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Book Summary and Reviews of The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls

The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls

The Lost Orphan

A Novel

by Stacey Halls

  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2020, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds...

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate newborn at the Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the daughter she has never known. Dreading the worst, that she has died in care, she is astonished to discover someone pretending to be Bess has already claimed 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's poor lodgings, in a quiet Georgian townhouse, lives Alexandra, a reclusive young widow. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the orphanage—persuades her to hire a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Fantastic storytelling" - Good Housekeeping

"Vividly evoked." - Kirkus Reviews

"I was completely swept up in this novel. Crammed with engaging characters, it possesses a beautiful sense of place, revealing hidden aspects of Georgian life. 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 masterpiece of storytelling – a perfect, captivating mystery that expands to ask big questions about love and motherhood, all the while maintaining the breathless pace of a thriller, and the stunningly vivid and well-researched detail of the very best historical fiction. I can't recommend it highly enough." - Katie Lowe, author of The Furies 

"Pacey, highly atmospheric… With rich storytelling and a compelling narrative, The Lost Orphan is subtle, satisfying and intensely moving; a fabulous example of great historical fiction." - Laura Carlin, author of The Wicked Cometh

"Stacey Hall's beautiful writing draws a compelling tale of love and hope from the vivid streets of Georgian London." - Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry & Wild Rose

"If you loved The Familiars, then you won't be disappointed by The Lost Orphan. A gripping and moving read." - Libby Page, bestselling author of The Lido

"Another gripping, immersive, intelligent work of historical fiction from the bestselling author of The Familiars."- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

This information about The Lost Orphan was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

LOVED IT - THE LOST ORPHAN
Having to leave your newborn at a Foundling until you could afford to keep the child seemed to be the norm in the 1700's for poor families.

Going back to get your child after you saved half a year's wages to pay for the child’s keep for six years and find out someone else had claimed to be you and taken your child was more unbearable than leaving your child the first time.

Bess was devastated when she found out someone had taken her daughter. When she questioned the governors of the Foundling, they had no answer, but her second try at finding something out had her introduced to a doctor who was going to try to help her.

Meeting with the doctor at a Sunday service allowed Bess to see a small child who she knew was her daughter. Seeing the child's mother was a shock - Bess knew who she was, and knew that this woman's daughter was surely her own daughter.

The following day, Doctor Mead proposed something extraordinary and unheard of to the child's wealthy mother, Alexandra. Because she kept everything locked up, secretive, and never went outside the house except for Sunday services, Alexandra wasn't sure of the doctor's suggestion to hire a nursemaid.

We follow Bess and Alexandra as Bess serves in her household and is loved by Charlotte more than Charlotte loves Alexandra.

Women's fiction fans and those who enjoy learning of the life styles of the wealthy and their privileges as well as the poor at that time should enjoy this book.

Life in this era was perfectly described by Ms. Halls along with her pull-you-in writing.

THE LOST ORPHAN has mystery, historical fiction, a main character with agoraphobic problems that stem from an incident in her childhood, secrets, and to what lengths a mother's love takes her. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Author Information

Stacey Halls

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Lancashire, England. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has worked as a journalist since the age of 21, writing for publications including The Independent, Fabulous magazine, Stylist and Psychologies. She lives in London with her husband. The Familiars is her first novel.

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