The Novel in the Viola

I had my doubts about this one, a couple times. My daughter read and enjoyed it, and recommended it to my mother, who also liked it. But I was a little spooked by the enthusiastic blurbing of two authors whose own work I have tried and Pearl-ruled in the past. Still, I liked the premise, and there were those recommendations from readers I trust, so I plunged in. I enjoyed it quite a lot at first, then had a few chapters of uncertainty when credibility was strained a bit, and then found myself utterly unable to turn out the light and put it down night after night. The setting is irresistible: an English manor house on the cusp of the dissolution of everything that makes the "upstairs/downstairs" world tick. With the western world show more shivering in dread of war, 19-year-old Elise Landau is obliged to leave her comfortable Viennese bourgeois life to take a position in service in an English aristocratic household, because no Jew is safe in Austria anymore. She obtains a domestic service visa; her married sister travels to the U.S., where her husband has been offered a position at Berkeley. Elise's parents, an opera singer and a novelist, wait for the bureaucracy to issue them visas so they, too, can escape the Nazi regime before they simply disappear as so many already have. Elise manages to take with her a few bits of her mother's jewelry, and a viola stuffed with her father's latest manuscript, which no one in Austria will publish. At Tyneford, Elise finds it very difficult to take on the attitude expected of a servant; she isn't especially good at the work required of her; and her anxiety for her family is constant. Eventually, she makes two friends, a spunky red-haired girl from the village, and Kit, the son and heir of Tyneford. There are predictable developments, and surprising ones as well. A lot of research obviously went into this book, but the author knew how to turn that research into narrative detail that never hit the reader like a history lesson. A good old-fashioned Story with few pretensions. I'd have given it another fraction for 3 3/4 stars, if that option were available. show less

The top of this edition's front cover shares a quote by author Kristin Hannah, "Fans of Downton Abbey and Kate Morton's 'The Forgotten Garden' will absolutely adore The House of Tyneford." As a reader, I rarely appreciate this type of quote on the front cover of a novel I am about to read. But in this case, it may bring more discovery to this precious novel so I will celebrate its presence.

This novel is a rare gem. It reminds me why I should use the rating of 5 stars even more carefully so that I have a tiny but meaningful way to differentiate the extraordinary gem found within these pages. Natasha Solomons brings to life this time in European history that is never to be forgotten or at least never to be forgotten by this reader and show more daughter of a WWII veteran.

It is all that could be wished for within the pages of a novel. It is a reading that tugs at the heartstrings with romance, suspense, and drama. This novel is a treasure chest of exquisite writing. It gives stunning clarity by description, helping us understand that the ordinary days of life may become our most cherished memories. It also expresses and brings to light that within times of sorrow and even in times of war, one can still laugh and find joy in the simplest pleasures when shared with another. It reminds us that our grief does not end or become less meaningful when we rise above it to help another through their sorrow and grief, but ours becomes a little less overwhelming and gives a reminder that the living need to find their way to live again. As each loss is felt throughout our lifetime, life will never be the same again, but life can be lived again. show less

Elise Landau has a happy childhood growing up in Vienna with her mother Anna, father Julian, and sister Margot. However, in the turbulent Europe of 1938, it is unsafe to be a Jew in Vienna. Therefore Elise decides to place an advertisement to become a maid in an English household. Her parents and sister plan to move to America, and Elise will join them within the year. Elise arrives at Tyneford willing to do her best to become a maid, but she finds it difficult to keep from speaking her mind to the master of the house, Mr. Rivers, and his son Kit. Her unusual status in the household leads to many upheavals in the local society, but the greatest upheaval of all is the arrival of World War II.

This novel has a lot going for it, in my show more opinion: the WWII setting, Elise’s strange upstairs-downstairs life at Tyneford, the glimpse of prewar British high society, and the promise of romance are all things I tend to enjoy in books. However, something about this novel felt a bit flat to me. I think I had trouble relating to Elise. She’s spunky enough, but I felt like she didn’t have very much substance to her. I wasn’t sure why I should care about her except that she was the heroine (and narrator). The book also deals with many tragedies (unsurprisingly), but I didn’t feel very much emotional impact. I did like the book overall, but I never quite fell in love with it. I’d still recommend it for fans of the time period, though – it does have a slight “Downton Abbey”-esque flavor to it! show less

THIS WAS AN AUDIOBOOK. Elise Landau is a Viennese Jewess and lives contentedly in Austria with her beloved parents, Julian and Anna; housemaid Hildergard and her sister, Margo. Elise is the least gifted of the clan; her mom a renowned opera singer, sister an accomplished viola player, and her father Julian, a novelist. Nevertheless, Elise is loved and nurtured just the same. However, as WW2 is on the horizon, her family must make preparations to emigrate from their home in Vienna to escape the harsh realities of war which are already bringing persecutions to their people. With no other recourse, Elise's parents will leave for the United States, and so will her sister Margo with her husband, Robert. Without an American visa and show more insufficient time to attain one, Elise will be sent to England to work as a parlor maid in a manor house belonging to a Mr. Rivers until her parents can retrieve her. Elise's relaxed and happy life in Vienna quickly changes when she arrives at the work agency in England, where she is acknowledged as nothing more than a refugee and domestic servant. What awaits her as she settles into life at Tyneford House? Will Elise be relegated to the life of a servant girl forever, or will she find love and a new sense of home in this foreign land?

The House at Tyneford is a beautifully written historical novel with richly detailed characters that bring the story to life. I felt instantly transported back in time to England and into the lives of Elise and her benefactor, Mr. Christopher Rivers (affectionately called "Daniel" by Elise). The more than one dimensional secondary characters, which included staff that resided in and around Tyneford House, friends, family members and associates, added depth to the story and increased my enjoyment of the book. Part of the ending was predictable for me, but the remainder was imbued with sentimental elements that I never expected and found deeply moving. Overall, The House at Tyneford was a gratifying listening experience and I recommend it highly. show less

There is a sense of inevitability and tragedy about this book that is really hard to shake -- you know, pretty early on what will occur, and yet it is a engrossing narrative. I wanted nothing more than to listen to Elise's story, to hope that things will be different than I suspected. One thing this particular book brought home to me is how long the Second World War was -- years and years, and the worst always yet to come for most of those. Anyway, I enjoyed it hugely, not least because of the wonderful storytelling and voices of the narrator for the audio book. Very well done.

The story of Elise Landau, a young Jewish woman who escapes Nazi-occupied Austria by securing a job as a parlor maid at the manor house in the English village of Tyneford. This was a near-perfect read. I loved Elise as both a character and a narrator. The descriptions of life in both Vienna and at the manor house strike a lovely balance between realistic and elegiac. There's a romance, and it holds precisely as much sway over the narrative as it should. The setting (both place and time) is beautifully rendered. A touch predictable in spots, but in a way which suggests one has really gotten to know the characters rather than that the plot lacks something in originality. A good, satisfying story, very well told. Recommended.

I think I've got to the stage where I'd read anything Natasha Solomons wrote, irrespective of the subject. This is a historical romance which ordinarily I wouldn't gravitate towards, but as usual she is able to inject a bit of magic into something I might otherwise expect to be boring. What I particularly liked about this was the fact that it's set in a location within a stone's throw of where I live, and though I've never visited the actual village I really must put that right.

What I found particularly striking about this book was the way it went in directions I didn't expect. About halfway through I was so sure I knew how the relationship between Elise and Kit would play out, and what would happen right at the end, that I would have show more put my mortgage on it. Had I done so I would be living on the street right now, because this is one book not afraid of swerving around literary cliches and it has a grown-up attitude to what constitutes a happy ending. show less