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House of Orphans

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House of Orphans

By: Helen Dunmore
Narrated by: Jilly Bond
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About this listen

 Longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, 2006.

Finland, 1901. Eeva, the young orphaned daughter of a revolutionary, is sent from the orphanage to work as housekeeper for Thomas, a widowed country doctor. Her enigmatic presence disturbs Thomas as much as it fascinates him, shattering all the certainties of his life. Eeva longs to be back in Helsinki with the comrades of her childhood, particularly Lauri. But life there is full of danger. The power of the Russian Empire over its subject peoples is growing more oppressive, but resistance to the Tsar's rule is growing too. Some call such resistance terrorism; others call it a fight for freedom. This spellbinding story of love and loneliness is also about the tensions that arise in a country emerging into independence.

©2006 Helen Dunmore 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance

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Critic reviews

"Helen Dunmore writes old-fashioned stories with old-fashioned plots about characters you immediately warm to or distrust but either way want to know what happens to them."( The Guardian)
All stars
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Excellent read - As always, Helen made the hardship, pain, hunger and love come to life.

Classic Helen Dunmore

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Another lovely book by Helen Dunmore. The prose is so beautiful it’s almost poetry. Dramatised very well by Jilly Bond. A vignette into Northern European history brought to life by characters that jump off the page by the magnificent storytelling. Highly recommended

Beautiful prose

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If you could sum up House of Orphans in three words, what would they be?

Enjoyed part one

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cannot say until I receive part 2 in my lobrary

Have you listened to any of Jilly Bond’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Very well

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No too long

Any additional comments?

How do I get part 2...very frustrating. I had phone conversation about this but nothing was resolved

Downloading part 2

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If you could sum up House of Orphans in three words, what would they be?

Riveting, atmospheric, haunting.

What did you like best about this story?

Helen Dunmore perfectly captures the historical circumstances but without losing any of the drama of the narrative. I really felt I was living through the period with the characters.

What about Jilly Bond’s performance did you like?

Much of the book consists of the thoughts and inner dialogues of the characters. Jilly Bond captures all the nuances of their inner turmoil. It is always clear whose head we are inside, and their changing thoughts and emotions are perfectly portrayed.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Very little laughter, many tears.

Any additional comments?

Helen Dunmore is a poet, and this shines through in this novel. Her descriptions of the Finnish countryside are superb. I would give ten stars if I could. I almost never listen to a book more than once, but I will definitely return to this one.

My book of the year. Outstanding in every way.

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The narration was brilliant with the characters really well differentiated. Very pleasant to listen to

I was gripped by the story but felt the ending didn't pull things together and felt rushed compared with the rest of the book which had built the plot gradually and carefully. It had me questioning whether I had downloaded the whole book - I had

Unsatisfactory ending but maybe that is the point

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The middle of this book is missing in the audible version. Very frustrating!! I’d love to hear all of it.

Chapters missing in Audible version

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