bookrebl23's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
luweebayy's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shelleys_book_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have had this on my TBR for almost four years and am kicking myself for taking so long to read it. I loved this book so much. It grabbed me right away and didn't let me go until the last page was turned and even then I was still thinking about it. I don't know what it is about historical fiction that focuses on mothers and babies that gets to me.
This was such a sad story on all accounts. Bess has to give her baby up to the Foundling Home because she can't afford to support her. She plans on getting her back when her situation changes. When that time comes, six years later, she's surprised to find someone has already claimed her, using Bess' name and it happened the day after Bess left her there. Talk about heartbreak.
This story shows how the different classes viewed each other and how the poorer of those were judged so harshly. I especially loved the inner thoughts of our two female leads and how they judged each other. I found that they really only thought of themselves and not what was best for the child until they realized that it was only hurting their daughter.
This was such an ominous book, at first and talk about characters...eighteenth-century London played a big role in this book and was a character in and of itself. I could smell the rot, feel the mist and see the darkness; its dark gritty streets played their own role. I can't say enough about this one except it deserves All. The. Stars.
I received this as a gift from the UK as The Foundling, in North America it is titled The Lost Orphan. The UK cover is so much nicer and I love it, it follows the theme of all of Halls's books.
frustratedlibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
rhi89's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this book it deffiantly shows what a mother I this case mothers would go to to protect there child. I love the cover and I will read more of stacey Halls
shelfexplorer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
8/10
⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Foundling is a perfect autumnal read, brimming with intrigue, high stakes and atmospheric writing. It is by far my favourite book by Stacey Halls so far, all of which I have enjoyed.
The story was fascinating and I was hooked from the very beginning. Both of the protagonists were interesting to read, having their own interesting backstories and motives. I'm not sure if I was meant to like both Bess and Alexandra but I did anyway for different reasons.
As always, I can't wait to see what Stacey Halls comes out with next. I can always rely on her books for an entertaining, thoughtful read with an underlying chilling edge.
⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Foundling is a perfect autumnal read, brimming with intrigue, high stakes and atmospheric writing. It is by far my favourite book by Stacey Halls so far, all of which I have enjoyed.
The story was fascinating and I was hooked from the very beginning. Both of the protagonists were interesting to read, having their own interesting backstories and motives. I'm not sure if I was meant to like both Bess and Alexandra but I did anyway for different reasons.
As always, I can't wait to see what Stacey Halls comes out with next. I can always rely on her books for an entertaining, thoughtful read with an underlying chilling edge.
leelee77's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, it’s totally unlike anything I’ve read before but it’s opened me up to a new genre.
I was lucky to be given the opportunity to read this on Pigeonhole where a part of the book is released daily over the course of 10 days. Every day when I finished each section I couldn’t wait for the next day to find out what happened next.
I was lucky to be given the opportunity to read this on Pigeonhole where a part of the book is released daily over the course of 10 days. Every day when I finished each section I couldn’t wait for the next day to find out what happened next.
pkc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Death, and Alcoholism
lreay89's review against another edition
4.0
The thing I liked most about this book was how it was resolved at the end! So many atmospheric and suspenseful books just have lacklustre endings however this one makes a pleasant change.
It’s also delightful to finally have a book where the majority of the characters are women and the males who are in the book are on the sidelines rather then overwhelming the main characters.
It’s a short read, only taking me a few days. Again this is a plus - sometimes books are too long with too much ‘filler’. This book gets to the point and keeps moving the plot forward until the resolution. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It’s also delightful to finally have a book where the majority of the characters are women and the males who are in the book are on the sidelines rather then overwhelming the main characters.
It’s a short read, only taking me a few days. Again this is a plus - sometimes books are too long with too much ‘filler’. This book gets to the point and keeps moving the plot forward until the resolution. I thoroughly enjoyed it!