The House at Tyneford

By: Natasha Solomons

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

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)

Good potential, sloppy reading

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I didn't finish it because I didn't like the performance.

Has The House at Tyneford turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What didn’t you like about Justine Eyre’s performance?

First of all the reading is sloppy. Numerous mistakes including:
Desert for Dessert.
Brasserie for Brassiere.
Companiable for Companionable.
Oddly Street for Audley Street.
And so on and so on.
Why did the reader adopt such a nasal, croaky delivery? If it was in order to indicate that the story is being told in retrospect by an older woman, then why not hire an older actress? Eileen Atkins, Claire Bloom, Penelope Wilton. Sadly, the delivery really affected my enjoyment of the book, and I abandoned it after a few chapters.

Do you think The House at Tyneford needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

n/a

Not what I expected

Very melancholy and not much insight into the way things back then as I was hoping for. Good job explaining her experiences and feelings, but sad.

Couldn’t stop the words!

Very well written, every character played such
an important role. Take your time n really get into the book. This is not a much romance novel. It’s the the love of life n country and the people in polled. Soooo pleasant so complete.
Thank you

Wait. Go back. I wasn’t listening.

To begin with, there was no hook to draw me into this book but I soldiered on hoping it would get better. After restarting several chapters (because I realized I had ‘checked out’ during the narration), I gave it up for loss. Both the story and the characters were mundane and the narrator seemed unable to breathe life into them.

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!