The Household by Stacey Halls is a 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 heiress Angela Burnett-Coutts.
I have read all of Stacey Halls’ previous novels and so was thrilled to be offered an advanced copy of her latet book, The Household.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Plot
The Household tells the story of the contrasting lives of women residing at Urania Cottage, a house of redemption founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burnett-Coutts.
The goal of the house was to give women who had resorted to prostitution, criminality, or poverty a place where they might start over and find redemption. The aim was to provide them with moral education and training so they could rejoin society as valued, respectable members.
The story follows the residents, each with their own story of hardship and uncertainty as they trade the dangers of the streets for a life with strict rules and routines.
Meanwhile, wealthy benefactor Angela Burnett-Coutts faces dangers of her own as her stalker of ten years has been released from prison.
The Household Book Review
I’m a bit on the fence with this one. While it is an interesting historical fiction novel, it just fell short of the expectations I had. I’ve loved Stacey Halls previous novels but this one just fell a little flat for me.
One aspect of the book I did enjoy, which is true of all Stacey Halls’ novels, is how she champions women, especially those who have fallen on hard times. I could feel the anxieties and aspirations of the women at Urania Cottage. I could sympathise which each of them as they yearned for a better future.
Angela’s storyline with the constant threat of her stalker, also perfectly highlighted that wealth doesn’t necessary guarantee safety and security for women at that time.
Another aspect where Stacey Halls always excels is creating atmosphere and I loved her vivid depiction of Dickensian London. She brought the bustling streets to life, from the opium dens to grand mansions. She seamlessly blends fact with fiction and I felt fully immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the era.
However, for me, the pacing was slightly off with this book. It lacked the tension I was expecting and for the first 75% of the book, I found it quite hard going. There was so many characters and different perspectives and I felt the plot suffered because of it. It found it hard to connect to some of the women and would have preferred more character development, which admittedly is difficult when there are so many of them.
I did find that the final quarter of the novel picked up the pace and effectively tied together most of the loose ends. However, I just didn’t find myself as invested in the characters or the storyline as I would have hoped.
What to read next
If you enjoyed reading The Household, I’d definitely recommend reading more books by Stacey Halls. I’d suggest starting with The Familiars, before moving on to The Foundling and Mrs England.
If you’ve already read all Stacey Halls’ novels and are looking for more books set in a similar time period, I’d recommending reading Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield.
This book is featured in the following lists:
Related Books
Sheila
Friday 21st of June 2024
I totally agree with this review. I could not get into it and was over half way through before it really became interesting. Bit muddled in parts around the character Dunn and don't really know what happened to him or why the money was given to Martha when she wasn't really married to him. I am a Stacey Hall's fan and have now read all her books but found this one the least interesting. Mrs England is my favourite.
Jen - MMB Book Blog
Sunday 23rd of June 2024
@Sheila, I usually love Stacey Halls' writing but it just felt a bit too long-winded. It's a shame you felt the same! I loved Mrs England too. Fingers crossed she's back to her best for next book.