The House at the End of Hope Street: A Novel

by Menna Van Praag

“Casts an enthralling spell, giving both characters and readers not only what they most want, but what they ultimately need.” —Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader
 
When Alba Ashby, the youngest Ph.D. student at Cambridge University, suffers the Worst Event of Her Life, she finds herself at the door of 11 Hope Street. There, a beautiful older woman named Peggy invites Alba to stay on the house’s unusual conditions: she’ll have ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. Once inside, Alba discovers that 11 Hope Street is no ordinary house. Past residents include Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Parker, and Agatha Christie, who all stayed there at hopeless times in their lives and who still hang around—quite literally—in talking portraits on the walls. With their help Alba begins to piece her life back together and embarks on a journey that may save her life.

Filled with a colorful, unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a wholly imaginative novel of feminine wisdom and second chances, with just the right dash of magic.

• ISBN10: 0143124943
• ISBN13: 9780143124948
• Publish Date: 25 March 2014 (first published 4 April 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780143124948

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.