Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I chose this one because of the cover, honestly. Something about these little girls drew me in and I requested it without even reading about it at all. The Orphan house follows the story of Connie, now in a home for seniors, Sarah, a young woman who comes to live with her father as she tries to sort out her life, and in a round about way, Anna, a woman who we meet through a diary in Connie's possession. Sarah's father is getting up in age and is having health problems so he moved near the orphanage that he grew up in because he wants to find out who is birth mother was before he dies. Sarah ends up buying the house next to the orphanage, which actually once belonged to Connie's family. It is essentially a story about a Baptist Reverend who runs the orphanage and the people that are affected by how he ran it. Connie is his daughter, Sarah is the daughter of a boy who lived in the orphanage and Anna is a girl who came to the orphanage with a problem. I loved the diary of Anna and seeing India through her eyes and I loved how it all came together in the end. The characters were very easy to get to know and the way the author described the surroundings made me want to visit both places myself. All in all, a very good book.

This is my first time reading anything by Ann Bennett, I thought the synopsis sounded like a great read. With so many great reviews I hunkered down to read about an old house, secrets and this baby Connie recognized so clearly.

The Orphan House is a multi-POV story that centers around an old house with secrets to share. Told from the perspective of 3 women it was the past storylines that I was really drawn to. Connie goes back and forth in time as she sits in a nursing home, her story was interesting enough and piqued my curiosity.

Sarah is running from a marriage that seemed fine one day and the next in shambles, I would have loved to be privy to more details along the way about what happened. I struggled to come to grips with this storyline at times, it felt a little disjointed at times.

The concept for the book was great but I wasn't as captivated as I usually am with dual time period mysteries, it didn't have the same emotional impact.

My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

1934 Birth Certificate reads: Baby Boy. Father:unknown, Mother:unknown, Place of Birth: unknown.
But all unknowns have something you can count on...Someone knows something.

Ann Bennett recreates the darker side of Orphanages in the 1900's with this obsessively compelling Historical Fiction story.

Told with three distinct voices in dual timelines, we are drawn into England and British ruled India of the 1930's.

Sumptuous descriptions of India and the cruel men who rule supreme, we meet "Anne", insecure and naive, she hungers for a love that should be hers.

Present time we meet "Sarah", moved back home to her dad's while she contemplates her pathetic marriage.

Present time we also meet "Connie", hiding away in a nursing home with her sewing box of secrets.

These three women come together in ways that are at once tragic and sadly regrettable. The Orphan House is a haunted read of past regrets and silences that need a voice.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Ms. Ann Bennett for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The Orphan House". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

Very slow in the beginning but I definitely enjoyed the thrill of the mystery. It’s the only thing that really kept me going

An interesting tale with certain dark twists. There are points in it where the reader can see what is coming and parts where you have to suspend belief (eg divorce revelation, residents in the care home and family connections) and just accept them as part of the story rather than try to rationalise them. That said this was an intriguing book, which held my interest and I enjoyed getting to know new characters and a new author.

EXCERPT: She's drifting off again, her mind wandering as it always does, back to that time she tried for years to bury. Tonight, against her will, it takes her to a place she has trained herself never to visit. But there is no stopping it now. The memories rush to the surface like bubbles in a bottle of champagne when the cork is popped.

It is spring. The hedgerows are coming into bloom, dusted with powdery white hawthorn flowers. Drifts of yellow primroses sprinkle the bank. She's not alone. Her arm is tucked inside his. She can feel the smooth cotton of his shirt against her skin. His body is strong and warm next to her, a comforting shield between her and the river. She knows she should feel guilty, she should feel bad about this, but she doesn't. She can imagine the shock and recriminations that would follow if Mother or Evie were to find out; their wide eyes, their wagging fingers.

She shakes her head, trying to banish the memory. She can feel the tears welling again, aware that they're tears of self pity and of mourning for what might have been.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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 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.

MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed The Orphan House by Ann Bennett, which is a mix of historical and contemporary fiction, moving between the 1930's and today, Colonial India and England.

It pays to remember, as you read, that the social mores of the 1930s were vastly different to those of today. The father in the household wielded absolute power - his word was law. Having a child out of wedlock was the kiss of death for any young girl hoping to make a 'decent' marriage - she was damaged goods - as was having a parent in jail. Thank goodness for India, a place where those not quite socially acceptable, and those who failed to live up to family expectations, could be shipped off to.

And that is where we find Anna, one of the three women who narrate this story. Connie, when we first meet her, is the elderly resident of a retirement home, and her story is told in flashbacks. Sarah is the contemporary woman who buys Connie's home and discovers the secrets contained within. How does Anna in India connect to Connie and Sarah? That is the mystery.....

While there is nothing startling in the revelations, this is a lovely read, and one that I enjoyed. The characters are well portrayed, as are the historical and emotional aspects.

😊😊😊.5

#TheOrphanHouse #NetGalley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ann Bennett was born in a small village in Northamptonshire, UK and now lives in Surrey. Her first book, A Daughter's Quest, originally published as Bamboo Heart, was inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway. The Planter's Wife (originally published as Bamboo Island) a Daughter's Promise and The Homecoming, (formerly Bamboo Road) are also about the war in South East Asia. The idea for The Orphan House came from researching her great-grandfather, Brice Bennett, who was headmaster of a county school for pauper children in Wargrave, Berkshire. The Orphan House and a further WW2 historical novel will be published by Bookouture in 2020. Ann is married with three grown up sons and works as a lawyer.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Orphan House by Ann Bennett for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm still on the fence about this book. I loved the characters, but wasn't sure about the story. I'll have to digest a little more and come back!

What a beautifully written book The Orphan House by Ann Bennett was. I Just fell in love with this new author and the way she writes, it just took my breath away. Once I started to read it I didn't want to put it down. However, I will advise you have a box of tissues handy as this book can get very emotional in parts.

I highly recommend this book.

Big thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

Wow,and wow. When I first started reading The Orphan House I wasn't sure it was for me but I soon changed my mind. I was hooked, couldn't put it down as the lives of Sarah, Connie and Anna unfold. Just wonderful. Highly recommend ☆☆☆☆☆

Love the cover! But that was about all I liked about this book. I thought all the characters were insufferable and there were so many unbelievable parts in the story. Sarah just ups and leaves her marriage and doesn't even have a discussion with her husband? It's not until after the divorce that he explains himself?? She closes the business without a second thought about the employees and customers? And who buys a house in the middle of a divorce? Wouldn't the husband get half of it?

The story was extremely slow. I thought the author was trying too hard on throwing in some surprises. The ending was anticlimatic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Ann Bennett for a copy of "The Orphan House" in exchange of an honest review.

I was very excited to rrad this book as I thought it was by one of my favourite authors, only to discover after I'd finished it that there are 2 Ann(e) Bennetts!! I just thought this was a change from her normal books. How wrong was I??!! However I absolutely loved this story and will definitely look out for more from this author (without an 'e'!

Really enjoyed this book very well written. It kept my interest until the very end found it hard to put down.
It gave a great insight times past and their implications on modern times. You are desperate to know how
this story will finish.

I read the synopsis for 'The Orphan House' and it certainly sounded like just my kind of read. I couldn't wait to start reading this book and so without further ado, I grabbed a cuppa, grabbed my Kindle and settled down to read. 'The Orphan House' is a fascinating read, which I did enjoy but more about that in a bit.
'The Orphan House' was slightly different to what I was expecting it to be and so it took me a little while to get into the story. This wasn't a book that I could read in one big reading binge but I did read it over the course of a few days. Once I got into the story, I found it difficult to put the book down for any length of time. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would still be sat there reading four chapters later. I was so absorbed in the personal stories of Connie and Sarah that I found it hard to leave them behind as it were. I am still thinking about them now having finished the book a few days ago. I seemed to fly through the latter half of the book as I became increasingly desperate to find out how the story concluded.
'The Orphan House' is well written. The author has an easy writing style that draws you into the story. The book is written using different timelines. One narrates the story from Connie's point of view and describes events as they happened back in the day and the other timeline features Sarah's mission to get to the truth. I did wonder if this way of telling the story might prove to be confusing but I needn't have worried because the two timelines interlinked really well and the story flowed seamlessly as a result. The subjects of orphans and foundlings make for some emotive reading and on more than one occasion I developed a lump in my throat as I became caught up in the emotion of the story. Ann uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I did feel as though I was part of the story myself.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading 'The Orphan House' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will be reading more of Ann's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

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

The Orphan House is the first book that I have read by Ann Bennett and I have to say it was a brilliant read with a really good plot packed full of suspense, intrigue, tension and emotion. The first few pages made me think oh this is just going to be another run of the mill saga book with nothing that really sets it apart from all the rest, one that you enjoy reading at the time but it doesn't leave much of a mark on you when finished. But delving further into a couple of chapters I soon came to realise that this book had real depth to it and that it was more so set in the present day and every so often it ventured to the past through Connie's memories and also diary entries from a character whose true importance only becomes apparent from around the midway point. Even more so I didn't expect to be taken to India within this story and that added an extra dimension to what was already shaping up to be a book that would become hard to leave out of your hands. I certainly wasn't expecting such a roller-coaster of a read that has you rapidly turning the pages because you so keen to uncover the mystery and secrets that permeate each of the pages.

Two women are the focus of the book Sarah Jennings and Connie Burroughs. Sarah's life has imploded as she flees from the marital home following revelations and surprising visits which she had never believed could be possible. She knows now her marriage to Alex is over as she cannot comprehend nor forgive what has come to light. As she travels to her father's home seeking refuge and to take stock of what has just happened, she stops for a break from the drive and in the village of Weirfield she spots a house which instigates some niggling memories. Cedar Hall is now on the market and then it comes to her what is now a housing estate next to it was once an orphanage. In fact the orphanage was where her father William was placed as a foundling. The full circumstances of which he never uncovered but now he wishes to do so given he himself has some news that will change everything for him.

By chance the estate agent arrives and shows Sarah around. Two sisters Connie and Evie Burroughs once lived there but now Evie has passed away and Connie is in a nursing home due to a fall. The house stirs something in Sarah but she can't quite put her finger on what it is. At this pivotal turning point in Sarah's life she starts to comprehend that for too long she has been smoothing over everything in her life on the surface, refusing to accept that anything is wrong and maybe now a new opportunity is being afforded to her. As she makes contact with Connie and beats the developers in their offer she becomes the new owner of Cedar Hall and sets about renovating it. I did think all of this was very sudden and out of the blue and that money seemed to be no issue. She did own a restaurant with her husband but still does money become that readily available so easily? Anyway, that is a minor issue and not relevant over all to the plot. More so it is an observation on my part.

As Sarah begins stripping back the house to decorate in a way which suits her she uncovers some things that pose many questions. There is a sinister feeling that she just can't shake, just what has happened here in the house in the past? Why were the things she found hidden away? Can she get through to Connie and make her reveal and explain as to what exactly went on and why? If Sarah can do this maybe sleeping dogs can be finally be allowed to lie? I enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and her father and the further I read the more I came to understand that her buying the hall was a way to help her father but also a way to aid her own recovery from what had to have been very traumatic experiences.

It was almost as if the house had been waiting for Sarah to take ownership of it and that it was breathing a sigh of relief as all the secrets and goings on within it were now going to come to light and that confidences and mysteries were finally about to reveal themselves. Sarah was the bridge between the past and the present and she had the tools and the methods in which to unlock the secrets if she followed the right path and joined the dots together. Having a bit of romance on Sarah's part also offered some light relief when I felt things were really reaching that point of no return once things were out in the open.

Connie is in her 90's and though she has suffered a setback with her fall, she has all her faculties about her and her mind is as sharp as a pin and maybe that is what torments her the most. That she remembers and is holding onto things close to her chest that really she should have admitted to many years ago. But the power someone still exerts over her dominates her every thought and action and I thought she was being meek and submissive instead of following the right path and listening to her conscience. But on the other hand I suppose one can't easily change a viewpoint or stance that has been held for practically a lifetime if they have lived in fear of retribution and punishment for so long. But now with Sarah stirring things up I hoped that Connie would find the guts to admit what she knew because it was evident from the very beginning that she was laying many cards close to her chest.

Past events have not been spoken about by Connie for many years if ever and her thoughts and dreams are terror filled. The past is a force that both controls and frightens her but you would think at this stage of her life what has she really got to loose by unburdening herself from a lifetime of constraints. She was consumed by guilt but yet a grip and control was still exerted over her that she didn't think she could shake off. The arrival of someone from her past to live in the nursing home combined with Sarah buying the hall is another motivation for her to share everything. But she is willing to take the risk and let everything be known or is she still too fearful of the repercussions?

The Orphan House drip feeds the reader clues and hints as to what is going on. You can never fully guess with certainty as to what is happening but from the descriptive language used and the sinister and tense images conjured up you just know that it can't be all good. Transporting the reader to India through the diary entries brought another dimension to the story and again the author showed that no matter what setting she was writing or what point in time she had the knack of transporting the reader and showing another side to the overall story. There are so many dots to join together and conundrums to decipher but it was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience as you journey with both Sarah and Connie to do so. The Orphan House is a compelling story where you are quickly transported to the heart of things and are not released until the very last moment. It's well worth a read.

this is such a wonderful story the character Sarah and her husband Alex split up and she moves in with her father. its an enchanting read that its going to pull at your heartstrings. its 1934 and in the orphan house Cedar Hall see's a lot of abandoned babies. its got a lot of twists that are heartbreaking. and i loved reading every bit of it.

While I did really enjoy the concept and story line of this novel, it was just a bit too drawn out for me. I enjoyed the different POV's and time periods the story is told in and found it very easy to follow. There constantly was suspense build-up that it almost seemed to be too much at times. Not that I don't enjoy a good chapter cliff hanger, but it was just build-up, build-up, build-up that it almost seemed too predictable of what was coming next. When Connie's big family secret was finally revealed, it was very obvious and felt anticlimactic. I almost wish Sarah's story line did not have a love story element, she was a strong enough character that she did not need it. Also really liked Anna's story line and wish there had almost been more of her's. Overall a quick but satisfying read that focuses on family, faith and finding the truth.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Orphan House takes place between 1934 and present day.

Connie Burroughs has lived at Cedar Hall all her life. Daughter of a well known Baptist minister and owner of an orphanage Connie enjoys her life and all that her father is doing to help others. When curious it’s gets the best of her and she decides to take a closer look at Fathers off limits room she discovers more than she was expecting.

Sarah Jennings is going through the beginnings of a divorce and decides to take off to her fathers house in the country to get away from it all. Upon arrival she finds her father is ill and trying to discover who his parents are and where he came from before being abandoned at an orphanage.
Sarah knows this discovery would mean I lot to her father and vows to help him figure out his past.

The story line was a bit predictable but it was still an enjoyable read.
Love the first design for the cover more so than the modern one,

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy.

Historical fiction is not one that I am drawn to but I am glad that I picked up this book.i enjoyed the different point of views as well as jumps in the time period.

I was provided this ARC from netgalley and publisher for an honest opinion

A good read but not as good as I was hoping for. I thought this book was too long and that there were too many coincidences. The storyline was obvious and there were no real surprises in it. It was interesting in places but I had to force myself to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.