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The Lost Orphan

Stacey Halls

4.04 · Rating details · 8,988 ratings · 1,128 reviews

A mother’s love knows no bounds…

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst—that Clara has died in care—the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down ...more

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by Mira Books

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Apr 19, 2020 Beata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Several years ago I watched a documentary on London's Foundling Hospital. It was interesting to learn about the procedures applied to poor mothers who had to leave their babies behind. Most of them were able or willing to pick their children up after some time, and there were regulations how to do get your child back. This Hospital is in the background of the plot and all information is precise and well-researched.
The second novel by Ms Halls tells a story of a very young woman who in 1754 gets ...more

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Mar 29, 2020 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 18th-century, historical-fiction, netgalley-books, london, women-s-literature, england, britain, british-literature, united-kingdom

''People tossed all sorts into the river, including themselves.''

London, 1754. Bess is one of the unfortunate mothers who have to leave their children in the Foundling Hospital, with the desperate hope that she will return to claim her. And indeed, six years later she comes back, true to her word. But her daughter isn't there. Someone else has claimed her as her own. Bess starts a quest that will lead her in the circles of the metropolis upper class, exposing the hypocrisy, while the lower c ''People tossed all sorts into the river, including themselves.''

London, 1754. Bess is one of the unfortunate mothers who have to leave their children in the Foundling Hospital, with the desperate hope that she will return to claim her. And indeed, six years later she comes back, true to her word. But her daughter isn't there. Someone else has claimed her as her own. Bess starts a quest that will lead her in the circles of the metropolis upper class, exposing the hypocrisy, while the lower classes struggle to earn the daily bread.

If you had any doubts as to whether The Foundling was as good as The Familiars, rest assured. Stacey Halls's second novel is equally exciting, poignant and very, very different. She creates a story dedicated to motherhood, womanhood and the undying devotion of a mother towards her child. Two women who lost their mother at an early age try to come to terms with what it means to care for a child. One is a natural, the other fails miserably. One woman gives unconditionally, the other offers money but no tenderness.

There are so many themes intertwined in the story of Bess and Alexandra. Halls chooses to place the action in the 18th century, but both women can be characterized as ''modern'', without being unrealistic. They rule their fate, they choose to lead their lived by their choices, and although they are aided or hindered by men, the course of the action is decided by them. Even though their backgrounds are opposite, they are both independent. It is also interesting that Halls decides to depict Bess's warm relationship with her father, so there is complete balance in the depiction of the role of the two sexes.

The two women at the opposite ends of the spectrum not only financially but also psychologically. Bess is pragmatic, sensitive, level-headed, honest and determined. I loved her and I do wish she had been the sole focus of the novel. I did not like Alexandra at all, I couldn't understand her, I couldn't accept or respect her views. She is deeply troubled and represents the epitome of the hypocritical upper class. She is incapable of any trace of tenderness towards a child, to the point of being cruel. She lives in the past but there is no excuse for her tyranny. Doctor Mead and Lyle are great characters and I really loved them.

''Like the Thames tide the city had a temperament, and it could give or take.''

I've often said that London is a character and this novel is no exception. Georgian London is not very different from its Victorian version. The smells, the sounds of the market, the gardens, the promenades of the high society and the derelict houses of the less fortunate. Every inch of the city comes alive, providing the noisy setting of a very humane story.
The subject matter could have easily become a frightful melodrama but not here. Not when a novel is written by one of the best writers of today's Historical Fiction. A hymn to the bond between mothers and daughters and to staying true to yourself, fighting for what belongs to you.

''You gentry morts have no clue. You sit in your drawing rooms and bury your heads in your cushions, cause prison don't happen to the likes of you. You read about in the papers, but it's just a story to you. An idea. I can tell you what it's really like.''

Many thanks to MIRA and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.word... ...more

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Mar 31, 2020 Dem rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic-fiction, historical-fiction, favorites

What an intriguing story and a book I enjoyed immensely. The story gripped me from the first chapter and I loved the characters and the setting of the novel. Suspenseful, intriguing and beautifully written and And I was facinated by the foundling hospital and London of the 1750s.

The Foundling is set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, and explores families, secrets, class, equality, power and the meaning of motherhood. Two women bound by a child and a secret that will change everyt ...more

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Apr 21, 2020 Lindsay - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

3.5 stars.

An easy and entertaining historical fiction read.

This novel started off with a bang! I was fully invested and wholly engrossed from the start. London, 1748: Bess is a young woman whose family barely makes enough to survive. She registers her newborn baby at the London Foundling Hospital on the day of her birth since she knows, as a teenage single unwed mother, she cannot possibly provide for her. Bess has every intention of coming back for her baby once she gets enough money saved and ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, netgalley-arc, mystery, stand-alone, new-to-me-author, domestic-drama, historical-fiction, 4-star

EXCERPT: All the babies were wrapped like presents ready to be given. Some of them were dressed finely - though their mothers were not - in tiny embroidered sleeves and thick shawls, for winter had arrived, and the night was biting. I'd bound Clara in an old blanket that had waited years to be darned, and now never would be. We stood clustered around the pillared entrance, thirty or so of us, like moths beneath the torches burning in their brackets, our hearts beating like papery wings. I hadn't ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell rated it really liked it

Shelves: les-arcs-de-triomphes, historical-fiction

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THE FAMILIARS was probably one of my top 5 favorite historical fiction reads of 2019, so I was really excited to receive an ARC of THE LOST ORPHAN by the same author. THE FAMILIARS is a dark but unexpectedly feminist story that takes place during a time that was historically unkind to women but manages to have an empowering message that reads as being fairly accurate to the times as well as a sympathetic heroine. THE LOST ORPHAN is the s ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Thebooktrail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, novel-set-in-london, novel-set-in-an-old-house, novel-set-in-asylum-hospital

Visit the locations in the novel

That cover! Pure art! And I am happy to say, so is the story.

From the opening page, the story about Bess and her baby girl Clara, the writing, swept me wholeheartedly into another world. This world was a cruel one – London 1754, and a woman who has conceived a child out of wedlock is forced to give her up at the Foundling Hospital. Women go here in their droves, and pick a token from a bag. If it’s one colour, they get in and their baby is taken in ( health checks pending), another means they are on the waiting list until the babies are declared healthy. The third group are turned away. Here we see the poorest women, the most unfortunate babies and the chasm between rich and poor. When Bess prepared to pick up her child again after 6 years, I was excited for her. However she goes, only to find that a woman calling herself Bess went to the hospital the very next day and took the child! Oh the pain and the anguish I felt for Bess then!

London is evoked in its dank and dangerous glory. It reeks of inequality and poverty. Contrast part one which is firmly set in the area of Ludgate Hill to part two, where we meet the Bloomsbury wealth and the mysterious widow who refuses to leave her home. She reluctantly employs a nursemaid and you just know there are secrets and pain in that house. They seep through the plush wallpaper slowly but surely and into the streets where the carriage smash them up on the cobbles with the permanents of Bess’ story. What a depiction of two women’s stories and the London of that time.

Both characters were very very strongly drawn and emotionally crafted. I was invested heavily in both of them throughout. So many times I wanted to see and talk to these women myself and try and find out what was in their minds, but Stacey dripped that information slowly but surely at the right time. Gothic, glorious writing wrapped it all up in a smooth black bow.

And the real excitement I got from this book? I’d heard of The Foundling Hospital and the museum that still stands today. It’s clear that the author wanted to research and explore this in fiction and she’s craft a really, interesting and emotional real. It felt personal, raw and very vivid and Bess’ search for her child was particularly eventful

Masterful and a real reading treat. ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it it was amazing

Having to leave your newborn at a Foundling until you could afford to keep the child seemed to be the norm in the 1700's for poor families.

Going back to get your child after you saved half a year's wages to pay for the child’s keep for six years and find out someone else had claimed to be you and taken your child was more unbearable than leaving your child the first time.

Bess was devastated when she found out someone had taken her daughter. When she questioned the governors of the Foundling, the ...more

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Mar 19, 2020 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This was perfect! I read and liked Stacey Hall’s first book : The Familiars, but this was a much smoother read, more accomplished. I’m so excited to see a new talent on the hf scene and can’t wait to see what she writes next.

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Jun 05, 2020 Kate Baxter rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, goodreads-first-reads

Back in 2010/2011, author Stacey Halls attended an exhibition of tokens and artifacts of an 18th century London foundling hospital. I had the pleasure of viewing that same exhibit in 2014 when it was showing in Williamsburg, VA. The orphans' parents were given the opportunity to leave some sort of token at the hospital for their child. It would provide the connection between parent and child should there be a possibility of reuniting. This emotional and informative exhibit was entitled, "Threads Back in 2010/2011, author Stacey Halls attended an exhibition of tokens and artifacts of an 18th century London foundling hospital. I had the pleasure of viewing that same exhibit in 2014 when it was showing in Williamsburg, VA. The orphans' parents were given the opportunity to leave some sort of token at the hospital for their child. It would provide the connection between parent and child should there be a possibility of reuniting. This emotional and informative exhibit was entitled, "Threads of Feeling".

From that moving experience, Ms. Halls spun an impelling tale wherein an unwed mother brings her hours-old child to the Foundling Hospital with the hope that they will accept the child. The mother has every expectation that at some point in the future she will be able to reclaim the child when her own situation is more stable. For the child, she entrusts her half of a pendant with the child's new caregivers - the token she herself received from the child's father as an expression of his affection for her. After 6 years, the mother believes she is in a position to reclaim her child. Unfortunately, someone pretending to be her had claimed the child shortly after the child's arrival at the hospital.

This book features two strong female protagonists - one maternal and the other icy but wealthy. The interplay between these two woman is richly portrayed. Their character development is strong as is that of the child. The mise en scene was equally rich in its portrayal as it draws on all of the readers senses. I personally was moved by the story and thought it to be well told.

I am uncertain why this books appears under two differing titles. The North American edition is entitled, "The Lost Orphan" and its British counterpart is entitled, "The Foundling". Regardless, the coverart is beautifully rendered for each book and draws the potential reader into its pages.

I am grateful to mira publishing for having provided a free uncorrected proof of this book through Goodreads First Reads. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone. ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Kate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-read-in-2020, out-in-2020-and-read

What an engrossing and atmospheric read! I actually read this in one day, which is very unusual for me, especially on a work day. But it was very difficult to put down and the pages flew through the fingers. There is a plot device which I'm not entirely sure about but otherwise I think this is a gorgeous and enchanting read that pulls at the heart strings, sometimes for unexpected reasons. My favourite character turned out to be not the one I expected. Another excellent book from Stacey Halls. R ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Rachel Hall rated it liked it · review of another edition

Engaging but disappointingly straightforward historical fiction novel of one child torn between two women.

Stacey Halls second historical fiction novel is set against the backdrop of London in the Georgian era and is essentially a pretty straightforward story of two women in a tug of war over one illegitimate child left at the Foundling Hospital. Narrated in the first-person by the two women at the centre of the storm, a world apart in terms of wealth, class and respectability, The Foundling is a Engaging but disappointingly straightforward historical fiction novel of one child torn between two women.

Stacey Halls second historical fiction novel is set against the backdrop of London in the Georgian era and is essentially a pretty straightforward story of two women in a tug of war over one illegitimate child left at the Foundling Hospital. Narrated in the first-person by the two women at the centre of the storm, a world apart in terms of wealth, class and respectability, The Foundling is an easily readable novel that highlights the inequality that was rife in the period. Opening in 1747, shrimp seller Bess Bright has not even been a mother for a full day before she takes her newborn, Clara, to the Foundling Hospital in London, aware that she can offer the child no future beyond two squalid rooms and a life working on Billingsgate market. Fully intending to reclaim her child one day in the years ahead, Bess leaves a whalebone token given to her by the babies father, a man she met just twice and has refused to name to her family. Fast-forward to six years later and armed with all her worldly savings Bess goes to claims the child she left behind only to be dealt the staggering blow that she has already been taken. Indeed someone presenting as the child's mother and claiming to be Bess Bright removed her daughter just the very next day after she was left at the hospital. Chancing upon a sighting of a child she has reason to believe is her own, Bess determines to bring her daughter home by hook or by crook.

The filth and danger of Ludgate Hill sits in stark contrast to well-heeled Bloomsbury across town and uptight widow, Alexandra Callard, whose fear of losing loved ones keeps her and her six-year-old child, Charlotte, confined inside a home that is to all intents a prison. Self-contained and still dealing with an upbringing that has left her emotionally stunted, Alexandra is persuaded by her husband’s great friend, a doctor at the Foundling Hospital, to hire a nursemaid. No prizes for guessing who gets the job and the explosive collision that ensues with both women having their own claim on Charlotte, with the man that brought them together, kind-hearted and honourable Doctor Elliot Mead, caught in the crossfire.

I was dismayed that there wasn’t really much of a mystery contained within the pages of The Foundling and Bess finding her daughter and obtaining a position as nursemaid entailed no great search or effort at all. In this sense the story was totally lacking in intrigue and from that point onwards the outcome was eminently predictable. Convenient coincides abound, from Bess’s sighting of Alexandra Callard and Charlotte on her only visit to the Foundling Chapel during a Sunday service, right through to the fortuitous circumstances that meant Charlotte was brought home to Alexandra seven months after she was widowed.

Characterisation is patchy and I struggled to connect with Bess beyond her innate desire to raise her own child, finishing the novel feeling that I knew little more about her as an individual than on outset. Alexandra is well-drawn and her traumatic background and mental health issues make her a compelling character to explore but again I struggled to get a sense of her motivation and desire for keeping a child that she expressed little warmth or affection towards. Standoffish and capricious throughout, I ended the novel without having any clear sense of what she actually felt towards Charlotte and why she felt she had a claim on her.

There is little meaningful examination of what the future holds for a child raised in the life that Bess can offer and rather short-sightedly her character expresses no qualms about taking a child from a charmed life of privilege and comfort to the hard labour and iniquities of life in the working classes. Doctor Mead is the third main player in the story and is essentially an unofficial arbiter acting as an impartial sounding board, rather reminiscent of King Solomon in the bible! The supporting cast are colourful but very stereotypical from Alexandra’s flamboyant and decadent sister, Ambrosia, to Bess’s ne’er-do-well sot of a brother, Ned, and impish link-boy, Lyle.

The denouement is abrupt and not entirely realistic to my mind. I can understand Stacey
Halls preference for a feel good and simplistic tying up of a story but given that the novel was intended as an exploration of the meaning of motherhood it feels like a missed opportunity. The plot is a familiar one that I feel has been done to death over the years, albeit in different eras with every story posing the exact same question of what it means to be a mother. Apart from the Georgian setting and the inspiration of the Foundling Hospital for abandoned babies there is little original about the book and aside from a few choice bits of slang the story fails to deliver on period atmosphere.

Slight and unsubstantial, but easily readable and moderately entertaining.

With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. ...more

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May 13, 2020 Louis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very satisfying read, so glad I found my way to this book! It took me immediately into the mid-18th century, with very few, if any anachronisms. In fact, I don't think I ever was jarringly brought back to the present in this book; I really saw and heard and smelled Georgian London at every step. Even though I was mildly unconvinced by the ending, "The Lost Orphan," as my copy is titled, delivered as a historical fiction "page-turner" and as an entree into some truly fascinating historical deta ...more

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Jan 21, 2020 Liz Barnsley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Excellent atmospheric historical novel about a mother's search for her child.

Full review to follow for the tour. ...more

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May 13, 2020 Denise rated it liked it

Lately I've been sucked into a number of historical fiction books about orphans, homes for unwanted children and/or "compromised" young women, and for the most part, have loved them all - until this one. This book was lean on history and heavy on drama. I also found it odd that it was published in the UK as The Foundling, but as The Lost Orphan here in the US, which is a rather dull and somewhat misleading title.

It did start off on a good note, and I really enjoyed Part I - Bess's story. Bess i Lately I've been sucked into a number of historical fiction books about orphans, homes for unwanted children and/or "compromised" young women, and for the most part, have loved them all - until this one. This book was lean on history and heavy on drama. I also found it odd that it was published in the UK as The Foundling, but as The Lost Orphan here in the US, which is a rather dull and somewhat misleading title.

It did start off on a good note, and I really enjoyed Part I - Bess's story. Bess is a poor shrimp seller in London in the 1750's, who becomes pregnant after a few chances encounters with a merchant, Daniel Callard, who dies shortly thereafter. She gives up her infant daughter to London's Foundling Hospital, but saves her money for six years and then returns to the hospital to reclaim her daughter - only to find out that her daughter was reclaimed the day she was brought to the hospital - by someone posing as Bess. Bess is determined to find who took her daughter and impersonated her, and in her quest, she meets Elliott Meade, a doctor at the Foundling Hospital, whose grandfather was an original founder. Dr. Meade takes Bess to church with him one Sunday so that she can meet his grandfather and ask him questions about her daughter, and lo and behold, Bess spots a little girl in the congregation that she swears looks similar to what she believes her baby would look like as a six year old.

Then Part II begins - Alexandra's story. This is where the book completely dropped off for me. It is in Part II that the mystery is easily solved, and an odd chain of events leads Bess to become a nursemaid for the young girl she met at church. From that point on, I struggled to even finish the book - I would pick it up, read a few pages, and then find something else to distract me. Both protagonists, Bess and Alexandra, made so many odd choices that really drove the plot in an unappealing direction that borderlined on ludicrous.

Even with several more "parts," the book just never came close to redeeming itself. It seemed to drag on and on with no real focus, and then boom, the ending came, and it was so entirely unbelievable (especially in regard to the complete 360-degree personality change that one of the protagonists underwent), that it actually made me mad that I stuck with it. ⁣ I notice mostly 4 and 5-star reviews for this one, so I think I am somewhat in the minority here, but for me, only Part I saved it from being a 2-star review. ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 OLT rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an excellently and beautifully written novel. It's atmospheric and evocative of the period when it takes place. The characters have depth and complexity and their lives touched me and educated me. I was glued to my chair reading this, with feelings of dread, despair, and hope running through me as I worked my way through the 287 pages of thought-provoking story. Sounds like this is a 5-star book, doesn't it? It is, except that it let me down at the very end and that brought my rating dow This is an excellently and beautifully written novel. It's atmospheric and evocative of the period when it takes place. The characters have depth and complexity and their lives touched me and educated me. I was glued to my chair reading this, with feelings of dread, despair, and hope running through me as I worked my way through the 287 pages of thought-provoking story. Sounds like this is a 5-star book, doesn't it? It is, except that it let me down at the very end and that brought my rating down to 4.

This book was released in the U.K. in February of this year with the title THE FOUNDLING. I actually prefer that title to THE LOST ORPHAN, the one given this April 2020 U.S. release. I guess it was thought that we Yanks would not know what a foundling is, so the powers that be who name books were keeping it simple for us? Whatever the case and whatever its name, this sophomore effort by Stacey Halls (after her debut work THE FAMILIARS) is definitely worth the read.

The author brings the Georgian period to life in all its grimy, dirty ugliness for the poor and its sumptuous life for the rich, in the same way that Dickens gave us his complete picture of Victorian times. Dickens' novels were contemporary fiction when published and he used his own early life and his insightful powers of observation to expose socioeconomic disparities of the 1800s. Halls exposes these same disparities of the 1700s but obviously writing historical fiction using great research and an excellent imagination.

This story is narrated by two women: (1) Bess Bright, a young, lower-class boiled shrimp vendor living in the slums with her father Abe and useless brother Ned, and (2) Alexandra Callard, a youngish rich widow living a pampered but extremely limited life.

I found Bess to be an admirable character, hard-working, full of hope and a great attitude, living a difficult life with honor and responsibility. In 1747 she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter and, unable to care for her, delivered her that same day to the Foundling Hospital, hoping some day to save up enough money to reclaim her child. Six years later, in early 1754, Bess goes to do just that, only to find that someone pretending to be her had taken her baby away just one day after Bess had left her at the orphanage. It becomes Bess's mission in life to track down her daughter and reclaim her.

And then there's rich widow Alexandra Callard, living a privileged life in an upscale area of London. Alexandra is an extremely complicated character who was hard for me to understand and like at first, but, as the story progressed, the mystery of why she was the way she was became more clear. See, in spite of having everything she could possibly want, money, a beautiful home, a lovely young daughter, servants to take care of everything, she is a bit of a mess. She's afraid of life. She's cold and withdrawn emotionally, not even showing affection to her own daughter. She does not leave the house except for Sunday worship and does not allow her 6-year-old daughter Charlotte to leave either or to have any friends. She is obsessed with safety and with keeping her home locked up tight.

Bess and Alexandra's lives become entwined when Bess is hired as nursemaid to Charlotte, this through the intervention of Dr. Mead, a director at the Foundling Home where Bess had left her baby years ago and, coincidentally, Alexandra's only friend. It's pretty obvious early on the true connection these two have but there are a few puzzling how's and why's that will be revealed. But, more to the point, this is a great story about social injustice, about motherhood, about love and connection. About what makes for a good mother. What is more important: love and affection in a life of dire poverty, or a life of luxury without that affection?

The point about motherhood and the bond of mother and child would have been better presented with all things being equal, IMO. A mother's love (or at least kindness) in both economic situations. As presented in this story, the result is skewed to a great extent. One other problem I had with this plot is the ending, which is too pat, too tidy, with a too-abrupt personality change for one of the main characters.

Yet the grit, grime, poverty, atmosphere and socioeconomic levels of life in Georgian England are excellently represented here. In addition, the writing is superior and the characters, main and secondary, developed with real depth. This came close to being a 5-star book for me. ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 ☕️Kimberly rated it really liked it

Hard times forced unwed mother, Bess Blight to leave her newborn baby, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital. Six years of saving and she finally has enough to claim her daughter. However, when she arrives she is stunned to learn she has already been claimed by Bess herself.

Halls quickly pulled me into this tale and my heart bled for Bess. We also meet, Alexandra, a wealth, widowed recluse and her young daughter Charlotte.

Through a young doctor and member of the Foundling Hospital Bess is hired ...more

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Jan 21, 2020 Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: readers-first, kept-book

“The Foundling” is written by Sunday Times bestselling author Stacey Halls and is her second novel, after the success of “The Familiars” last year.
Once again this book is attractively presented with a gorgeous cover and is guaranteed to be a beautiful addition to any bookshelf.
Set in London 1754, this historical drama novel focuses on The Foundling Hospital where mothers took their young babies to hopefully be looked after, until they could return and buy them back. The opening pages really brok ...more

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Oct 11, 2019 Imie (mythicreader) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-five-stars, favorites, reviewed

Stacey Halls has done it again! I was so mesmerised by The Foundling that I read it in one sitting. If you enjoyed the writing style of The Familiars and the mix of fiction and history, then you will ADORE this one as well.

The Foundling focuses on themes of motherhood through two women, both of very different backgrounds. Six years after leaving her illegitimate child in the care of The Foundling Hospital, Bess goes back to claim her daughter. However, when she arrives she finds out that someo ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Set in London in 1754, Bess Bright makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her illegitimate newborn baby at the Foundling Hospital in London, promising herself that she will come back to claim her daughter as soon as she can. Years later, Bess returns only to find her daughter has already been claimed, by her. So begins the mystery of The Foundling by Stacey Halls.

Stacey Halls has done it again. The Familiars was set in 1612 around the Pendle witch trials and was an absorbing read about two wo Set in London in 1754, Bess Bright makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her illegitimate newborn baby at the Foundling Hospital in London, promising herself that she will come back to claim her daughter as soon as she can. Years later, Bess returns only to find her daughter has already been claimed, by her. So begins the mystery of The Foundling by Stacey Halls.

Stacey Halls has done it again. The Familiars was set in 1612 around the Pendle witch trials and was an absorbing read about two women from different classes coming together to help one another. Somehow, Stacey Halls has managed to effortlessly set another tale about two women from different classes 150 years later in Georgian London without missing a beat. The Foundling has been written in such a unique storytelling style that from the first page I knew immediately I was in expert hands once again.

Here's an example of her writing from Page 119:
"With the excess of Christmas behind and spring a way off, it was a dull, dead period, a time of hibernation and renewal, in which to reintroduce good habits, turn mattresses and repair wigs."

In addition to being an engaging historical mystery, The Foundling by Stacey Halls is also an absolute delight to hold in the hand. With a stunning cover design with spot UV and metallic foiling on the front and back, the edition I have is the floppy kind with nice big font and delightful chapter markers to indicate the character's perspective about to unfold. I recall remarking on the beauty of The Familiars too and the design team have outdone themselves again here. I enjoyed seeing The Foundling on my bedside table and will be sad to shelve it along with my other 5 star reads where I won't be able to admire the cover on a daily basis.

There's been much praise for Stacey Halls, however I don't agree with Cosmopolitan that Halls is 'The new Hilary Mantel'. She is nothing like Mantel and I believe the comparison builds an inaccurate association in the minds of potential readers. If I had to characterise Stacey's writing, I'd say it was a meeting of the minds between Philippa Gregory and Diane Setterfield.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Foundling by Stacey Halls. It had all of the ingredients I love in an historical fiction novel and I highly recommend it.

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin * ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Beth Pennington rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-reads, historical-read, gothic

I have been so excited to read this new read by @staceyhallsauthor and I wasn't dissapointed!

1.✔Stacey is fantastic at writing about historical points of history that are lesser are known and creating fantastic fictional accounts from this. I had never heard of The Foundling Hospital and the museum that still stands today. But this book has made me want to explore that history more, as devestating as it is. When I met her, Stacey explained how moved she was by the tragic history here, and I thin ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Charlie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-physical-copies-of, fantasy-buddy-read-challenge-2020

This book was fantastic! Just everything I hoped for and more. It had a sorrowful, whimsical quality to it and the writing was so detailed I felt I was actually a part of this rich, vivid world.

In general, historical fiction isn't really my thing, I'm much more of a fantasy, sci-fi person. Yet I'd read The Familiars and loved it so decided to give this a chance. I'm so glad I did. There was just something so compelling about this novel, I can't quite put my finger on it.

The characters were so d ...more

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May 02, 2020 Allison Keith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is a powerful tale that is harrowingly authentic to the times. It is feminist in the sense that the pair of female narrators are strong, independent women who determine their own fates outside of male influence. They are impeccably rendered with rich emotional depth. I love it when an author manages to write an unlikeable female protagonist who still manages to be relatable. Stacey Halls executed that brilliantly with the troubled character of Alexandra, though the character of Bess, determ ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Theresa Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Stacey Halls just might be my favourite historical novelist now. You can’t really make that call after one book, but now I’ve read her second and it’s as equally good as what her first was, so she can officially rank as a favourite now. For those who have read The Familiars, expect something different with this one – and isn’t that one of the best examples of literary talent: the ability to write each book different, to not write to formula, or stick to what worked for you before. The Foundling, Stacey Halls just might be my favourite historical novelist now. You can’t really make that call after one book, but now I’ve read her second and it’s as equally good as what her first was, so she can officially rank as a favourite now. For those who have read The Familiars, expect something different with this one – and isn’t that one of the best examples of literary talent: the ability to write each book different, to not write to formula, or stick to what worked for you before. The Foundling, like The Familiars before it, is historical fiction, but that’s where the similarities end.

‘My own daughter was inside, her fingers closing around thin air. My heart was wrapped in paper. I had known her hours, and all my life. The midwife had handed her to me, slick and bloodied, only this morning, but the Earth had turned full circle, and things would never be the same.’

The Foundling is a story of two women living lives as far removed from each other as possible. It’s a rather feminist story, which I appreciated greatly, and very atmospheric. Within each woman’s perspective, the reader was invited to step into their lives, be it gilded or impecunious, and to experience what day to day living might have been like for an 18th century woman living in London. Connected by a man and a child, these two women overcome much to eventually work together towards a mutual solution to their problem. In this, the novel really shines, as it depicts each woman assuming agency over her own life.

‘These feminine vessels we inhabited: why did nobody expect them to contain unfeminine feelings? Why could we, too, not be furious and scornful and entirely altered by grief? Why must we accept the cards we had been dealt?’

Alexandra was a complex character, not at all like what she appeared to be on the surface. She comes across as emotionally unresponsive, but she is stitched together with trauma, and as more and more details are revealed as the novel progresses, it becomes impossible to take her at face value. Bess was less complex, but driven by a mother’s love and fury at her circumstances costing her the ability to fulfil that role, and in this, she was a formidable character with much about her to be admired.

The Foundling Hospital within the novel is based upon a real place that existed within that time, but this novel is driven more by its characters than by historical events. Stacey Halls knows her craft though, and she has such a talent at creating mood and atmosphere, at conveying emotion through gesture as well as words. She is certainly an author who has earned her place as an historical novelist of note. Just as I raved about The Familiars last year, I will quite happily rave about The Foundling this year.

Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of The Foundling for review. ...more

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Jan 01, 2021 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was my book club read.

Positives - An easy read that kept you turning the pages.
I loved the era and the atmospheric language and I could picture the street scenes clearly.
An unusual subject.

Negatives - Thought that the storyline could have had a little more excitement. I more or less knew in which direction the ending was heading.

Overall, a decent read.

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Jul 27, 2020 Catherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 4-stars

"That's her birthday, I'll remember it for the rest of my life. Every year I light a candle for her.

If you loved Stacey Halls' debut The Familiars last year, then you were probably like me highly looking forward her second novel. Worry not, for The Foundling (also going by the title of The Lost Orphan for the US) just confirms the author's talent while being so different in terms of plot, characters and theme.

Set in London during the 18th century, we follow Bess, one of those many women who had ...more

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Mar 17, 2020 Sandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 18th-century-setting

This was not what I expected. I don't know why, but I was not expecting a book like this. Given that I rated it 5 stars though it is still excellent.

I love the 18th century as I keep saying so that alone was probably already going to make this three stars, but in the end it was the characters that kept me engaged. Both the POVs are believable and at times I could feel for both of them, though I understood Bess more. I was really rooting for the baby and later child more though.

I was so invested ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Toast rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book although I have to admit to a big chunk of coincidence and 'modern' life as an ending needing to be swallowed. I read it in a few days and admit to slowing down my reading to make it last longer. I was in this world with every page. This Miss H certainly can write a page turner and some. It has bite, it has class, it has the ring of facts and authenticity and the smell of character, locations and guts. For a second novel, wonderful, SH just gets better, roll on book No ...more

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Apr 27, 2020 Carla Johnson-Hicks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, audio, 2020-release

This book was originally published as The Foundling in the UK, in North America, the title and cover were changed. I have to say, I prefer the original cover and title, but the story is the same.

You can read the blurb, so I will not reiterate it here, but tell you how this book made me feel. First, I love historical fiction, especially when I learn about a time or event that I did not know about. This period in history is know for its huge disparity between classes. The idea that so many poor wo This book was originally published as The Foundling in the UK, in North America, the title and cover were changed. I have to say, I prefer the original cover and title, but the story is the same.

You can read the blurb, so I will not reiterate it here, but tell you how this book made me feel. First, I love historical fiction, especially when I learn about a time or event that I did not know about. This period in history is know for its huge disparity between classes. The idea that so many poor women gave up their babies to The Foundling Hospital was heartbreaking. Learning that rich people would buy tickets to watch these women participate in the lottery to see if their child would be accepted was terrible, yet I can picture it happening. The hospital was not described in a lot of detail, but it was not what I had expected from movies, it seemed like a decent place, funded by these tickets as well as wealthy governors. The beginning of the story gripped me and broke my heart. I can not fathom what Bess felt giving up her daughter, Clara, and then going back six years later to find out someone else had claimed her. The rest of the story was an interesting and enjoyable story, although some parts were a bit hard to believe.

I liked Bess/Eliza and understand why she did what she did. She was a strong woman, who just wanted to reclaim her child. Her love for her daughter was very strong. Clara/Charlotte was a darling girl who craved love. Her mother suffered from such emotional loss in her past that she was afraid to become attached to her child, but that was unhealthy for Charlotte. She was also a smart young thing, being able to read, write and speak fluent french by the age of 6. Alexandra was a sad woman. She had such baggage from her tragic past that I felt for her, but was not able to relate to her, as she was so aloof. The secondary characters added much to the story. They helped to show what living in London was like if you were not rich or noble. I will say that the ending surprised me, although it was a happy one. Overall, I enjoyed this story, I learned from it, it caused me to do some research on my own, and I added Stacey Halls first book to my TBR. I recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction and especially how it affected children.

I did a read/listen with this book. The audiobook was narrated by Imogen Church and Elizabeth Knowelden. I always enjoy books with multiple narrators a bit more as they can give the characters distinct voices. Both of these narrators did a great job with expression, intonation and pacing. I very much enjoyed listening to their performance of The Lost Orphan. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own. ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Nicki rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, audiobook, 2020-when-are-you-reading, 5-stars, london, 2020-audiobook-challenge, historical-fiction, thepigeonhole, favourites-in-2020, stacey-halls

What a wonderful listen this was! I loved everything about this book, the characters, the story, the wonderful descriptions of London in the 1750s and of the different types of people populating the great city.

I loved ‘The Familiars’, the author’s debut last year, and was very keen to read this new book. I was so excited to get a place on The Pigeonhole, especially as it was also available as an audiobook!

The book starts with Bess telling us about how she had to leave her newborn daughter at The ...more

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About Stacey Halls

Stacey Halls

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Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also written for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she now works ...more