I seemed to be busy for a few days when I started reading this and that meant I found it hard to follow and engage with it. However once I could really commit to it I thoroughly enjoyed it, in fact it was fascinating. The fact it was based in real life added a whole other level of interest.

In the countryside just outside London Urania House is preparing to welcome its first inhabitants. Thanks to the philanthropy of Charles Dickens and other wealthy benefactors, fallen women from the city are being offered the chance of a new start. At Urania House they will learn household management, how to dress and act appropriately and when the time is right the women will be offered the opportunity of making a new life in one of the colonies.

Angela Burdett-Coutts is the wealthiest woman in the country and is using her vast wealth to make a real difference to the lives of the women at Urania House. However, Angela has her own burden to carry and it is when her troubles overlap with the household that events start to spiral out of control.

The Household just oozes atmosphere, from the quiet confidence of Urania House where prostitutes and petty thieves are given a place of safety and the means to turn their meagre lives into something worth while while juxtaposed are the corrupt and degenerate who prey on those who are vulnerable. We also learn that vast wealth brings its own complexities and is at times more of a burden than abject poverty. Beautifully written, weaving real life figures into a clever historical story of corruption, despair, new beginnings and ultimately freedom and the hope for a different future.

This is very typical of the Stacey Hall novels that we have grown to love. It follows a group of women who are attempting to better their lives after criminality in a Victorian home for fallen women. They have to leave their old lives behind in the hope they can change enough to be considered for sponsored emigration to Australia. It also follows the only female founder of the home, a real life person who was the victim of stalking. Charles Dickens is associated with it, but plays a very minor role.

To be honest, I did find this one very depressing. It felt like no matter how the women tried, the chips were against them. I mean, this is pretty realistic for the time period, but don’t read this if you are looking for the happy feels. It is absorbing and more a character study than anything, the central twist is quite predictable but just seems to serve as a vehicle to progress the characterisation along.

Overall, a good book but I don’t think I quite liked it as much as the others.

This book covers a quite remarkable slice of history. The main feature is a home that was set up by Angela Burdett-Coutts and Charles Dickens for the reform and rehabilitation of ‘fallen women’. Up to 30 women at a time were housed there and the book weaves together the stories of several of them and how difficult it was to leave behind a life of thievery and prostitution. It also focuses on how Burdett-Coutts was stalked and how that was overcome. A vein running through the book is the question, how free are we as individuals? All in all, a well written gripping story .

I always look forward to discovering a new author, and haven't read any of Ms Halls previous books so was looking forward to this one. She will definitely be on my reading list as I loved the historical detail which was woven into the plot and the way the different characters were portrayed. Less positive was the fact that people (mainly women) are still being stalked and "modern" slavery continues - a sobering thought.
Thank you to netgalley and Bonnier Books for an advance copy of this book

This is one of those books that you want to google right away on things you read... in a good way. It‘s enlightening. I have to admit, that I had no previous knowledge about Urania Cottage and how Charles Dickens was involved in it.

Very Dickensian in many ways – twists and turns, a look at humanity... and, obviously involving Mr Dickens himself. This a beautiful way to give the “fallen women” voice and personalities. Different personal stories which meet and intertwine at a Urania Cottage. Very engaging twists and turns, a solid read, which could easily have a follow-up book.

Based around Urania Cottage, this historical fiction book delves into the past at a home set up for fallen women. An idea conceived by Charles Dickens and funded by Angela Burdett-Coutts.

I was totally immersed in this book and the various storylines woven in between. I found it to be well researched and a great insight into life in this time. Very enjoyable.

After reading and enjoying Mrs England and The Foundling, I was really looking forward to The Household. It tells the story of a disparate group of women who board at this house for reformed women owned by an heiress.

I struggled to pick this up and felt like there were too many characters. Not my favourite of hers but would recommend for any fan of historical fiction.

Contrasts between the Wealthy and the destitute.
Heiress Angela wants to help people through her inheritance. She buys Urania Cottage, furnishes it and installs a Matron like figure Mrs. Hollsworth to help educate and look after girls from prisons, former prostitutes and girls from unfortunate backgrounds. One of the aims is to transport the girls to a better life in Australia.
The first girl there is Martha, she has been in prison and been commended for her good behaviour, Martha's sister Mary visits Martha and tells her that their younger sister Emily has disappeared. New girl Josephine tries to help Martha but is caught outside the walls of the cottage, Josephine leaves the cottage and meets up with her former cellmate and partner Anne, they try to make a life together but harsh conditions defeat them.
Angela the heiress has been stalked by Richard Dunn, he makes her life a misery and she has a policeman posted by her door to protect her. Angela tries to help the girls in the cottage and becomes particularly attached to Martha. A new Chaplin is engaged, he and Martha form a friendship and they elope together. There is also a death of a girl in the cottage, Angela blames Mrs Hollsworth for not tending to the girls properly.
The story gets more exciting at this point with chases, fights and revelations.
Really enjoyed this story, I found I needed a character list to follow it properly.
Thank you NetGalley and Stacey fr this entertaining novel.

I enjoyed this latest historical fiction much more than the last two of Stacey Hall's novels. I'd say it's purely personal taste.

The Household refers to Urania House, a home for "fallen" women - a project that was set up by Charles Dickens and other philanthropists including Angela Burdett Coutts (yes the banking people). Mr Dickens is barely in the book as Stacey Halls, quite rightly, puts the women centre stage.

We have various women, only some of whose histories we learn throughout the course of the novel including Martha and Emily (who Dickens uses versions of in David Copperfield), Josephine who was a thief and Annie who was in prison with Josephine.

We also delve into the true history of Angela Burdett Coutts who was a survivor of stalking (yes it went on even in the 1800s). Coutts was a fabulously wealthy heiress who struggled to find personal happiness - hardly surprising when she was so traumatised by Richard Dunn, her stalker, who was jailed several times for his behaviour.

Stacey Halls has certainly done these women proud. None of them are portrayed as weak or victims. They are simply women - generally poor, badly educated and given few chances in life. The plan for inmates of Urania House was to educate the women and then give them a new life in one of the colonies - as free women who could choose their own paths in life.

Just as an aside. Angela Burdett Coutts inherited £1.8 million in 1837 (equivalent to £170 million in 2021). After being turned down by the Duke of Wellington when he was old enough to be her grandfather she scandalised society by marrying (at the age of 67) her 29 year old American born secretary. She forfeited 3/5 of her fortune by doing so because a clause in her grandmother's will was designed to deter any marriage to a foreign national. Fascinating stuff.

I really enjoyed this book. Stacey Halls always writes well but the story was, for me, much more interesting than Mrs England or The Foundling.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the advance review copy.

What a wonderful heartwarming book, so creatively constructed based in part on Dickens setting up a home for fallen women in Shepherd's Bush.

Girls deemed ripe for reform are taken from prison to a halfway house where they are taught the skills thought necessary for a new life and career in the colonies.

The ideals and theory of the scheme come up against the reality of the girls and their sponsors in a fresh and entertaining way, the girls appearing so human and real as they move on from prison to Urania House - and sometimes back again to the life of crime they knew before.

The book is full of life and feelings that are totally believable, with super characters, great story trails and so much period background - absolutely loved an enjoyed this book from start to finish.

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed Stacey Halls’ previous books, so I was excited to get my hands on this one. It’s written as beautifully as I’d expect from this author, and I felt immersed in the sights, sounds and texture of the period. The references to real people were fascinating, and I enjoyed how the women’s everyday challenges and problems were portrayed, showing clearly how difficult it was for women to earn a respectable living in the past, and how easily their lives could become terrifyingly insecure.
Some of the characters were vividly drawn, and I loved Angela, Frank and Mrs Holdsworth. Unfortunately I got muddled with the cast of other characters and often felt confused by the story’s twists and turns, losing track of who was who. This is my reason for giving the book 3.5 stars as it marred my enjoyment somewhat.

Feeling a little different than the other books of Stacey's I've read, being based more in a period of time rather than a particular historical event.The Household is an engrossing and beautifully written story about a group of young women who are brought together in Urania Cottage after each having fallen on tough times.

Set up by a committee of London philanthropists, including Mr Charles Dickens no less! Urania Cottage is a home for wayward women, many of whom are offered the chance to stay after serving sentences for petty theft etc in prison. Providing them with a security, that many have never had, the aim of the cottage is to equip them with skills which will serve them well when they undertake their emigration to the colonies.

While forbidden to talk about their past to their fellow residents, it seems that it's not always possible to escape it. A problem which seems to be shared by those in the cottage and one of their benefactors.

With beautiful imagery and a wonderful cast of characters, Stacey weaves an intriguing tale of blackmail, dishonesty, unrequited love and loneliness while also including much hope and joy.

The expert of blending historical truisms with believable fiction, the Household is another Stacey Hall masterpiece to add to your collection.

I not a fan of historical fiction, but when I read the synopsis I was immediately attracted to read it.

I think the premise of the history is good, but somewhere along the way I got distracted between dense descriptions of this and that. I personally don’t enjoy when authors feel the necessity to describe everything.

I appreciate that this is based on a true history but I struggled to continue every time I tried to read it. I also don’t fully understand the main plot. And there was something happening with Richard’s character that wasn’t necessary? The ending felt rushed for me.

Maybe is just that I’m not the target for this type of books, but if you’re into historical fiction, you are definitely gonna enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t my favourite from Stacey Halls.

A wealthy Heiress is one of the sponsors of a home for fallen women, to give them the opportunity to improve themselves and then to sail to Australia for a chance to start again,

For me, this book felt a bit disjointed, as if I was reading several different stories without a link. There was a link, of course, it just didn’t flow together well.

Some of the characters were brilliantly written, Angela and the Browns, Martha, Josephine and Annie really stood out, others I didn’t connect with as much and would have liked more character development and possibly less characters would have worked better for me.

I love how Stacey Halls always champions strong women in her books and this theme continues here, with some feisty and fascinating women.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Stacey Halls and Bonnier for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Stacey Halls' new novel, The Household is a must read for Historical Fiction fans.

Set in 1847, a group of young women, who have unfortunate pasts are given a second chance and a home at Urania Cottage by wealthy benefactor, Angela Burdett-Coutts and her close friend Charles Dickens. At Urania Cottage they learn domestic skills before emigrating to Australia and starting a new life.

This is a captivating read where the author has created intriguing characters and placed them in a real historical setting. The pacing was a little slow to begin with but I enjoyed the setting and getting to know the characters.

Thank you to @BonnierBooks_UK and @netgalley for the digital arc

Established to reform fallen women, the countryside abode of Urania Cottage offers a chance for redemption if those chosen are willing to embrace proper virtues and follow the rules. As the story progresses, the residents, grappling with their new reality and their complex pasts, find themselves questioning if it is truly salvation or another form of confinement. In The Household, Stacey Halls delivers another compelling historical fiction, blending themes of courage, virtue and womanhood, through bringing to life a social experiment with haunting characters and their intertwined fates.

Having devoured all of Stacey Halls' previous novels, I was thrilled to receive her latest addition for review (thank you to Stacey and the publishers!). The Household truly ensnared my heart and mind, which aside from how well the plot was developed, was down to the alternating perspectives. The way this book subtly lingered in the mind for days after finishing it is true credit to how talented Halls is.

Halls skillfully explores the societal constraints faced by women, regardless of their wealth, and delves into the intriguing story of Angela Burdett Coutts and her relentless stalker. Charles Dickens' involvement with Urania Cottage adds depth to the narrative, and the development of these characters, including Josephine and Martha, who are utterly captivating. My heart truly ached for these women and soared in their successes.

A must read for those who have read Halls previous novels, adore historical fiction and champion women's fiction.

Although nicely written this book wasn't for me. It never seemed to get going and I just found I had no interest in the plot or the characters.

As always you become fully immersed in the world that Stacey Halls has created. The Household is a book full of characters which can take a little time to get your head around.

What follows is an emotional tale of several women, brought together from different walks of life, but all battling their own issues.

A tale of purpose, redemption, love, family and turmoil.

This is not my favourite book by this author but she set the bar very high, so if you loved this definitely read her others too.

Stacey Halls’ books can be relied upon to be historical, well researched, beautifully written, with amazing characters and lots going on. This one is certainly no exception.
In London, a house has been set up for unfortunate girls who are down on their luck and need a second chance. Josephine and Martha, fresh out of prison, are amongst the first to arrive. Mrs Holdsworth, an ex prison warder, looks after the household and teaches the girls cooking, sewing, scriptures, music, and anything else they may need to prepare them for moving to Australia to begin a new life. The benefactors for this enterprise include a single, extremely rich, noblewomen called Angela, and Mr Charles Dickens – the famous writer. Unfortunately Angela has a stalker who has recently been let out of prison and she knows it is a matter of time before he comes after her again. Martha has been looking for her sister Emily who disappeared from service a whole before, and Josephine is still in love with Annie with whom she shared a cell in prison and who she thought was coming with her.
I absolutely loved this book. Beautifully written, and with a real feeling of authenticity. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romance, mystery, or just an incredibly well written book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/193256917