The Foundling by Stacey Halls

 

I am late to the party when it comes to reading The Foundling by Stacey Halls, I remember the book jacket popping up online and thinking what a beautiful intricate looking cover and I read many reviews praising the book so I am thrilled to have finally got around to reading it.

 

Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London's Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst, that Clara has died in care, Bess is astonished to be told she has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.

Less than a mile from Bess's lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds . . .

This is certainly one of these books you wonder why on earth you left it so long to read because it was an addictive and captivating read that held my attention the whole way through. The authors writing style is exquisite with subtle descriptions that brought the characters and their surroundings to life.

Historical fiction is not a genre I often opt for but this book which was set in 1754 in London really intrigued me and I didn’t realise that The Foundling hospital was real, it sparked my interest so much I found myself online looking up more information on it as I was so shocked that this place was actually real. The author has quite clearly taken a keen interest and undertook substantial research in the hospital this shows in her writing.

Bess was easy to warm to from the moment we are introduced to her and my heart instantly went out to her having to give her child away, I was eager to see her reclaim her baby Clara so when this wasn’t possible, I was heartbroken for her.

I love a book that questions my morals and values and this certainly does just that. I always feel like I am confident in knowing right from wrong but this is another storyline that blurs the lines between and has you doubting your views knowing that something is definitely illegal but actually you kind of agree is right and you can understand why they made the decision.

The ending all came together perfectly and left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be picking up The Familiars next and will be looking forward to her next release Mrs England.

 

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