Great story let down by part narration.

I love Norah Lofts work and this did not disappoint me as a story. but there are 2 narrators, The male was marvellous. with an engaging and authentic East Anglian accent which drew me in from the start. The female however, put me off completely as she sounded like she was from the West Country and I kept picturing the Cadbury's Caramel bunny. Totally inappropriate for the location and age of the character. Such a shame.

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Fabulous

Truly fabulous story very well read, enjoyed hearing it. Wish that Norah Lofts had written more books and more are available

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2 people found this helpful

Great from beginning to end

First in the House Trilogy. Have listened to them all. All wonderful and beautifully read.

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An old favourite

I've read this so many times and the audible version is excellent with two very talented narrators.
Norah Lofts was an amazing writer of historical fiction. Her characters are so multi-faceted and their stories are utterly believable. I love the way they are seen from others' perspectives through this book. And she never feels the need to bring everything to a happy conclusion so you can't predict outcomes.
This trilogy is just brilliant, as are all Norah Lofts' books.

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Become a part of the House

I found this book ages ago, when I was 20, in a box in the attick. Noone knew where it came from. It was in english and very difficult english at that. I started reading it (I'm danish) and when I got to the end I started again. Over more than three decades I read this book about once a year, I got caught in it every time. Eventually I bought the two following books on a trip to London. Loved them too, but Martin Reed's tale is the most exciting.
I love Martin, the founder of Old Vine. He went through asome very rough years and events before he built the house. There is so much history in these books and so many different caracters.
The Town House is the one book I would bring to a dessert island. If I could bring more than one, I would also bring The House at Old Vine, The House at Sunset - and the Harry Potter books.

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7 people found this helpful

Well-researched historical novel

If you could sum up The Town House in three words, what would they be?

As above!

What other book might you compare The Town House to, and why?

The next book in the trilogy is good, too, the third quite disappointing. Norah Lofts really knows her history and her characters are totally convincing.

What about Juliet Prague and Martyn Read ’s performance did you like?

Both of them managed local dialect well, but not overdone.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I wouldn't want a film.....

Any additional comments?

I don't like this new way of reviewing books. You can't get a proper flow of your opinions. I have read and enjoyed almost all Norah Lofts' books. She really seems to be able to write convincingly about historical daily life and to make her characters real enough for you to care what happens to them and this is basically the test of a novel.

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4 people found this helpful

great for the historian

its a classic I had be gripped due to the story and the human aspect and great characters but the level of historical context was fabulous and obviously well researched. I loved the detail and the way the story weaves through the years. I loved the characters and gave me a great insight into the times. I can't wait to get into the next one.

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1 person found this helpful