Norah Lofts

Author profile

born

in Shipdham, Norfolk, The United Kingdom

August 27, 1904

died

September 10, 1983

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

About this author

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Norah Lofts, née Norah Robinson, (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also wrote under the pen names Peter Curtis and Juliet Astley. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic N...more Norah Lofts, née Norah Robinson, (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.

Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also wrote under the pen names Peter Curtis and Juliet Astley. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.

Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.(less)

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Norah Lofts's Books

Average rating: 3.84 · 6,898 ratings · 494 reviews · 71 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Concubine 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 1,121 ratings — published 1963 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anne Boleyn 3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 432 ratings — published 1979 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The King's Pleasure 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 461 ratings — published 1969 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Eleanor the Queen 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 321 ratings — published 1955 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Town House (House, #1) 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 267 ratings — published 1957 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House at Old Vine (House, #2) 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 225 ratings — published 1961 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lute Player 3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 avg rating — 272 ratings — published 1951 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lost Queen 3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 avg rating — 232 ratings — published 1969 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gad's Hall (Gad's Hall, #1) 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 197 ratings — published 1977 — 7 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The House at Sunset (House, #3) 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 148 ratings — published 1962 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Norah Lofts…

Series by Norah Lofts

House (3 books)
by Norah Lofts
4.1609375 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 640 ratings

Gad's Hall (2 books)
by Norah Lofts
3.747311827956989 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 372 ratings

Suffolk (3 books)
by Norah Lofts
3.9541284403669725 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 327 ratings

Quotes by Norah Lofts

“Alongside the practical thought something else struggled and, like an escaped butterfly, took wing: the assurance of something wonderful awaiting her. Just around the corner......”
― Norah Lofts

tags: butterflies, daisy, optimism

6 people liked it

“Don't worry about it, Borage. I've always been inclined to think that the Apostle Paul was similarly afflicted. He speaks often of a bodily weakness, and men have been at pains to name it, attibuting to him everything from lameness to lung sickness. But I think the clue lies in his experience on the road to Damascus. Tell me, do you see a great light?
Dr. Trudgett”
― Norah Lofts, Bless This House

tags: apostle-paul, light, seizures

5 people liked it

“They set off through the soft lingering light. One cuckoo in the depths of Layer Wood and one in the dense shrubbery of the Dower House were keeping up their eternal question and answer, and in the comparative coolness which had come with the evening all the scents of summer had magnified."

Norah Lofts”
― Norah Lofts, Afternoon of an Autocrat

tags: cuckoos, dower-house, layer-wood, love

2 people liked it

See all Norah Lofts's quotes »

Polls

Which book would you like to read for our December 15 - January 15 European Royalty group read?

The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham

15 votes, 31.3%

The Time of Singing (For the King's Favor) by Elizabeth Chadwick

12 votes, 25.0%

Legacy by Susan Kay

12 votes, 25.0%

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

7 votes, 14.6%

The Lute Player by Norah Lofts

2 votes, 4.2%

48 total votes

2 comments

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