House London

Product Information

Maxwell house is a fantastic redesign of a Victorian town house. Situated in Hammersmith, it used to belong to merchants in the neighbourhood’s buzzing textile industry. Over the years the property was divided into flats and left to fall into disrepair. Writer Ellie Stathaki (of Wallpaper*) and photographer Anna Stathaki explore different interior styles and show the very best of London homes – from the surprising interiors of humble terraces, to extraordinary conversions showcasing the height of luxury.Some homes will provide worthy inspiration, and others a level of drama most of us can only dream of. What can I say, Katherine Reay has done it again, and I'm not surprised. She's always a favorite author to read, and I absolutely loved this novel. This work of historical fiction derives its inspiration from myriad true incidents that have happened during the period leading to and during WWII.

Be transported to a different time and place. Each of the 23 luxurious bedrooms and suites has a unique story to tell, with features that include hand-painted silk wallpaper and shimmering gold ceilings. For me, I found London House to be a departure from what I would normally expect and want from Katherine Reay. Reading the synopsis, I still determined that I wanted to and was interested in reading London House. Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we won’t display any review that includes or refers to (among other things): When I saw that Katherine Reay had a new book, I suspected I'd like it. When I read the synopsis, I knew it. But oh, how I underestimated the brilliance that is The London House.Present day Caroline Payne is blindsided when an ex-boyfriend from college approaches her for comment on an article he is writing about her great aunt, Caroline, claiming that he has evidence that she was a Nazi. I loved the way this dual-time novel was done, especially how the historical storyline was told completely through letters and diary entries. We get to discover what happened in the past along with the present-day characters, and I was hooked! It is however a clever way to include the historical characters into the story and additionally it gives the book an exciting treasure hunt element - who wouldn’t want to find so much history in grandma’s attic?

It’s pretty clear to the reader just how this is going to turn out but the author has made it imperative to read to the end to find the details. Having done so the details are scant at best.Don’t think it’s all about old historic mansions either, the eclectic programme sees appearances from newly renovated apartments, Gothic chapels, and even a mausoleum! Spooky. Beautifully written, the story is more epistolary than straight narrative, and seeing the clues come out, one after the other, gives the reader every chance to say, "Aha!" (and I did several times!). First and foremost this is a story about the love between two sisters, twin sisters, and the bond that they share, but how the(and before) War changed their relationship, and how it would continue to reverberate years later right into Caroline’s life even though she was unaware of it. She begins to understand (or at least conceptualize) her relationships with her family, and the loss of her own sister at a young age that has plagued her most of her life. She is able to experience healing and closure through reading the letters of her grandmother and her great-aunt. She is able to speak to her parents about the past and to know the freedom to move towards the unknown.