The House by Teresa Waugh
Sydney Otterton is penniless, his wicked mother having appropriated all of the family funds with the exception of the house which was entailed. He has just returned from the war where he fought bravely and was taken prisoner at the Normandy landings. He manages to persuade his wife, Priscilla, to move into the crumbling house with their young children and faithful servant, Annie. The novel evolves through the eyes of four characters who narrate the events of what turns out to be a murder mystery, in a variety of formats (journal, letters, research). The first is the sympathetic Syndey, beset with financial worries. The sharply observant and pragmatic Annie was born and brought up on the estate and runs the house. Mr Rakowski is a frequent visitor to the house, a comic character, researching a history of the family who has developed a passion for Priscilla. The final narrator is the appealing young daughter of the house, Georgina.
"Essentially it is a dispassionate, yet affectionate study of the country house, Upstairs Downstairs set up whose death knell was sounded by the Second World War, set in the five years immediately following the end of hostilities.. Waugh clearly must have known a house like Cranfield in her childhood." "This is a delightful and surprisingly touching novel... has unexpected depth and emotional resonance." Sunday Telegraph "Teresa Waugh, with vivid personal experience of the drawbacks of living in a decaying country pile, uses the theme most effectively in her hugely entertaining novel The House." Val Hennessy "It's a compulsive read and very funny." Spectator
Author of seven novels, also translates from French and Italian.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780297829171 |
| ISBN 10 | 0297829173 |
| Title | The House |
| Author | Teresa Waugh |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2002-07-11 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |