My review of The Household by Stacey Halls (5 stars) - out on the 21st of April

Thank you Bonnie Books and Stacey Halls for this advanced readers’ copy of The Household in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic historical fiction novel set in Victorian London. Loosely based on true events, this is a story about Urania Cottage, a house of redemption for “fallen women” founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burnett-Coutts.

We follow a group of women from different classes and backgrounds, and with different stories. Each of them has to fight… and not just for their happiness, but for their security. We follow our characters through the dangers of Victorian society that offers such few opportunities for women who strive to be safe and secure.

We follow the story from multiple POVs, as our characters try to find their loved ones and reconnect with their families in the utter chaos that is London in the 1840s. Stolen identity, forged correspondence, thievery, opium dens and brothels, right across the street from grand mansions where esteemed ladies and gentlemen attend parties and drink champagne. The streets of London have been described so vividly, that I felt like I was with our characters, walking through the hustle and bustle of Soho and Piccadilly. The city is a character in its own right.

“The city is cruel but not heartless; it always offers a step to sit on, a secret corner to tuck oneself in. There are thousands of people doing thousands of jobs, fine parks and wide streets in which rich and poor may walk side by side. In London, a cat may look at a king.”

Though not fast-paced, I loved the way this story unfolded through a series of interconnected events coming together like puzzle pieces. This is such a well-thought-through and developed piece of writing, that I don’t think I will ever stop thinking about it.

This is also a character-driven story, and I grew to appreciate the women of Urania Cottage. Every single one of the characters has been developed so well, I would love to find out what happens to them next.

“She knows she will never think of London as home, will never truly think of anywhere as home again. Home was a whitewashed cottage with sheets in the kitchen, hollyhocks in the garden, three sisters in a bed. Home is only a memory. And she is grateful for it, because to have had it and lost it is better than never having it at all.”

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK, and the author for providing me with an E-ARC to offer my candid review of this book.

Having been a fan of the author's previous works, I eagerly requested this book upon seeing it advertised on NetGalley. Securing an ARC of this book felt like a true honor, and I can confidently say that the author did not disappoint; this may even be her best work yet.

"The Household" delves into the story of Urania Cottage, a sanctuary established to offer women facing adversity a chance at redemption and reintegration into society. Drawing inspiration from Charles Dickens's real-life philanthropic efforts, the novel authentically portrays historical events and figures.

The narrative unfolds through various perspectives, offering insights into the lives of the women residing at the cottage, each grappling with their own challenges. Additionally, Angela's viewpoint sheds light on her decade-long ordeal with a persistent stalker.

This book poignantly highlights the plight of women in 1846, showcasing their struggles and the societal pressures that often led them to resort to desperate measures. Through the lens of Urania Cottage, Dickens's belief in redemption and the value of empowering women is vividly portrayed.

Furthermore, the narrative underscores the systemic disregard for women's voices, as Angela finds herself excluded from crucial decisions despite her status and wealth.

In conclusion, "The Household" is a compelling work of historical fiction by Stacey Halls, offering a captivating narrative for fans of Charles Dickens and enthusiasts of historical fiction alike.

Stacey Halls has a talent for creating believable and flawed characters. I love how she's taken historical figures in this book and brought them to life.
The girls at the house all have their various issues and dreams. It's how they come together that makes this endearing.
An enjoyable read.

In 1847 the richest woman in London Angela Burdett-Couttes gives some of her money to set up a cottage for fallen women. The fallen women are in fact young girls released from prison who have shown a willingness to lead a better life.
It is run by a matron who has worked in different prison settings and the girls will learn how to cook,clean,bake etc then leave for a life in Australia or suchlike to start life again with a clean slate.

The cottage is governed by a board of benefactors one of whom is Charles Dickens.
He interviews the girls about their life and why they turned to crime. He might have been genuinely interested but it seemed as if he just wanted material for his books.
The girl's crimes were caused by poverty and hunger and the need to stay alive which I thought the rich people never really understood.
This book was so good, there were so many things happening within the chapters.
Rich people aren't immune from bad things happening to them and Angela has been persued by a stalker for ten years. He has been jailed for this but is now being released and Angela is quite rightly terrified.
Saying anymore would be giving away the story so I'll finish by saying I loved this and the ending sounds like there could possibly be a sequel. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Totally engrossing from start to finish!
Based on the real life ‘Urania House’ - a charitable project aimed at ‘rehabilitating fallen girls’ into more respectable positions in households or a new life in Australia. The committee was headed by, amongst others, Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett Coutts.

I was mainly fascinated by the real-life character of Angela Coutts. I had to do a bit of mid-read research about this remarkable woman. The sheer amount of philanthropic work she undertook was mind-blowing!

The fictional characters were superb too. So well fleshed-out and utterly absorbing.
Five stars all the way!

I enjoyed reading The Household. With multiple POVs, the well researched and descriptive writing transports the readers to the Victorian era. What captured me the most was how women were treated back then and the feeling relief that there were benefactors who think of previously imprisoned women and help them. Second chances, fresh starts, kindness, sisterhood with twists and turns are central to the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion

I have loved all of Stacey Halls’ books and this was no exception. Another beautifully written and mysterious, twisty historical novel.


Thank you for the ARC!

Another cracker of a story by Stacey Hall!
We meet the girls that have been to prison and now are moving to a house that gives them a chance to leave with skills to take forward and get employment or help to secure a husband ! Although it feels like they are free, they are constantly watched and disciplined. It seems to work well, but as we get to know Martha, Polly ,and others, we see how much they need to succeed! Mrs Holdsworth and Miss Coutts, who is a member of the charity’s board. She has problems of her own. Her stalker has just been released from prison and she’s scared he’ll be coming after her again, This makes the story really interesting! Miss Coutts is a lovely character who I had a lot of time for! She wanted this project to work. She threw herself into trying to help, which I think helped take her mind off her current situation.
A fantastic read!
Many thanks to Bonnier Books for the chance to read this arc copy for review consideration via Netgalley.

This was my first Stacey Halls read and I don't know why I was expecting a gothic chiller. Instead I got a Victorian mystery which was quite enjoyable but not amazing. I'm still going to give her previous books a go as it could just be me, not the book.

Unfortunately I could not finish the book due to me not being able to get into it.
It is probably a really good book, just not for me unfortunately. I downloaded the book to see if I could get out of my comfort zone for books but it doesn’t seem like this one was for me.

4.5⭐️ Fans of a period drama will love this story set in the dark, dank Dickensian streets of London.
We follow the stories of several girls offered a new start in a home for fallen women upon release from prison.
I loved the writing style and was completely engrossed in the setting and journey of each character.

The premise for this was an interesting one - a redemption home for fallen women set up and paid for by a committee who include none other than Charles Dickens (no doubt for research purposes!). The women themselves are from all walks of life and you feel such empathy with the thousands of women who found themselves in dire situations and these lucky few who have been chosen. You question whether or not they truly are 'lucky' though as several events happen within the novel with a huge twist at the end too that did take me by surprise! I would highly recommend to anyone, especially those interested in historical fiction!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Stacey Hall's latest offering did not disappoint. Seamlessly blending fact with fiction, The Household is an engaging story that kept me gripped throughout.

Based upon the true story of Urania Cottage, the home for 'fallen women' created by Dickens and supported by a number of philanthropists in 1847, the novel brings to life a curious cast of young women as they leave grim environments such as prison and begin to negotiate life in the cottage.

The house was designed to try to provide a safe home for those (often 'lower-class') women deemed to have 'fallen' into the depths of poverty, crime, or prostitution. Offering a fresh start, the cottage was located in the countryside outside of London and aimed to rehabilitate the women, providing training in a variety of things- from household management to moral education, enabling them to become the desired Victorian figure of both respectable citizen and capable worker. However, in agreeing to move to the cottage, the women had to forego the potential vices of the outside world for the duration of their time there. We see their uncertainty as they leave one prison and move into perhaps, another.

Contrasting to their stories, we also meet Angela Coutts, the heiress to the Coutts banking fortune who funded the creation of the cottage. Eye-wateringly wealthy, but facing her own demons, mainly in the form of her stalker who has just been released from prison, we follow her as she tries to navigate her own privileged life, highlighting that wealth does not always guarantee happiness.

The Household is a meticulously researched novel. For me, the novel placed the idea of home at it's heart, challenging what the idea of 'the home' really means, as well as showing us what, or who, it can be. Through the household of Urania cottage, the lived experiences of the oft-overlooked poorer women, whose stories are so often lost to history, take centre stage. Not only are the women sent to Urania Cottage to learn skills to try to achieve an improved way of life, we see what they can learn from each other, regardless of their class.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Author Stacey Halls has just made it on my ‘favourite authors’ lists with The Household, the second of her books I have read which is set in Victorian England. She writes historical fiction and this is based on Urania Cottage, a home for ‘fallen’ women setup in Shepherd’s Bush, funded by wealthy benefactors including Charles Dickens and philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts. The girls, usually having come out of prison for minor crimes or simply having had a child out of wedlock, are to be taught skills that will help them earn a living when transported to one of the colonies.

Angela has inherited a large fortune and wishes to use it to better the lives of people at the opposite end of the social ladder from her. She is not without her own problems as Richard Dunn has been stalking her for over a decade and she lives in constant fear of what he will do next. Her only respite from this fear are the periods when he is in prison but she learns at the start of the book that he has gained an early release from his latest sentence.

Mrs Holdsworth is overworked as matron of Urania Cottage and it is not going as smoothly as hoped as some girls run away and many other dramas occurs.

The story picks up pace towards the end and I did feel it was a little rushed with a few things left unresolved or confused in my mind. It was a great read though and I look forward to reading all of Stacey Halls’ novels. With thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stacey Halls’ novels have been some of my favourite over the past few years, so I was thrilled to be accepted for a NetGalley eARC of her newest book, The Household. I’m in a big historical fiction phase at the moment and The Household is really a fine example of all that I love in a book.

Urania House is a home for ‘unfortunate women’, based on a real place once set up by Charles Dickens. He even makes a cameo in the book, which completely threw me off by the way. From girls who’ve been orphaned to those recently out of prison, there’s a big ol’ cast of characters to get to know here and I’ve always loved Halls’ character development. We also get to know Angela, a wealthy girl who is a benefactor of the home, and who has been plagued with a stalker of over 10 years. While the book gets off to a slow start, it quickly turned into another masterpiece by one of my favourite authors. I love that it is female character-centric, and a brilliant interrogation into English social classes, as well as morality, of the time. It feels brilliantly researched as well, providing an immersive and believable read that takes you straight to Dickensian London.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A good historical fiction novel following a group of women coming from all sorts of backgrounds and with very diverse stories and struggles.
It is very vell written and the characters are developed in depth, each with their own personality and voice.
The story develops very slowly and I struggled a little to connect with it. It felt disjointed in places and given the amount of characters all doing different things I was getting lost as I couldn't figure out a connection. Luckily in the last third of the book things started happening and the connections started to surface, although some were a bit stretched.

All in all, this is a book I would recommend to readers who love historical fiction and slow burn, characters driven stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier books for a digital arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this historical drama. Based loosely on the real life story of Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women, the girls living in the eponymous household - and those helping them - are all compelling characters.

The story grabbed me from the start, but things really picked up pace around the half way mark, from which I raced almost breathlessly to the end. It’s a clever story - with several threads neatly entwined - and beautifully written.

A fantastic piece of historical fiction following the stories of women residing at Urania Cottage, a sort of halfway house for fallen women. As the story suggests, the house was founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts, the latter featuring heavily and having her own interesting storyline throughout. The real-life story is just as interesting as the fictional one, although their pasts are largely ignored and forgotten about, the women are still haunted by their past in ways that affects their futures. I was a little disappointed by the way the story ended in an almost abrupt manner, but it mirrors the way the stories of the women concluded when they left Urania Cottage and moving to places like Australia once their time there ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy of this book.

An enjoyable read, historical fiction but with a bit of fact behind it. Loosely based on a home for 'fallen' women set up by Charles Dickens who featured as a minor character in the book.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Having greatly enjoyed The Foundling and Mes England I was expecting to enjoy The Household- I truly did. In fact I think I loved it more.
It's rare that I get to the end of the book and feel such disappointment that it is ending. I loved the racing, elegant writing style that is somehow both fitting for nineteenth-century and modern day.
I always think a good novel must be strong in one of three areas- characters, story and style. The Household is strong in all three domains.
Recommend for readers of historical fiction, mystery/thriller and strong female characters.