My heart is full!

Oh, I adored this book so much! What I love about the characters in Lizzie Page’s books is that they are firmly of their time and yet their dreams and dilemmas are so recognisable to women today. Clara is one such a wonderful yet relatable character: wonderful in her kindness and earnest desire to do the right thing; relatable in that she often gets it wrong.

Becoming a housemother to a group of orphans in Suffolk with no experience whatsoever would have been tricky enough, but Clara is also still recovering from personal heartbreak and her own difficult upbringing. Never shying away from difficult topics, this book taught me a lot about the experiences of children in post war Britain. At the same time, there were moments of pure joy and the book left me feeling uplifted and with a full heart. Lizzie writes children so well and I wanted to adopt each and every one of them.

I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the next book in this series and find out what the future holds for the residents of Shilling Grange.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this exceptional book

you could go years before you find an author and a storyline that hits you for six and having found both in this book i am over the moon...

the characters are brilliantly written and you fall in love with them all and the circumstances they find themselves in are so everyday that you would think they were your next door neighbours and i would be proud to call them friends

here is a book about clara who takes on a role to become housemistress to children in care, and her fight and fears that go with looking after more than a handful of children, with her neighbours that look down on her and the children and who want them gone from the village to her finally making a few friends and to the children who quickly realise that they have someone who cares about them and their needs

its a feel good book that will make you cry at the end and i am pleased to see that this is the beginning of a series, will also be keeping an eye out for more of this authors works

Okay, can I have book two already, please? I am terrible with reading first books in a series and then waiting for later ones and this book reminded me why. I just need to know what happens next. If you are not a fan of slow burn historical fiction, this is not your book. But if you are looking for a delicious, painting a vivid picture, slowly getting to know all the characters on the stage kind of story, this could well be it!

It took me about two pages to fall in love with Clara (I fell out of love with her too, and back in love again throughout the book). and I was looking forward to seeing how she would cope as a housemother of 8 children. Especially when it turns out she will have to fare all by herself. Honestly, she seemed a bit out of her league at the start. As we get to know all 8 children, and all the neighbors, and all the tensions both inside the home as well as in the village, this book just kept me wanting to know more.

The characters in the book are all so.... characteristic. There is feisty Maureen, smart Alex, the wild twins, sweet little Peg and of course there is moody neighbor Ivor, lovely albeit a bit quirky Anita, and of course best friend Judy. Even just mentioning all of them reminds me of all the little stories woven into this larger tale of a woman finding her place in a post-war world where she has lost everything and stands to gain everything. There is just so much story in this book (about love, abuse, friendship, childcare, kids fending for themselves, romance, small-town life) and I still find myself needing to know what happens in the next chapter.....

What an emotional read! We join Clara as she embarks on her new job at Shilling Grange Orphanage. The author describes each child so beautifully that it is easy to bring each one to mind as the story progresses. At parts I found myself shouting “no”. At others I just cried.. My favourite was Alex.
Absolutely loved it and feel reassured there is another on the way. Fully recommend it as well worthy of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clara is the new housemother of Shilling Grange Children’s home in Lavenham. Twenty-four hours after she arrived, she tried to leave believing that she wasn’t cut out for the job. Missing her train, she returns but gives her notice. While working her notice she decides she can do so much and she really started bonding with the children and wants what is best for them. Throughout the book she always standing up for the children, more like a real mother than a housemother, she really does her best for all of them. Even when it means she might lose her job because of it!
I really enjoyed reading The Orphanage, I liked Clara a lot and she is what I think everyone would have lived as a housemother back in the day rather than what most children were given and went through.
I liked how each child’s character was so different and they all shined in their own way.
One character I didn’t like from the start was Julian, the vibes he gave off were that he was a quite horrible person. I didn’t like his character at all. Halfway through the book, I was still feeling the same way. Then he did something that was absolutely shocking and I was right in my assumptions of him!
The book was well written and really well detailed with the picturesque countryside and village.
As I have lived in Suffolk all of my life and my parents lived in Lavenham and I have spent a lot of time there so this instantly piqued my interest. I do know Shilling Grange and have heard of Jane Taylor and the famous Swan hotel it also mentioned other places in Suffolk with which I am familiar.
So this was a fantastic read for me, and Lizzie Page did a great job with the descriptions and little bits of history added to it.

Shilling Grange Orphanage, England, 1948: Clara Newton is the new housemother of the orphanage. Many of the children have been bombed out of their homes and left without family, their lives torn apart by the war, just like Clara's. Devastated by the loss of her fiance, a brave American Pilot, she's just looking for a place to start again. But the orphans are in desperate need of her help.

Clara was out of work when she took on the role of housemother in the Shilling Grange Orphanage. She also had no experience of looking after children and now she has eight of them to care for.

This is quite an emotional read. We get to know the characters backstories and it's not long before Clara falls in love with the children. She will do anything in her power to give the children what they need. This is a well written story and it held my attention throughout.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #LizziePage for my ARC of #TheOrphanage in exchange for an honest review.

Clara is the new housemother for Shilling Grange orphanage, which from the starts seems to be the wrong job for Clara, she has never dealt with kids before and she now has 8 to look after, she likes paperwork but realises this job is far more than paperwork.
This is based after the second World War and the kids have a total mixture of pasts to deal with.

Clara gradually falls in love with all the kids and only wants the best for them, but is that enough that's not the full job of a housemother she needs to find them forever homes, can she except to let the kids move on and can she make sure they are safe??

This is a lovely story that has Clara running from her past but she also has to deals with the kids pasts as well. We'll written and an enjoyable read.

The Housemother

This book warmed my heart. If only all housemothers’ in orphanages could care for the children with as much love and compassion as Clara. To realize the potential of each build and work toward expanding that potential. The ability to work through problems to find a workable solution. Working in such a way that all the children are included and accepted.

Clara took the job as housemother at the orphanage when she lost her secretarial job. She found out it was a much harder job than she thought, and almost gave up before she got started. She grew to love the children and even though she made some mistakes she became very protective of them.

Through the trials and triumphs you will get to know the eight wonderful children that live at the orphanage. Each character is so very special. You will laugh at their childish pranks, their little escapades and cheer at their successes.

You will get to know Ivor the next door neighbor and a very good friend to the children, the other members of the small town, the doctor and his assistant Anita,
. The solicitor, Julian a romantic interest of Clara who is not good with children, and Clara’s friend Judy and her husband Arthur.

These all combine to make a delightful, heartwarming story with Love, laughter, and a bit of sadness.

I hope you love this book as much as I did, I do recommend this book.

Thanks to Lizzie Page, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy for my honest review.

Many thanks for letting me read The Orphanage by Lizzie Page. I have just finished it, and absolutely loved this book. The writing is wonderful and the characters are beautifully nuanced and developed. The storyline drew me in to the extent that I could hardly bear to finish it, so discovering that Lizzie’s next book continues the adventures of Clara and the children came as a huge relief. Highly recommend!

The Orphanage kept my interest. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters personalities and I am invested enough in the story to look forward to book #2 in the series.

When Clara takes a job as house mother at Shilling Grange Children's Home she doesn't feel confidant in her own ability but perseveres. I cant say much more without giving the story away.

All I can say is I cant wait for book 2, I'm dying to know what happens next. The writing is gripping and a good pace. The characters are likeable, adorable in some cases. As a child survivor of childrens homes I wish we had had a Clara!

Definitely a must read

Finished this one today and already looking forward to book 2! The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. I enjoyed this story, it was well written, had good narrative and good pacing and the characters were well developed and relatable. I read this quickly and would definitely recommend it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Net Galley for granting me this book in return for a honest review. I read previous reviews which rated this book highly so I was very much looking forward to it - for me it was very slow and did not draw me in. It was an average read.

Shilling Grange childrens home book one. 1948 Lavenham Suffolk.
Clara Newton is the new house mother at Shilling Grange in charge of Eight children after her heartbroken loss of her American Michael during WW2. A touching story right from the start, I took to all the children with all my heart, such an emotional tale and Clara grows to know them all as individuals and the children were getting use to her, she was staying put and bending a few rules, hoping that these children will find new families, the book is full of love and compassion and full of humour that can make you giggle, and with her personal life taking a step forward the children will always come first. the community and local school grow to respect her overtime and she not frightened to fight for their needs. a truly remarkable touching story and I eagerly await to read book two and what happens next in Shilling Grange. 5 ***** and more readers are going to love this story.

Wow Lizzie Page this book is outstanding. Only downloaded yesterday and couldn't put it down. Cant wait to read more of your books