Praise for Stacey Halls, I love her writing and this book was truly spectacular! If you love a gothic historical thriller vibe of a book, this is one to add to your reading pile!

Stacey Hall’s novel ‘The Household’ is centred around the real-life Urania Cottage that was established in 1847 by the writer Charles Dickens and philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts. It was a home that was meant to support destitute women, including prostitutes, the homeless or women that had recently been released from prison. The idea was that it could be a place of restoration and encouragement back to the straight and narrow with the end objective of sending them off to the colonies in the hope a new and more fulfilling life would await them. Halls documents the lives of several women who enter the house and we are quickly reminded not only of the difficulties faced by women in Victorian society but also the complexity of humanity. The path does not run smooth for most of these women and so part of the fascination with the book is the desire to see how things will turn out for each of them.

In an interview about the book Halls has explored this complexity and her interest with the women who were, to some degree social experiments. She states, “I just loved how full of life this house was, how its inhabitants didn’t live by the codes of the day and had to work out ways of surviving. I think Dickens was expecting a band of grateful, fragile kittens but instead he got feral cats.” Compliance did not equate to survival and what was particularly compelling about the book was how Hall was able to draw these interesting women and empathetically create a story world that highlighted the perils and methods of survival necessary to be able to live in Victorian London.

Angela Burdett-Coutts was also a fascinating figure, and to my shame someone I knew absolutely nothing about. As a woman who inherited a vast fortune from her grandmother, she was inundated with proposals from men wanting to align themselves with her wealth. In the novel, Hall presents her as a figure who is supportive of these women, as someone who doesn’t demean or patronise but instead goes to extraordinary lengths to help these individuals. Her relationship with Martha, one of the occupants at the cottage is particularly well done. Martha’s younger sister had disappeared in service and so Burdett-Coutts wants to support her with this loss. Their relationship is complex and sometimes fraught, moving away from perhaps a more stereotypical representation of benefactoress and grateful recipient.

There is also the unsettling presence of Richard Dunn, Burdett-Coutts’ stalker who terrorised her for nearly 18 years. He is mentioned from the very beginning and is an eerie unseen presence throughout. You experience as a reader the sense of his closeness throughout the text, due not only to Burdett-Coutts’ paranoia that he is watching her every turn but also through and awareness of the vulnerability of these women who earn a living by being ‘looked at.’ Watching and being watched feels a strong thematic presence within the text. The work of a prostitute is to draw attention as is being in prison, where the women are kept under surveillance. Once they walk through the doors of Urania Cottage, they are then looked at and scrutinised for the behaviour. It is an interesting dynamic to think about and as the novel moves towards its climax, this early tension helps to build the suspense even further.

Urania Cottage seems to have had mixed success and I am keen to read more about it. I just picked up Jenny Hartley’s ‘Charles Dickens and the House of Fallen Women’ which I am looking forward to exploring and so I am grateful to Stacey Halls for writing such an intriguing book, full of characters that demand our attention.

1847 and the novelist Charles Dickens has partnered with a philanthropic rich young women to set up a house in Shepherds Bush to rehabilitate female prisoners on release, to educate and train them to begin new lives in Australia but not as convicts. The Matron of the house is experienced and mostly the young women make excellent progress. Their benefactress, Angela, suffers herself from a stalker who haunts her and when one of the women, Martha, loses her sister it sets into place a chain of events that will change the lives of all involved.
It would have been so easy to make Charles Dickens the subject of this novel, as his founding of Urania Cottage is well-known. However, Halls has instead chosen to make this story about the difficult lives of young women in early Victorian England, the perils of being in service, the temptations of theft or prostitution for those without family support etc. It's a really good plot, meticulously researched and engaging to read.

I really enjoy some historical fiction and after enjoying her previous books decided to read this one and wasn't disappointed I actually enjoyed it more than Mrs England she writes historical fiction very well and I'm looking forward to the next book would recommend if historical fiction is your thing

This beautifully researched story, set in the nineteenth century, follows the fortunes of several young girls fallen on hard times, who live in a community house founded by Charles Dickens, with a view to educating and bettering them for life in the colonies. Their rich patron Angela Coutts may have money and power, but she has her own challenges in an unrequited love for an older man, and the persistent attentions of a stalker.
I found the first few chapeters slow, but I was finally drawn in by the richness of the description and getting to know each of the young women, who are all sympathetic in their various ways. As the narratives unfolds, the threads of each woman's story draw together, with pivotal plot points that are by turn tender, dramatic, exciting and even dangerous.
The book comes to a satisfactory resolution, and establishes Stacey Halls even more firmly as one of the best twenty-first century writers of historical fiction.

Harsh, Hopeful and Heartwarming

The Household is a story based on Urania Cottage, a home established in Shepherd's Bush in the mid 1800's by Charles Dickens, well known author and funded by Angela Coutts, a member of the banking Coutts family.

A place of safety for women that had fallen through the cracks of society, had fallen into a life of crime, and who had nowhere else to go.

A step back into Victorian London with simple beautiful writing and creation of wonderful characters such as Mrs Holdsworth, her son Frank the Constable, Josephine and Martha, who brought this story to life.

Stacey Halls really does pull you into the story she creates and makes you fall in love with her wonderful characters and despise her villains.

A brilliant depiction of the men and women who lived during this harsh and stark period in history.

A captivating story with a touch of mystery and suspense which I adored. Love, love, love her storytelling.

I will definitely be reading her other books.

Five Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for this ARC.

As a fan of historical fiction I’m not sure how I have gone so long without reading any Stacey Halls books, despite having her first three books in my TBR pile.

The Household is set in the mid 1800s, at Urania Cottage where fallen women are given sanctuary and the opportunity for a new life.

We meet young women such as Josephine and Martha, and follow their stories, and their benefactor Angela Burdett-Coutts who has her own challenges.

Charles Dickens features as a member of the board governing the endeavour, and I discovered half way through reading that Urania Cottage’s existence, and Dicken’s involvement were real.

I really enjoyed this. I felt like I’d been transported to the time period and felt really connected with all of the women whose stories we followed.

I will be prioritising Stacey Halls other books soon.

After reading the household, I quickly purchased some of Stacey Halls precious books to enjoy them too. Such beautifully written characters that really stay with you, long after you have put the book down.

Stacey Halls brings Victorian England to life in this vivid and colourful domestic drama. Based on true events, The Household explores the lives of a group of ex-prisoners who are selected to live in a home for ‘fallen women’, set up by Charles Dickens. The plot unfolds as the women settle into Urania Cottage, cut off from the rest of the world and trained in domestic duties to further their skills and chances in life. Theory put into practice, humans are complicated and we experience the struggles and highs and lows of these ‘fallen’ women.

I love Halls’ writing which always has full, distinctive characters and I enjoyed getting to know their backstories as the women settled into Urania Cottage. I was especially fond of Mrs Holdsworth, the matron of the house who stayed strong, resilient and dignified when challenged and when things got tight. Themes on social class, feminism and gender were strong features in this piercing and moving novel.

It was a slower pace than the author’s other books but still held suspense and drama. It’s a must read for Stacey Halls fans but if the author is new to you I’d still recommend reading The Familiars or Mrs England first.

I know others have written far more eloquent synopses than I can so I will stick to the review part!
I would have bought this book but requested it from netgalley and was kindly gifted it. I have bought other books from the same author though or borrowed them from our library.
The plot is interesting and I always like stories about strong women. I liked the characters and found myself rooting for Martha and Josephine. I also think it’s a very well written book.
The bad part of this book is I didn’t understand or like the inclusion of Charles dickens. It was like a bit part without a reason. Maybe if I had read the books the character premises were borrowed from I might feel differently but it felt weird without that insider knowledge. I also felt it was a bit long. The first half of the book, not a lot happens and the plot really wasn’t clear. I also didn’t really understand the end. And I didn’t like the use of a racist term to be correct to the genre- it felt weird reading it.
That said I did enjoy the story and would definitely have bought it myself.

I have loved Stacey Halls’s writing since I first read “The Familiars”, and her latest offering “The Household” did not disappoint. I really enjoyed delving into a part of history I was not familiar with. I loved the character development, and the way Stacey interlaced the lives of of them all.

I have loved Stacey Halls' previous novels to the point where I have shared them, gifted them and recommended them to my daughter. I cannot say the same of this one, however.
The problem for me is how quickly it is established that 'Mr. Dickens' is Charles Dickens and that the characters we are reading are intended to be characters who influenced those in his stories - fine if, like me, you have had the pleasure of reading and enjoying Dickens' writing but not so for anyone less familiar who will miss the references and, therefore, a large chunk of the underlying story..
I found the pace lagging a little and some of the characters superfluous, other than to support the Dickens influence but paper thin on their own.
The start is rather dry and it took me a few attempts to get into the story, but I never found myself caring about it. I found it easy to put down in order to read more exciting, engaging books and pop back to this one in between.
I wanted to feel for these characters the way I felt for those in The Familiars or feel a thrill as I did when reading Mrs England. This just isn't her best book, in my opinion, but perhaps I will find her next one more engaging.

Interesting and absorbing story featuring women of different classes in Victorian times and how they impacted each other’s lives. The characters were introduced bit by bit, with information about them revealed as the book progressed. The historical detail was vivid and the accounts of Old London engrossing. The plot simmered in the background but the real strength was in the personalities and motivations of the characters. The narrative gathers pace and menace as the book continues. A very satisfying read.

A fab historical novel following a group of Victorian fallen women.
Urania Cottage is a second chance at life.
Fallen women will be trained in household skills and then have the opportunity to emigrate to the colonies.
It was a bit of a slow burner and felt a bit disjointed at times due to there being so many characters, but eventually the connections began to emerge.
The characters were well written and developed, each with their own unique voice, particularly Martha and Josephine.
The author’s writing style totally transports you to Victorian England
Loved that it was based on fact - Urania Cottage was set up by Charles Dickens with bank heiress, Angela Burdett Coutts.
Leaves you wanting to do your own research and find out more about Urania Cottage and Angela Burdett Coutts.
Thanks @stacey-halls, @manilla-press and @netgalley for the fascinating read

This book is based on Urania cottage, a home set up by Charles Dickens in 1847 for “fallen” women with the goal of teaching them skills and then sending them overseas to the colonies to start afresh.

I really enjoyed reading this, it had a lot of complex characters and in-depth storylines. It is well written and you really feel empathy for the characters. I particularly liked Josephine and her story. I love that the main characters are women even though it is set in time when men were seen as superior.

It was nice to learn something new too, reading this made me look into Urania House as I had no idea it was a real thing!

I felt really attached to a lot of the characters, I would love to have a sequel to know what happened to the girls after the end of the book!

This book is one of Stacey’s finest. It’s a totally unique subject and written so sympathetically as well from the perspective of the women. Totally recommended reading and would be great for book clubs.

4 stars - an emotional story following the stories of two main girls who live at Charles Dickens “home for fallen women”

Based on actual events the home for fallen women at Urania cottoage, was for young ladies who were currently in prison for petty theft, prostitution etc in the early 1800s to reform and eventually move to Australia.

We follow two of the of the ladies and a benefactor of the house:
Martha - she is the first lady to join the house, she longs for a different life but can she leave knowing her sister is missing.
Josephine- supposed to join the house with her secret girlfriend Annie but Annie disappears after being released from prison earlier than Josephine.
Angela- the wealthy benefactor of the house who has a mysterious stalker that interferes with her life.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story and was hoping they each got a happy ending. The girls even though ex prisoners were dealt a hard blow in early 1800s London and most were left with no choice than to commit the crimes.

Based on true events the books ends with some of the ladies venturing to Australia and I only hope they led a happy life and not those who met hard labour and slavery.

Mrs England is still my favourite by the author but this one comes a close second.

Stacey Halls is one of my favourite writers and her previous two novels The Foundling and Mrs England were both excellent. The Household is based on the true story of Urania House in Shepherd’s Bush in London, set up by Charles Dickens to rehabilitate so called ‘fallen women’ and financed by the incredibly wealthy Angela Burdett-Coutts. The latter was the victim of a stalker for many years and this becomes part of the plot of The Household as she becomes involved with the women at Urania House.
Sadly, I found The Household to be a disappointing read. I enjoyed the Victorian setting and the author is excellent at bringing to life the period and the institutions that feature in the novel. The story of Angela Burdett-Coutts was interesting and I was drawn into the lives of the women at Urania House. However, for me there was something missing here. The novel was very slow paced and there was a lack of a plot. I’ve found the author’s previous novels to be real page turners and I did not experience that with The Household. I am so reluctant to give this a less than excellent review but sadly it just fell a bit flat for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars

This mesmerising story held my attention from start to finish. I love it when you learn about a period in history while reading a novel, and with this book I learned a lot about life in Victorian England, for women from different levels of society. The characters are so well drawn I felt empathy with many of them. I will definitely look out for other books by Stacey Halls.

My first Stacey Halls book and a rear visit for me into the world of historical fiction. I loved how we were transported to the time of Charles Dickens and how he became a reference point in the book which added to the fictional story. For me a very quick read I completed the book in a day and I see from other reviewers that this book is going to be a winner with fans of Stacey Halls. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.