An excellent Dickensian novel which tells us the story of Lily, who we learn from the start is a murderer. She was abandoned by her mother and left at the gates of a park near Bethnal Green where she was found by a policeman, Sam Trench. For the first six years of her life she is fostered where she enjoys the rural farming life. But by law no child could remain with their foster family for more than six years and so she is returned to the harshness of the foundling hospital. The reason Lily grows up to be a murderer is slowly revealed in this beautifully written novel which perfectly portrays the brutal, precarious life of an orphan in Victorian England.

I found Lily to be a fascinating and absorbing read. Set in 1850, it tells the story of Lily. A young woman who has been through so much in her short life. She's haunted by the suffering she's been through and by an act of retribution that she carried out. Believing her life to be over she is fading away. But the man who saved her life as a baby is still watching over her. Complicated feelings develop between them, and this felt slightly uncomfortable as he was a much older, marrried man in a position of power.

We learn of Lily's story in her own words, and it is a story of cruelty and abuse.

But there is also kindness and hope as she escapes back to a place where she was once happy.

Born in 1850, Lily Mortimer is found as a just-delivered baby and is taken to Coram’s Foundling Hospital children’s home by a kindly young policeman. She is sent to live on a farm in Suffolk with a large and loving foster family until she is six and then callously returned to London. The harsh separation from her home is heart-rending, and Lily is to be trained to make a useful career. From the very start of the novel, Lily as a 16-year-old tells us that she has murdered someone in an act of revenge and is waiting for justice to catch up with her. She works at a wigmakers in central London – nimble and skilled in her finger work. The police officer who saved her as a baby returns into her life, adding an element of complication and delight, also danger as Lily is convinced that he will discover her crime and start the process of the fearful justice that she is convinced awaits her. Lily, like the other children at the home, all want to recapture the stability and happiness of their foster homes, and this bereavement haunts Lily as she emerges into adulthood, she mourns the loss of the security and simple pleasures of those early years on the farm in Suffolk, when she was loved, and life was pleasurable. The revelation of the reason for Lily’s revenge-taking murder is shocking when it is revealed, and this reader has nothing but sympathy for Lily and her decision to kill.
Rose Tremain portrays the brutal nature of the orphans’ lives, as well as the precarious nature of life in nineteenth century London for poor members of society with forensic clarity, in a narrative that is beguiling and beautiful – simply a pleasure to read. Lily is such a sympathetic heroine that the reader is fully on her side and wants the best for this feisty, generous, and talented soul.

Lily tells the story of Lily Mortimer who was abandoned as a baby outside a London park and rescued by a policeman who took her to the London Foundling Hospital. As was tradition at the Foundling Hospital at the time, Lily was fostered by a couple for the first six years of her life, before being returned to the hospital to learn a trade for life. The six years she spent on the Suffolk farm of Perkin and Nellie Buck were idyllic and there were tears and great sorrow on both sides when Nellie had to return Lily to the Hospital.

The story begins in 1867 when Lily is 17 years old. Having finally left the harsh life of the Foundling Hospital behind, she is putting the needlework skills she learned to good use working for Belle Prettywood, a society wigmaker with a sideline in prostitution. The Lily we first meet has committed a crime – she doesn’t share the details but she’s convinced that it will lead to her certain death when she is caught. Through a series of flashbacks we are taken back to Lily’s loving early childhood on the farm, as well as the heartbreakingly brutal life she endures as a foundling at the hands of some sadistic and staff.

It’s beautifully written, as you’d expect from a writer of the calibre of Rose Tremain, with an almost Dickensian feel to the storyline and characters. Lily is an engaging and empathetic heroine who I really rooted for as she strove to make something of her life, all the while worrying that her terrible past would catch up with her.

Stunning historical fiction from a masterful author. I loved Restoration and most of Tremain’s other novels, and this is another classic. It reminded me a little of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace. Lily was a foundling who is fostered out to a loving mother in the countryside, but forced back to the foundling hospital in her 6th birthday, where she is abused and neglected. As she grows up and gets a job, we find her worrying about having committed a murder, and much of the story is told in flashback. It fits well in the Victorian Gothic tradition, but in a very modern retelling.

Brilliant. A gothic tale of love, revenge, despair and more.

It was a super read, great plot, really dark and victorian, ghoulish but heartbreaking and wickedly written. It's definitely not a cosy fire place read in the winter, but it is very moreish and it was right up my alley, I really enjoyed it!

I'm really pleased with this one, and will be looking out for Rose Tremain, she knows how to write a good story.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in return for my review.

A compelling work of historical fiction that treads into darker territory than most. Lily’s life story echoes famous Bildungsroman like Jane Eyre, therefore it’s perfect for any Bronte fan. It was incredibly absorbing and I was so keen to finish it that I was left reading late into the night. Rose Tremain is always a favourite of mine and she’s delivered another gem.

Brilliant read, I was hooked!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

My thanks to Rose Tremain, Random House, and Net Galley for the ARC of LILY.
It seems that Rose Tremain has done it again. An absorbing read, that I didn't want to put down. There was so much cruelty in those times, particularly to the most vulnerable in society, and Rose Tremain documents this in her new novel. The abuse of children in the care of those so-called carers was stomach-churning. A devastating, yet compelling read.

Another great novel from Rose Tremain. Lily is the story of the suffering and hardship suffered by Foundlings in the Victorian era. After being brought up in a loving home, Lily is returned to the London Foundling Hospital at the age of 6 as the law dictates. Lily is quickly labelled Miss Disobedience as she tries to find her way is this completely different world. As we follow her life after she leaves the hospital we are aware that she has done something bad, you start to guess but the full details remain hidden until close to the end of the story.

A hard and distressing read at times, we are not shielded from the hardships these children experienced.
The ending is left open, it feels like we will here more from Lily.

Highly recommended.

I was given a copy of Lily by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Rose Tremain is one of the best authors of our time and Lily confirms her versatility and sense of fun. Loved this, thank you.

I don't always enjoy historical fiction but I adored this one ! I was so wrapped up in Lily story I just could not put it down.

Lily: A Tale of Revenge is Rose Tremain on top form. It's good to see her tackling historical fiction again, when she's so good at it. Though her takes on contemporary life are also worth a read, Restoration was her breakthrough book and still one of her most artistically successful.
This is an intoxicating ride through Victorian London, starting with Lily's idyllic childhood on a farm with her adoptive mother before being taken back to the foundling hospital, which she finds a profoundly disturbing experience after her first loving years as part of the family in the countryside. We then follow the adult Lily through her apprenticeship at a wig emporium and her dreams of romance with a man who might save her - or condemn her.
Another confident, original read which is absolutely not a cosy visit to the nineteenth century but rather a complex study of humanity that leaves the reader feeling implicated. I'm giving Lily four rather than five stars as I didn't feel compelled to finish it, but really anything of Rose Tremain's is of a very high standard and I have already bought this as a Christmas gift.

I have only recently discovered how much I love historical fiction and this is no exception! This was great! Highly recommend!

I love this authors books, unfortunately life has got in the way and I haven’t read it yet, but I’m hoping to get to this book soon my thanks for the ARC and once reviewed I will add to my personal accounts and relevant sites

Lily dreams of the gallows because she has committed a murder, however she wants to confess to someone. This story is her confession to the reader, the story of her harsh, early life and how it culminated in murder.
The story is beautifully written and effortlessly poetic. It is a slow burner full of emotion, dominated by both love and fear and with a moving ending. I would have liked a little more action and I kept waiting for something to happen but it never did.

I have read and enjoyed many Rose Tremain books and this was no exception, very well written, engaging and emotional read. No hesitation in recommending

I love everything that Rose Tremain writes, and this book is no exception. Infused with both sadness and hope, this follows the life of Lily, abandoned by her mother and rescued by a young policeman. Lily has an idyllic early life on a farm before being returned to the Foundling Hospital where her life becomes a nightmare. The story is told by 17 year kid Lily, who is working in a wig makers in Victorian London, while feeling overwhelming guilt for something she has done. Lily is a vivid and utterly sympathetic character, and this book, whilst set historically, has so much to tell us about pain, love, loyalty and guilt. Brilliant.

The year is 1850. The London Foundling Hospital receives a two hour old baby , found and delivered to the home by an on duty policeman. The law at that time allowed babies to be given to paid foster carers for a period of no more than six years at which time the child had to be returned to the foundling hospital. This exquisitely written story is the account of the protagonist Lily, whose earliest memories are of life and love with the only family she has ever know, only to be brutally snatched back into the cold abusive clutches of those running the orphanage. Hardship, hunger, fear and brutality are a daily occurrence; loneliness and despair a stark companion in stark contrast to her early years. The reader can only struggle to comprehend the depravity endured, and struggle to see how the author can give us any closure as a happy ending seems inconceivable. And yet Lily’s life story takes us on a journey of determination, courage and resilience. Endurance to suffer outrageous fortune and survive. A haunting story from a different period in our history that will linger long after the final page. Impossible to stress how moved I was by this beautifully written and well researched book of 19c London. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC allowing me the opportunity to enjoy the quality of this engrossing book.

Beautifully written, heartfelt and quite absorbing, the story of Lily's life is rich in vivid historical detail. The brutality of the regime in the Foundling Hospital and the sheer grit and determination needed by these young girls and women just to survive is quite astounding. All brought to life in this very compelling novel, I loved the prose and was completely transported. Highly recommend.