The Orphanage: An absolutely heartbreaking and unputdownable historical fiction page-turner (Shilling Grange Children’s Home Book 1)

A perfect bit of escapism, it was like cuddling up under a wooly blanket with a favourite cushion. I adored the main charater Carla, who takes up a position as housemother at an orphanage and then wonders if she's made a mistake. She has eight children to look after and I did wonder if I'd keep tracks of that many characters, but the author skillfully weaves them into the story so they all stand out as individuals. Set in 1948, just after the war, we get a glimpse of life in those times and the prejudices still at play. A truly wonderful story, which stands well on its own but the best part is it's the first of a series. Oh yes!!! I can't wait to find out what happens next. I truly loved this. One of my top reads of the year.

A beautifully written story by Lizzie Page. this book held me from the beginning to the end, and I did not want it to finish. Clara after being heartbroken by the death of her Pilot Finance and losing her job takes on the roll of Housemother to a group of orphans at Shilling Grange in Norfolk. The orphans range from a teenager down, Maureen, Peter, Alex, the twins Billy and Barry, Rita, Terry and Peg, each of whom have their own stories. It is not a straightforward job for Clara, but in the end she settles down. I just cannot wait now for the next Shilling Grange Orphanage story. A recommended five star read.

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.

Yet another brilliant story from Lizzie Page.I adored the main character Clara, who takes up an unlikely job for her: she’s brilliant at filing and keeping records, but she is suddenly thrust into a world where anything can (and does) happen: that of caring for eight children in a home. From the first moments, Clara believed that the orphans would “cripple her”. But, life does its work on her and the events that unfold are both tragic and extremely poignant. In one sense the book holds a coming-of-age story, but there is much more to it.I laughed, (Page has a great sense of humour), I cried, I shouted at certain characters and I was totally transported by them all. Every one of them is so real, from smooth-talking solicitor Julian (with “his manicured nails on the gearstick”, with whom Clara might not “have to go through the bottom of her handbag to pay the chimney sweep again”), to the tangle of twins: Billy and Barry who “jiggled and waggled and rolled on the floor” and who made “farting noises with their elbows”. All the children in this book are so vividly painted that I could imagine them spilling into my own living room. Then there are the thumbnail personalities who crop up, like the woman sitting at the grave of her relative, eating her sandwiches and talking… “Did I telly you about Cousin Sue?... So real! So tugging-at-the-heartstrings in Page’s simple lines that seem effortless, but we know are skilfully crafted. Wonderful! I liked that we have a walk on part for Sir Munnings, the great artist of cart horses and Suffolk life (a county where I lived for 27 years).And then there are the lines that I had to highlight and jot down in my notebook, like little mindfulness comments. Such as :“Us. Such a tiny word for something so powerful.” And, "Wars weren't the great equalisers some people liked to believe."The post-war problems have been researched and threaded in so we can’t see the stitches. The big changes in women’s lives, the widows and widowers, the stiff upper lip of people who have seen so much trauma but have buttoned it up because everybody else suffered, didn’t they, the simmering sadness beneath the lives of almost everybody, the children in particular, who have had joy stamped out of them.But there’s hope and promise in this wonderful story and I can’t wait to read the next instalment. Hurry up, Lizzie Page. We want to read on.

Bringing up children is a tough job – and even tougher if they are not yours in the first place. Add to that, they are victims of abuse, the horror of war, or family loss, and it is not an enviable task. Despite her lack of experience, Clara has important personal attributes: a warm heart and plenty of love to give. I loved the story, but the book was spoiled for me (again, Kindle!) by poor editing. If an author makes a mistake, it is the job of the editor to gently point it out and correct it, but these days editors themselves so often seem to be ignorant of basic facts. Lizzie Page, the author, should have not made the error of placing Merton College, Oxford, in Cambridge! (Ch. 24, p 248). Secondly, there are numerous references throughout the text to 'Sir Munnings'. The famous painter Alfred Munnings should NOT be referred to in this style. As a young journalist, I was taught that Knights of the Realm are referred to, initially, by their full name, i.e. 'Sir Alfred Munnings', and thereafter as 'Sir Alfred'. The title Sir is NEVER used with just a surname. It's easy enough to look these things up, and it's a pity when errors like this are not picked up, because they jar with anyone who is aware of them and spoil their enjoyment. I hope the next book in the series will not show the same faults.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Enjoyed following Clara's progress in her new position /vocation and also seeing how she and the children changed with each others input. A lovely story with sadness and unrequited love. Good prevails! Can't wait to hear more of Clara's story and hear about children and meet new chjldren