The Woman in the Wallpaper feels like a slow-burning dream, one that slips between historical drama and something more haunting. It’s not quite horror, but there’s definitely a lingering sense of unease, like the wallpaper itself is quietly watching everything unfold.

What pulled me in most was the setting—Paris on the edge of revolution—and the way it blended with the very personal, very intense journeys of three very different women. I liked getting all three perspectives: Sofi with her political fire, Lara with her quiet unraveling, and Hortense who starts out pretty insufferable but grows more interesting as things spiral. Each of them is tied, somehow, to this eerily recurring woman in the wallpaper, and that thread is what kept me turning the (ebook) pages.

That said, it does take its time getting going. The pacing drags a bit in places, and while the atmosphere is rich, I did find myself wishing for just a little more tension or momentum early on. But when things start clicking together near the end—then it felt like it had paid off.

If you like your historical fiction with a touch of the uncanny, layered characters, and a steady build rather than constant drama, this might be one for you. Just maybe go in expecting mystery and mood over fast-paced thrills.

I'd say this is a solid 3.5, but I have rounded it a little like some other reviews as a 3 does seem too low.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I'm glad I did.

Never knew wallpaper had been around so long.
Story starts in 1793 in Marseilles.
Sisters Lara and Sofia are loved and indulged by their Father, Mother is stricter and shows her preference for Sofi. Father works hard to support family as a stonemason and encourages the girls artistic talents, The landlord puts up their rent, Lara must go to work at where their Aunt Berthe is employed, she is to help produce wallpaper. Whilst out driving his cart their Father is set upon by drunken gentlemen, which make his horses bolt, Lara is thrown clear and sustains a head injury but her Father dies from his injuries. The family are to be thrown out of their house and all go to work at the Wallpaper factory.
When they arrive at the factory, they are shown to a dingy cold cottage, they meet the owners son who is kind to them. Their work is hard and exhausting, not the artistic career they had been hoping for.
Josef the son of the owner is drawn to Lara and asks his Father if he can marry her but his Father refuses and instead marries him to Hortense, a spoilt, mischievous aristocrat who dotes on her dog. The marriage is not happy with both parties in separate rooms.
Sofi is a rebel and supports the revolution, believing in all of its promises, she takes Lara to the Bastille to see the guillotine in action, Lara is appalled.
A ball is held at the chateau and Lara is dressed as Josef's Mother was, a friend from Marseille arrives and talks to Lara, Josef is incensed. Still eager to take part in the revolution, Sofia informs on Hortense with a view to getting her removed.
Events go horribly wrong, resulting in a number of deaths.
Thank you Lora, NetGalley and Little Brown for this ARC

Many thanks t0 the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. This review is voluntary and is my honest feedback.

Set during the French Revolution, the two Thibault sisters (Sofi and Lara) travel to Paris to work in a wallpaper factory. In each of its prints of paper, a mysterious woman is pictured and she is rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst.

The two sisters form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the heir to the factory. His wife Hortense is selfish and unpleasant, so Josef looks to the sisters for comfort. With Sofi becoming drawn to the impending Revolution and the mysterious images in the wallpaper looking like Lara, change is afoot for all.

A promising debut.

I was sent a copy of The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones to read and review by NetGalley. While I enjoyed this novel it didn’t quite grip me as I expected it to. I love historical fiction and thought that this would be right up my street. I can’t quite put my finger on why this didn’t get to a five-star rating for me as it had all the elements of a story that I enjoy, and I did enjoy it, but it didn’t quite hold my attention all the time. Perhaps I just didn’t quite feel as invested in all the characters as I normally do. Having said that I do still recommend it – just keep an open mind and come to your own conclusions!

Set around the time of the French Revolution this novel was full of historic detail and Gothic creepiness. We follow two sisters Sofi and Lara who after the tragic death of their father move from a southern France to work in the Oberst wallpaper factory near Paris. But all is not as it seems as one sister is pulled into the politics of the revolution the other becomes enthralled in the mystery of the death of the factory owners wife and the similarities between their two lives. A novel of twists and turns which kept me turning the pages until late at night. The historical detail of the writing really pulled me into the streets of the revolutionary France and all the horrors it embraced. I will certainly be looking for more books from this author the future. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to the author, Lora Jones, @netgalley, and the publishers (Little, Brown) for an ARC of this book, which was published in the UK and Ireland on 20 February.

Set just prior to the French Revolution and continuing through to 1793, the novel follows two teenage girls, Lara and Sofi, and their mother. Forced to move from their home in Marseille, the three get jobs working in a wallpaper factory for a (reasonably) benevolent owner. The owner’s son, Josef, becomes friends with the girls and while he falls for Lara, Sofi falls for him. Josef’s father, however, engineers him a match with the aristocratic Hortense, an incredibly jaded young woman with an acid tongue (and who has no problem letting everyone know they’re beneath her).
This novel is a blend of twisty-plot thriller, family saga, romance, and historical fiction. It’s a well-combined mix of genres and there are some plot turns that I don’t think most readers will see coming. However, the book leans more towards the thriller element than historical fiction, and as I much prefer the latter genre over the former, it wasn’t really the book for me.

I would recommend it if you’re looking for a fresh, plot-driven read with some historical elements included. It also looks at the role of women in French society at that time, and how men could take advantage of them, so it may appeal if you’re interested in feminist themes.

Exciting and thrilling, this is such a great, original story!

Set in a wallpaper factory in the late 18th century, the story follows sisters Lara and Sofi, and the strange way the wallpaper seems to reflect what's going on around them. Who is the woman in the wallpaper, and what does the factory heir Josef Oberst have to do with it all?

This is packed with interesting and vivid characters, a colourful setting, and is a gripping story which will keep you reading.

An exciting historical novel which I very much enjoyed.
There is some very sensitive issues covered around death.
I like the author’s writing style, very vivid descriptions, and the characters came alive through them.
A different slant, and interesting based around a wallpaper factory.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

I heard about this novel a long time ago and couldn't wait to get my hands on it because I was immediately drawn in by the premise and mystery surrounding the woman in the wallpaper. Although it went in a different direction to what I had anticipated, I found the darkness of it pulled me in and it was, at times, so suspenseful I couldn't help racing through it. A worthy read for fans of historical fiction!

A historical fiction novel with gothic mystery elements set at the time of the French Revolution.

There are three points of view, the sisters Sofi and Lara and the aristocratic young woman Hortense. While Sofi and Lara's POV is that of working class women who had to upend their lives after the death of their father, Hortense is the poster child spoilt young woman of the aristocracy, who believes the dirty peasants could better themselves if only they'd wanted to.

Sofi, Lara and their mother work at the wallpaper manufactory owned by Wilhelm Oberst. Oberst's wife died under mysterious circumstances when his son Josef was a child. Wilhelm Oberst had everything connected to his wife destroyed, except for the contents and the wallpaper of the tower room of his chateau. Of course, Sofi and Lara want to know more and soon find out that the titular Woman in the Wallpaper was Josef's mother and strangely looks a lot like Lara. Why? And why do the wallpaper images change and show different scenes?

Meanwhile in Versailles, Hortense lives a spoilt life, until her parents decide to marry her off to Josef. How will the young aristocrat deal with married life, to a factory owner's son no less?

History takes its course and sweeps up the three women in its wake. The Revolution might upend their lives in ways neither of them envisioned.


It took me some time to get into this debut novel, but once my attention was captured I flew through the many short chapters in one sitting.

When I was offered the opportunity to review this novel I was hooked by the subject matter- set during the French Revolution- and the author was compared to authors such as Jessie Burton and Stacey Halls, whose books I enjoy.

However, I was strangely reluctant to read it, maybe it was the mention of supernatural wallpaper! I love the way that in Philippa Gregory historical novels you truly believe that an historical character spoke as she writes it, in this case, to begin with, I found the characters predictable and behaving/speaking in a stereotypical way, particularly Hortense. As I read more, I did like the way that we saw events from the point of view of Sofi, Lara and Hortense, and they seemed to find their voices as the story developed.

As I continued to read , I was drawn into the story and felt that the plot flowed with some twists and excellent evocative descriptions. I was truly moved by the final chapters of the novel.

I was impressed by the letter received from Lora Jones when I received my ARC, the research she has undertaken is fascinating and her inspiration taken from the Oberkampf factory near Paris between 1760 and 1818 intrigues me.

Ultimately, in spite of my reluctant start, I did enjoy this debut novel and look forward to reading Lora Jones' next book.

The story:
In Marseilles 15-year-old Sofia Thibault and her older sister Lara long to put their artistic skills to use and become draughtswomen for their father, a stonemason. But when tragedy strikes, Sofi and Lara must put their dreams aside and try to make a new life, working at the Oberst Wallpaper Factory in Jouy-en-Jouvant.

Josef Oberst, the young son of the factory owner, has tragedy in his own past. His mother died in mysterious circumstances when Josef was just a child; yet he sees her face every day, with her image depicted in the beautiful wallpaper the factory produces for the fashionable homes of France.

As a complicated relationship builds between Josef, Sofi and Lara, their lives are further confused by Josef’s marriage to haughty aristocrat Hortense. But with revolution raging across France, will anyone, rich or poor, emerge unscathed?

My thoughts:
“The Woman in the Wallpaper”, the debut novel of Lora Jones, is a richly described historical fiction tale with a hint of the gothic…

Set at the height of the revolution in 18th century France, the story begins with a woman being taken to the guillotine. But who is she? To find out, the narrative jumps back 5 years, and we meet Sofi and Lara Thibault. The sisters are very close, but something of a wedge is driven between them in the form of Josef Oberst, when family tragedy forces their relocation to work in the Oberst family wallpaper factory.

We experience the story from the perspective of Sofi and Lara, and the third woman of the novel – lofty aristocrat Hortense, who is married (much to her disgust, and his) to Josef. The chapters alternate between each woman’s point of view, and gives a real flavour of the wide gulf between rich and poor. That being said, I had a sneaking sympathy for Hortense, and her acerbic inner monologue certainly offered some comic relief! But the heart of the story for me lay with the Thibault sisters, and Lara in particular, who is haunted by the disturbing similarities between herself and the inspiration for many of the factory’s wallpaper designs – Josef’s late mother Justine.

The personal drama is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, and given the start of the book we know things are going to go badly for at least one of our main characters. This is a long book, and at times I found the pace a little slow, but I was drawn on to the conclusion, where some shocking revelations are brought to light, as the various strands of the story are tied up and mysteries resolved. An accomplished debut novel, and I look forward to seeing what this author does next!

This is not the normal period of history I choose to read about but was intrigued by the premise of this novel. Based around true historical events including the French Revolution. The story is told from the point of view of a mother and her young adult daughters. I found the whole idea of the wall paper influencing the women somewhat odd and unnerving. There was also a rather heavy emphasis on description in the book which makes it far longer than needs be for the story. Indeed, I think it would be a more accessible book, and perhaps attractive for teens, especially if studying history, if it was 20% shorter and without the ‘waffle’. Interesting story and history but a bit long really.

Set in the midst of the French Revolution, this historical novel turns to gothic when the two Thibault sisters are uprooted from their family home to travel to the outskirts of Paris to work in a wallpaper factory which specialises in a very particular toile de Jouy type of print. Mystery surrounds the factory, and the girls become entangled in the life of the owner’s son, Josef and his family.
Around the same time, an over-privileged aristocrat’s daughter, who up until now has been ensconced in a apartment in the palace of Versailles, is forced into an arranged marriage with Josef and is also uprooted against her will to live in the mansion next to the factory.
It’s only a matter of time before the factory workers start to revolt.
A promising debut.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

I found this book really hard to get through and gave up at the 56% mark. I struggled with the length and while I liked the characters and the setting it just took too long to go on anywhere.

The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones. France during the revolution has never been my jam and this book proves that further for me. Sofia and Lara end up in Paris and it’s all a bit shit. It’s a long book and obviously a chaotic one given the state of France. There is a twist at the end but I just thought this went on and on. *Given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book is going to stay with me for a long time. It is inspiring, dark, heartbreaking, beautiful and sad. It shows women's raw strength and determination, and how much we can accomplish in our lives, even when we start out in challenging circumstances. It takes you on a whirlwind with every page. I love historical fiction, and I think this is the first one I have read set during the French Revolution.

The two main characters, Sofi and Lara, try to live their best lives in difficult and challenging circumstances. These two characters go on a fantastic journey through the book, from losing their Father tragically, having to move with their Mother from their home in Marseille to get work in a wallpaper factory outside Paris, to living apart while still working within the confines of the factory setting and then the devastating conclusion of the book,

The family who own the wallpaper factory, the Obersts, have endured their own tragedies with the loss of their wife and Mother in very suspicious circumstances. Her son, Josef, has been greatly affected by the loss of his Mother at such a young age, and he soon develops a friendship with Lara and Sofi, although his feelings toward Lara are much more intense. They are complicated when he is forced into a marriage with the selfish and unpleasant Hortense, who hates everything about her life at the factory, including her husband. The only thing she loves is her little dog Pepin. As the French Revolution rises to a boil, she is determined to escape France. At all costs.

The one thing that binds them all is the woman in the wallpaper. Their lives seem to be eerily mirrored in the wallpaper on some of the walls in the house. Will they share the same fate as the woman in the wallpaper??

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am so impressed with the author, Lora Jones, especially given that this is her first book. I can't wait to read her books in the future.

This is a captivating historical novel, that is set against the backdrop the French revolution. I particularly like the way that we see the current events from the viewpoint of various women from different social classes and circumstances. It is also interesting to note how they begin to understand each other and find that they have more in common than they once imagined.. It's quite a long book, and I had to convince myself to stick with it at first. I'm so glad I did though as it became unputdownable the further it went in to the story.

A beautiful historical novel, with a strong dynamic between the female characters amid the backdrop of the French Revolution. This is not the type of historical fiction I usually read and the first book I have read about the French Revolution, so I learnt a lot and enjoyed it very much. An educational as well as an entertaining read.

3.5

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. Based in France during the 1780s during the Revolution when aristocratic families were hounded and executed. Two sisters and their mother are forced to leave Marseilles when the male head of their family is tragically killed in an accident. They move to a small village near a Paris and start work in a wallpaper factory. The story highlights the class differences and the hatred for the upper classes. The three main characters are women…Lara and Sofi, the 2 sisters who are both accomplished in drawing, and Hortense who is married off, against her will, to the son of the factory owner. We learn that his mother died in what seemed to be strange circumstances and that the son is fixated on older sister Lara as she resembles his mother. This is a story about secrets, love mixed with a little bit of history and magic. The wallpaper scenes are fascinating.