A review by life_full_ofbooks
The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is one of the most uniquely written WW2 books I’ve ever read. Taking place in the English countryside this is the story of Elise, a Jewish, privileged 19 year old Austrian from Vienna. In 1941, her family sends her to England to be part of the household staff at Tyneford, a mansion in the beautiful countryside belonging to Christopher Rivers. Between the culture shock, the language barrier, and being worried about her parents and sister, Elise is angry, frustrated, and sad- until she meets Mr. Rivers’ 20 year old son, Kit. Kit doesn’t care that Elise is the maid, nor does he care that she’s Jewish. The love between them is real and no one, not even a war, will come between them. 

Natasha Solomon’s descriptions are stunningly beautiful. She wrote in such a way that at one point the house even feels like a character. I have never been to the English Countryside but I truly felt like I was there through Ms. Solomon’s words. 

I read a lot of WW2 fiction and I greatly appreciated that the setting was on the outskirts of London. While the war was starting, Tyneford still carried on. It felt like Tyneford and the members of the house were side characters in the story of WW2, and it was refreshing to read about the war from a completely different vantage point than what one normally reads. 

I found this to be so much sadder than most WW2 books. With Elise being in England and being able to communicate via letters only, it was really hard watching her worry about her family- never knowing what was happening to her parents. While it’s sad, it’s so beautifully written that it makes for a wonderful book.