The Household

Stacey Halls fails to disappoint in this her latest historical novel. I was gripped from the opening paragraph and could not put the book down. She had me fully immersed in the drama, intrigue, and suspense, especially the lives of the ‘fallen woman’ There are so many twists and turns, that it kept me guessing until the end. This story telling is so interesting, and really fascinating, Stacey Halls has captured the true events of a time in history and turned it into the most beautiful story, that made me want to know more. about it. Another triumph to add to her collection.

Calling all Dickensian fans!!.... You NEED this book!

✒️She does it again!!! @staceyhallsauthor who brought us The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England, strikes Dickensian gold with what I think is her best novel to date.

🏚️A home for the redemption of ‘fallen women’, Urania Cottage was co-founded by Charles Dickens in Shepherd’s Bush on the then western outskirts of London in the late 1840s following an approach by Angela Burdett-Coutts, heiress to the Coutts banking fortune. The Protagonists in the story are not only Angels the Heiress herself but also some of the "fallen women" who are offered the opportunity to stay at Urania Cottage, we learn if this is a beneficial choice for them or not!

✒️This author has the exquisite knack of combining lesser know historical and factual events and adds a lil sprinkling of fiction to form a story.
I'd never heard of Urania house before but since finishing the book I've inevitably fallen down the Google rabbit hole 🕳️ on the topic.

Even though it's denied, I'm convinced a motive for Dickens involvement was to gleen some true to life experiences from the residents of Urania Cottage for fodder for his novels..but regardless it was a wonderful project to give opportunities to those that needed it so badly

I've added a lil photo of my from The Charles Dickens museum in London, if ever you have chance to visit you must!

This dropped onto my Netgalley inbox just a few days ago but I knew I had to read it straight away...it's a winner!

✒️PUB DATE 11th APRIL 2024

Stacey Halls has always been one of my favourite authors, and The Household may be her best yet. The atmosphere created is amazing, the characters, especially Martha and Josephine, are memorable, and the plot which mixes in fact with fiction, combine to make a first-rate novel.

As always, Stacey Halls tells a bewitching story which transcends the limits of social classes, and focuses on female characters. I absolutely adored the characters in this book, particularly enjoying how multifaceted they were. Moreover, kindness - whether searching for it or bequeathing it - is quite an important theme, balanced between compulsory acts of service and decisive justice.
I found interesting that the characters question technical legalities on various scales, especially when they compared stealing stockings to colonising a whole country.
Another historical fiction book to treasure on our shelves!

Set in 1847, a number of young, unfortunate women are given the chance to start a new life at Urania cottage on the condition that they do not disclose their pasts with each other.

Angela Burnett Jones is the extremely rich benefactor of the scheme. She quickly becomes more and more involved with the girls and their lives become intertwined.

Loved this book and couldn’t put it down. A brilliant historical fiction novel combining history, loveable and inspiring characters and atmospheric mystery.

I especially loved the characters and the bonds forged with each other. The fact that the novel is based on real historical events and characters made it even more special for me.

The cover is also beautiful and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my collection. Thank you so much NetGalley and Bonnier books for giving me the chance to read and review this title early.

Gosh this was thrilling. The premise of the book was great, rich heiress feels the need to do something “useful” but the rich heiress, Angela, was a fascinating character and so was absolutely everyone you came across in the book- Mrs Holdsworth, the “fallen” women in Umbria cottage. I absolutely did not see the twist coming with Martha- I thought that was very clever and there were many moments where I felt very on edge whilst reading- such drama and intrigue! I feel like there is plenty of scope for a sequel, I for one would love to know what happens next for all of them!

This is an author whom I have enjoyed work from before and this was no different. Totally engaging all the way through with well written characters and a dark atmosphere. I read this in two days as it was so good

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc

Really enjoyable.
The stories of strong women, doing their best with what life has thrown at them.
To some degree, the men seemed a bit of a waste of space in comparison 😁

I was fully won over by Martha, Polly and Josephine.
All their story lines weaving together, with a fixed point of the cottage, worked incredibly well.
My favourite Halls book so far.

Historical fiction at its best: elements of fact and truth seamlessly interwoven with a strong storyline. I knew nothing about this side of Charles Dickens and it was fascinating to learn about the cottage and his attempts to help fallen women. The characters were all believable and well-written and drew me into the story; I particularly enjoyed how the girls pulled together and formed bonds in difficult circumstances. Recommended to anyone who enjoys quality historical fiction.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Stacey Halls' previous novels, I eagerly anticipated reading The Household, and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Set in 1847, the narrative unfolds at Urania Cottage, where a group of young women, each burdened with unfortunate pasts, are offered the chance to embark on a fresh start, under the condition that they keep their histories secret from one another.

The novel, like its predecessors, captivated me from start to finish, presenting a compelling blend of historical fiction, endearing characters, and an evocative mystery that held me in its grip.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the opportunity to read and review this title in advance. This book has not only enriched my literary experience but also reaffirmed my admiration for Stacey Halls' storytelling prowess. Highly recommended for those who appreciate a perfect blend of history, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery.

Stacey Halls is a favourite author of mine and "The Household" is an excellent addition to her growing catalogue. I was unaware of Urania Cottage social experiment and the famous names of Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts who were behind it. The main stars were the girls that occupied the house and their stories of how they got there and what they did afterwards. A touching story about giving girls a second chance.

I've read four books already by this author, and this one is the best. Set in Dickensian London it is based on a real story of a house set up to help fallen women develop their lives and teach them to better themselves. The characters in this book feel real from the start. Very good read. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy.

I have read a number of other books by this author and she never disappoints. I was totally engrossed in this story and couldn’t put it down. Atmospheric, with brilliantly drawn characters. Highly recommended.

I love Stacey Halls novels so when I saw she had a new book I requested it without even reading the synopsis.

The Household is set in 1847 London and its suburbs. It is centred around Urania Cottage which has been established to help "fallen" women improve their lives.

Angela is a benefactor of the cottage who has many demons of her own.

The relationships between the women, both "fallen" and "respectable", develop quickly and deeply.

I adore the way Stacey Halls writes and draws you into the story and makes the characters feel so real.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I have enjoyed all of Stacey Halls previous books, and was thrilled to receive this copy of her latest book to review. One of this author’s strengths is her historical research, with her books based on true events, and yet again we are transported to Victorian England and become engrossed in the period. This is a steady paced book with characters that readers become invested in and I enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance review copy.

Never been grateful for getting a bad cold at Christmas before, but it gave me a great excuse to immerse myself in this book! Loved every minute of it and couldn’t wait to grab it and return to each thread of the story. The characters were great, with human depth and contradictions, not at all one-dimensional. I found myself pondering how well-intentioned help is not always received as such, and also how the early Victorian era was not immune to the concept of celebrity stalkers. I’ve read all of Stacey Halls’ books and am just disappointed I’ll have to wait a while for the next one! Sincere thanks to the publishers for the advance copy, in return for this honest review.

💫Book Review 💫

The Household by @staceyhallsauthor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication date: 11 April 2024


Set in 1847, Charles Dickens has set up Urania Cottage, a home for “fallen” women to help them prepare for a better life. They go to school and learn to sew before eventually emigrating to Australia for a better life.

The story follows wealthy Angela Coutts who has funded the house as she becomes entwined with the fallen women and involved in their stories.

I went into this book pretty blind but definitely didn’t expect it to be a mystery/thriller. There was suspense throughout with a stalker, missing women and a plot twist.

I’m really into historical fiction at the moment so this book was made even better knowing it was based on a real house and that Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts are real people. I loved getting to know about the fallen women and the bond they all form from being women in a time where women very rarely get second chances to amend their mistakes.


Thank you to @netgalley, @staceyhallsauthor and @manilla_press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#thehousehold #staceyhalls #netgalley #book #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #bookstagrammer #bookish #bookishpost #bookishlove #whatimreading #charlesdickens #historicalfiction

Contemporary readers, familiar with the stories of Charles Dickens, will know that mid-nineteenth century England did not look upon women as remotely equal to men and woe betide them if they made a mistake or committed a crime, be it ever so minor. What readers might not know is that Dickens was founder of a safe haven for former well-behaved prisoners, named in ‘The Household’ as Urania Cottage, alongside Angela Burdett-Coutts, a philanthropist and one of the richest women in England.
Those living at Urania Cottage were expected to learn how to manage a household, becoming accomplished cooks and seamstresses so that they might emigrate to Australia when the committee decided they were ready, putting their past lives behind them.
Stacey Halls introduces us to the redoubtable Mrs Holdsworth, a sympathetic yet shrewd instructor and her household of women, in particular Martha, Polly and Josephine. As the story unfolds, we learn a great deal about the girls and their families, as well as their wealthy female benefactor. Whilst the latter has all the creature comforts one could wish for, she is just as troubled and tortured as those who have been punished by the law.
This is a wonderfully told and fully involving story. Stacey Halls has clearly researched her subject matter in great detail and the narrative feels authentically nineteenth century without tipping into clumsy pastiche. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I'm a big supporter of Stacey - we have successfully launched both the Familiars and the Foundling when they first came out, and I stayed close to her writing since. I was looking forward to the Household with it's excellent premise originating from the history of Urania Cottage. As always, it was educating and interesting to read about this unknown piece of London history and to imagine what that life could have looked like. The book was quite gentle, the pacing was also a little slow, but I enjoyed the setting and following the characters' journey. I'd be very keen to learn more about it and to have a glimpse into the writing process behind it.

An absolutely brilliant historical novel, set in Urania House, a home for unfortunate women based on a real place set up by Charles Dickens (who features in the book in a supporting role) One of the benefactors of the home is a wealthy young woman, Angela, whose life has been blighted by a stalker who has remained persistent for over 10 years.
Most of the characters are the young women who become resident at this charitable insitution, whoch provides a safe haven and comfortable lodgings for lasses who have recently left prison, been orphaned, mistreated or otherwise fallen by the wayside.
The characters are wonderfully drawn and the story of their lives is satisfying and complex.
There is Mrs Holdsworth the matron/ housekeeper put in charge of the women, and the residents themselves, scarred Josephine, lonely Martha, seeking her missing sisters, to name just two.
The twists and turns are manifold and the story weaves and winds keeping the reader turning the pages. It provided me with great entertainment over some dull winter days and I applaud the author whose previous works I have also greatly enjoyed.

I found this book very interesting especially as it us loosely based on actual events. I had no idea of Charles Dickens interest in setting up a home for 'fallen' women so this book was a history lesson as well as a great story.

Urania cottage was set up by Charles Dickens. This is a fictional account of some of the women who lived there, which was extremely interesting. I could not put this book down and have since found out more about Urania cottage which I had never heard of before reading this book.

A brilliant book for fans of Historical Fiction. Readers are transported back to Dickensian London to a very real home for ‘fallen women’ - Urania Cottage and given numerous perspectives surrounding life there. Routed in social commentary and capturing the essence of the time of expertly, this was a book I couldn’t put down and read in a matter of days. A skilful novel of intrigue, deception and escape, not to be missed!

Having read Stacey Halls’ previous novels, when I saw proofs had been released, I was very hopeful I’d get a copy and was gripped by this. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bonnie Books for the ARC.

The incredible resilience of the women in this book was the thing I enjoyed the most. Based on real people - such as Angela Counts, Charles Dickens and Richard Dunn, the author weaves an intimate, dark and compelling story imagining the other women's lives and emotions in this vivid story. The pace at the start gave space for me to get to know each character and to understand motives..The writing is beautiful and evocative. The menace palpable. The loyalty and love deeply moving.

I really enjoyed ‘The Foundling’ by Stacey Halls so was very happy to receive an ARC of ‘The Household’ from Netgalley. The Household revolves around a rehabilitation house for women recently released from prison. Urania House is funded by a rich heiress called Angela and organised by Charles Dickens to teach the women new skills and prepare for new lives in the colonies. The story starts off slowly as we get acquainted with the women in Urania House, their housekeeper Mrs Holdsworth, the chaplain that visits regularly and Angela. It becomes clear that the women are all haunted by their pasts, none can make the clean break they hoped for and this has knock-on effects to all involved in Urania House. The pace picks up in the second half of the novel and I struggled to put it down while I waited to discover what would happen to all the women - the ending is tied up a little too cleanly but is nonetheless satisfying.

Another first rate, wonderfully historically detailed novel from this very talented author. I always enjoy her work on two levels - a clever, well constructed fictional storyline coupled with highly informative historical facts that I'm compelled to Google further whilst reading. Loved it!

The Household by Stacey Halls
I have read all of Stacey Halls previous novels and therefore was delighted to receive a copy of her latest novel to review. It is set in Dickensian London and features real characters such as Dickens and Angela Burdett Coutts. I was fascinated to find out about this aspect of history with which I was unfamiliar; Urania Cottage did actually exist and was established as a home for fallen women so that they could be housed, and educated ready to be deported to Australia. The author raises some very interesting issues related to the lives of women who were repressed within society and even those who had money had little power to control their own lives.
I was fascinated by the story related to the heiress Angela Burdetts Coutts, of Coutts Bank, and her stalker who pursued her determinedly for years on end. Her persecution only paused whilst her stalker was imprisoned. It was fascinating to see the way in which Charles Dickens, who supported Urania Cottage, was portrayed. I was impressed by the way in which these fascinating characters were developed the story of their lives was engaging and the twists and turns which the story took were numerous. I particularly liked the characters of Josephine (whose badly scarred face gives her an element of freedom) and poor Martha, searching endlessly for her sisters who she feels she has betrayed.
I will be recommending this book at my various book clubs and would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

The Households’ tells the story of the inhabitants, employees and the benefactress of Urania Cottage, a home set up by the wealthy Angela Coutts for unfortunate women. Featuring a host of brilliantly drawn women in 19th Century London, the reader quickly becomes absorbed into the challenges these women face, the friendships that help them through their struggles and the hopes that may or may not be realised.

These characters include Josephine (a young woman newly released from prison), Martha (who is desperately searching for her missing younger sister, Emily) and Mrs Holdsworth (the well-meaning but overworked matron of the cottage). Throw into the mix a cruel and relentless stalker for Angela, as well as sense of unfulfilled love for more than one of the characters … and we have an absorbing and thoroughly entertaining novel. We even have some cameo appearances for Charles Dickens.

Stacey Halls is a brilliant writer and her latest narrative doesn’t disappoint.

I loved this book-I knew nothing about Urania Cottage,where Dickens ,along with a group of benefactors ,set up a scheme to give ex-prisoners and prostitutes a chance to make a new start in life.It also involved the wealthy heiress,Angela Burdett-Coutts, whose life was fascinating ,and it made me go and find out more about her.
Angela was stalked for years by an Irish lawyer called Richard Dunn ,and this forms quite a large part of the story.I thought this was a 21st century crime,but I checked online,and it really happened .
There are some great characters in the book,and the women are very sympathetically portrayed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Set in 1847 in London centering around Urania Cottage, a home for "fallen" women co-founded by Charles Dickens. The story follows wealthy heiress Angela Coutts, who becomes involved with the young women residing in the cottage as she grapples with her own demons.
I loved this as much, if not more than I loved Mrs England and the Familiars!!!
A highly recommended well-crafted novel by this accomplished author.

I loved this! I wasn’t a huge fan of The Familiars so I wasn’t expecting much from this but I was very pleasantly surprised! The characters were all well-drawn individuals, each with attributes that allows the reader to empathise with them in some way. The plot was strong and intriguing yet still gave room for the characters to take centre stage. This is a triumph of a novel and one that I’m sure will be a great success.

‘Life is a balance sheet of who you have in your life and who you’ve lost. And very often they aren’t fairly weighted’

"The Household," is a real treat captivating the reader with its rich tapestry woven from real historical figures and events. Set in London, 1847, the narrative unfolds in the secrecy of Urania Cottage, a refuge for fallen women co-founded by Charles Dickens and heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts. The characters, diverse and nuanced, reveal the complexities of second chances and the price of freedom.

Halls masterfully combines lesser-known historical events with a sprinkle of fiction, bringing Urania Cottage and its residents to life. The novel delves into the lives of these women, offering a glimpse into their pasts and the opportunities the charitable institution provides. As the worlds of Angela Burdett-Coutts and the residents collide, a captivating story of redemption and sacrifice emerges.

The historical accuracy, peppered with imaginative storytelling, creates a compelling reading experience. The exploration of Dickens's philanthropy and the challenges faced by the "fallen women" adds layers to the narrative. The book's thematic focus on kindness, justice, and questioning societal norms resonates, making it a valuable addition to historical fiction.

Stacey Halls's meticulous research is evident, providing readers with a glimpse into Charles Dickens's project and Angela Burdett-Coutts's benevolence. The novel seamlessly intertwines fiction and historical facts, making it both educational and entertaining. Halls's ability to transcend social classes and highlight female characters adds to the book's charm.

If you are a fan of well researched historical fiction, Dickens or masterfully written female characters, this will be a real gem for you. You can get your hands on it from April 11th 2024

A heartfelt thank you to @netgalley, @manilla_press, and @staceyhallsauthor for graciously providing me with this captivating e-arc in exchange for my sincere review.

Tags: historical fiction, XIX century, Victorian, based on real events, suspenseful, mystery,

Wow a fascinating and interesting novel. Loosely based on real events ‘The Household’ tells the story of a group of young women who find themselves at Urania Cottage, a home for fallen women that was set up by Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts amongst others. The characters were well drawn, even Dickensian I’m some instances and the writing carried the plot along at a pace.
Excellent read!

Urania cottage, a real life venture founded by heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts and Charles Dickens in the late 1840s, serves as the setting for this novel in Victorian England about the rehabilitation, retraining and redemption of ‘fallen women’. Namely, those driven into prostitution by circumstance and poverty.

There is a wide array of characters and the girls are drawn sympathetically. Halls gradually provides lots of hints and little details about these girls’ stories, but they are never salacious, instead they provoke empathy and in some cases rage on their behalf from the reader. However, I found that there were very few strong and moral male characters. They are generally certainly less likeable and have multiple dubious motivations. Even Charles Dickens is portrayed as partly keen to establish the cottage so as to provide first-hand observation and information about the women, following lengthy one to one interviews with them, to use in his writing.

I really liked the characters of Mrs Holdsworth and her son Frank, they and the Browns, who work for Angela, seemed to be the only steady and reliable characters for most of the tumultuous events.

I had some reservation concerning the arc of one of the characters (based upon a real-life person) as I found a strand of their storyline rather unbelievable and cringeworthy. They are said to have been deeply religious and with extremely good intentions towards others in real life, their actions seemed impulsive and implausible, but I will not spoil any of the storyline.

When I finished The Household I found myself wanting more. I wanted to remain at the cottage and meet more new arrivals.

The long voyage to Australia was fraught with danger and uncertainty from the perils of the sea, overcrowding and the danger of catching fatal disease, not to mention that the country was still in a rather rough and fledgling state. I would love a further instalment about what happened next should any of the inmates emigrate…

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Another great book from Stacey Halls. I first discovered Halls as a random pick on @borrowbox a few years ago, and have read all of her books so far. She writes primarily about women in historical times. The women are usually at the bottom of the social system and I think she brings great insight into what it was like to live at these times. So her books are always worth reading for this insight alone.
In this book, there is a generous benefactor (Angela) looking to help women who have struggled get back on straighter life path. But Angela has her own demons and they start impacting on the women she is trying to help. There is a great housekeeper in the story, a tough nut who really wants to help too. The story kept me engaged. As ever it is the detail in how people lived at these times that makes this book enjoyable for me. If Marian Keyes wrote historical fiction, I think this is how and what she’d write.
I was gifted an ARC from @bonnierbooks_UK via @netgalley
Published on 11th April 2024

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read an ARC of The Household, in exchange for an honest review. This one’s a stunner., a captivating decadently rich story full of an entire cast of wonderful characters. It’s got it all, mystery, romance, intrigue. I’m a huge fan of historical/ period drama type books, so this was just like settling down on Sunday night for me. It’s definitely got echoes of Upstairs Downstairs and Downtown Abbey at its heart. I hope it gets adapted, because what a read.

I really enjoyed this historical novel. I have read others by Stacey Halls and equally enjoyed this one.

Urania Cottage is a charitable project involving Charles Dickens and an heiress, Angela Burdett-Coutts. Here young women are offered the chance for a new life away from the temptations of London. We met Martha, Josephine, Polly and Annie - all of whom have suffered and need a new start.

Angela is dealing with her own issues - a long-term stalker and an unrequited love interest - her story becomes embroiled with the cottage and its occupants.

The characters are well drawn and complex - very quickly you are feeling empathy for both the girls and Angela as they seek to escape their ‘demons’. I liked the historical details and found myself immersed in London of Dickens’ time.

A satisfying read. To be recommended.

A brilliant historical novel. I was hooked from the start.
The story of Angela Coutts and her relationship with the residents of Urania House is fascinating.
Urania House, co -founded by Angela Coutts and her friend Charles Dickens, is a home set up to educate and train wayward young women in household duties so that they can eventually start a new life in Australia.
The author's descriptions of the seedier parts of London and the violence towards young women are particularly vivid.
Angela herself has had a stalker for many years and her fear is so well portrayed.
I was rooting for the characters who come and go from Urania House, especially Martha and Josephine.
I am a big fan of Stacey Halls and I think this novel is her best to date. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Charles Dickens famous writer , in tandem with an acquaintance a rich benefactor keen to be involved in charity work begin a social experiment to house fallen women into a safe house and attempt to introduce a life changing set of skills to change their circumstances before offering the opportunity to emigrate to Australia. The waifs and strays and fallen women of London are housed with a responsible housekeeper in a prepared cottage and educated in preparation for a better life. The rich benefactor has serious problems of her own in the form of a besotted stalker with evil intentions. One house,, a mix of frightened girls, vulnerable to outside influences and naivety with each hiding secrets weighing them down and struggling in an alien environment .A storyline based in the sewers and higher echelons of Victorian London leading to corruption, violence and degradation. A well drawn picture drawing on the precarious position of women in a society dependent on marriage, wealth or the largesse of a patron to provide protection from the ever present dangers and corruption.Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is the first novel of Stacey Halls' that I've read and I must say I very much enjoyed it. I knew nothing about the charitable endeavour of Dickens and the immensely wealthy Angela Burdett Coutts in starting Urania Cottage and providing a future for 'fallen women'. Indeed I read the book not knowing it was based on fact and only looked up the details when I had finished the text. It is a testament to the writing that it all feels very authentic and genuine.
This is the story of a group of girls/young women, who have ended up in jail, yet are chosen by a committee of well minded people as being redeemable. When they have finished their sentences they are taken to Urania Cottage where they are taught how to be a servant and cook, and how to read and write and even how to play. musical instruments. The thought is that they will then leave England and take up a new life in the colonies away from the temptations that put them in jail in the first place.
The stories of these girls are intricately tied up in the novel with the life of the benefactress, Angela Burdett Coutts. There are some good twists in the plot so their stories blend together, with a satisfying ending.
It was good to follow the different characters's journeys through the story and the sense of place and the rather varied Victorian morals come through very well. I did find the pacing a little slow in places and I wasn't entirely blown away by the character of Richard Dunn but I was happy to suspend judgement and read to the end.
With thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Anyone who knows me will know that queen of historical fiction, Stacey Halls, is one of my favourite authors ever - so I'm very grateful/excited to have been approved for an advanced copy of her newest novel, The Household! (Huge thank you to NetGalley and Manilla Press!)

The Household is set at Urania Cottage, a real-life house for 'fallen women' founded by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts (who feature as characters in the book!) back in the 1800s. We follow a group of young women who are sent to the institution following release from prison - and in true Stacey Halls style, there's some dark twists and turns along the way.

Did I love this one as much as Stacey Halls' other books? Maybe not. My attention started to waver a little bit, hence the 4 stars, but I did still love it nevertheless. If you've got this one on pre-order or are planning to buy it in April, then you're in for a treat!

I loved this book, absolutely filled with mystery and intrigue that is so decadent. The characters - individuals woven and their stories told so beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Manilla Press for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Household by Stacey Halls is based on real historical figures and some real life events, although it is historical fiction. The book had me hooked from the start.

The story explores how women were treated during the Victorian era, as well as how easy it was for ordinary women to fall into the seamier side of society. Plus there is a twist in the tale that I did not see coming, one that made the book almost impossible to put down.

Angela Burdett-Coutts, heiress to the Coutts fortune, funded the establishment of a halfway house, Urania Cottage, for a few young women near the end of their jail terms in the mid 1800’s. Following their stay at the cottage, the idea was that the women would emigrate to Australia.

While Urania Cottage was not exactly freedom, there were clean linens, hot food and the promise of an education, a paradise compared to the prisons and the lifestyle the young women had left. The Household explores how powerless women were in the Victorian era, and how many were forced into lives of crimes.

Despite her wealth and position, even Angela Burdett-Coutts had to rely on the help of more powerful men. Angela also had issues of her own, including a stalker and extortionist, Richard Dunn, who plagued her for years.

As the story evolves, Angela’s life becomes terrifyingly entwined with the lives of the young women at Urania Cottage in ways she and they cannot possibly have imagined.

From Martha, the first inhabitant of Urania Cottage to Mrs Holdsworth and Angela Burdett-Coutts herself, Stacey Halls has built on historic events to create rich, complex characters I felt real empathy for. Her portrayal of Richard Dunn shows him as the villain he was, and in the story, he threatens not only Angela, but also the whole future of the household. I was on tenterhooks as the story played out.

The Household is fascinating, a real page turner, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I have read all of Stacey Halls previous books and would class her as one of my favourite authors...therefore I was really happy to see she had a new one coming out.

I was drawn to the setting of this book with the home for fallen women...it sounded very intriguing and in a setting I knew little about. I liked that it was based on fact as I enjoy learning things from the books I read too.

It had me gripped from the first chapter and kept my interest til the end.

At this point, I will pick up a Stacey Halls book without having to know what it's about. I know it'll be written with compassion for her characters, sensitivity, and outstanding research. This one is no exception.

Angela Burdett-Coutts was a philanthropist in the Victorian era with a passion for education for all. This fictional story involves her, alongside the more well-known Charles Dickens. Stacey Halls weaves a compelling narrative which entwines real places and people with fictional characters and situations, to create a book which both enthralls and encourages compassion for those in different circumstances.

I admit I wasn't a fan of The Familiars but Stacey Hall's narrative in The Household is captivating and I had difficulty putting it down. I'm also now further intrigued by Angela Burdett-Coutts and will be seeking out more about her.

In 19th century London, Urania House, a home for reformed female prisoners, is founded by Charles Dickens and other supporters.

These “fallen women” are impoverished women driven to theft and prostitution, fleeing from abuse or carrying the guilty secret of a past illegitimate child.

The hidden cottage is a strict and restricted life, too quiet for some despite the warm beds and regular food.

Meanwhile, rich benefactor Angela Burdett-Coutts discovers that her stalker of ten years has escaped, forcing her to look around every corner again.

Initially neglectful of her pet project, Angela begins to find she has more in common with these women than any of them could ever have suspected.

Told through the eyes of a wonderfully varied range of characters – Martha, Angela, and Josephine – Stacey Halls treats us to another heart-wrenching and compelling historical novel with the hard reality of women’s lives at its very core.

This book was fabulous. I really enjoy the timeline and how the book centred on a few different characters who ultimately had a link somehow. Stacey Halls is at her best when she’s writing about strong female characters.

When I hear Stacey Halls is publishing something new, I do a wee jump for joy. She is one of those authors whose latest releases I eagerly anticipate, and I’m so thrilled to have this chance to review an early copy of her most recent work.

True to her niche, and living up to my expectations, Halls delivers another plush Historical novel of the Victorian era, and with ‘The Household’, Halls masters what A. K. Blakemore, in a comparable ilk, achieved beautifully last year with ‘The Glutton’ (comparable mostly in that I’m an avid advocate of both!). That is, specifically, blending actual historical figures with fictional narratives, as Halls did with the Pendle Hill witch trials in ‘The Familiars’ in 2019. But the difference here is that with the inclusion of Dickens, Halls calls upon a readymade backdrop of Dickensian London and announces ‘The Household’ as a palimpsest of that vast ouevre, fashioning this latest novel as expansive in a way that her previous novels haven’t been – employing a subtle metafictional self-consciousness.

Even though ‘The Household’ did evoke scenes from ‘The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep’ (H. G. Parry) for me now and again, Dickens, in fact, plays a purely figurative role in this novel.

Other reviewers, no doubt, will give succinct synopses of Halls’s plot, so what I’d like to spotlight is the author’s superlative writing style. There is such self-possession in her craft: ‘[now] it is November, the infirmary is full, and the morgue waits below like a baby bird with its beak open.’

Numerous times in a chapter, I’d catch my breath at Stacey Halls’s poised similes and imagery, the way she conjures life in such fine detail, her writing so overfull with vitality:
‘The day after Josephine left, Martha and two others did the laundry. She washed Josephine’s raspberry dress, plunging it again and again into the hot water, watching its sleeves struggle to the surface like a woman drowning.’

The characterisation in ‘The Household’ is magnificent; though all of the characters engender emotion. I cared deeply for Josephine, Martha, and the sympathetic main characters:
‘Her mother she misses dearly, but there was something about being the youngest and a girl that made her feel like a Christmas present to her father.’

Pacing is different than I remember from any of the author's previous novels: when things speed up, they really do speed up, and it feels like we are truly hurtling toward the end, when the story reaches its last few movements. I can see, though, how it might dishearten some readers. Nevertheless, I felt myself enormously invested in the tension between protagonist and antagonist. In fact, 'The Household' reminded me, to a slight extent, of Laura Purcell’s ‘The Silent Companions’. If you love Purcell, you’ll love this!

Many thanks to Stacey Halls, Bonnier Books UK, and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review. Hopefully, publisher and author will pardon me for citing from a pre-publication copy:

‘[Urania Cottage] reminds Martha of a doll’s house, of a staged domestic life where, upon closer inspection, the fire is a pile of ribbons and the windows are pasted shut.’

I enjoyed this. It took me a little while to get all the characters sorted out in my head at the beginning - there are a lot, and some aren’t evoked in detail. Before reading, I didn’t know anything about the historical basis for it, or about Angela Burdett-Coutts (who is a great character), and doing some quick googling enhanced my enjoyment, but it definitely wasn’t necessary to follow the story. Really glad that Stacey Halls kept Charles Dickens on the edges and chose to focus on the lives of the women. I think if she’d brought him more central, he would have overpowered the whole thing.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is the first book that I have read by Stacey Halls.
This story is based on fact which I believe makes it even more interesting.
It follows the journey of a group of young women on leaving prison to a house (Urania Cottage) in the countryside which is at a secret location. This house offers refuge for the fallen women,giving them a second chance at life.
It also follows millionairess Angela Burnett-Coutts ( a benefactor of Urania Cottage) who has been stalked for 10yrs and he is now being released from prison. Angela is very worried as she knows that this man is extremely dangerous and will be out for revenge.
I would thoroughly recommend this book especially if you enjoy reading books in the dickensian era.
An exceptionally well written book and it shows that Stacey has done a thorough research of the subject.

Historical fiction at its very best! In the 1840s a group of women who have done what they must to survive are offered the opportunity to transform their lives at Urania Cottage, a home set up by philanthropists including Charles Dickens. The aim of the home is to train the young women in the niceties of society and to send them to Australia to begin new lives where their pasts will not follow them. The girls have committed various crimes, but must not tell each other about their pasts. They are confined to their new home, but inevitably they begin to drift away, often back to the streets of London, where their unsavoury pasts catch up with them in various ways. This is a very fine story indeed, with convincing characters and settings and plenty of twists and turns as the young women find the places where they belong, and those who support them have their own views challenged beyond endurance.

The Household by Stacey Halls. I have a very love hate relationship with Stacey, I love the concept of her books but they have been a bit wishy washy, this is the best she’s written though. A little house is set up to reform women who need reforming, Charles Dickens is a patron, he doesn’t turn up though. The girls who end up in there are lost souls and you can’t help but feel for them and want them to do well. Angela is a very rich woman who turns up to help them and she has a stalker and it’s said stalker where I feel like Stacey did her wishy wash thing. Give me a bit more background on this please. It was a good book, I really enjoyed it but I just needed a smidge more back story. My take away from this is men are weird.

The first novel I ever reviewed on NetGalley was Mrs England by Stacey Halls and I loved it. And this is no different I've read all her previous novels and consider myself a fan. Halls writes historical fiction that centres in the lives of women in all their messy, complicated glory. Character and plot drive her novels but the writing is also superb.

Reading this over three days was a joy, I looked forward to being able to get back to it at the end of a busy day. And now I can't wait for the next!

Just a superb novel, highly recommend

I enjoyed this right from the start and read it very quickly. The author captures the London of the times so well it's like being there, the characters are well-drawn and believable. I found it a little confusing towards the end, with who did what and found the ending a little abrupt - not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the book, it was a great read.

Stacey Hall does it again and this time I didn’t even read the blurb on the back before getting stuck in. This time she tells the story of Urania house, a house for “fallen women” set up by Charles Dickens. I became invested in the lives of Martha and Josephine. I do feel that the story ended rather abruptly though with some unanswered questions. A really good read that I will definitely be recommending to others .

Usually, historical fiction doesn’t tickle my fancy. I love history and I love books but the characters in this genre of novels fall flat for me and, despite being historically accurate, I find the language puts me off as I struggle to connect with the story when the language is used like that.
Stacey Halls, however, manages to write accurate historical fiction all while using contemporary language that fit’s within the natural dialect of the characters. This is a big plus for me.
Usually, Halls novels focus on one central character and their story, but the mix of different perspectives, backgrounds, and class is an engaging way to see how the world treats these women and how different their situations are. Especially since she shows the juxtaposition of the women in the cottage and the high society heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts. It’s really refreshing to see especially since Angela genuinely cares about these women like they are all her little sisters.
If I had to give any criticism it would be having more of a backstory on one of the young women Martha. She is one of the only women who is well educated and not come from prison but from a Magdalen laundry. I know it’s implied what the story behind that was, but I would have liked a bit more. I also didn’t really understand why Richard Dunn stalked Angela for over a decade (this isn’t a spoiler by the way they tell you at the start!).

I loved Stacey Hall’s “The Familiars”, not such a fan of her other books (I read all of them hoping for the familiar vibes of “The Familiars, excuse the pun, none of them lived up to my expectations). I was prepared to be disappointed but “The Household” was better than I expected. There is no doubt Stacey has a way with language and a talent of a great storyteller. Finally she once again finds an interesting story to tell – a story of a home for unfortunate (read “fallen”) women based on a real place set up by Charles Dickens (who also features in the book). I only wish the book was longer so all the multiple story lines were examined in depth. All in all – a very good book. Enjoyed!

When I heard about this book being released, I was beyond excited! I'd waited (quite impatiently) and it had a great deal to live up to after I had enjoyed the previous books by Stacey halls so much.
I was delighted to find I absolutely adored this just as much as the previous books.
Being launched into dickensian London was atmospheric and enlightening. I love how this author really makes the past come alive.
Urania House was inspired, a pet project by the rich, to rehabilitate young women in trouble. It made the divides of the time centre stage, but also threw you into a confronting and heart string pulling story, of women supporting women. I loved how friendships and relationships were formed, regardless of class, past and circumstances.
I finished this book reluctantly, knowing that books this spellbinding, are a rare treat. I am waiting (impatiently) for the magic this author conjures up next!

I do like a historic drama and was intrigued by the Dickens being part of the characters within the book. It is hard to imagine how women were disregarded as members of society and the concept of a woman having her own means and being able to live as she wishes and spend the money as she wished must have been unusual and unseemly.

The difference between the have and have nots in the book are a theme along with how being 'given' an opportunity might not always be welcomed. A harsh existence and an enjoyable read.

This was a brilliant book and I really enjoyed it.

The premise is good and, in a way, timeless - rich people thinking they understand the lives of poorer people & that they can ‘save’ them if they throw money at it & try to make them conform to their own ideals. The main characters are all distinct, interesting & have their own story arc. This helps build the plot well. The prose is well written, as always.

If I had one comment it would be around the character of Dickens, yes Charles Dickens makes an appearance (though he’s only really referenced in passing). He makes a lot of visits and notes on the girls in the cottage. I can’t help but feel this sets up a sequel with him as the main character. His appearance didn’t take anything away but I felt a bit more could be done.

Anyway, this was yet another great book from Stacey Halls. Read it. :)

Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

I love Stacey Halls' books and The Household was fabulous. I was gripped by the characters' struggles as they tried to live their lives in Victorian England. Rich or poor, these women were so constrained by their circumstances yet the strong relationships they developed between them were often the only thing keeping them going. Strong friendships help them triumph over despondency. I want to find out more about some of the real people in this story, and more about Urania House. A truly wonderful read.

Stacey Halls is a favourite author of mine and "The Household" is an excellent addition to her growing catalogue. I was unaware of Urania Cottage social experiment and the famous names of Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts who were behind it. The main stars were the girls that occupied the house and their stories of how they got there and what they did afterwards. A touching story about giving girls a second chance.

Another winner from Stacey Halls !
Urania Cottage is a project helping "fallen" women get back into society and giving them a chance at a new life abroad .
Loved it !

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

I found this so interesting that I was compelled to go and look up how much of this story was true after reading it and to learn the historical basis for the book. The Household centres around Urania Cottage, a home for fallen women (criminals and prostitutes) set up by Charles Dickens to educate them, provide them a real home and prepare them to emigrate where they could start a new life.

The book has many characters but we primarily focus on two of the residents Martha and Josephine, the woman in charge of the house and the wealthy woman funding the endeavour. Charles Dickens is frequently mentioned but he’s not a character we follow. Martha is looking for her sister who has disappeared but is restricted in what she can do. Josephine wishes to pursue a romance and is stifled by the house. We also have a fascinating plot line with our wealthy benefactor miss Coutts and her terrifying, delusional and dangerous stalker.

I found this book fascinating. The writing is excellent, it’s engrossing. There’s multiple characters but we still have distinct voices and desires for all of them. The setting of Urania Cottage is described so vividly. The social themes one may associate with Charles Dickens gently interwoven through the girls’ stories. His intense interviews and capturing of their tales suggesting an inspiration for his work.

A wonderful historical novel. I would recommend and read this again.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley.

Rating- 4.5 stars
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author for letting me have an E-ARC of this book and allowing me to give my honest review of this book.

I honestly love the author’s work and when I saw this advertised on NetGalley I knew I needed to request this book. I honestly feel so honoured that I was able to get an ARC of this book. As with any of the books that the author has written, the author did not disappoint with this book. I think this book is honestly her best book yet.

The Household is a novel that follows Urania Cottage, a cottage that has been set up for women who have fallen on hard times. The cottage is set up to give these women a second chance at life- a chance to be able to become part of society. But how badly do women want a second chance? The cottage is based on a real place that was set up by Charles Dickens that was benefacted by Angela-Burdett-Coutts. This novel is historically accurate and has real historical figures and events.

In this book, you get to see many different points of views throughout. You get to see a lot of views and thoughts from the girls who live there who all have different problems and issues. You also get to see Angela’s point of view throughout the story, who is dealing with a male who has been stalking her for ten years.

I especially felt like this book highlighted the way women were treated back in 1846 and how many women resorted to stealing and other crimes to be able to suivre in a world where they had nothing or were viewed as nothing. The cottage gave the girls a second chance at life- whereas if these girls were not offered this opportunity they would not be known to society. Charles Dickens believed that these girls could be saved and redeem themselves by learning skills before emigrating to a new country for a fresh start. For these girls, they had given up on themselves and did not feel that they were worth saving.

It also highlighted the way in which women’s opinions were not valued in Angela’s point of view. Often she was left out of important decisions and not told about things ahead of time. She often found out after the decision had been made despite being the class she was in. Even with the money and class she was, she still was not viewed as equal to men.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great historical fiction book. Yet another amazing book by Stacey Halls which I recommended for anyone who is a fan of Charles Dickens or historical fiction books.

Halls gets better and better: this is a lovely novel. It's particularly interesting in the way that a good way - possibly more than two-thirds - through the narrative, different strand twist together in a quite unexpected way. It's a risk, and with a less assured and talented writer might have gone badly wrong, but here it *works*. I hugely enjoyed it.

Stacey does it again but somehow even better than before! The writing from Halls in this novel seems to have come on leaps and bounds from her already great previous work, and if you were a fan of any of her back catalogue you will surely not be disappointed with The Household. Gripping, heartfelt and warm, you will fall in love with the characters and be thrilled with every twist and turn they’re taken on.

After The Familiars' I did wonder if Stacey Halls could do it again!
The good news is, yes she has and maybe this is even better. There is suspense aplenty, twists and turns and lots of interesting historical little asides where you find yourself thinking - wow, really? But yes, really!
I enjoyed it very much - the wind blew hard against the windows while I read this and somehow, it seemed to be the perfect read when the lights flickered and we might be left in the dark!

Stacey Halls' books are always such a treat, and this is no exception. Her biggest yet in terms of scale - encompassing the lives of multiple women as they battle through stifling expectations of life in London in 1847. Such immersive storyline, with all the varies plots and woes so wonderfully interwoven. Such a treat to read!

I really enjoyed this one! It took me a bit to get into it due to the amount of characters and then I was super invested. A bunch of strong women doing their best despite their circumstances in Dickens times. I didn't know a thing about that side of Dickens, helping women to reform themselves to find a better life by placing them at The Household. It is very atmospheric and mysterious, really good historical fiction. I have to say, I enjoyed this book more than The Familiars and The Foundling!

Stacey Halls is one of my all time favourite, go to authors, and this is not a disappointment! As always she paints a thoroughly intriguing and hard to put down story. I was engrossed with it all, not knowing how it was going to turn out, but I loved every second.
I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc.

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When young ladies are not doing as they are told, they might well need rescuing and sending to “The Household”. Here they will learn how to run a house and their behaviour will be improved. Sadly, the household itself is not exactly as it seems and the very people supposed to be the role models are not what they seem.

I did wonder at the start of this book how the story would come together but, once again, Stacey Halls does not disappoint. The strong female characters in this novel make it a pleasing read and the fact that any rescuing is done only by other women adds to the positivity of the story. I definitely enjoyed this novel and I would recommend it. If you haven’t read anything by Stacey Halls, go and read them all now!

Great 'spinoff ' tale around one of Charles Dickens' social experiments - a home for the redemption of fallen women founded by Angela Burdett-Coutts in the 1840s. (Google her, she sounds amazing!) Wonderful characters, background stories, friendships, relationships along with poverty, hunger, overcrowding and desperation. Kindness is a theme that features a lot.
It's not just the 'fallen women' who have the problems either. Known as the 'richest heiress in England' at the time, Angela Coutts, in this story has a long-standing and dangerous stalker - very believable from the amount of coverage she got in the press then.
I loved this book, I felt some of the characters thought in a bit of a 'modern' way (e.g. comparing stealing stockings to stealing the colonies - I don't think people felt that way in those days, particularly those of minimal education - but I could be wrong - perhaps they got this view from the education they were recieving at the house!)
The 'girls', the housekeeper and Angela herself all need callouts for being super characters - a wonderful story!

I love Stacey Halls so much; her attention to detail and her ability to transport the reader back in time is unparalleled. I perhaps didn't enjoy this as much as I did her previous work, especially Mrs England, but I think that's because I'm a sucker for books set in and near my home town while The Household is based in London. This is obviously just personal preference though and not something that effects every reader.

I love Stacey Halls’ books and this was no exception! It did take a little while for me to get into but then every clicked and it was a great story. I love historical fiction for what you learn about different time periods and I felt I learnt a lot from this well researched novel. A good read I would recommend.

Set in 1847, Stacey Halls has adapted the real life event of Charles Dickens and the wealthy benefactress, Angela Burdett-Coutts, establishing Urania Cottage, a home for so-called ‘fallen’ Victorian women. This is clearly a meticulously researched and fascinating insight into social reform of the time, combined with Stacey Halls riveting writing style. I was gripped from start to finish and it reminded me in parts of Sarah Waters ‘Fingersmith’, which is one of my all time favourite reads. I’m now inspired to find out more about Urania Cottage (while I wait for Stacey Halls next fabulous slice of historical fiction to be published)..

Thank you to Netgalley and Manilla Press for my advance review copy.

A thoroughly good read, beautifully written and with a cast of interesting and endearing characters - an absolute joy, even the villain of the piece has redeeming qualities! Based on the philanthropic attempts of a high born, rich lady and her friend Charles Dickens, to rescue and reeducate fallen women, they establish a house just outside London for this purpose. There will inevitably be dramas, friendships won and lost, unrequited love and unwanted romantic attentions. The journey is bumpy, but not without humour and very clever, beautiful storytelling. I want to read it again.

Firstly, thank you Netgalley for the advance copy. Secondly, thank you Stacey Hall for your exquisite, engrossing prose once again.

I really enjoyed this, as I've enjoyed all Stacey Hall novels, although I didn't find it quite as tense or atmospheric as its predecessors.
I did love the characters, their friendships, and loyalty to one another, and was glad of the  (**SPOILER ALERT**) happy ending.

Definitely worth a pre-order!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Manilla Press, for the opportunity to read The Household by Stacey Halls before published. Stacey Halls is one of my favourite authors, having read all of her books and having the pleasure to say this is now the third book I have had the opportunity to read in advance. I cannot express my love for this book enough. It started off slow at first but I now understand that Stacey Halls had to really delve into each characters story to make it unique and personal. I felt really moved by the characters and I wish we could find out more from Josephine, Martha & Emily now they are in Australia. The book ended off in a nice resolved manner but I still want more from the characters as I felt so moved by their story. Stacey has a brilliant way of connecting factual information to fiction which I absolutely love, you can really tell she does her research and puts her all into her books and it shows. Thank you again for this opportunity, I can't wait for the book to be published so I can have my copy and also so others can read this spectacular book!

This book has everything you’ll ever need from a classic Victorian novel. Mistaken identity, opium dens, thievery, debauchery and a group of women trying their best to forge their way in life. The streets of London are so vivid in this novel you’ll feel like you’re striding the pavements too. All of the characters have something different to offer and it kept me hooked from chapter one. Urania House was a place of wonder, as were its inhabitants. I’ve been a Stacey Has fan right from The Familiars and this hasn’t let the side down at all.

Stacey Halls has done it again! Her classic style of combining real events with fiction never disappoints, and The Households presents a host of beautifully fleshed out characters living against the backdrop of late 1800s London. A must read for any lovers of period dramas. It is a beautiful story of friendship, sisterhood and new beginnings.
With many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, who provided an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A Victorian philanthropic initiative sees young ‘fallen’ women who are considered worth saving, shipped out to the rural Urania Cottage away from temptation, to be retrained and hopefully given a fresh start in Australia, Canada or South Africa. But these women have pasts, families and complications.

I have loved and enthused over all of Stacey Halls’ books, and this one is every bit as good as the rest. Her characters are so alive and so wonderful. I think one of the things I really appreciate is that there are no unimportant or filler characters, even the slightest of them has a backstory and a reason for being there. This might be why they feel so realistic. I particularly loved Martha, desperate to find her younger sister who has disappeared, and Frank, a young policeman with morals and a determination to do his job.

The Household is based on fact, and I looked it up because I had no idea about this particular initiative involving no less a person than Charles Dickens. To the modern eye it perhaps feels a little condescending, but in Victorian times the idea of giving these women a new beginning must have been groundbreaking. The extras that Dickens insisted on – reading, playing the piano and colourful clothes, must have seemed very unusual at the time, and that is reflected in the novel. The matron definitely feels that it is a waste of money!

I would not say that there was a happy ending, but perhaps a hopeful one, which is all you can ask for sometimes.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Household, I will buy it when it’s released and add it to my shelf of Stacey Halls books to reread in the future.

The Household by Stacey Halls

It feels like we've waited a long time for her next novel to be published , but 10 times over , it's been worth it .
The Household has everything you wish for in a good read , a great plot to keep you turning the pages , strong characters and left feeling bereft when it comes to the last page.

Brilliant , brilliant , brilliant .

Stacey Halls has written an epic and very readable novel about the fate of women in Victorian London. "The Household" is set in around 1850, when Shepherd's Bush was in the countryside. There are a smattering of real historical figures, including Charles Dickens, who was known for reporting on the less well off and campaigning for better conditions for them. The household of the title is what would now be known as a half-way house for women (mostly ex-prisoners), which provides a safe environment for the learning of new skills. The aim is ultimately for these women to emigrate to the colonies, and become the wives of settlers.

The women of the household had become criminals out of necessity and are not used to being treated as individual human beings with wills of their own. As they settle in new friendships are made and mutual support is provided. At the other end of the spectrum we find Miss Coutts, who is very rich but single, and therefore able to be more of a free agent. However, this does not mean that she is free of stress and she is troubled by a persistent stalker.

The tales of the various female characters are complex and interwoven to provide a wonderful glimpse of life at this time. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I absolutely loved The Household, the fourth novel from Stacey Halls. Her books - while set in differing historical eras and places - share some key themes in common: poverty and working class life before the existence of any social safety net (and how support systems based purely on the beneficence of the rich are inherently unstable); female friendship; the restrictions and risks faced by wealthy women who push the boundaries of 'polite' society.

The Household is based on a true story in mid-19th Century London, and about a woman I knew nothing before picking up the book. Angela Burdett-Coutts was one of the richest women in England and a keen campaigner for social justice who, in the late 1840s established Urania Cottage - a home for fallen women - with her close friend Charles Dickens. While Dickens appears only as a background character in The Household (and not a blameless one: the detail about him regularly visiting the girls at the cottage to probe them about their lives, taking copious notes - the implication being that he will mine their lived experience for his books - is troubling), Angela is one of a four main characters who we follow through the novel, alongside two of the girls, Martha and Josephine, and the matron, Mrs Holdsworth.

The problems of a paternalistic philanthropy which assumes that wealthy and educated men can presume to know what is 'best' for the fallen women, is deftly handled and the thriller aspect to the story - as Angela attempts to escape the attentions of a man who has stalked her for years - is well done. I devoured the book in a day: highly recommended

Before reading this I believed Stacey Halls could write no wrong and after reading this, my opinion is confirmed. I wish I hadn’t read it so quickly…This story has a fascinating ensemble of characters, flawed and developed. It even has Charles Dickens flitting about in the background! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This is yet another stunning and well-researched historical novel by Stacey Halls, and a great read. The novel is set in Victorian London, and features numerous strong, well-drawn fictional characters, and historical characters including Charles Dickens and millionaire Angela Burdett-Coutts who together set up Urania Cottage, a home for fallen women, in Shepherd’s Bush in the mid-nineteenth century. The plot follows the lives of several women before and during their time in Urania House, and involves several mysteries, a lot of crime, and a hint of what their future will hold. In common with other books by the author, the prose is excellent and the book reads very well.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've read and enjoyed a couple of books by this author now. I thought this one was a little slow going at first and wasn't sure which direction it was going to take. It picked up though, and I definitely didn't see the twist coming. It was interesting to read about the house as I had no idea until reading this that Charles Dickens had even helped set this place up.

Many people’s worlds collide at Urania Cottage, a home for fallen women in The Household by Stacey Hall.

The cottage is remote and its residents are initially unknown to one another. However, they have one thing in common, each is desperate to change their life.

Angela Burdett-Coutts, a wealthy heiress is a benefactor of this unique venture. She is no stranger to feeling a lack of freedom in life, having been stalked for the last decade.

Among others, Josephine and Martha take refuge and work in the countryside home. They soon become friends in their quest for rehabilitation. However, they’re both looking for someone and the temptation to escape the confinements of the cottage appeals to many.

Mrs Holdsworth manages the home, trying to keep the women content and safe.

As their lives become entwined, the cost of freedom is high and each woman must navigate her circumstances.

The Household by Stacey Halls is a wonderful novel focusing on female characters in Victorian England.

Told from multiple perspectives, the novel slowly explores these main characters and their differing personalities and troubles.

It illustrates contrasts between the social classes and the female experience and is inspired by Dickens’ House for Fallen Women. It features the famed novelist in a cameo alongside the reimagined Angela Burdett-Coutts. It’s fascinating how Halls brings these inspired and complex characters to life.

Among other things, it explores poverty, prison and prostitution and ultimately, the desperation for freedom.

This novel draws you in with interesting female leads and well-researched historical fiction. You cannot help but empathise with these characters’ tumultuous lives and personal woes.

I have enjoyed Stacey Halls previous novels and this one was no exception. Taking its inspiration from real historical events and figures, andded another level to my enjoyment.

This novel set in London 1847, lets the reader glimpse how life was in those times Centred around Urania House, a home set up by Charles Dickens for a group of fallen women .. It was a place of second chances, where its residents learnt skills which would enrich their lives in preparation for a new life overseas.

Angela is one of the wealthy benefactors who on the surface has a charmed life but in reality is struggling with unwanted attention from a stalker. Her relationship with the woman in the home shows her compassion and I was hoping for not only a happy ending for all the wonderful woman in the novel but for her as well.

I loved getting to know the fallen woman each with their own unique backstory. The resilience they demonstrated in a time when our modern day liberates were unheard of was astounding.

This novel kept me page turning, entertained and educated. I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

I thought this was a fascinating take on the lives of very different women in 19th century England. One woman - the most privileged in the story - has to deal with a persistent (unhinged) stalker while managing her fortune, maintaining her position as an unmarried society woman and negotiating her love for an older man who won't marry her. The other characters are all engaging in their own way, although some are more finely drawn than others. The ending feels a little rushed, as if there were too many strands to tie off all at once, but I greatly enjoyed the book as a whole and, in particular, its loving portrayal of women's experiences at a time when many of them had very few opportunities in life..

Her best yet! I love Stacey Hall’s books and this is my favourite so far. I particularly like the way this is another novel based on a little known real story. Urania cottage for fallen women really did exist and was set up by its famous benefactors. For me this makes the novel even more fascinating. I was gripped from page one and became totally engrossed in this book. This is going to be another hugely popular book by this author.

A fabulous historical novel set in Dickensian London, indeed featuring the great man himself.
We are introduced to the “fallen women” who have been given a second chance to learn household skills and manners at the charitable Urania Cottage before emigrating to Australia for a better life. However all doesn’t run smoothly as each character, both inhabitants of the cottage and those who fund their reintroduction and education, arrive with complicated and sometimes treacherous pasts.
As well as being an excellent read, this took me down a rabbit hole of reading about Urania Cottage as I’d not heard of it before. Great stuff.

This is a story about brave woman in the Dickensian era where women were deemed to be subservient to men regardless of their class.
It is a fantastic read which tells how a group of well to do people from the upper classes which included Charles Dickens set up a house to reform fallen women and set them on a course to improve themselves.

This was my first Stacey Halls book, and it did not disappoint! I was gripped from the beginning, constantly reading and anticipating what would happen next. The twists and turns shocked me each time! I loved the historical context, rich characters and interesting settings. I highly recommend this novel.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 | 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑦 𝐻𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 | 𝟒*

𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠
A story centered around Charles Dicken’s fallen home for women: Urania Cottage, which offers a second chance to prostitutes and petty thieves. Inspired by real historical figures and events, this story explores how much women have to pay for freedom.

𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠
❥ historical fiction
❥ set in 1846 london
❥ follows a series of women
❥ found family
❥ stalking

𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
I genuinely really loved this. This isn’t my first Stacey Halls but it is my new official favourite. The story that has been crafted is ridiculously compelling and I loved how the author has taken inspiration and explorations of real historical figures and moments.

One thing I adored was how this book subtly explores the villainizing of women and the advantage society takes with them. Whilst quite a subliminal piece of storyline subtext, I loved how the girls were sold the idea of redemption as a form altruism from Dickens and benefactor, Angela Burdett-Coutts, when really Dickens was clearly collecting novel inspiration (though this is denied in reality) and Coutts assuages her loneliness.

Despite the subtext and the storyline being full of suspense with a missing sister and a stalker freed from prison, there is a sense of warmhearted ambience. there is a sense of found family even if it feels fragile and teeters on the edge of fracturing. The characters were flawed and multilayered, finding comfort in each other whilst the reader finds enjoyment through them.

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
One thread of storyline was left quite open and this felt incongruent to how fully the rest of the story was explored.

𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠
“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵, 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬?”

The Household is another gripping historical novel from Stacey Halls.

I love the way she juggles multiple characters’ perspectives together, weaving the strands together into one compelling narrative. Most of the story is pretty predictable (you can see the big twist coming a mile off), but I was so invested in all the characters that it didn’t matter. Fast-paced, with palpable tension, I devoured the book in a day.

Another must-read for fans of feminist historical fiction.

I love Stacey Halls’ books and this one was no exception. If you have enjoyed any of her previous work then you will not be disappointed. I feel Halls books have a certain feeling to them - even when the content is unnerving there is still such a lovely feel to her words.
The Household follows the inception of Urania Cottage - a house for fallen women to be taught life skills and skills suitable for domestic service, with the view to then moving to colonies and working/becoming a wife. Behind the Cottage is a company of benefactors including Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts - a single lady who inherited great wealth. The story follows a number of the girls who come to live at Urania Cottage, as well as Angela and the house mistress at the Cottage, Mrs Holdsworth. Problems within Angela’s own life collide with the problems the girls have at the Cottage. I won’t spoil it but it is very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to Halls next!

The Household is based on Charles Dickens house for 'fallen women's in Shepherd's Bush named Urania Cottage. This was funded by Angela Coutts a very rich single woman friend of Dickens. The story flits between the lives of the girls in Urania house, the Housekeeper there and Miss Coutts. Very different women with different lives but all restrained and controlled by men and Victorian society. I really enjoyed this book as I have all Stacey Halls books. They are easy to read, informative, well researched and not sensationalised just to get readers. A nice twist at the end as well. Recommended by me definitely.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Stacey Halls writes such good books and this is another hit with me. A great sense of time and place with the atmosphere of early Victorian London almost tasteable and smellable. Josephine and Martha are great characters, as are the rest of the cast. Highly recommended to lovers of well written historical fiction. I shall have to buy this one to read the Acknowledgements and Author's Notes as I am fascinated to know the back story to the house set up for the fallen women,

Another really lovely book from Stacey Halls. The characters are rounded, and have some interesting storylines. It would have been nice to have a bit more fleshing out of one or two of the characters, Martha and Polly in particular. There was an interesting twist towards the end that I hadn’t seen coming, and then the story sort of hurtled a bit quickly towards the end then. Maybe another chapter or two would have been nice.

I really enjoy Stacey Halls books, I am left wanting to learn more about a subject and the existance of the real life Urania Cottage was no exception. You can tell that an enormous amount of research has been conducted by Halls but you arent force fed information. The characters are well written and your absorbed into their world. I particularly liked the character of Martha and found her search for her sister really moving. The novels shows how little agency women have during this time, even Angela with all her money is not really involved in decisions about the house and its inhabitants. The female friendships are really important in the book but not everyone is what they seem. Another great read from Halls and I look forward to reading her next book.

As a big fan of Stacey Halls’s previous work I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an early copy of ‘The Household’. I'm pleased to report that it lived up to my high expectations. I didn't know that Charles Dickens was a benefactor to disadvantaged women and I enjoyed how some characters, and places, in the book were based on real life. I loved all the characters and found the story really heartening and uplifting. I'm sure this will be another hit for Halls!

I was introduced to Stacy Hall's books by our Reading Group choice of The Foundling and really enjoyed it; I was therefore delighted to be given the opportunity through NetGalley to read he latest novel, The Household.

How fabulous to learn about historical facts in respect of Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush, it being established by Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts (banking)?

This is a great book, I thoroughly enjoyed this advance copy and will be reading the missing ones from her list.

A captivating historical story set in Victorian London. Stacey Halls has produced another superb well-written book. The characters of the girls are so engaging, I felt I just had to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The story starts with a gentle, sustained pace and gradually speeds up towards the end. There are plenty of surprises as the story progresses and the atmosphere of Victorian London is clearly captured. This is a book about prisons in their various forms and the struggles women face to find a sense of freedom. Highly recommended.

Excellent historical fiction written by a skillful author. This is a genre that I really enjoy so it was a complete pleasure to read. The characters, setting and concept were engaging throughout and I didn't want the book to end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in 1847, Urania Cottage provides a refuge and safe haven, a second chance at life for a group of previously criminalised young women.

Based on real places, people (Charles Dickens was a benefactor of Urania Cottage), and events, accompanied with wonderfully imagined characters and relationships, Stacey Halls brings Urania Cottage to life.

Halls creates atmosphere and setting, building a dark and gloomy, intimidating London, offset with a busy, warm, and inviting safe place for both the women who live there, and its beneficiaries to visit.

I did feel that there were a few too many characters, which meant at times it was a little difficult to keep track of each, and also, whilst each was endearing in their own way, I didn’t feel each of them received the full character development or story arc they deserved. I think this could have been developed quite easily into a longer series exploring the characters moving in and out of Urania Cottage.

I really enjoyed this book, I looked forward to picking it up, and was fully invested in the characters. It’s only my second Stacey Halls, but won’t be my last, and it’s my favourite so far! The Household is released on 11th April, but is available for pre-order now.

Thank you Netgalley, Bonnier Books and Stacey Halls for an advanced copy of this book to read.

I have already read all of Stacey Halls’ previous books, The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. I loved them all and so I was excited to receive an arc of this book, based on historical fact. It is set in the Dickensian period at Urania Cottage, a home set up by Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts for fallen women. The purpose of this was to teach the girls to read and write, instruct them in the ways of looking after a household and give them religious teaching. The aim was to send them to Australia to begin a new life there.. We are introduced to some of the girls and follow their friendships and day to day lives. We have Martha, whose sister has disappeared, Josephine who is scarred, Polly and Lydia to name a few. Martha’s aim is to find her missing sister Emily. We also are introduced to Mrs Holdsworth, who is in charge of the cottage. I found I was engrossed in each of the characters and was rooting for them to be successful in their exploits. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, I would recommend this book. My thanks go to NetGalley, Stacey Halls and Manilla Press for an e-arc of this enjoyable book.

Loved this fictionalised version of something real, involving real people - a real house that Dickens set up with some other people, which helped 'fallen women'. These women have not had easy lives and it is easy to sympathise with them even while you know they need second and third and fourth chances. Equally, Angela needed sympathy even in her gilded cage

This book was just so much fun. It was fascinating to say the least. It was easy to get through. Every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it up again. Overall, this was a full 5 stars read.

This is my favourite of Stacey Halls's books so far (although I haven't yet read The Foundling)! A really good work of historical fiction, it tells the story of a number of people all involved somehow in Urania Cottage, a house designed to rehabilitate 'fallen women' in the Victorian era. I thought everything was really great: the writing, the atmosphere, the characterisation, the historical detail, and especially the way it was all woven together. Less plotty than her other books but I think this is why I enjoyed it more!

WOW! My first book by Stacey Halls and her others have not been put on my to be read pile.

This was such a good read, it was historical and felt factual, I felt that the author had done her research about the times that she was writing about. The characters all felt credible and I loved how the story developed around it's characters. The story dealt with the lives of "fallen women" in such a sympathetic way, all were considered as victims and I really liked that detail about each character's past was included. By doing this, the author made you feel that she was drawing you into their lives.

I would recommend this book without hesitation and have already recommended it to a number of friends.

This is a well researched and beautifully written historical novel based in London in 1847. It provides a glimpse of different social classes, the challenges that each face with some interesting dynamics when these different worlds meet. The main characters are well developed and the story has a strong start with a good balance of suspense and intrigue.

My only minor criticism is that the closing chapters felt a bit rushed and some key questions were left unanswered.

I enjoyed this compelling historical novel from the author of Mrs England. At first I found it difficult to get into, because there were so many characters and I wasn't sure what the hook of the story was. As I read more, I became interested in the story, although I felt that there should have been fewer characters to allow them to be better developed.

The story is based on a real situation, Urania Cottage, a home for 'fallen women' founded by the author Charles Dickens and financed by the heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts. The idea is that the women come to the cottage from prison and are trained for eventual careers in domestic service in the colonies. We follow the fate of the inmates and the matron who is employed to look after them. The different elements of the plot include the heiress' stalker, the missing sister of one inmate, and the separation of two women who were lovers in prison. The author's attention to detail is excellent and I could imagine the novel as a costume drama on TV, so clear were the events and settings in my mind. If you enjoy historical fiction with a focus on women, set in Victorian times, this is definitely one for your wishlist.

[Review will be on my blog, 3rd April]

Highly enjoyable and immersive tale based on facts, of a home for “fallen” young women in Shepherds Bush. Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett Coutts were among the founders and fascinating though they are, it’s the residents that drive the story. Almost Dickensian in its cast of characters and complex story, this gives a real insight into just how hard and dangerous Victorian society was for the unprivileged masses and women in particular. Now I must find out more about the real events of that time but this is excellent.

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

An extraordinary story. I loved the mention of Charles Dickens, another favourite author, mixing fact with fiction. I really enjoyed reading The Household, though it’s probably not my favourite Stacey Halls novel. It was interesting in so much as it isn’t a part of history I knew about. Especially that Dickens set up the home for fallen women. An interesting, enjoyable read, highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If Stacey Halls writes it, I'm going to read it. Easily one of my favourite historical fiction authors. Charles Dickens is a side character in this book which is crazy! It also features a real life place set up by Dickens, Urania Cottage. The book follows the lives of the girls inhabiting Urania Cottage, life hasn't always been kind to them so it was interesting to see if they'd turn their lives around or return to former lifestyles. I loved the strong female characters we had and I was so captivated by their stories. If y0u're craving an incredible piece of historical fiction with a sprinkle of real life facts, then this book is for you.

The Household by Stacey Halls ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another great book from this author. Historical Fiction. Set in Dickensian London, Urania Cottage is a home for ‘fallen women’. Another cleverly plotted novel. The author writes great characters and really takes you back in time. I loved this book but I’ve loved all Stacey Halls novels

London, 1847. Thanks to Charles Dickens and a group of benefactors, Urania Cottage, a quiet house in the countryside outside London, is set to welcome its new residents, under the watchful eye of Mrs Holdsworth. The residents will all have one thing in common: they are what the Victorians referred to as ‘fallen women’. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage will offer a second chance at life.

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

The women's worlds will collide in ways they could never have expected, and they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

Stacey Hall’s novels are always eagerly anticipated and this one is engaging, absorbing and fascinating, with an added richness and depth. It is possibly her best writing yet. Inspired by real events and historical figures, I was completely immersed in this story which offers insight into an incredibly enlightened social project, as well as the dark underbelly of Victorian life and the limited choices for survival (thieving and prostitution) facing women who fall into destitution.

It shows how Victorian society was a man’s world in every sense, despite a female queen, and even the women of the wealthier classes were generally patronised, mostly indulged, and had limited options and protections, even in the face of horrific and outrageous stalking.

Stacey Hall’s trademark is to weave historical facts with a strong and dramatic storyline, and populate it with well-drawn, believable and convincing characters with whom the reader quickly becomes invested and cares for. Strong women characters is another of Hall’s trademarks, and there are many in this novel, including Mrs Holdsworth and Martha. I was absolutely fascinated by Angela Burdett-Coutts, and disappeared off down a Google rabbit hole to find out more about her.

This novel has drama, suspense and intrigue, and as the plot unfolds there are plenty of twists to keep the reader’s interest - one really unexpected one which I did not see coming at all. It paints a vivid picture of Dickensian London, and is clearly based on considerable research which never once bogs down the plot or impedes the narrative flow. It is a treat for lovers of historical fiction, and a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher, Bonnier Books/Manilla Press, for the Netgalley e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This reads more like a social experiment, and when the name of Charles Dickens is introduced, then the reader is on the right lines. Dickens did have an interest in the “ fallen “ girls he met on the streets of London, and this household, full of the unfortunate members of society who are being given a second chance to redeem themselves, is hauntingly beautiful.
The details of each girl and their circumstances are portrayed really well. You can feel their suspicions, and become involved in their gradual acceptance of their new way of life.
Lady Angela Coutts is the incredibly wealthy benefactor of Urania Cottage, where the girls are taken to live. . It is isolated to prevent too much curiosity about them, and to prevent them from absconding and returning to their old way of life. The home is managed by a Matron, Mrs Holdsworth, who has previously worked in the penal system.
Angela, despite all her trappings of wealth, is frightened, she is being stalked by a man, possibly deranged and obsessed with marrying her. She and the girls begin to form a unity of spirit and friendliness. The girls will be educated, taught how to run a household and then start a new life in Australia . How Angela and the girls cope with stressful situations, and how they deal with freedom from fear is the constant theme that underpins this intriguing novel. Full of historical facts , these are skilfully woven into a story of female strength and friendship, that transcends ideas of class, all have much to lose. A truly mesmerising story, with very likeable characters.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Bonnier Books UK, for my advanced digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest opinion. A five star read. I will leave a review to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

Urania House is a home for fallen women, offering them a second chance after a spell behind bars. Funded by wealthy benefactors (including Charles Dickens) the home will teach these young women how to run a household in order to move overseas and start a new life of service.

Having read Stacey Halls' previous books, I think I knew I was going to love this. I love how Halls is able to craft such beautiful characters with a beautiful historical storyline.

This did not disappoint, the way each characters story was intertwined was very clever and had me hooked.

Stacey Halls can do no wrong when it comes to historical fiction and I feel this is her best yet! Set in Dickensian London in Urania Cottage- a home for fallen women- where they receive training and education for a life of service in the colonies. We are allowed to share the lives of some wonderful young women- Josephine, Annie, Martha and Polly as they try to survive in a society set against them. The matron, Mrs Holds worth is a wonderful character, who underneath her strict exterior, is the maternal figure the girls all need. Mixed in with all this are crimes, stalking and all kinds of love. A truly wonderful novel

I’ve devoured all of Stacey Halls’ previous novels and couldn’t wait for the release of The Household, I was lucky enough to get an ARC so I could sneak it in earlier than the official release!

Set in Victorian England at a house for ‘fallen women’ called Urania Cottage, this book is a must read for fans of Dickensian literature (with the man himself taking a role in the book). As with Halls’ other novels, you’ll find yourself googling the history as you read.

There’s something about the characters that Halls writes that absolutely enchants me and has me racing to read their story. I’m sure part of it is how she writes their fictional tales into real history, making it even easier to suspend disbelief. As the book develops and we delve deeper into the lives of the main female characters, the juxtaposition of their social classes, histories and statuses creates an colourful tapestry of life in 1847.

This book had me in a choke hold from the start, and I’ll be recommending it to all and sundry!

I no longer even read the synopsis on this authors books. I simply read the name Stacey Halls and think ' I must read that, it will be good'. Yet again the writer does not disappoint.

"What they need more than any of that is our faith in them, love and patience and a foundation upon which they may build their lives."

Urania Cottage is a top secret refuge for women who all have one thing in common,they are fallen. They are not to speak of where they have come from or anything they have done in the past. This is a second chance to start again.

This was an enthralling read from Stacey Halls! I found all the women to be likeable from Urania Cottage they all got on so well. I'd highly recommend this to any historical fiction fan!

The Household is set loosely around the real life story of Urania Cottage, a small house in the countryside set up by Charles Dickens to give a second chance to women leaving prison.We follow the lives of Martha and Josephine on their journeys from prison, to Urania Cottage and back to the darkest corners of London.

This story oozes with atmosphere - it's grimy, disturbing and vivid. Contrast that with the life of millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts who contributes significantly to Urania Cottage, not only via her wealth but also in befriending the girls, yet Angela hides secrets of her own and does not lead the charmed life everyone thinks.

I'm a huge fan of @staceyhallsauthor previous books and The Household does not disappoint! 4.5 stars 🤩

"Coming back through the house, she brushes a hand across the grand pianoforte, where her sister sang as Harriot played, while Angela sat on the rug, too small to take part. She presses a single note as if summoning her listening for her silk shoes in the hall. But the house is silent, and a gentle breeze flows through the open doors, carrying the mellow aroma of cut grass. When William dies, Holly Lodge and everything in it will be hers: the parrots in the bathroom, the horses in the stable.
Before she goes to bed, she looks back at the handsome instrument, silent for so long, wondering how it is that, through everybody has left her, she is the ghost."

Halls' historical fiction is always excellent - engrossing and authentic, with women at its heart - and The Household is no exception. Set in London in 1847, it's inspired by the real life characters of novelist Charles Dickins and heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts and their 'fallen women', philanthropic endeavour of Urania Cottage in Shepherds Bush. With a number of protagonists from different socio-economic backgrounds, their paths meet as the plot develops. Inspiring and strong female characters with heartbreaking back-stories combines with a missing sister, a stalker and a big twist, to create atmospheric mystery and tension. I couldn't put it down and it comes highly recommended to gothic, historical fiction fans who like tales influenced by real life people, places and events.

I’ve read all of Stacey Halls’ books and was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read this one in advance of publication.

Based on real figures and events, The Household is meticulously researched and really brings Victorian London to life. As with all of Halls’ books women take centre stage - trying to make lives for themselves in a society that conspired against them in a variety of ways.
There are a few parallel narratives in this book, and they all slotted together perfectly. The characters are believable and well written, and you can feel yourself rooting for them to be able to leave behind their old lives.

Some parts of the book felt a bit more plodding that previous Halls novels, and I wonder if this was due to the factual background to the story - life isn’t 100mph all day every day! That’s not so much a criticism, just a change from her other books. You can tell that Halls has a real passion for this period in history, and for telling the stories of women who would otherwise go unheard. I look forward to reading her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Household is another great book by Stacey Halls. Set in Victorian England the Houshold follows Martha and Josephine from prison to Urania Cottage a house set up by Charles Dickens for fallen women. The trails and tribulations of the girls are well thought out and keep you wanting more.

The Household is an immersive historical novel set in 1847. A group of wealthy philanthropists (including Charles Dickens and Angela Burdett-Coutts) are funding a new model home for "fallen" women: unlike other, more punitive homes at the time, Urania Cottage aims to tempt women to goodness by providing for their needs and treating them with dignity and respect. The novel follows the stern but good-hearted matron Mrs Holdsworth, millionaire patroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, and several of the women, primarily Martha, who is searching for her missing sister while being unable to leave the house and Josephine, a pickpocket separated from her lover, Annie. Although the inmates are not prisoners, if they leave the house they will not be allowed back, forcing both Martha and Josephine to take increasingly desperate measures to reunite with their loved ones. Meanwhile, Angela is increasingly trapped in her own home by a stalker who has recently been released from jail after tormenting her for the past decade.

I was interested to learn, after reading the book, that Urania Cottage was a real philanthropic endeavour, which was a bright spot in an age which had little compassion for women it considered "fallen". I hope that The Household helps more people learn about it, since it's a fascinating story which should be told. It would be a great choice for people who enjoyed Hallie Rubenhold's biography of the canonical victims of Jack the Ripper (a fantastic work of social history for women who had fallen through the cracks of 1880s society) and wanted to read a fictional book on a similar subject but with a more optimistic tone.

I've seen other reviews complain that this book was slow paced and didn't hold their attention. I think that's a fair criticism: the narrative takes its time and is strongly character driven. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to someone looking for a fast paced and tightly plotted mystery. Frustratingly, I felt that another round of plot/structure/pacing edits could have elevated it to a 5 star read. However, I still read it in 2-3 days and found the characterisation and sense of atmosphere place to be one of the novel's strengths. One of the things I enjoyed was how the author showed real generosity to the characters, making even the background characters feel fleshed out and important. That said, this did lead to several red herrings that made it seem like the plot might go in another direction (e.g. a potential love triangle between Josephine, Martha and another inmate) which then ended up being scrapped. I also felt that Martha's elder sister Mary was forgotten about once the focus shifted to the missing sister, Emily.

What The Household most reminded me of was the BBC show Call The Midwife: a woman-led period drama that wears its heart on its sleeve when it comes to issues of welfare and women's experiences. The tone is mostly cosy, although it's true enough to the setting not to shy away from moments of darkness. Like Call the Midwife, the philanthropists running Urania Cottage are made palatable to a modern audience: there is no mention of Dickens' callous treatment of his own wife, or of Angela Burdett-Coutts' devout religious beliefs. Still, overall, Stacey Halls treats her subjects with dignity and compassion: one of the strengths of the book is that it shows how, even when the women are physically provided for, the trauma of their pasts makes it difficult for them to trust and sometimes leads them to self-sabotage.

I will be adding reviews on Goodreads and Instagram closer to publication day.

A hugely satisfying and immersive historical novel, drawing on the atmosphere and themes of Dickens - and featuring Dickens as a supporting character! - but with a contemporary feminist eye for the detail of the lives of women In Victorian England, and the misogyny and double-standards which affected all women, in different ways depending on their class and relative wealth. At first, the narrative hops between the heads of so many different women, it takes a while to orient. However, by the end, as these threads are drawn tighter and tighter, this is exactly what makes the pay-off so pacy and pleasing. I hugely enjoyed it, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing it.

I loved this. Set in 1847 London - a group of wealthy individuals are funding a new home for young women coming out of prison. At Urania Cottage they will be trained in household skills after which they will have the opportunity to emigrate to the colonies. Angela Burdett-Coutts, known as the richest heiress in England, is one of the benefactors alongside author Charles Dickens, and she has just been made aware that the man who has stalked her for 10 years has been released early from prison. I love reading fiction that is based on real people and events and this is definitely one of my recent favourites, the author has clearly done extensive research and I’ve since read more about Angela Burdett-Coutts, fascinating woman.

Briefly, as the girls are gradually moved into Urania Cottage they are taught by housekeeper Mrs Holdsworth but there are rules, a lot of rules, and despite the massive improvement in their lives not all of them stay and Angela, in particular, finds this difficult to handle alongside her constant worry about her stalker.

I can’t say more for fear of spoilers but there plenty going on from start to finish. A medium paced read, very well written and character driven with some strong women including Mrs Holdsworth, who I loved, Martha and of course Angela. An eye opening Victorian drama inspired by real people and events I found it a very compelling read, the conditions and treatment received by poor women at this time were terrible but this book shows it’s not just the poor who didn’t receive appropriate justice. Fabulous book.

I really loved this historical fiction novel, it was so well written, the characters were well developed - had flawed and complex lives but were loveable too (most characters not all!!). The plot was good, the writing descriptive and kept you wanting to turn the page! I just would have liked more of an ending or comeuppance for a certain someone rather than (actually I won’t finish that as it will give things away!)
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction.

The Household by Stacey Halls is the first book from the author that I have read, and I really enjoyed it. I will be reading more from this author.
The story set in 1847 in a real-life place called Urania Cottage. Where Charles Dickens co funded it with the wealthy Angela Burdett Coutts. Where ‘fallen women’ or women that just lost their way when they are released from Prison and sent there to learn to cook and clean and learn to play instruments. When completed, it is understood that they will be sent overseas to the colonies to start a new life. But the women that stayed there were not left to their own devices and they were scrutinized 24/7. So, it was stifling for some and their time there, didn’t always go to plan.
This is a great read and insight to what happened in those times. The hardships that women had to endure more than men. And I wasn’t aware of Charles Dickens charitable endeavours and after reading this work of fiction based on facts, I had to find out more. The only negative thing about this story was although it did tied up the loose ends of the story. It did leave me a bit confused. 4 stars from me.

"The Household" by Stacey Halls is a captivating historical fiction novel set in London, in 1847. The story revolves around the mysterious Urania Cottage, a refuge for fallen women co-founded by Charles Dickens and heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts. The novel intricately weaves together real historical events and figures with fictional elements, creating a rich tapestry of storytelling.
Halls's attention to detail and meticulous research shine through in the novel, as she brings to life the complexities of the characters and the challenges they face. The narrative unfolds in a way that keeps the reader engaged, delving into themes of redemption, sacrifice, and the price of freedom. The exploration of Dickens's philanthropic endeavours and the societal norms of the time adds depth to the story, making it both educational and entertaining.
One of the strengths of the novel is the diverse and nuanced characters that Halls creates. From the residents of Urania Cottage to Angela Burdett-Coutts herself, each character is fleshed out and multi-dimensional. The interactions and collisions between these characters drive the narrative forward, adding layers of complexity to the plot.
However, despite the engaging storyline and detailed historical background, I found it challenging to connect with the characters on a deeper level. While the characters are well-developed, I struggled to fully immerse myself in their stories and emotions. As a reader, I found it difficult to truly empathize with their struggles and triumphs, which slightly detracted from my overall reading experience.
Overall, "The Household" is a well-written and meticulously researched historical fiction novel that beautifully brings to life a lesser-known aspect of Victorian London. While the characters and plot are engaging, my inability to deeply connect with the characters impacted my enjoyment of the book. Despite this, I would still recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction and are interested in learning more about the lives of women in 19th-century London.

Thank you to Bonnier Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Stacey Halls has done it again with another riveting trip into the past, this time we visit and get to know the residents of Urania Cottage and their mysterious benefactor.

I was unfamiliar with the history of the fallen women of Urania Cottage and their links to CHARLES DICKENS. This book has certainly made me want to read more about the topic.

The rich characterisation and description of the surroundings really made you feel like you were there and were personally getting to know these individuals and their struggles and triumphs.

The multiple perspectives through which the story was told kept you hooked and kept you reading on.

This was a slow burn and at times it felt a bit too slow. However it was certainly worth it in the end as each piece slotted perfectly together to provide a gasp inducing finale.

If you enjoyed Stacey Halls previous books then you’ll love this, I think this is her best one yet. Also, If you like historical fiction, stories with characters who have complex backgrounds and a story that builds intrigue and mystery then this is the book for you.

From the minute you open this book you are welcomed into the Household. The writing is so beautiful and the characters so real that you feel part of their lives from the very beginning. The danger of the rough streets of London with trouble around every corner especially for young girls feels tangible whilst at the same time swirling and dancing with high society and balls enjoyed by the privileged few is brought to live by the best storytelling. The characters just jump
off the page straight into your heart. The story takes us across London brilliantly weaving the stories of the girls of Urania Cottage with one of their benefactors. This is definitely now a firm favourite of mine.

The Household was such a wonderful read. Angela and the girls are characters that will be hard to forget and the story such an original idea. Stacey Halls is a brilliant writer who’s written another great book.

As an avid reader of historical fiction/mystery set in this time period, I did find myself guessing the twist just before it happened. However, I think the average reader who doesn’t encounter books constantly with similar plot devices and themes wouldn’t work it out! I felt so much of the book happened in the second half which could have been shared a bit more equally into the first so I didn’t feel I was racing through the second half.

A wonderful book, fantastic characters and such an original story. Well Done Stacey Halls!

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4.5 stars ⭐️

The Household focuses on Urania Cottage, an almost 'half-way house' for young women with the aim of giving them the skills they need to help them make a fresh start. Some of the women each have their own missions - Martha wants to reunite with her sister's and Josephine is hoping to find her love. We also meet the main benefactor of the house Angela Burdett-Coutts who, along with supporting these young women, has troubles of her own that she has to confront.

It was interesting to see how these very different women came together, and I especially enjoyed when the pace picked up towards the end. Highly recommended if you like your historical fiction with a twist of mystery!

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 ✨

I was very excited to receive this arc last week as I have all of Stacey Halls books on my bookshelf. I am now really looking forward to reading them, after reading The Household 📖

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤…
Based on the real Urania Cottage, a home established by Charles Dickens and Angela Coutts for “fallen women”, the story follows Angela, and some of the women who live in the house.

Expect twists and turns, with a stalker thrown into the mix.

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬…
This was my first real introduction to historical fiction, so I was apprehensive, and wasn’t sure what I’d think of it. But honestly, I really enjoyed it. The way everyone’s stories interwove, and the likability of most of the characters was refreshing. I really enjoyed the suspense, and it had a lovely conclusion.

The Household tells the story of Urania Cottage, a new enterprise set up by author Charles Dickens and Heiress of Coutt’s bank, Angela Burdett-Coutts. Home to girls down on their luck, the household aims to educate and train the girls for a better life in the colonies. However, not all the girls adjust well to life in the cottage. Freshly out of prison, Martha is determined to find her missing sister Emily, and Josephine longs to reunite with Annie, who she struck up a relationship with whilst serving time. Life also isn’t easy for Angela. Though she is incredibly lucky in terms of her inheritance,
she suffers in her personal life: in love with her older family friend that refuses to marry her and living in fear of long-time stalker Richard Dunn.

I really enjoyed reading about the characters and thought that their stories weaved together well. I had an advanced copy so didn’t see any notes from the author but thought the book was based on real life events and figures really interesting. I would be interested to see how much of the story was factual. I like how Charles Dickens was the big name, historically speaking, but the female characters took centre stage, and that the book explored female liberation and empowerment. I think the darker themes of the book were juxtaposed well with the positive, more uplifting moments in the book that achieved a balance to telling an interesting and insightful story.

I think the book was well-written and enjoyed the pace. I found the first half slower whilst setting the scene. I would have liked events in the second half to be a bit explored a bit more as there was plenty of opportunity.

Especially recommended for fans of Victorian historical fiction.

‘The Household’ of the book’s title is Urania Cottage, a home set up in 1847 with the purpose of educating ‘fallen’ women with a view to helping them start a new life. The story follows a number of these young women, their matron Mrs Holdsworth, and one of the home’s main benefactors, Angela Burdett-Coutts. The young women are trying to overcome years of poverty or crime; Angela is a woman terrified of her own shadow due to a persistent stalker.

I was excited by the premise of this book, wondering how the lives of the young women and Angela might intersect. Not realising the real historical background to Urania Cottage until after I’d finished the book, I think I thought they might live together! Not so, it turns out, but I liked the changes of scene between the two very different houses. I also particularly enjoyed the descriptions of mid-nineteenth century London, and tried to imagine a time when places like Shepherd’s Bush were in the countryside.

I initially found it a bit difficult to keep track of the different young women living at Urania Cottage until they thinned out and I could focus on Martha and Josephine.

The high point of the book, for me, was a twist that happens towards the end. I totally didn’t see it coming and I felt it really reinvigorated the story.

In summary, a good choice for those who enjoy historical fiction loosely based on real events. Four stars rounded up from 3.5.

My thanks to the publishers and to the NetGalley for the advance copy on which this review is based.