Elise Landau cherished her life with her family in Vienna.
Her singer mother, Anna was the epitome of beauty to Elise.
Her sister, Margot, inherited her mother's beauty and
musical talent. Her handsome father, Julian, was a novelist.
Although Elise didn't inherit any of her sibling's talents,
they all found ways to make Elise feel as special and loved
as possible. But their happy home in Vienna would be turned
upside down after the onset of World War II. Margot would
marry and move to California, and Elise would join an
English family in England as a domestic. Her mother and
father assure her that she will only stay in England until
they can secure a visa for her to join them in New York, but
Elise fears her family will never be reunited again.
Elise arrives in England as an awkward nineteen-year old
girl with an accent most people find hard to understand and
clothes which single her out as a foreigner. The strangeness
of the English makes Elise long for the comfort her cozy
apartment in Vienna surrounded by the love of her family.
But when Elise arrives at Tyneford she cannot fathom the
extraordinary life that awaits her. The emotional ties Elise
forms at Tyneford will sustain her through the painful
separation of her family and open up the possibility of a
new beginning she never could have imagined.
Once Elise settles into her new position, she discovers that
she knows nothing about the upkeep of a house, especially an
English Manor House. When Kit, the heir of Tyneford, arrives
back home, his unexpected friendship with Elise will change
the future of Tyneford House. But Elise and Kit's friendship
does not consume the novel. As Elise transitions from a
homesick immigrant to pivotal figure at Tyneford, she
continues to long for the family she left behind. As the
years go by without hearing from her parents, Elise will
never give up hope of finding her mother and father. In the
midst of a war that ravages Europe, Elise finds a new home
in the most unlikely of places while never forgetting the
home she left behind.
Natasha Solomons delivers a gorgeously written novel set in
the magnificent backdrop of a grand English Manor House.
Solomons' talent at bringing the beauty of Tyneford to life
through splendid and intricate descriptions makes readers
want to step into the pages of the novel. THE HOUSE AT
TYNEFORD is a truly stunning novel. Elise's emotional
yearning for the ability to relive every moment at Tyneford
prepares readers for a journey that will stay with you long
after finish the novel. I have not enjoyed a novel about a
historic family and house since Kate Morton's The House at
Riverton.
"It's the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau realizes her only means of escape is to advertise her services as a domestic servant in England. Fate brings her ad to the attention of Christopher Rivers, handsome scion of the aristocratic Rivers family and master of Tyneford. An anxious Elise arrives at Tyneford and immediately falls under its spell. When Christopher's young son, Kit, returns home, the two strike up an unlikely friendship that will change Tyneford--and Elise--forever"--
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy