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Death of a Gigolo

Laura Levine

10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

After a dry spell, freelance writer Jaine Austen’s life is suddenly full of romance. For one...

In the Land of the Long White Cloud

Sarah Lark

6.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Helen Davenport, governess for a wealthy London household, longs for a family of her own—but...

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners

Therese Oneill

9.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Finally, a scandalously Honest Illustrated Guide To The Secrets of Life as a Victorian Lady, giving...

victorian women fashion humor sex marriage

The Royal Fifth

James W. Peyton

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The Royal Fifth is based loosely on historical events surrounding the Conqueror, Hernán Cortés,...

Adventure Thriller

ClareR (5779 KP) rated The Household in Books

Jun 25, 2024

The Household

Stacey Halls | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Stacey Halls’ latest book The Household, is set in a house for “fallen” women. This house did actually really exist: Urania Cottage was set up by, amongst others, Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts.

Charles Dickens doesn’t feature in this book, although he is mentioned. This wonderful novel is all about the women.

Angela has been stalked for many years, her life made a misery by a man that no one takes seriously. He has been released from prison for another crime (as stalking wasn’t a crime until recently), and Angela is dreading the moment when he turns up again. And you just know it’s going to happen.

There is also the matter of a missing girl: one of the inhabitants of Urania Cottage has lost contact with her young sister, and she’s missing from the big house she worked in.

This book was captivating - the attention to historical detail, the development of the characters (particularly Angela and Martha), the way that with a modern eye, it’s supremely frustrating that young women of any class were held in such low regard. But these women do fight to get the life they want, and that must have been a reasonably rare occurrence.

This is well worth a read - another fantastic read from Stacey Halls!

Kudos

The Dartington Bride (Daughters of Devon #2)

Rosemary Griggs

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

1571, and the beautiful, headstrong daughter of a French Count marries the son of the Vice Admiral...

Historical Fiction Devon Elizabethan French Wars of Religion Daughters of Devon Series

SunnyD (6 KP) rated Lady Bird (2017) in Movies

Jun 19, 2018

Lady Bird (2017)

2017 | Comedy, Drama

7.7

(53 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Not extraordinary

If you love the starting actress, Saoirse Ronan, and indie films, then this is a fairly good watch. Lady Bird's relationship with her mother is the main theme here. The two continuously butt heads. At first, Lady Bird says that her mother is hard on her because she loves her so much, but it later gets harder for Lady Bird to accept their rough relationship as she questions whether her mother loves her because she has to or if she actually likes Lady Bird as a person. Her mother struggles to maintain their relationship while keeping their household afloat financially, especially after her father is laid off from his job.

I liked that, in addition to the mother-daughter theme, Lady Bird goes through a journey of selfdiscovery that starts when she dates her first crush at her Catholic high school. Lady Bird learns more about herself and those closest to her with every decision that she makes.

The quality of the ending might be up for some debate. If you're looking for real closure here, you won't be getting one. Ultimately, what happens after Lady Bird gets to college is up to your interpretation. The only thing that leaves your mind at some peace is that Lady Bird seems to learn to be grateful for what she has been given in life.