The Household

THE CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL, SET AGAINST CHARLES DICKENS' HOME FOR FALLEN WOMEN


NOT ALL WHO ARE FALLEN WANT TO BE SAVED

London, 1847. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life - but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .

The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dickens' home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls' most ambitious and captivating novel yet.

Review

Absorbing . . . Halls weaves together the elements of her story with great skill ― The Sunday Times, best historical fiction of 2024

Stacey Halls is a writer of great originality, great imagination and great sense of place. Atmospheric, intelligent, accessible, every novel is worth reading, then reading again and again -- Kate Mosse

With warm and artful prose this is a story richly realised and sympathetically imagined, making THE HOUSEHOLD undoubtedly my favourite novel written by Stacey Halls so far, whose writing goes from strength to strength. I loved it -- Susan Stokes-Chapman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Pandora

This novel is the very definition of unputdownable. I loved every one of the women connected to Urania Cottage. Original, engrossing and so true to life. My favourite Stacey Halls novel yet -- Louise Hare

I devoured The Householdby Stacey Halls. Meticulously researched and thoroughly entertaining, I was struck most of all by its hopefulness: about forgiveness, friendship, the choices we make and the opportunity for a second (or third) chance. This is undoubtedly Stacey Halls' best novel yet - I can't wait to see what she writes next -- Elizabeth Macneal, bestselling author of The Doll Factory

Stacey Halls' most ambitious and brilliant book so far. Complex and brilliantly-drawn characters and, at its heart, a message of friendship and hope. A triumph -- Anna Mazzola

I loved The Household. Moving expertly between perspectives and locations, it is full of heart, humaneness and menace. I enjoyed every second -- Beth Underdown

Meticulously researched and compelling ― Red magazine

Inspired by real people who resided at Charles Dickens' home for fallen women. Elegant prose keeps the reader enthralled ― Prima magazine

Compelling and richly detailed ― Good Housekeeping

Based on real-life events, this captivating tale explores kindness, sacrifice and challenges societal norms ― Woman magazine

Compelling . . . As ever, Halls's story-telling is acutely observed and beautifully written ― Daily Mail

Fascinating, richly woven and deftly plotted ― Best magazine

Time and again, Stacey Halls brings the women of the past so close that you think of them as friends. The Household has all of the beauty of the best historical fiction, and mysteries enough to be a page turning thriller. ― Abigail Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of GIRL A

About the Author

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, Independent, Sun and Fabulous. Her first book, The Familiars, was the bestselling debut hardback novel of 2019, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year. The Foundling, her second, was a Sunday Times bestseller, as was her third Mrs England. Mrs England was longlisted for the Portico Prize, the Walter Scott Prize and won the Women's Prize Futures Award. Her latest novel, The Household, was also a Sunday Times bestseller.