Little House (Windsor Selections S) [Import] [Hardcover]

Philippa Gregory (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Chivers P; Large Print e. edition (January 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754012107
• ISBN-13: 978-0754012108
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,528,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Kenya in 1954, Philippa Gregory moved to England with her family and was educated in Bristol and at the National Council for the Training of Journalists course in Cardiff. She worked as a senior reporter on the Portsmouth News, and as a journalist and producer for BBC radio.

Philippa obtained a BA degree in history at the University of Sussex in Brighton and a PhD at Edinburgh University in 18th-century literature. Her first novel, Wideacre, was written as she completed her PhD and became an instant world wide bestseller. On its publication, she became a full-time writer, and now lives with her family on a small farm in the North of England.

Her knowledge of gothic 18th century novels led to Philippa writing Wideacre, which was followed by a haunting sequel, The Favoured Child, and the delightful happy ending of the trilogy: Meridon. This novel was listed in Feminist Book Fortnight and for the Romantic Novel of the Year at the same time - one of the many instances of Philippa's work appealing to very different readers.

The trilogy was followed by The Wise Woman, a dazzling, disturbing novel of dark powers and desires set against the rich tapestry of the Reformation, and by Fallen Skies, an evocative realistic story set after the First World War. Her novel A Respectable Trade took her back to the 18th century where her knowledge of the slave trade and her home town of Bristol produced a haunting novel of slave trading and its terrible human cost. This is the only modern novel to explore the tragedies of slavery in England itself, and features a group of kidnapped African people trying to find their freedom in the elegant houses of 18th century Clifton. Gregory adapted her book for a highly acclaimed BBC television production which won the prize for drama from the Commission for Racial Equality and was shortlisted for a BAFTA for the screenplay.

Next came two of Gregory's best-loved novels, Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth, based on the true-life story of father and son John Tradescant working in the upheaval of the English Civil War. In these works Gregory pioneered the genre which has become her own: fictional biography, the true story of a real person brought to life with painstaking research and passionate verve.

The flowering of this new style was undoubtedly The Other Boleyn Girl, a runaway best-seller which stormed the US market and then went worldwide telling the story of the little-known sister to Anne Boleyn. Now published in 26 countries with more than a million copies in print in the US alone, this is becoming a classic historical novel, winning the Parker Pen Novel of the Year award 2002, and the Romantic Times fictional biography award. The Other Boleyn Girl was adapted for the BBC as a single television drama and a film is now in production starring Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn, Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Eric Bana as Henry VIII.

A regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, with short stories, features and reviews, Philippa is also a frequent broadcaster and a regular contestant on Round Britain Quiz for BBC Radio 4 and the Tudor expert for Channel 4's Time Team.

She lives in the North of England with her husband and two children and in addition to interests that include riding, walking, skiing and gardening (an interest born from research into the Tradescant family for her novel, Virgin Earth), she also runs a small charity building wells in school gardens in The Gambia. Fifty-six wells have been built by UK donors to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Example Of A Top Notch Psychological Thriller, September 23, 2003

By 

Veronica (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little House (Isis) (Audio Cassette)

The Little House is a remarkable gem of a psychological thriller. It makes even the most normal, everyday events seem sinister and riveting.

The plot focuses on Ruth who is talked into starting a family by her husband and living down the road from his upper class parents in the country. Then the nightmare unfolds. The book is a masterpiece of claustrophobia as Ruth's in-laws intrude more and more into her life. All throughout the book I felt tense and unsettled - just as I love to be when I am reading a thriller. I could absolutely empathise with Ruth and as her situation got worse and worse I was routing for her all the way.

Ruth is a delightful, yet in some ways tragic character. She is a successful journalist and yet her past has meant that she is needy and desperately seeking love. She thinks she has found a family which she can belong to at long last in her in-laws but what she fails to realise is that they want to control her. The mother in-law, father in-law, and Ruth's husband Patrick are chillingly plausible and well developed. The beauty in this novel is that unlike in many other psychological thriller's these three characters are not evil, they truly believe they are doing the best for Ruth and themselves - even as they push her further and further towards the limits of her own sanity.

Overall The Little House is a fantastic study of relationships between a woman and her in-laws and how the ordinary things can lead someone to madness, and to do the most unspeakable things. The Little House's packs a hard, chilling punch, especially as the ending is so unexpected and compelling. I would recommend this book unreservedly.

JoAnne

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a page-turner!!!, April 24, 1998

By 

J Tarsha <[e-mail]> (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little House: A Novel (Hardcover)

What a wonderfully written book! I was immersed in the lives of these well developed characters within minutes and couldn't stop reading until I'd reached the end in one sitting. This is an illuminating book for women. It illustrates the frightening results when a woman is unable or unwilling to set boundaries in her life. I was so affected by this book that I bought it for my newly married daughter and insisted she read it as an object lesson. I think most women will relate to the heroine of this book. The ending was electrifying and immensely satisfying!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars loved it!, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little House: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book starts off as a sweet little relationship read, of an adopted woman, Ruth trying to get accepted into her in-laws' family. Unfortunately the mother-in-law has such lofty standards that no-one, besides herself is really good enough for her son and the daughter-in-law has no hopes of attaining them.

The baby comes along, and Ruth is just in the way then; as her mother-in-law literally casts her aside leaving Ruth to feel inadequate as an inexperienced mother, rather than being encouraged.

RUTH FIGHTS BACK! Totally dependant, financially and mentally, Ruth sees that there's only one way to claim her space in the family and sets out to grasp it! The conclusion is brilliant, and leaves you mulling over the story line, long after you've finished reading it!