The House at Tyneford

I really enjoyed this story. Told from the the perspective of a Jewish teenager as she matures into adulthood far away from her Viennese privileged background. A domestic refugee working in a upper class English household. She goes from Mozart to dust mops. She learns life lessons, about work, first love, pride in her accomplishments, love for her new homeland, loss, and acceptance. A very good read.

The first chapters of the book are very shaky. The author struggles to set the tone of the novel as if trying on a much too large suit. You then have the heroine as a refugee become a domestic who acts arrogantly in the house she is in service. She decides she will not vow or curtsy because her father taught her that “she vows to no man”. Very unrealistic. From the beginning, there is a lot of foreshadowing as to what will happen to Kit, and what is coming for her and Mr. Rivers, so the whole of the story then feels like filler. Kit was a caricature and was not fitted for the heroine and we could’ve done without that whole plot if the plan was for the other to happen, it would’ve made it more believable since the foreshadowing was there from the first night, and yes would’ve made it not creepy. In the middle, there is a rhythm to it that is engaging. However, the ending felt rushed and left a lot of unanswered plot holes and was not satisfying at all, especially as to what happens to Elise in those last paragraphs. Truly depressing book. Only giving it two stars for Mr. Rivers who was the most believable of the characters in this story.

The book is very well written. I couldn't put it down after I picked it up. The story gets you hooked on what's happening but then it takes a turn and became not enjoyable and creepy. The whole book was good up until the last few chapters.