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A Sunday Times bestseller!
Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate newborn at the Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the daughter she has never known. Dreading the worst, that she has died in care, she is astonished to discover someone pretending to be Bess has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’s poor lodgings, in a quiet Georgian townhouse, lives Alexandra, a reclusive young widow. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the orphanage—persuades her to hire a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds.
‘A gripping tale of motherhood, loss, and redemption. Hall’s distinctive characters and scrupulous historical detail drop us into a rich, Dickensian world full of desperation and lies, and shows us just how far a mother will go to hold onto her child.’ —Serena Burdick, International bestselling author of The Girls with No Names
‘The new Hilary Mantel!’—Cosmopolitan
Genre: Historical
Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate newborn at the Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the daughter she has never known. Dreading the worst, that she has died in care, she is astonished to discover someone pretending to be Bess has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’s poor lodgings, in a quiet Georgian townhouse, lives Alexandra, a reclusive young widow. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the orphanage—persuades her to hire a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds.
‘A gripping tale of motherhood, loss, and redemption. Hall’s distinctive characters and scrupulous historical detail drop us into a rich, Dickensian world full of desperation and lies, and shows us just how far a mother will go to hold onto her child.’ —Serena Burdick, International bestselling author of The Girls with No Names
‘The new Hilary Mantel!’—Cosmopolitan
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"A gripping tale of motherhood, loss, and redemption. Hall’s distinctive characters and scrupulous historical detail drop us into a rich, Dickensian world full of desperation and lies, and shows us just how far a mother will go to hold onto her child." - Serena Burdick
"Pacy, highly atmospheric and tantalisingly gripping from the very first page. The strands of tense and devastating maternal conflict are acutely observed and beautifully sustained throughout the book. Stacey really has created warm and memorable characters, drawn with great sympathy and understanding, who deliver a taut and riveting read. With rich storytelling and a compelling narrative, The Foundling is subtle, satisfying and intensely moving; a fabulous example of great historical fiction." - Laura Carlin
"The Foundling dragged me along in its narrative wake. Another gripping, immersive, intelligent work of historical fiction from the bestselling author of The Familiars." - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
"A masterpiece of storytelling - a perfect, captivating mystery that expands to ask big questions about love and motherhood, all while maintaining the breathless pace of a thriller, and the stunningly vivid and well-researched detail of the very best historical fiction. I can't recommend it highly enough." - Katie Lowe
"I was completely swept up in this novel. It's crammed with vivid and engaging characters, there's a beautiful sense of place, revealing hidden aspects of Georgian life. And the central mystery of a missing child gradually plays out as a tenderly observed study of grief and loss, while offering the possibility that love will indeed find a way." - Amanda Mason
"If you loved The Familiars, then you won't be disappointed by The Foundling. A gripping and moving read." - Libby Page
"It was a privilege to read The Foundling. I really couldn't stop turning the pages as Stacey's beautiful writing drew a compelling tale of love and hope from the vivid streets of Georgian London." - Sonia Velton
"Pacy, highly atmospheric and tantalisingly gripping from the very first page. The strands of tense and devastating maternal conflict are acutely observed and beautifully sustained throughout the book. Stacey really has created warm and memorable characters, drawn with great sympathy and understanding, who deliver a taut and riveting read. With rich storytelling and a compelling narrative, The Foundling is subtle, satisfying and intensely moving; a fabulous example of great historical fiction." - Laura Carlin
"The Foundling dragged me along in its narrative wake. Another gripping, immersive, intelligent work of historical fiction from the bestselling author of The Familiars." - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
"A masterpiece of storytelling - a perfect, captivating mystery that expands to ask big questions about love and motherhood, all while maintaining the breathless pace of a thriller, and the stunningly vivid and well-researched detail of the very best historical fiction. I can't recommend it highly enough." - Katie Lowe
"I was completely swept up in this novel. It's crammed with vivid and engaging characters, there's a beautiful sense of place, revealing hidden aspects of Georgian life. And the central mystery of a missing child gradually plays out as a tenderly observed study of grief and loss, while offering the possibility that love will indeed find a way." - Amanda Mason
"If you loved The Familiars, then you won't be disappointed by The Foundling. A gripping and moving read." - Libby Page
"It was a privilege to read The Foundling. I really couldn't stop turning the pages as Stacey's beautiful writing drew a compelling tale of love and hope from the vivid streets of Georgian London." - Sonia Velton
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