The House of Hope [Hardcover]

Kate Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

In 1861, antiques collector Vittorio Speranza leaves Italy for England, where he creates an auction-house dynasty, in a multigenerational saga that chronicles his and his family's quest for wealth, adventure, and romance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ranging from 1862 to the present, this panoramic family saga traces the history of a famed London auction house and the dynasty behind it. Alexander's characterizations are lively, ranging from Vittorio Speranza, the ambitious Sicilian who founds the firm that will in time become Hope and Company; Ludo, Lord Kenrick, Vittorio's first important client; and their numerous descendants, united by alliances and marital unions, some of them marriages of convenience spurred by incest and illegitimate births. Struggles over the firm's future pit family factions against one another, including the strong-willed women in each generation. As the firm grows in stature, the world wars affect its owners and business; during WW II, some family members help smuggle Jews out of Germany, while others fight for the British and for the French Resistance. Though Alexander rarely deviates from saga formula, her characters are well rounded and her story fast-paced and entertaining.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1St Edition edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312109970
• ISBN-13: 978-0312109974
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,785,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.