A Good House for Children

A Novel

By: Kate Collins

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

"A feminist gothic that evokes Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House." -- New York Times Book Review

Once upon a time Orla was: a woman, a painter, a lover. Now she is a mother and a wife, and when her husband Nick suggests that their city apartment has grown too small for their lives, she agrees, in part because she does agree, and in part because she is too tired to think about what she really does want. She agrees again when Nick announces with pride that he has found an antiquated Georgian house on the Dorset cliffs—a good house for children, he says, tons of space and gorgeous grounds. But as the family settles into the mansion—Nick absent all week, commuting to the city for work—Orla finds herself unsettled. She hears voices when no one is around; doors open and close on their own; and her son Sam, who has not spoken in six months, seems to have made an imaginary friend whose motives Orla does not trust.

Four decades earlier, Lydia moves into the same house as a live-in nanny to a grieving family. Lydia, too, becomes aware of intangible presences in the large house, and she, like Orla four decades later, becomes increasingly fearful for the safety of the children in her care. But no one in either woman’s life believes her: the stories seem fanciful, the stuff of magic and mayhem, sprung from the imaginations of hysterical women who spend too much time in the company of children.

Are both families careening towards tragedy? Are Orla and Lydia seeing things that aren’t there? What secrets is the house hiding? A feminist gothic tale perfectly suited for the current moment, A Good House for Children combines an atmospheric mystery with resonant themes of motherhood, madness, and the value of a woman’s work.

©2023 Kate Collins (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Good gothic novel

Very slow and plodding but I did not dislike the story or pace. I would recommend. It doesn’t overreach. It’s definitely not the best I’ve ever read, but it did not disappoint. If I could award half stars, I would’ve given the story 3.5 stars. Not disappointed I spent a credit on this.

Great story, but no closure

The performance was phenomenal and the story was very beautifully written. The characters were interesting and had distinct personalities. However, there was not enough detail and no closure. You never really get an answer as to what was going on, just some mildly offensive insertion of pagan elements as being evil toward the end.

Overall, I give it a 7/10. If you can live without closure, I recommend it. If you're like me and like some answers, pass on it.

*Spoilers*
What happened to Toby? Was it him at the end that Orla heard? Did he rescue her or did she die? What happened to Lydia, Tabitha, and Clover? What happened to Sam and Briody? Not that I care much for the asshole, but what happened to Nick?

Until the very end, there were no ghosts, but elements of time travel (sort of). The family in the 70s was seeing the family from 2017/2018, and vice versa. So what about all the other families who had lived (and died) there? Why was there no overlap there? What about the random baby shoe from the middle ages they found in the chimney?

The novel made you want to know what was happening, and never really gave you an answer. At the very end, it introduced the "Lady of the Water" with no further information. I have to say, I didn't appreciate the sort of random insertion of pagan elements as seemingly evil without giving any depth of information.

Nicely done!

I want more!! I was so unhappy for this book to be over. Halfway through, I was wondering if anyone has bought the movie rights! Very chilling!

I couldn't stop listening, but lacked some detail

I really loved this book so much but I would have liked to know more about the ghosts, a little bit about what happened before, and more about the house. I was a bit disappointed it ended without more detail but I really loved it and couldn't stop listening. The narration was great, the narrator's accent was lovely and I enjoyed how she did each character's voice.

creepy house

it was excellently creepy and atmospheric. loved that. but the ending being too open ruined it for me.

Descriptively haunting

Scenes were set so meticulously and vibrantly, that I found myself loving just picturing the world that was being described. There were times that I wanted the storyline to have more detail. I feel like I wanted more closure. I wanted to know who the woman in the jeans had been, what happened to the children at the of both time lines, what happened to the Toby, why mistletoe, how Dot’s time line played out. Overall it was an engaging story with emotional pulls and gothic notes.

Brilliant Debut

It's rare that I pull off a listen in one sitting (well, two as I started late & needed to sleep 🙂), but WOW - this debut is fantastic! And some of Kristen Atherton's best work. Her pacing & unsettling performance is spectacular. This one is meant to be heard.

Excellent

Loved this book. Could not stop listening. A haunting tale. The narrator is perfect. Definitely recommend

What an amazing book

I loved this book so much. I listened to it almost non stop until done. The narrator one of the best. I didn’t find it too scary but still was a dark tale. Highly recommend

Absolutely splendid

Part Shirley Jackson, part James’ “A Turn of the Screw,” part Brontë (Jane and Emily), part something entirely new, Collins’ novel is a big, beautiful, subtle, intelligent, and exceptionally well written pleasure from first page to last. I can’t wait to read more.