The House at Tyneford: A Novel (original 2010; edition 2011)

Fans of PBS's Downton Abbey will enjoy this period novel. Starting before WWII, it is the story of a young, Jewish woman from Vienna from a well-to-do family. She is offered a position as a servant in an English household for one year. In exchange for her service, she is promised passage and the papers to get to the United States to reunite with her family. With the conditions for Jews in Austria deteriorating, she accepts the position. Her English adventure is full of surprises and a twist. Some happenings are rather predictable, but I enjoyed Solomons' novel all the same.

I listened to this. A very enjoyable historical novel, set in WWII Britain. ( )

I thought this was an extremely well written novel. The author uses such wonderful and descriptive prose that you are easily transported to another world through her words.

Many reviewers bemoaned the comparison of this novel to Downton Abbey or Upstairs/Downstairs but since I have yet to see either one, I write my review based on the story itself.

The story of Elise is poignant. Ms. Solomon deftly conveys the emotional roller coaster of Elise's life as she leaves Austria to be safe. One can only imagine the fear and trepidation Elise experiences in a foreign world with a limited vocabulary.

Characters are developed nicely and are well liked. The prose is enhanced by Ms. Solomon's use of music, particular opera, as a recurrent theme.

An enjoyable novel. ( )

I was mesmerized by the setting and romance in this historical novel. The descriptions of the house and land make you feel as if your are there amongst the romance and tensions of World War II. While there is an undercurrent of sadness that runs through it, the overall message of hope and new beginnings made this book hard to put down. ( )

A book that is billed for fans of Downton Abbey and The Forgotten Garden, and that is supposed to be like Rebecca should definitely appeal to me. I was very excited to read it. But I really didn't like it. I never warmed to the characters, the story wasn't gripping, and the descriptions were boring. I finished it because I kept hoping it would redeem itself, but it never did. I'm very glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it. Now I need to pull out my own copies of Rebecca and The Forgotten Garden and re-read those. ( )