Review: The House at the End of Hope Street by Meena Van Praag

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag

Published April 4, 2013

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format: paperback via publisher

Rating 4/5

Synopsis

Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge, England, when she finds herself in front of a house she’s never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the house’s usual conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in.

She soon discovers that this is no ordinary house. Past residents have included George Eliot and Beatrix Potter, who, after receiving the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers—literally, in talking portraits on the wall. As she escapes into this new world, Alba begins a journey that will heal her wounds—and maybe even save her life.

My Thoughts

Simply put…I adored this book! This is the most magical quirky book I’ve read in a long time.

The title alone says it all. The story focuses on Alba who after some difficultly with her career is somehow brought the house on Hope Street. She doesn’t know why or how she got there but she knows she was brought there for some reason.  We soon discover that this house has some magic behind it, it was been the home to the world’s most important women icons. I love how one of main messages was the power of women, how we are strong and how some of the greatest minds belonged to women.

My favorite thing though was the house. I was taken back about how magical the house was, how simply everything came alive but not in a scary way but in a non-threating beautiful way. I also enjoyed the little mystery behind it. All I was thinking was how can this all be happening? I tend to think so much when I read but for once I just sat back and let the words take me on a journey. I didn’t want to question I simply wanted to enjoy, I wanted to believe…in the beauty of it all.

Menna Van Praag writes an amazing story that gives us hope that everything will work out in the end. Do yourself a favor and read this story she will wrap up in her magical, cute and quirky world that you can’t help but love.