As she looks at the baby wriggling in her father’s arms, a bolt of recognition goes through her and she takes a step back. And it’s in that moment that she begins to protect her father’s secrets.1934, Weirfield-on-Thames. Connie Burroughs loves living in the orphanage that her father runs. Exploring its nooks and crannies with her sister, hearing the pounding of a hundred pairs of feet on the … pairs of feet on the wooden stairs, having a father who is doing so much good. But everything changes the day she sees him carrying a newborn baby that he says he found near the broken front gate. A baby she recognises…
Present day. Arriving at her father’s beloved cottage beside the river, Sarah Jennings is hoping for peace and quiet, to escape her difficult divorce. But when she finds her father unwell and hunched over boxes of files on the orphanage where he was abandoned as a child, she decides to investigate it herself.
The only person left alive who lived at Cedar Hall is Connie Burroughs, but Connie sits quietly in her nursing home for a reason. The sewing box under Connie’s bed hides secrets that will change Sarah’s life forever, uncovering a connection between them that has darker consequences than she could ever imagine.
A heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting tale inspired by the lives of the children who lived at the author’s great-grandfather’s orphanage. Fans of Before We Were Yours, The Orphan’s Tale and The Orphan Train will be hooked.
What readers are saying about The Orphan House:
‘Oh my goodness. What an amazing story of life, love, loss and finding yourself… Awe inspiring. I honestly am left reeling. This is my first book from this author, although it definitely will not be my last. Thank you for a journey that I will not soon forget.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An amazing and spellbinding read. Exceptionally well done. I hated when it ended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wonderful storytelling! I have just finished reading this book and I’m bereft! I was able, for a few days, to lose myself completely in the story… I highly recommend this book to anyone.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘What an amazing read!!! I didn’t expect this to be a rollercoaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… I recommend this book so much!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘This book gave me all the feelings at once… Keeps you hooked through the whole book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘If there were ever to be a perfect bookclub book, it would be The Orphan House… Beautifully portrayed characters, who were so vivid… Almost felt like watching it on the big screen, every place, person, and circumstance came to live and felt almost tangible… Will surely touch your soul.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘True to life and totally believable. The plot was intriguing, and the delivery was perfect.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I was hooked only a few pages in to the story… I cannot say enough about this book and I hope you will love it too.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Loved this book… captures so many emotions… Couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘This was a fantastic read… It lured me in and I ended up hooked. By about the halfway point, I was completely captivated by the story and the mystery kept me guessing as I tried to figure it out… Beautifully written.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh what a wonderful book! This beautifully written story tugs at the heart strings… I lived this book, it hooked me from the first line and kept me engrossed until the last… A book to treasure and reread. A masterpiece.’ Renita D’Silva, 5 stars
This book was previously published as The Foundling’s Daughter.more
This was a good read. Started slow, but picked up fairly quickly. Many unexpected twists-enough to keep the reader looking for answers.
entertaining
The Orphan House by Ann Bennett is a heart-rending tale of one woman’s search for reality in her life. Sarah has just left her husband, Alex, and is driving toward her father’s home and her escape. She had just been awoken by police, her home searched, and her computer and business records taken, all because of Alex. That hadn’t been the worst part, though. The worst part had been the evidence in his financial records of monies paid to a young woman, a past employee, indicating to her that there had been an affair. Alex had cheated on her. Her heart was officially broken. Passing through town, she saw a “For Sale” sign on an old mansion which used to be next door from the orphanage where he father had been as a baby. He always pointed it out on the way by. She was drawn to the house. It was the beginning of many important things in her life.
This was a lovely book. Right up my alley… all about searching for your roots. It was a pretty good mystery, mostly told by Sarah, herself, and Connie, the old lady she purchased the house from. There was also an old diary thrown in for good measure. Sarah was a terrific character. Just the right amounts of empathy, curiosity, and independence. Although there was little to aid in the search without dumb luck, Sarah’s dad hung in, and Sarah helped. She met interesting folks along the way and became part of a community and find love. It was perfect. I recommend it. You will enjoy it.
I received a free ARC of the Orphan House from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #theorphanhouse
A Mother Found
This book was fascinating in its vivid description of the village in India, the many sites such as the bazaar, the Baptist church, and the Castle. It was also quite descriptive of the English village where sat Cedar Hall and where the orphanage once stood. It is a story of a mother’s heartbreak, a child lost and finally the love between a daughter and her father. There was a lot going on and it kept the pages turning.
I loved the characters, Connie, Sarah, and Anna. The story is rather sad, the ending happy and with a twist toward the end involving Connie. Sara’s father’s search for his birth mom, and Connie’s secret she was finally able to let go of. The story of Anna was very sad.
The story was well written, the book kept my interest to the end, and I would definitely recommend it.
Thanks to Ann Bennett, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.
This is a really good story with a good plot and one I didn’t want to end. The characters all came to life so vividly, and the authors descriptions of things and places from the past were beautifully realized.
The Orphan house follows the story of Connie, now in a senior living facility and Sarah, a young woman who moves to town to see her father, but also to get away from her life back in London, and from her husband.
Connie grew up in this small town, her father was a minister and ran an orphanage in town. She was alone now as her sister the only other living relative had died the year before
Sarah’s father was an orphan that had been adopted from that orphanage, and he was trying to find out about his birth mother. When his daughter arrives, in town, she tries to help him in his search.
While driving around town, she sees a wonderful old house, which actually was where Connie grew up and the minister lived.
Sarah is able to buy the house, thanks to an intervention that happened thanks to Connie, so the two meet and start forming a friendship.
This house is full of mystery, secrets, and a surprising past. This story has a lot of great things working for it and never leaves you bored
I enjoy this Authors storytelling very much and look forward to reading more of her books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.
I absolutely loved this book and I had a hard time putting it down. Sarah and her husband Alex split up and Sarah returns to her father’s home to begin divorce proceedings. Her father is having health problems and would like to know who his real mother is, so he moved near the orphanage that he was in before he was adopted. The orphanage has been torn down and homes built but the house that belonged to it is on the market now – a big 3-story home in need of a lot of TLC. Sarah falls in love with it and buys it. While beginning renovations, she starts to uncover secrets of the orphanage, secrets of who her father’s mother was and secrets of the Reverend Burroughs, Headmaster, as well as his two daughters, Constance and Evie, who lived in the house until just recently. This book is told from different POVs and time periods but everything is neatly wrapped up in the end. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very fascinating book in exchange for an honest review, I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could.
What an amazing read!!! I didn’t expect this to be a roller coaster of Emotions, Suspense, and Mystery but it was everything!!
I really enjoy The Orphan House, it was a very emotional book, with a lot of secrets and back agendas that slowly we will get to discover as the story moves forward. whatever you think will happen it won’t. This story will keep surprising you and taking you to new scenarios that will make the story and the secrets more complicated, some rodes will close but the light will show at the end, bringing peace and happiness to Sarah and all the Characters that were involved seeking the truth.
Sarah is helping her father to find out a secret that has been bugging him for a long time, she didn’t know she was going to embark in a journey that will open not just the secrets of Her father’s roots but also will bring out secrets that are very hard to hear.
Connie was very misunderstood, she was very fragile and live with a lot of fear, her past kept holding her back to move forward and finally release all that fear, She was only trying to protect her family but with time we will understand her better.
Two different lives, Two different stories connected by a terrible past that have been hidden for a long time.
The Orphan House It’s about faith, about seeking the truth. It’s about family and getting to know your story, about secrets that are eager to be spoken and come out of their hidden place.. It’s about
keep going until you finally get the peace you’ve been seeking and needing in your mind.
Overall it was a great read, The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.. I’m looking forward to reading more book By Ann Bennet this was my first book by her and I love her writing so much.
I Recommend this book so much!!!