The Lost Orphan - by Stacey Halls (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate newborn at the Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the daughter she has never known. Dreading the worst, that she has died in care, she is astonished to discover someone pretending to be Bess 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 poor lodgings, in a quiet Georgian townhouse, lives Alexandra, a reclusive young widow. When her close friend--an ambitious doctor at the orphanage--persuades her to hire a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

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

"A gripping tale of motherhood, loss, and redemption. Hall's distinctive characters and scrupulous historical detail drop us into a rich, Dickensian world full of desperation and lies, and shows us just how far a mother will go to hold onto her child." --Serena Burdick, International bestselling author of The Girls with No Names

"The new Hilary Mantel!"--Cosmopolitan

Review Quotes

"Halls tackles motherhood in all its forms with grace and insight."--Booklist

"Halls's mysterious tale is full of intrigue. The characters are quirky, and their personalities will keep readers invested. The Georgian setting also plays a huge role, as does the formidable hospital. This is a page-turner with a satisfying and harmonious ending." -Library Journal

"A gripping tale of motherhood, loss, and redemption. Hall's distinctive characters and scrupulous historical detail drop us into a rich, Dickensian world full of desperation and lies, and shows us just how far a mother will go to hold onto her child."
-Serena Burdick, International bestselling author of The Girl With No Names

"Fantastic storytelling."--Good Housekeeping

"I was completely swept up in this novel. Crammed with engaging characters, it possesses a beautiful sense of place, revealing hidden aspects of Georgian life. The central mystery of a missing child gradually plays out as a tenderly observed study of grief and loss, while offering the possibility that love will indeed find a way." --Amanda Mason, author of The Wayward Girls

"A masterpiece of storytelling - a perfect, captivating mystery that expands to ask big questions about love and motherhood, all the while maintaining the breathless pace of a thriller, and the stunningly vivid and well-researched detail of the very best historical fiction. I can't recommend it highly enough." -- Katie Lowe, author of The Furies

"Pacey, highly atmospheric... With rich storytelling and a compelling narrative, The Lost Orphan is subtle, satisfying and intensely moving; a fabulous example of great historical fiction." -- Laura Carlin, author of The Wicked Cometh

"Stacey Hall's beautiful writing draws a compelling tale of love and hope from the vivid streets of Georgian London." --Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry & Wild Rose

"If you loved The Familiars, then you won't be disappointed by The Lost Orphan. A gripping and moving read." --Libby Page, bestselling author of The Lido

"Another gripping, immersive, intelligent work of historical fiction from the bestselling author of The Familiars."--Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

PRAISE FOR STACEY HALL'S THE FAMILIARS

"The new Hilary Mantel!" --Cosmopolitan

"An intricate and sensitive portrayal of a brave, tenacious young girl carving her place in the world. A must-read novel."--Heather Morris, NYT #1 bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

"Assured and alluring, this beautiful tale of women, witchcraft and the fight against power is a delight."--Jessie Burton, NYT bestselling author of The Miniaturist

"A rich and atmospheric reimagining of an historical period rife with superstitions, misogyny and fear....Now with so many high profile men claiming to be victims of a witch hunt, it's good to understand what a real one feels like."--New York Times Book Review

"Set against the furor leading up to the Pendle Witch Trials, Halls's winning novel is a quietly powerful and richly evocative tale."-- Publishers Weekly

"The lives of two young women intersect in a novel that imagines the story behind a famous 17th century witch trial ...when acting in socially inappropriate ways could get one condemned to hanging."--Kirkus Reviews

"Rich with intrigue and filled with details of the constraints faced by seventeenth-century women, both well born and common, The Familiars offers a look into the real-life world of the notorious Pendle witch trials that ended with eleven executions." --Booklist

"A mesmerizing historical novel that deftly plumbs a darkly textured tapestry of so-called justice to reveal the real crimes being carried out against society." -Seattle Review of Books

"Enthralling, spellbinding, terrifying, full of twists and turns, written with heart and soul." --Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War