The Foundling

An absolutely fantastic book! A story of hope and very interesting that there is some
fact behind the story.

I just love Stacey Halls books. Another beauty.

St Just Thursday Evening Reading Group 3rd February 2022.

The Foundling. Stacey Halls.

The majority of the reading group said they enjoyed this book. Several people commented that they found it very readable, with a nice writing style and a good pace. They liked the historical detail and felt that they learned something about life in London in the later eighteenth century, the Foundling Hospital and the way it worked, and the kindly Thomas Coram. Some readers found the characters interesting, particularly Alexandra, whose problems were unfolded gradually, with hints of agarophobia or Aspergers, and eventually revealed as PTSD from a childhood trauma.

Other readers found the characters slightly less convincing and one thought they were too stereotyped: “odd lady with manic sister”, “hero”, “mystery man”, “alcoholic brother”. One commented that, although she appreciated the way the author put female perspectives centre stage and presented the women’s point of view, the narrative seemed to be giving modern day sensibilities to eighteenth century women, which seemed wrong. There were also several comments questioning whether a woman in Alexandra’s position would have sat down to meals with the nanny, and why she appeared to have control of her own finances rather than having been appointed a guardian after the deaths of her father and husband.

But the main criticism of this book concerned the ending – everyone commented that the “happy ending” in which Alexandra voluntarily gives up the child and marries the doctor who understands her problems, and Bess marries Lyle and takes her daughter to a nice new home, was contrived, unlikely and “too neat”. Why would Alexandra, after years of suffering with PTSD, suddenly “snap out of it”? Would dividing the child’s time between two such different worlds, the privileged and the deprived, have been acceptable? And was the dilemma of a child with two mothers, her birth mother and the woman who brought her up, sufficiently explored?

Despite this, comments on the book as a whole were positive, though the cover description of the author as “the new Hilary Mantel” was widely unaccepted by this group.

This book was read during January 2022 and the continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 virus, and so the discussion was not 'live' as usual, but took place via a Facebook group, email and telephone conversations.

A historical novel based around the Foundling hospital in London. Bess, an impoverished young woman gives up her daughter to the foundling hospital. Whe she returns 6 years later to retrieve her, her daughter has been claimed by someone else.
An atmospheric read.

After reading Stacey Hall's first novel, The Familiars, I had to read this. I read the book in just two days as I absolutely couldn't put it down. I think this was due to genuinely caring about the characters and also the mesmerising writing style.
Hard recommend!