The Ladies of the House by Molly McGrann is a strange little story about two families connected by one man: Arthur Gillies.

You have Marie and her mother who live quite a quiet and sheltered life but when Marie discovers her dad lived an alternative life that she had absolutely no prior knowledge of, she also learns that he is a multimillionaire.
In another part of London lives Arthur’s alternative family – Rita, Annetta and Joseph. They all belong to Arthur. Joseph – his illegitimate son lives with two women who used to be part f the ladies of one of the brothels that Arthur owned.

I can’t say that I loved this novel. Actually, I don’t think I even liked it. I found that I kept asking myself what the point of it was. When that happens I know that I reading a clanger. I read it to get the book finished not because I was enjoying the story.

The Ladies of the House by Molly McGrann is available now.

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I really enjoyed this usual and original portrait of the world of prostitution and brothels in post-WWII England. Arthur Gillies runs a chain of brothels but he’s no underworld pimp but almost a respectable family man who cares about the well-being of his “girls”. It’s certainly not a sordid or depressing (although quite sad at times) read, something you might expect from a book about prostitutes, but actually a very human tale about independent women making their way in an often difficult environment. The story opens with the death of three elderly women in a house in Primrose Hill, London. When Marie Gillies reads about it, she instinctively feels that she is somehow implicated. The narrative goes on to fill in the back story and does so in an engaging and empathetic way. I found it a great read, atmospheric, full of period detail, an intriguing story about ageing, death, morality, friendship, longings and loss.

I had every intention of reading this book and writing an honest review but it expired before I had the chance. My apologies, If you like to resend it to me I would be happy to get it reviewed,

There was nothing that drew me into this book, so I stopped after the first chapter.

After the Second World War, when everything was in short supply, there was more women than men and the ones that where left/come back from war, where maimed, injured or otherwise traumatized. But there was one man, who returned uninjured, even brought a wife from Italy with him and he started a very lucrative business - he collected houses and used those houses to make a business with ladies. Those ladies where not tenants of his, they lived in houses and earned their living on their back or in any other position that the patrons wanted. Arthur's Italian wife and his daughter lived in suburbs and knew nothing about his business. Arthur's leading lady was managing his most profitable house with two other girls - Rita and Annette. This was a house for movie stars, politicians and other big noses in post war London and ordinary johns had to save money for years to just be once with Sal's girls.

This book is a story about Arthur's wife Leonie, his daughter Marie and about Sal's girls Rita and Annette and Sal's son Joseph.

The way the life in post war London is described is interesting and the ilfe these characters lead some forty years later is down right depressing. Leonie has always been afraid of this strange country and her husband and now when the husband is dead, she is afraid of everything. Marie has lived modest life since she does not know about her fathers fortune. Rita is the only one from Sal's house who still has all her marbles, but she does not live in the house any more, so when Annette has another of her moments she is not here to find her, and Joseph is not fit to do things like that, he is not fit for outside world, he just likes buses.

Just one chance moment chances their lives.

It was a good read, although depressing, but still good.