The Foundling: The gripping Sunday Times bestselling historical novel, from the winner of the Women's Prize Futures award

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As the novel progressed, it lost steam. I enjoyed the story, but that strong connection I felt at the start faded (which is always disappointing). After Part 1, I felt as though as I was emotionally removed from the characters and simply reading an entertaining story. One of the main characters introduced in Part 2 distracted me from connecting with the storyline.

Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital—persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her—and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart. These feminine vessels we inhabited: why did nobody expect them to contain unfeminine feelings? Why could we, too, not be furious and scornful and entirely altered by grief? Why must we accept the cards we had been dealt?“

THE LOST ORPHAN has mystery, historical fiction, a main character with agoraphobic problems that stem from an incident in her childhood, secrets, and to what lengths a mother's love takes her. 5/5 Bess and Alexandra's lives become entwined when Bess is hired as nursemaid to Charlotte, this through the intervention of Dr. Mead, a director at the Foundling Home where Bess had left her baby years ago and, coincidentally, Alexandra's only friend. It's pretty obvious early on the true connection these two have but there are a few puzzling how's and why's that will be revealed. But, more to the point, this is a great story about social injustice, about motherhood, about love and connection. About what makes for a good mother. What is more important: love and affection in a life of dire poverty, or a life of luxury without that affection? We follow Bess and Alexandra as Bess serves in her household and is loved by Charlotte more than Charlotte loves Alexandra. MY THOUGHTS: Don't expect this to be a deep and gritty read, because it's not. It is a light read, but it is also touching.

A token and a number is given in exchange for a baby, many of whom were near death and did not make it through their first year. The healthy ones often made it into the homes of the rich against the mothers wishes who were branded 'insane', when they dared come to collect the child and reverse the swap. The Foundling” is written by Sunday Times bestselling author Stacey Halls and is her second novel, after the success of “The Familiars” last year. 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. This book features two strong female protagonists - one maternal and the other icy but wealthy. The interplay between these two woman is richly portrayed. Their character development is strong as is that of the child. The mise en scene was equally rich in its portrayal as it draws on all of the readers senses. I personally was moved by the story and thought it to be well told. Halls preference for a feel good and simplistic tying up of a story but given that the novel was intended as an exploration of the meaning of motherhood it feels like a missed opportunity. The plot is a familiar one that I feel has been done to death over the years, albeit in different eras with every story posing the exact same question of what it means to be a mother. Apart from the Georgian setting and the inspiration of the Foundling Hospital for abandoned babies there is little original about the book and aside from a few choice bits of slang the story fails to deliver on period atmosphere.

lucycrichton

Women's fiction fans and those who enjoy learning of the life styles of the wealthy and their privileges as well as the poor at that time should enjoy this book. This book was released in the U.K. in February of this year with the title THE FOUNDLING. I actually prefer that title to THE LOST ORPHAN, the one given this April 2020 U.S. release. I guess it was thought that we Yanks would not know what a foundling is, so the powers that be who name books were keeping it simple for us? Whatever the case and whatever its name, this sophomore effort by Stacey Halls (after her debut work THE FAMILIARS) is definitely worth the read. This story is beautifully written, the characters are so rich and real, and you can really feel the time it is set in. Halls recreates Georgian London with such vivid imagery that you will feel yourself transported to a London of long ago. She has obviously researched the period to create a story that feels real! The themes of motherhood, secrecy and class wrap together to create a gorgeous story that you will adore.