House of Orphans [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Set in Finland in the year 1901: Eeva, the young orphaned daughter of a revolutionary, is sent from the orphanage to work as housekeeper for Thomas, a widowed country doctor. Her challenging, independent, enigmatic presence disturbs Thomas as much as it fascinates him. Their relationship will shatter all the certainties of his life. Meanwhile, Eeva is drawn back to Helsinki, to the comrades of her childhood, and in particular to Lauri, the son of her father's friend. It is a world full of danger. For this is Finland in political ferment - the power of the Russian Empire over its subject peoples is growing more oppressive, but resistance to the Tsar's rule is growing too, both in Finland and in Russia. Some call such resistance terrorism; others call it a fight for freedom. Just as Helen Dunmore's "The Siege" is a novel about how huge public events bear down on private lives, so "House of Orphans", while a spellbinding story of love and loneliness is also about the tension between reform and revolution, and a country emerging into Independence. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`An extraordinary novel' Guardian

`A marvellous richness of texture ... to be in the hands such an accomplished write is a great pleasure' Spectator

`Vivid and exciting ... Dunmore creates a beautiful sense of stillness ... she conveys a passion for Finland's icy landscape' Observer

`Eeva is a glittering character' The Times

`A portrait of a country at war is brilliantly achieved ... a spellbinding tale' Red

`Extraordinary ... combines a luminous delicacy of observation with raw emotional power to haunting effect' Sunday Telegraph

`Beautifully written ... a story about us all' Evening Standard

`Part love story, part tragedy ... Dunmore on dazzling form. Everyone should read her work' Independent on Sunday

'Outstanding, a sheer pleasure to read. Dunmore is a remarkable storyteller' Daily Mail --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Helen Dunmore has published eight novels with Viking and Penguin: Zennor in Darkness, which won the McKitterick Prize; Burning Bright; A Spell of Winter, which won the Orange Prize; Talking to the Dead; Your Blue-Eyed Boy; With Your Crooked Heart, and The Siege, which was shortlisted for the 2001 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award and for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2002; and Mourning Ruby. She is also a poet, children's novelist and short-story writer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.