The House at Tyneford

By: Natasha Solomons

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

An irresistible World War II story of a forbidden upstairs-downstairs romance in a great English country house.

It’s the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life of parties and champagne to become a parlor maid in England. She arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay, where servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn. But war is coming, and the world is changing. When Kit, the son of Tyneford’s master, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford - and Elise - forever.

A pageturning tale of family, love, loss, and the power of the human spirit set against the perennially popular backdrop of World War II England, Natasha Solomons’ The House at Tyneford is upmarket romantic fiction at its best.

Natasha Solomons is a screenwriter and the internationally bestselling author of Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English and Mr. Rosenblum’s List. She lives with her husband in Dorset, England.

©2011 Natasha Solomons (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Natasha Solomons has written a lovely, atmospheric novel full of charming characters and good, oldfashioned storytelling.” (Kristin Hannah, New York Times best-selling author)

excellent

this book is one of the best I have listened to in a very long time beautifully written . a book to savor

Lovely narration

I hesitated to choose this title because of negative comments regarding the narration. Nothing ruins an audio book like a bad narrator. But after listening to a sample I selected this title and enjoyed both the story and the narrator. I thought she did a lovely job. Really confused about the negative comments.

Good but a little to self aware...15 min till the

Ummm, kinda pretentious and too self aware but captivating until the last 15 min and I gave up.

Breathtaking!

So totally beautiful and all-encompassing. Storytelling and performance that is masterful and raw. Love, loss and rebirth. I don’t usually like stories about WWII because they make me too sad. This was done well. It made me very sad because of the backdrop of WWII, but the story is just so achingly beautiful it reminds us of our own humanity.

Beautiful !

Loved this book! The narrator is wonderful, the story so descriptive it put me right in the middle of it .

A Must Listen!

I was rocked on the ocean waves in this beautiful, poignant, enveloping saga. The author truly created a classic with this grand work. With each descriptive detail, I feel as if I lived inside Elise and experienced her life. Reaching the end left me wanting more!

Beautiful

it's been awhile since a novel brought so many tears. I love this book and the performer was wonderful. thank you.

Liked it

aka The Novel in the Viola - I enjoyed the story. If you think about that time, it could have happened like this. In WW II anything was possible. Beeing sent from Vienna to Tynefordhouse in England, young Elise Landau is forced to become a parlour-maid.She knows nothing about England, except that she won't like it. Always expecting to be called off to the USA by her parents, Elise has some difficulties to stick to the english rules. Falling in Love with the son of the House, Kit, she and him expierence all the difficulties and changes in life which an upperclass boy and a jewish 'housemaid' go through.
Still longing to reunite with her parents, she invests her mothers pearls and keeps the newest novel of her father in the hidingplace of the Viola. Life takes it's unordinary way in those times and as sad and not unexpected, if not to say weird turns Elise/Alice's life may take - I was hooked from start right to the end.

Great performance, slow listen.

This book lost me a lot. It has beautiful descriptions and the reader was great but the middle I was bored.

Loved it all !

Beautiful, insightful story with characters who become dear to ones heart! Narration was perfect as she brought together all the warmth, sadness, longing, sterness, caring, support and love of each of them to the story. This was the second time I listened to this book and I was as enthralled and transforted in the magic of of the period and beauty of the house and area once again!