The Foundling
From the author of The Familiars, Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy pick
Published on 6. February 2020
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-78658-038-2 (ISBN)
Description
A mother's love knows no bounds . . .
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London's Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst - that Clara has died in care - the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed - by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.
Less than a mile from Bess' lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London's Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst - that Clara has died in care - the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed - by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.
Less than a mile from Bess' lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
Reviews / Votes
If you loved The Familiars, then you won't be disappointed by The Foundling. A gripping and moving read. * Libby Page, bestselling author of The Lido * Pacy, highly atmospheric and tantalisingly gripping from the very first page. The strands of tense and devastating maternal conflict are acutely observed and beautifully sustained throughout the book. Stacey really has created warm and memorable characters, drawn with great sympathy and understanding, who deliver a taut and riveting read. With rich storytelling and a compelling narrative, The Foundling is subtle, satisfying and intensely moving; a fabulous example of great historical fiction. * Laura Carlin, author of The Wicked Cometh * It was a privilege to read The Foundling. I really couldn't stop turning the pages as Stacey's beautiful writing drew a compelling tale of love and hope from the vivid streets of Georgian London * Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry & Wild Rose * I was completely swept up in this novel. It's crammed with vivid and engaging characters, there's a beautiful sense of place, revealing hidden aspects of Georgian life. And the central mystery of a missing child gradually plays out as a tenderly observed study of grief and loss, while offering the possibility that love will indeed find a way. * Amanda Mason, author of The Wayward Girls * A truly spellbinding debut * Good Housekeeping on The Familiars * An arresting piece of fiction * The Times on The Familiars * Assured and alluring * Jessie Burton on The Familiars *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
484 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78658-038-2 (9781786580382)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, the Independent, the Sun and Fabulous. Her first book, The Familiars, was the bestselling debut hardback novel of 2019, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards' Debut Book of the Year. The Foundling is her second novel.