I passed by a book at Costco and noticed the review, which reads, “Fans of Downton Abbey… will absolutely adore The House at Tyneford.”
So I bought it.
And loved it.
About:
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 the master of Tyneford’s young son, Kit, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford—and Elise—forever.
To read or not to read:
Yes!
I say The House at Tyneford
The feeling at the end was satisfying but also pretty heavy.
My thoughts: (spoiler alert especially on the last bullet point)
- Julian and Anna, Elise’s parents, are waiting for their visas to get out of Austria and at one point Elise remarks that she doesn’t understand why it’s taking so long because the country doesn’t want them there anyway. I feel that way the whole book. Ug.
- Margot, Elise’s sister, escapes to the United States and in one letter she says she finds herself “hording all (her) memories of Anna and Julian, reciting them again and again, terrified in case (she) forgets something.” This breaks my heart. Having lost someone I love, I feel the same way. At the beginning you can’t wait till you can get through the day hour minute without thinking of them, but at the same time you are so scared to forget. p298
- The Tyneford House is so secluded, the town and residents are left out during the first part of the war. But as time passes they are very involved – hosting Land Girls and growing food for the troops. During one day’s chores, a German plane is flying low and chases Elise and actually fires at her till she runs to safety in the woods. I just thought this was so interesting and the pilot was so cruel. War changes people. p280
- While Elise and her friend Poppy are out in the field working they watch an English Spitfire plane and a German Messerschmitt plane going head to head. Elise is reflects, “I felt oddly distanced as I watched them weave among the clouds. It was hard to imagine that inside each cockpit lurked a young man, filled with sweat and terror and fighting to the death…” I feel like so much of what my generation knows of war, is detached. It’s hard to believe that right now in so many places young men and women are fighting for their lives. p298
- This book was based on a true story about a town on the Dorset coast called Tyneham. The English military took over the town “temporarily” for the war. Then never gave it back. Now it’s a ghost town and residents who had lived there for generations were displaced. Mr. Rivers says there has been a Rivers living in Tyneford since 1610 and when they are told to move, 500 years gets packed up in boxes. p328 This breaks my heart. I have such a great love for old homes. When I look at a home or estate that has gone to ruins it kills me. I think of the family that built the home and how they imagined their future generations living in, and loving the home as much as they do. I look at all the care and attention to detail uncared for. Sigh. If I ever become a millionaire I’ll buy up the old homes, restore them, then rent them to rad families. True Story.
- Elise’s father, Julian, was an author and his last novel was smuggled out of Austria in Elise’s viola. Elise doesn’t open the viola to read the novel until she discovers her parents are dead. When she finally takes the pages out they are all blank. p340 I hate that the pages are blank. To me this was one of the most tragic moments in the whole book (and I mean, there are A LOT of tragic moments). But to think that Julian’s last works were lost and that his one wish wasn’t granted felt wrong. Also, his daughters didn’t get that last conversation with him through his words. This would probably be the only thing I would change in this book, and the blank pages left my heart heavy for all that was lost to the family in this story.
Now grab a cup of tea and enjoy The House at Tyneford!
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Sharon Hill says
I loved the book as well. I especially loved the relationship between all of the family members. They eventually left protocol and became one with each other having to depend on the relationship to survive. And I really liked that she wound up with the father. Perfect match. Better than the infatuation she had with the son. Good read I would recommend it.
rachael says
Cool. I’ll add it to my library list. Just read Orphan Train. The writing is a little forced but the story is captivating