Bless This House

De: Norah Lofts

Narrado por: Michael Tudor Barnes, Nicolette McKenzie

The house was built in the Old Queen's time: built for an Elizabethan pirate who was knighted for the plunder he brought home. It survived many eras, many reigns: it saw the passing of Cromwell and the Civil War. It became rich with an Indian Nabob and poor with a 20th century innkeeper. It saw wars, and lovers, and death. Children were born there, both heirs and bastards. It had ghosts and legends and a history that grew stranger with every generation.

The house was Merravay. And its story stretched over 400 years.

©1954 Norah Lofts (P)2007 Soundings

So good!

This was a beautifully narrated story spanning ages and generations. Perfect for history lovers and anyone enchanted by old houses and imagining the lives lived in them throughout the years.

Great narration for one of my favorite books!

What did you love best about Bless This House?

Everything. The rich historical detail, complex characters. The unpredictability of the plot. A good old-fashioned read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bless This House?

When you realize that events from the first part of the story, in the 1400s, are coming back to have repercussions centuries later--and that you the reader know what's going on while the characters don't.

Have you listened to any of Michael Tudor Barnes and Nicolette McKenzie ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Wonderful!

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

Yes!

Any additional comments?

I think the readers who don't enjoy this book are probably young or accustomed to "new" books. Norah Lofts is the type of read that I miss--getting into the heads of many, many characters rather than only one main first-person character. Lush prose. A narrative story instead of sparse action and dialogue.

Bless This House - my take

I have loved this book from the time I first read it a years ago. It has everything in it - unrequited love, hauntings, mysteries, and at last the fulfillment of everybody's wishes. Set in England, filled with unforgettable characters, events, history, and the sheer humanity of people living age by age under the same roof. Finding this book again was what made me join Audible in the first place, and i'm listening to it again, slowly and luxeriously, enjoying the audio book version as much as I enjoyed the paper book, which I eventually wore out. Take this story at face value, and let yourself follow each person, just be a part of their lives. After a time, you may start to feel, as I did, that the window seat belongs to you and no other.

Norah Lofts Rules!

With all due respect to two of the previous reviewers of Bless This House, if you don't like a Norah Lofts story you don't know what a good story is. If you like historical fiction and would like to time travel you can't beat Ms. Lofts stories. I highly recommend any of her books.

Thought it was slow!

I felt like this book would never end. I didn't care for it.

Mostly Unpleasant

Somehow the title led me to think that it would be full of blessings. It is mostly a saga of frustration, missed opportunities and bitterness, generation after generation. The blessings take hundreds of years to arrive.