I read People Like Us a few years back and thought it was exceptional so my expectations for The Hidden Child were sky high, and happily I can confirm those expectations were not only met, but exceeded. The Hidden Child is heart wrenching, thought provoking and devastatingly powerful. I was gripped from beginning to end by story of a family caught in a heartbreaking situation.

I knew of the frankly despicable eugenics movement which grew in popularity in the early 20th century and was a cornerstone of the Nazi party’s ideology. I wasn’t aware, however, that it had such support by so called ‘scientists’ here in the UK. The Hidden Child shows exactly how detrimental and devastatingly harmful the views of people who truly believed that anyone who was seen as less than a prime human specimen should be removed from society. It is an indefensible position and consequently makes it very difficult to understand or empathise with Edward in particular, as he desperately tries to hide his daughter away to protect his reputation as a leader in the eugenics movement. What is so remarkable about Louise Fein’s writing is her ability to make everyone in her books feel so real, like living breathing people full of nuance and layers. Whilst she doesn’t shy away from showing the trauma caused by viewing people as ‘defective’, she manages to make the reader care so much about the fate of this family, despite Edward’s damaging opinions. My heart broke for Eleanor, whose entire viewpoint is challenged by her unbreakable bond with and love for Mabel. The Hidden Child is a beautifully crafted, intelligent and powerfully moving story about the horrors of pseudoscience, a mother’s love and the importance of doing what is right. A very easy five stars.

I absolutely love historical fiction books but unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. I found the plot weak and couldn’t engage with any of the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Head of Zeus and Louise Fein for free e-ARC of The Hidden Child in return of my honest review.

What a story by Louise Fein. The Hidden Child is literally a story about hidden child, about pompous narcissistic father who believed in the purity of race and erasing “unfitting” people until his daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy. Even then he could not believe that such “shame” fell upon him and hid her away in a place where she was brutally “cared for”, so she will not destroy his career. Edward Hamilton is a wealthy men, a doctor who has a reputation to protect, places his 4 year old daughter to a facility which will his her away. And his wife can do nothing about it. What a worlds we used to live in. This book shows what a path humanity went through and what we have achieved. Is it enough? No, it is not. At the same time, it is enormous achievement.

Plot wise the book is wonderful. Very controversial themes are brought up and discussed in no hushed tones. I loved how the author put the father into one extreme ad mother into another (she wanted to try everything, even some outrageous approaches in order to cure, or at least help her daughter to overcome epilepsy).

Louise Fein created amazing living characters in the pages of book and I was entranced by reading about them - I hated Edward with all my heart and was happy when he lost everything in the Crash. I pitied Eleanor for her helplessness and overwhelming desire to do anything, literally anything to help her daughter. I cried about Mabel and unfairness of life. She could have have so much if her father has a full heart of love and life instead of ignorance and cowardice.

Enjoyed The Hidden Child tremendously. Read it, you won’t regret it.

The Hidden Child is a thought-provoking story about family and morality, as Eleanor and Edward Hamilton face a moral dilemma between their professional life and the wellbeing of their family. Through their struggles to conceal the truth, we can witness the profound impact the societal pressures have on their relationships.

Louise Fein has crafted a unique, immersive narrative that paints a vivid picture of the 1920s, filled with heartfelt emotion and sharp, sharp dialogue. The writing style perfectly captures the atmosphere of the era, allowing readers to feel the underlying tension between Eleanor and Edward, while rooting for their cause.

The Hidden Child is a captivating and deeply moving read that touches on the power of a family's love and resilience in times of difficulty. With engaging characters, powerful writing and a timeless theme, it is an essential addition to any reader's library.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I had such high hopes for this after LOVING Fein’s previous novel but a lot of this fell flat for me - choices made no sense, people seemed to be villainous for the sake of it, it infuriated me just the whole way through. Like I said: I loved her other work though so I’m not put off!

“Will the truth destroy everything?”


OMG! I am almost at a loss for words and that’s unusual for me! There were times when I really didn’t think I would be able to finish reading this book. However on reflection, now that it is over, I truly believe this to be my best storyline of 2022 so far and a ‘must read’ for any historical or social history, fiction fan.

My often bumpy journey, evoked just about every emotion there is going, from extreme shout out loud rage, through to emotional sobbing meltdown, and just about every stage in between. Rating the book is really almost superfluous, any review purely and simply subjective and so much a matter of personal opinion, which I can guarantee for most, will be as divided as my own thoughts were. I think the whole experience was made even more troublesome because of my recent, lengthy run of WWII stories, which have predominantly focussed on the Nazi’s single-minded goal of creating a superior Aryan race and the lengths to which they were prepared to go to achieve it; without me realising that here in the UK, we had already researched and countenanced such a terrible scenario for our own future, long before Hitler had even come to power. Finding the right words to offer any true justice to the review of a storyline so disturbingly controversial, challenging, and so bravely written with such authority, is difficult to the point of being almost impossible, without being disingenuous to the author, who has based the story on some of her own personal life experiences.

…

In my effort not to give away too many spoilers, here is just a sketchy overview of the storyline…

Coming from a lower middle class background and with the cruel hand of fate having struck her unfortunate family so many times, Eleanor and her younger sister Rose, find themselves alone in the world. Eleanor is therefore overjoyed, when she meets and falls in love with, the much older Edward Hamilton, a war hero who falls head over heels for Eleanor at first sight and is also willing to welcome Rose into the family, when she becomes his sister-in-law. Edward always admits to his ‘new wealth’ status, inherited from his frugal father, however just how humble his beginnings were, is one secret amongst many, which he guards well, even from his new wife. Unfortunately it transpires that much of Edward’s life is built on deception and lies, one of which, if it ever became public knowledge, would damage his moral compass beyond repair. The other has the power to destroy his carefully garnered reputation and status within government, the education establishment and society, among his many esteemed friends and colleagues.

The circumstances which drew the couple together have also decreed that they have a shared interest in eugenics, with the development of a tiered education system for the country, based on a child’s physical and mental capacity; the development of special schools for the under-achievers; enforced sterilization for the parents of ‘defective’ children; and residential colonies for those adults and children who don’t meet the criteria for this new society without misfits. Unfortunately, after a few happy years of recognition and reward, the couple’s lives begin to unravel spectacularly, when their own four-year-old daughter, Mabel, is diagnosed with epilepsy. In their utopian view of the country, this infliction can only be the result of inherited bad genes, so Edward immediately questions Eleanor’s family credentials, without considering his own background to be of any significant worry. Mabel has to be hidden away at all costs, especially when Eleanor declares herself to be pregnant with their second child, so a mystery illness is invented and Mabel is shipped off to one of the specialist ‘colonies’, where the concoction of drugs, so barbarically administered, seems sure to kill her much more quickly than the epilepsy itself.

As Mabel’s reported decline hastens by the month and with Eleanor banned from visiting her ever again, the usual mother’s love for her new baby son, Jimmy, is difficult to muster. So Eleanor decides to fill her days helping her husband by writing up his research papers, although relations between them are at an all time low, with every fibre of Eleanor’s being screaming at her to save her daughter. Edward has not been quite as careful at covering his tracks as he thought he had been, when it comes to some of his shady dealings and an ever meticulous Eleanor, soon notices some alarming discrepancies, both in Edward’s research findings and in their own personal finances. When confronted, Edward tries to deny any perceived wrongdoing and a hitherto supportive Eleanor finally snaps. Standing up to her husband in a very unusual show of strength and with the help of Rose’s French partner, Marcel, of whom Edward is most disparaging without ever having met the man, and two very supportive and forward thinking doctors, Eleanor snatches Mabel from the colony and disappears with her, as a new programme of non invasive treatment is organised in an attempt to reverse or subdue some of the more violent epileptic tendencies.

Left alone with his baby son, the predicted financial crash finally happens and Edward’s despair and sense of loss knows no bounds. He takes a long, hard look at himself and his code of ethics and decides that he doesn’t much care for what he sees. What he really wants from his life, is the love of his wife; to raise his family, including Mabel, in the best way he knows how to; to concentrate his efforts and dedicate resources to the reform of a fair education system for all; and to welcome Marcel into the extended family without judging him and finding him lacking. Methodically, Edward sets about unravelling his past misdemeanours and extricating himself from a potentially toxic regime, where everything is black or white and there is no ‘middle’ ground. Now all he needs to do is win back the trust of those he loves and holds most dear – but how?

…

An important and unconventional work of historical and societal fiction, which has meticulously researched details being deftly and intricately woven into the fabric of a well structured and highly atmospheric, family saga of monumental proportions, despite its relatively few number of pages. Sympathetically written from the heart, with some beautifully descriptive narrative and dialogue offering a wonderful sense of time and place, despite the short time span of events, which seemed a lot longer than the two or three years it actually was. Concise chapters are well-paced and fluently narrated alternately in the voices of Eleanor and Edward, with a few ‘guest appearance’ interludes by the voice of epilepsy itself, which added authenticity and realism to the storyline, as if I really needed reminding of the horrific vision of the humanity for the future, I was bearing witness to.

Powerful, intense, highly textured and thought provoking, this immersive, multi-layered storyline also touches upon and challenges, so many other moral issues and societal mores of the times. Edward has rigid pre-conceived ideas about the politics of the left and has made his mind up not to countenance accepting Rose’s partner, Marcel into the family, as their relationship is so different from the norm, with Rose willing to work to keep them, whilst Marcel makes his name and builds his reputation, as an artist. It isn’t until he knows of Marcel’s family background and pedigree, that he is willing to extend the hand of friendship, although by then Eleanor and Mabel have already been adopted as honorary French in-laws. Edward also learns the hard way what it is to have a wife, who although generally compliant and submissive to her place within the household, finds sufficient voice and resources to challenge his views when she needs to, particularly when it comes to protecting her young. He discovers a quiet admiration for this new and assertive Eleanor, vowing to treat her as more of an equal, with a much louder voice, in the future. He also learns the hard way, what a lack of moral compass exists in the self-styled ‘upper’ classes, where ‘do as I say, not as I do’ must surely be their motto, placing his relationship with their rather shallow nouveau riche friends, into a completely different perspective. Edward also discovers the true meaning of humility and bravery overcoming cowardice, although it comes ten years too late and when there is precious little time left in which to make reparations.

Not too large a cast of characters to keep track of, meant that I was able to stand back and assess their individual merits, as there were so many complex personalities. There were many amongst their number, who were duplicitous, shallow and completely unreliable. Whilst others were easier to empathise with, as they were more emotionally vulnerable and genuinely believable. Author, Louise Fein, did an excellent job at visually defining them in their individual roles, so that either love them or hate them, they were all addictive and authentic to the part they played in the storyline. What really came through for me, in the development of the main characters of Edward and Eleanor, was that no matter how much status and wealth you create for yourself, your true roots and instilled principles, will always be at the core of everything you do, no matter how much you try to deny them, and you will only make yourself miserable by attempting to change them and indeed, yourself.

What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This story was definitely one of a kind, having the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next, so I can only recommend that you read The Hidden Child for yourself and see where your journey leads you!

Reading a book about the history of eugenics in the UK has been a slog and depressing. I almost quit in the beginning because its so grim buuuuuuut as usual with historial fiction, I've learnt so much and the actual fiction part of the book was so interesting and readable. At this point, if Louise Fein writes about it, I'm reading it.

The Hidden Child was not what I was expecting. While I was interested in the plot, I was so annoyed with Edward and his "superior" air that I wanted to shake Eleanor for not leaving him nor standing up to him. Edward was the main reason I did not connect with this book. I was too busy being angry at him to focus on what else was happening.

This is the second book I've read from this author and while she is a great story teller, I personally think the story is a bit too long. I feel like a lot of information is either repeated or could be omitted, and the story wouldn't lose any value. I do appreciate her writing style, as she can definitely make me feel the emotions (like anger towards Edward) very strongly. This is also a time period I am not as familiar with since I tend to read mostly WWII historical fiction. It was a nice change of pace for me to be in a different era and learn more about a topic I really knew nothing about. The research seems to have been very thorough.

Overall, this book was just okay for me. I do appreciate the writing style and the way I was invested enough to be so angry at Edward. I do wish that Eleanor was a bit of a stronger character, though I know this era saw marriage and divorce much differently than we do now. I'm also glad that this book was centered around a topic that I personally have not encountered in historical fiction before. 3 stars.

In 1920s London Eleanor is married to eugenics pioneer Edward and their young daughter Mabel is diagnosed with a medical condition that brings shame upon them and the movement. This was a powerful and emotional read told with real empathy and sensitivity. I found it to be an educational read as I knew very little about the eugenics movement. The author really brings this interwar period to life and the characters are so well drawn. Recommended
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

The Hidden Child – Louise Fein



I was given a copy of this story by the publisher to write an honest review.



Louise Fein is an English historical fiction author with a family and her dog as her writing companion. Louise Fein has written two other novels you may have heard of, “Daughter of the Reich” and “People Like Us”.



Its 1928 in London and Eleanor and Edward are happy – they are rich, have status in society, a great marriage. But it is all about to slowly crumble away.

Edward is a scientist and psychologist, both him and Eleanor are major followers of the Eugenics movement, a movement that has ideas that the world would soon be embraced by the Nazis.

But Mabel, their beautiful and healthy daughter – suddenly develops a condition, a condition that they find shameful and hide their daughter from the world and those that know them. Given Edward’s position in the Eugenics society and the studies he is doing, if anyone was to find out their daughters condition it would undermine everything he was worked for.

So, Mabel is sent off to a colony, to live with others that suffer from her condition. Yet Eleanor struggles with this, more and more by the day. Slowly her life and marriage become unbearable.

Naturally, Eleanor does what any mother would do, she does everything in her power and set her daughter free and does what she knows in her heart to be the best for her little girl.



“The Hidden Child” is a historical fiction novel that explores what it was like in the late 1920s for a well to do English couple and the stereotypes around having a child who suffers from a debilitating illness such as epilepsy. It was frightening to learn the way young children were treated then from so called medical professionals. What absolutely tore at me was the way the parents let their children be treated. As a mother myself I can’t imagine letting anyone treat my children the way that they were. Overall, it was a pleasant read and it had a couple of moments that grabbed me but on the whole, it wasn’t an overly riveting read.

This is an intensely powerful and moving novel chronicling an often neglected - and terribly cruel - aspect of our recent history. Louise Fein handles her subject matter with immense sensitivity, resulting in a story which is equal parts fascinating and devastating. I absolutely loved it.

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]

Leí People Like Us y me gustó mucho cómo Louise Fein escribió la relación entre un chico judío y una chica bien filonazi, así que no lo dudé al pedir su nuevo libro en Netgalley. Desde luego, lo de esta mujer son los temas complicados, ya que trata la epilepsia y la eugenesia mezclándolo en una misma familia, donde el padre es fiel defensor de esta filosofía que choca frontalmente con la epilepsia que sufre su hija. Por desgracia, he tenido serios problemas con el modo en el que está escrita la historia, en primera persona del presente pero de un modo extraño, con frases cortas, como muy deslavazado todo. No sé, a pesar de que estaba interesada en lo que ocurría, este modo de contarlo me ha mantenido muy distanciada de la historia. En el tramo final parece que remonta algo, pero para mí ya era tarde. Otra vez será con ella.

Louise Fein’s The Hidden Child is an emotional and absorbing exploration of love, prejudice, loyalty and courage written with sensitivity, compassion and heart.

Wealthy, successful and with a prominent position in society, Eleanor and Edward Hamilton seem to have it all. The future looks bright and rosy for the two of them with war hero Edward a pioneer in the eugenics movement and Eleanor a devoted wife and loving mother to their daughter, Mabel. With the world at their feet, Eleanor and Edward have no cause for concern about what’s to come – until Mabel begins to have frequent debilitating seizures which compels them to face an uncomfortable reality: their daughter has epilepsy – one of the conditions which Edward campaigns most vehemently against.

Edward’s life’s work means everything to him. Should Mabel’s condition become known then it would jeopardise everything he has striven so hard for. Nobody must know the truth about Mabel or about the seizures she suffers from, so the Hamiltons think that the only solution available for them is for their daughter to be hidden away. Away from prying eyes, nobody will guess that their daughter is far from perfect. However, keeping Mabel’s condition a secret quickly begins to take its toll on Eleanor and Edward.

Forced to confront old sins and secrets from their past, will they be able to fight for their family? Will the truth set them free? Or will it threaten and destroy everything they hold dear to their hearts?

Heart-wrenching, haunting and unforgettable, Louise Fein’s The Hidden Child is a shocking, compelling, heart-wrenching but ultimately hopeful historical novel I was completely mesmerized by. Louise Fein stunningly evokes the 1920s and captures its mores and morals effortlessly without shrinking away from the prejudices of the time which we rightly regard as reprehensible in the twenty-first century.

Her characters are complex, flawed, vulnerable and so brilliantly layered readers will find themselves laughing and crying along with them while also being angry, frustrated and upset at some of the decisions and choices they make.

A thought-provoking historical novel from a very gifted storyteller, Louise Fein’s The Hidden Child is an astute, emotional and spellbinding tale that is simply outstanding.

Louise Fein is a historical fiction novelist. The Hidden Child is about WWII, the Eugenics movement specifically.

Eleanor and Edward are happily married with a lovely little girl, Mabel. And WWII is looming. Edward is a celebrated war hero who gets swept up in the Eugenics movement and starts learning about genetic inferiority. The only problem is, their daughter suddenly gets diagnosed with Epilepsy. You can only imagine the trouble that soon causes.

I don't want to revel too much more. This is was heartbreaking novel and I'd highly recommend it.

Do you think it’s right to create human’s by removing genetics that cause inherited diseases, or feeble minds, just to mention a couple of things.. Is it right to mess with genetics. To make it ‘survival of the fittest’ professor Edward Hamilton is a war hero, but also a man of science, specialising in Psychology and education. He thinks that humans can be improved by eliminating the bad parts of people and just using the best characteristics. His wife supports his ideas, but that’s because she has had a tragic background at the hands of what they term an ‘undesirable’. But when their own daughter Mabel develops an illness that comes under the ‘undesirable’ heading they are faced with a huge heartbreaking dilemma.

Hamilton is well off, they have a good comfortable life, lots of friends with connections, but even with money he can’t be protected from what he has to face with Mabel. Mabel’s seizures are mentioned in the first chapter of the story, bringing along, fear and prejudice that gets worse as the plot moves on. Epilepsy is just one of the things that Eugenists want to get rid of, the belief being they are something to be ashamed of, they are behind crime, promiscuity and weak mindedness, the treatments used to try and tackle it are horrendous, reading about what Mabel has to go through is heartbreaking and may for some be difficult to read.

This is a gripping story from start to finish, set in the late 1920’s, World War One is still in the hearts and minds of people. The story is told from the viewpoints of Edward and Eleanor, along with the occasional voice of epilepsy as if it was coming direct from Mabel, gradually becoming more effective as the story develops.

Beautifully written, with characters you could believe in, Edward has his own backstory which adds another layer as he is tormented by it, Despite loving Edward, Eleanor has doubts around some of the decisions being made about Mabel.. Then you have Mabel, who because she is not seen as perfect in the eyes of the privileged, she is regarded as disposable, only perfect people should be allowed to live in a perfect world. But how do you judge what is perfect and what isn’t, what would life be like if everyone was absolutely perfect?

There is so much more to the story, but it’s best read, without giving too much away.

This is a brilliantly written story, thought provoking, eye opening in some ways. Eugenics is a real thing, imagine if everyone who wasn’t perfect in every way was eliminated. There is mention of the Aryan concept that was being promoted by Germany’s Hitler. Some of these things can be quite daunting. I understand trying to eliminate diseases that are passed on genetically that cause such suffering but to modify things such as colour of eyes, hair, looks is taking science a little too far.

I highly recommend this read and would like to thank #netgalley and #HeadofZeus for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Having read Daughter of the Reich, I was excited to read Louise Fein’s The Hidden Child. I thought it was an excellent character study of a young couple, Edward and Eleanor Hamilton, circa post The Great War in England. Both faced tragedies in the war. Edward is a psychologist and educator and Eleanor had been a secretary in the war office. They seem to be making the perfect life until their four-year-old daughter, Mabel has a seizure. Most of the novel takes place in 1929. During this time period, there was lots of discussion about re-edit and intelligence. I found it interesting when the couple was at a dinner party that during the discussion of Eugenics Herbert Goddard’s book, Heredity of Feeble Mindedness, was discussed. It immediately made me think of The Great Gatsby (1925) where Tom brings up another of Goddard’s books at dinner with Nick. In fact, there were many times that I was reminded of Fitzgerald’s book.

I felt many emotions while reading this book. I found myself rooting for Eleanor as I saw her become very strong in fighting for her daughter. Edward has several secrets, and I wondered if he could redeem himself. There are lots of minor characters to follow throughout the story. There were a couple of spots in this book that I felt could have had some editing; but overall, Fein has produced an excellent piece of work for this time period. I especially liked the epilogue! My thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I found the Hidden Child deeply fascinating, because whilst it is a work of fiction, it is based on real historical events.

Eleanor and Edward are a likable couple, devoted to one another, and to their daughter, Mabel. Edward is an educational psychologist, and seems a kind and reasonable man. So it's somewhat shocking when we learn that he is a member of the Eugenics Society, and strongly supports the call for sterilising the 'underclasses' (as he calls them). And perhaps even more surprising is that Eleanor is right by his side.

However, when four year old Mabel begins having seizures, everything Eleanor and Edward thought to be true, is going to be tested. Will they stand by their principles, or does their love for their child change their thinking?

I think perhaps the most interesting part is how the eugenics movement began in the UK, closely followed by the US and many other countries followed suit. We think of the Nazi party when eugenics is talked about, but in fact the movement started long before Hitler rose to power.

Incredibly moving, beautifully written and a book that will make the reader think.

The Hidden Child by Louise Fein is a historical fiction novel set in the build-up to WWII. It revolves around the eugenics movement prevalent in America and Europe at the time. From Wikipedia, "Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population, historically by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or promoting those judged to be superior".

Edward, the husband, is a vocal supporter of eugenics. His wife, Eleanor, is a dutiful wife who supports her husband. When Mabel, their four-year-old daughter starts to develop seizures, the mother's beliefs in the movement begin to change. What follows is a mother's struggle to save her daughter from the world, even if it means that she has to stand up against her husband.

The story is narrated by the husband-and-wife duo in alternating chapters. Epilepsy is personified, and gets its own voice in the form of short chapters here-and-there. This reminded me of what Markus Zusak did with Death in The Book Thief.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

WOW! This book was one of my top reads this fall! It was also my first novel by Louise Fein, and surely will not be my last. I learned a lot about eugenics from this book, which was something I had never really studied/read about before. It was a sad, but yet eye opening experience. The writing style had my engrossed from start to finish. This was one I didn't want to put down. I highly recommend this book for any historical fiction lover.