The Foundling

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Manufacturer: Stacey Halls
Brand: Historical Fiction
Brew: Paperback
Steeping Time: 370 pages
Tea Service: Tea and Book Box
Strength:

Synopsis: London, 1754.

Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst – that Clara has died in care – the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed – by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why. Less than a mile from Bess’ lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

Some books lead you straight to a happy ending. And others leave you groping in the dark for the light at the end of the tunnel.

I won’t tell you which way The Foundling (titled The Lost Orphan in the US market) goes in the end, but I will say I spent a lot of time wondering how on earth the light at the end of the tunnel would even appear. The Foundling begins with Bess the day after she’s given birth to Clara as she waits to see if her baby girl will be lucky enough to receive a place at The Foundling Hospital. Bess cannot care for her illegitimate daughter, but she plans to save up her meager earnings and return for her someday. Six years later, she is ready to go get her little girl. And that’s when the chaos starts.

I found Bess an engaging character and easily fell into step with her. My heart breaks for her in the first chapter as she begrudgingly lets her sweet baby go, and my hope builds alongside hers as she heads back to the hospital to bring her daughter home. As you can imagine, I crashed right through the floor with her when she learns Clara has already been claimed. Stacey Halls does a wonderful job of bringing Bess to life, not only in character but also in her surroundings. I can smell the fish markets of London. I can hear the calls of vendors and feel the chill of the winter air on my face. Every element of Bess’s existence is loud and busy and completely real.

For that reason, it is such a shock to switch to Alexandra, a quiet woman in a quiet home on a quiet street.

The Foundling moves back and forth between the two women a few times, and it’s fascinating to see how different their lives are. They couldn’t be more removed from one another. With Bess, we move through the streets of London with as much grace as the Thames flowing out to the sea. She is one with the city and confidently steps through its streets with ease. Alexandra is a creature in shadow, locked inside her hushed, well-maintained house with her servants and her daughter, Charlotte. She does not go outside unless it is to attend church on Sundays. She spends every other waking moment within the safety of her walls.

I had a much harder time connecting to Alexandra. I didn’t particularly like her, and I’m not sure I’m meant to at first. However, even as we learn more about her and the reason for her solitude, I couldn’t find it in my heart to deeply care for her. I felt nothing. Which was odd to me because all of the characters and the general atmosphere of the book felt so tangible and close. I ultimately liked her choices, but I didn’t particularly care what happened to her.

The Foundling threw me for a loop for that very reason.

The pace flowed well and the world flickered easily into existence for me. There were even times when I felt full of dread and found myself on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. But in the end, when I finished the last page and closed the book, I found myself saying, “Well, that was interesting,” as I immediately picked up my next read and moved on. Even though I connected well with Bess and her world, The Foundling didn’t settle deeply in my bones the way I expected. I found the story interesting and engaging, but surprisingly easy to move on from. Ultimately, I really enjoyed The Foundling even if it didn’t go deeper than a surface-level read.

Have you read The Foundling? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia