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OUR HOUSE. OUR FAMILY. OUR SECRETS.
Meet the picture-perfect Bird family: pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and towheaded twins Rory and Rhys, one an adventurous troublemaker, the other his slighter, more sensitive counterpart. Their father is a sweet, gangly man, but it’s their beautiful, free-spirited mother Lorelei … man, but it’s their beautiful, free-spirited mother Lorelei who spins at the center. In those early years, Lorelei tries to freeze time by filling their simple brick house with precious mementos. Easter egg foils are her favorite. Craft supplies, too. She hangs all of the children’s art, to her husband’s chagrin.
Then one Easter weekend, a tragedy so devastating occurs that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the children have become adults, while Lorelei has become the county’s worst hoarder. She has alienated her husband and children and has been living as a recluse. But then something happens that beckons the Bird family back to the house they grew up in—to finally understand the events of that long-ago Easter weekend and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.
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I am still longing for more of the precious characters in The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. It is a novel that will stick with you for days after you turn the last page. Lorelie Byrd and her family are victims of several dark secrets yet wrapped in a cottony blanket of denial. Meg, the oldest daughter, begins to question the facade of perfection early on in her childhood while it takes the rest of the family decades to catch up. Jewell offer a crystal clear window into the heart and soul of each of these characters, making you fall in love with them, regardless of their actions. An engaging, heartbreaking and interestingly~ inspirational read for anyone who finds that family relationships can change and evolve drastically over time.
The House We Grew Up In is a beautiful, haunting, thoughtful book. We meet the Bird family on Easter in 1981. When tragedy strikes, we discover what breaks a family apart and what brings them back together. Every family member has a compelling story to tell. Compulsively readable. Highly recommended.
The Bird family live in their charming cottage in the Cotswalds and seems to have the idyllic life . Colin and Lorelei Bird have four lovely children- Meg, Beth, and the twins Rory and Rhys. Their childhood is filled with fun and friends until an Easter Day tragedy occurs. From that point forward the family dynamics become more complicated as Lorelei fills their house with more and more things! With the family scattered, Lorelei becomes more and more enmeshed with the house and her things. A moving and engaging read!
This book centers around mental illness and the family dynamic that comes with a mother suffering with Hoarding. The story takes place over most of the life of the family and revolves around Easter. I didn’t find this book a mystery, but it was so much more. The character development is worth the read.
Having heard great things about this book, I was stoked to check it out.
However, it’s extremely dull. I kept waiting for something to happen but … nothing ever did.
Not poorly written, just not my cup of tea. I was bored.
3 stars.
A story of one family, the tragedies they’ve faced and the twisted choices they’ve made. Brilliant and incredibly haunting.
This is the story of a disfunctional family and the sadness of it all. The mother is ill in so many ways. The whole family is really messed up and one follows their messy lives from childhood into strange marital and nonmarital lives. It was like the soap opera that included everything.
I still read every word. Strangely captivating.
This one surprised me. Very well-written, fascinating characters and complex interactions. Lots of subtlety in a story that might have gone terribly awry. It would have been easy to portray a hoarder’s family in terms of caricature, but Jewell makes them real, relatable, tragic, but ultimately redeemable. It’s a book that stays with you. Highly recommend.
I just finished this audiobook. Just like others I almost didn’t finished this book. Just like others in their reviewers the mention of hoadering. But I am glad that I continued listening to this book. They way Lisa talks about the hoadering I don’t think that I have read/listen to a book about hoadering. I also like the different family elements in this story. How real these characters felt while listening. I do highly recommend this story. How some of these characters held secrets to keep others safe. Until the end and how they all read. their grandmother emails.
I am becoming quite fond of this author. This is a story of what started out as a very happy family growing up in a lovely home in the Cotswolds. As time goes on and tragedy strikes a slow disintegration begins with each member going on separately. Lorelei remains in the home but instead of being filled with family she fills it with things, things and more things. She’s always been a bit of a free spirit but this new incarnation has gone too far — some of the family just washes their hands, some are angry … but none of them know how to change what is going on or help her.
I’m already a Lisa Jewell fan – and some of her thrillers are my favourites. The House We Grew Up In isn’t a thriller. It’s a tale of a family that’s torn apart due to tragic events, and how it comes back together again. I didn’t love this book, as I’ve loved some of Lisa Jewell’s, but I did really enjoy it. I felt for each of the family members in each way, and especially for the mother, Lorelie, who is a hoarder. One thing about this book that I noticed was that although I wasn’t desperate to see what happens, in the same way I am with a thriller, I did find myself thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading it, and even later, after I’d finished the book. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys family dramas.
I’m already a Lisa Jewell fan – and some of her thrillers are my favourites. The House We Grew Up In isn’t a thriller. It’s a tale of a family that’s torn apart due to tragic events, and how it comes back together again. I didn’t love this book, as I’ve loved some of Lisa Jewell’s, but I did really enjoy it. I felt for each of the family members in each way, and especially for the mother, Lorelie, who is a hoarder. One thing about this book that I noticed was that although I wasn’t desperate to see what happens, in the same way I am with a thriller, I did find myself thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading it, and even later, after I’d finished the book. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys family dramas.
This book has a new twist on nearly every page. It’s keep you guessing what will happen next and keeps you turning pages.
Very good
One of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. Multi-layered and rich in context. Lots to engage in emotionally here.
Wow! Read this book. Lisa Jewell is now on my “must-read and collect this authors novels” list. This is one story that I am not certain I can truly give a proper review without spoiling the book for anyone, so bear with me, please.
I read it without insight, and I feel everyone should do the same. If I had known certain aspects of the book before opening it, I would have missed out on some very exhilarating moments. A funny thing happens when you read a book you are enjoying….You Read Faster! This was a fast read…I was cruising along at very high speeds as I flipped pages.
There is a line in this novel that stuck with me long past reading it, as it really explains this family’s stor in a nutshell (no pun intended..the Birds are nuts): “We’re like a badly planned dinner party”. Very powerful statement, with no glossing over.
Lisa Jewell writes about the Bird Family. I loved that this stone house that they grew up in, had a plaque saying “the Bird House”..too cute. Perfect last name for this nest! A nest that has falls out of its tree, often.
Lorelei is the matriarch of the Bird family, with her husband Colin by her side. Together they have four children, Megan, Bethan, Rory and Rhys. The brothers are twins. This novel spans a lifetime, and references back and forth so much; I admit that I got a bit confused by dates. Not sure of the natural flow of events, but in taking notes; I was able to figure it out. Midway through the book, it felt as if it flowed easier.
But, with that being said ~ This book is a masterpiece!! It has one of the best covers, if you were to “judge a book by its cover”, this is it! Perfectly Cracked egg! Perfectly Cracked up family!
Lorelei is a hoarder, to say the least. She has deep seeded issues that do come to light by the end of the story. I did not realize how truly maddening hoarding could get. I can honestly say that reading the book was more powerful than watching the show “Hoarders” or “Buried Alive”. That is because Lisa Jewell depicts Lorelei’s compulsion so delicately. I was actually cringing whenever she entered a store, knowing she was going to come home with more stuff to pile on to her other piles. Lorelei states that she has a” home full of treasures, yet her children call it crap”. She states that they are both right! Lisa Jewell has a lot of very pivotal statements; like this, bringing this book to life in such a genuine way.
This story is about one of the most dysfunctional families I have ever read about. I was often reading the book only to have my jaw drop every time I flipped a page. If you think your family has problems, look to the Bird Family to realize, you don’t have it as bad as you initially believe.
Too many dysfunctions were crammed into this book.
A wonderful story about the Bird family, the relationship between parents and their kids as well as the relationships between the siblings. Each character was well developed and interesting. This is a story about a family and what happens after a tragedy. The result of that event on each of their lives was incredibly interesting and a page turner. Bittersweet but excellent book from start to finish.