'modern' way (e.g. comparing stealing stockings to stealing the colonies - I don't think people felt that way in those days, particularly those of minimal education - but I could be wrong - perhaps they got this view from the education they were recieving at the house!)
The 'girls', the housekeeper and Angela herself all need callouts for being super characters - a wonderful story!

I had never read historical fiction before I read The Familiars and I absolutely loved it and since then I have read all of Stacey Halls books so you can imagine my excitement when I was approved to read her new book The Household. Not going to lie I didn’t enjoy this as much as her previous books but I did still really enjoy it. This book is set in the late 1840s in the outskirts ofLondon and is about a group of fallen women who get the opportunity to get a second chance at life in Urania Cottage. This brings a mixture of women from thieves to prostitutes and the destitute. One of the benefactors is a millionairess who has just found out that her stalker has been released from prison and another is the author Charles Dickens. This book brings together women who would normally never cross paths but it brings their stories and how their experiences collide. As expected this was beautifully written and the characters are on the whole extremely likeable. There are some sad points and it is in keeping with the era. Overall a good book.

I love Stacey Halls so much; her attention to detail and her ability to transport the reader back in time is unparalleled. I perhaps didn't enjoy this as much as I did her previous work, especially Mrs England, but I think that's because I'm a sucker for books set in and near my home town while The Household is based in London. This is obviously just personal preference though and not something that effects every reader.