Set in dangerous, unfamiliar times at the beginning of the 20th century, which strangely echo our own, the story reveals how terrorism lies hidden within ordinary life, as the rulers of Finland struggle to hold on to power as the Russian Empire exerts its muscle. House of Orphans is the story of a girl, Eeva who has a hint of mysteriousness about her. She’s the daughter of a failed revolutionary, who is sent to a country orphanage before being sent off to work as a servant where she finds love, but is unable to accept it for she feels committed to a boy from a childhood long ago, to whom she must now return. Dunmore has woven an immensely rich, brilliant story of love, history and change.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
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Finland, 1902, and the Russian Empire enforces a brutal policy to destroy Finland’s freedom and force its people into submission.
Eeva, orphaned daughter of a failed revolutionary, also battles to find her independence and identity. Destitute when her father dies, she is sent away to a country orphanage, and then employed as servant to a widowed doctor, Thomas Eklund. Slowly, Thomas falls in love with Eeva ... but she has committed herself long ago to a boy from her childhood, Lauri, who is now caught up in Helsinki’s turmoil of resistance to Russian rule.
Set in dangerous, unfamiliar times which strangely echo our own, the story reveals how terrorism lies hidden within ordinary life, as rulers struggle to hold on to power. House of Orphans is a rich, brilliant story of love, history and change.
House of Orphans features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
House of Orphans is available in Paperback (b Format)
House of Orphans was written by Helen Dunmore and published by Penguin Books Ltd
House of Orphans has 329 pages
£9.89
