The House at the End of Hope Street

by Menna Van Praag

"A magical debut about an enchanted house that offers refuge to women in their time of need Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge, England, when she finds herself in front of a house she's never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the house's usual conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in. She soon discovers that this is no ordinary house. Past residents have included George Eliot and Beatrix Potter, who, after receiving the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers--literally, in talking portraits on the wall. As she escapes into this new world, Alba begins a journey that will heal her wounds--and maybe even save her life. Filled with a colorful and unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a charming, whimsical novel of hope and feminine wisdom that is sure to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde and especially Sarah Addison Allen. "--

"The house at the end of Hope Street is an enchanted, haunted house unlike any other--a house that finds young women in their time of need and takes them in. Each has 99 nights to use the wisdom bestowed by the house to turn her life around. Through the years it has offered refuge to a roster of women ranging from George Eliot to Beatrix Potter--many of whom have hung around to help newcomers find their way"--

• ISBN10: 067078463X
• ISBN13: 9780670784639
• Publish Date: 4 April 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Pamela Dorman Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 280
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

While there were moments that fell a bit short, I found this one overall charming; played well with my assumptions, made me think and made me want to visit the place, sounds like a great place for a break.

[MurderByDeath]

I think my first experience reading about a house that was 'alive' might have been A Discovery of Witches; it was the first one to make an impression, anyway, and I was thoroughly charmed by the idea.  The House at the End of Hope Street makes the house a central character, and I just ate it up.  I love the house and Mog.

Alba is a child prodigy working on her PhD in modern history at Cambridge, at the age of 19, when personal disaster strikes and with no where to go, she finds herself at 11 Hope Street, being welcomed in by Peggy, the mistress of the house.  As Peggy and the house welcome her, she's told she can stay for 99 nights, no strings attached, so that she might find her way again.  Also staying in the house are Greer, an actress looking at the end of her career, and Carmen, directionless, broken and needing to hide from the world.

I think I liked this book better than The Dress Shop of Dreams by just a smidgen; the characters felt more tightly tied to the plot and their stories felt stronger.  Alba is a bit too preciously fragile at the beginning but the author does such a good job of weaving her storyline that I bought it; I never wanted to smack her or shake her.  Van Praag managed to get me with a twist in Alba's story, but that's probably got as much to do with my own special brand of obliviousness as it does with her writing talent (all due respect).

If magical realism appeals, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a go; it's not perfect, but it's really good.

[lovelybookshelf]

Magical realism is one of my favorite genres, but this book pushed me out of my comfort zone just a bit. As I read the first chapter or so, I thought it might be too new age/psychic/fantasy/ghost story for me. There were also indications that made me think it was going to be completely predictable. I was thrilled, and pleasantly surprised, to be proven wrong.

The book's voice is simple in all the good ways, even gentle at times. It was easy to get lost in the enchanted world van Praag has created. I love the stunning way Alba's synesthesia is described; it definitely added to the magic.

Some aspects I didn't like as much:

- I felt that an important detail about the character Albert Mackay was revealed far too early. I wanted a little more time to wonder about him.

- One relationship in the book seemed to progress so quickly, almost out of the blue. This made it hard for me to take the characters' feelings seriously.

- A few times I couldn't tell what time I was reading: present, past, reliving a memory, or what. I found these shifts to be too subtle.

However, these were all minor issues for me in comparison to how lovely and sweet I found the story overall. This is an easy, relaxing read. Not in a frivolous way - there are certainly some difficult situations the characters have to deal with - but the tone stayed light and enjoyable throughout.

At the end of the book is "A Guide to the Women of Hope Street" with a very brief biography of the literary and historical figures in the book, as well as a chart notating the meaning associated with each color Alba sees.

I've always enjoyed Sarah Addison Allen's novels; that recommendation in the synopsis is spot on. Menna van Praag's The House at the End of Hope Street is a delightful story.

NOTE: I would give this closer to 3 1/2 stars if Goodreads allowed for 1/2 star ratings.