The House on Bellevue Gardens

I enjoyed The House on Bellevue Gardens very much, I read it a while ago but still have total recall which, for me, means it was very enjoyable. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys history and a great read.

Very good book!

One of my favorite authors. Great characters and great story.

Loved this book! I definitely will be reading more of her books

“The whole value of solitude depends upon oneself; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, a haven of repose or a place of punishment, a heaven or a hell, as we ourselves make it.”----John LubbockRachel Hore, an English best-selling author, pens her latest contemporary story in her new book, The House on Bellevue Gardens, that narrates the story of four central characters among whom three are trying to find their way in life as they are lost and heart-broken, and the fourth person is a god-send who is here to give them shelter in her sanctuary, the house which is centered around all the four characters and holds them together tightly with an invisible string.Synopsis:Rosa has arrived in London from Poland to look for her younger brother Mikhail. He is supposed to be staying with their English father, but when she visits the house she finds it's locked up and there's no sign of either of them. She urgently needs work and somewhere to live while she continues her search, but what can she do and where can she go?Stef is running away from her boyfriend Oliver and the claustrophobic life she's been living in his opulent flat. Frightened, friendless and far from her family, she needs somewhere to hide.Rick is living in a limbo, a shy young man hiding from the world to write and draw and dream. How will he find fulfillment?All three find refuge at 11 Bellevue Gardens, the shabbiest house of a smart white-painted Georgian terrace in North London. Here, its owner Leonie herself once found sanctuary following a short career as a model in the sixties and a destructive marriage. Now, out of gratitude, she opens her house to others in need.However, as she helps Stef and Rosa and Rick to find their way, Leonie finds that once again the very foundations of her own life and happiness are under threat.Leonie's 11 Bellevue Gardens home, with its shabbiness and a hidden history yet with a gorgeous surrounding, has always welcomed the warmth and the solitude of a lost stranger irrespective of his/her gender or age. This story particularly revolves around this home, as Leonie lets an Indian couple, Bella and Hari to stay along with a painter in this house. But three more new members join them, Stef, a woman running away from her abusive relationship, Rosa, a woman straight from Warsaw is here in London to look for her missing brother and Rick, a man, looking for means and space to give wings to his dreams of being a graphic artist. As the story laces from Leonie's early teenage-hood days when she was a celebrated model and days from when she suffered a distasteful marriage to the present days, along with the stories of Rosa, Stef and Rick, it will actually feel like the readers too are swaying in this shifting yet remarkable jumps in the timeline. As the house suffers a threat from the world hidden away from its love, support and free shelter, the lives of these individuals are on the verge of tumbling down.The Silent Tide by Rachel Hore was the first book that got me into the world of this author's incredibly beautiful yet poignant stories and I was bound to become an instant fan of her writing. So when her new book came out, I couldn't resist myself from reading it. Firstly, covers of all her books are fascinating and mesmerizing to look at it. Similarly, in this book too, the cover image of a white mansion with a green and serene garden is bound to give the readers an atmospheric feel to it.The writing style of the author is coherent as well as eloquent that is laced under a deep ocean of emotions. The narrative is at times bit dull, but most of the times the author kept it interesting and expressive enough for the readers to comprehend with the dialogues. The story opens a bit slow and midway through the story, the story moves at a snail's space and only near the end of the book, the story picks up pace where some of the major twists and unraveled and that is when it demands of a reader's full attention till the very end.The flaws in this book are not that major and their presence is covered with the excellent set of characters. The characters are forever the best part of this author's books who will make the readers forget about their own lives and will force them to get complete lost into these character's devastating and troubling lives and circumstances. The characters are so well-developed that they will make the readers root out for them till the very last page. All the main characters are inspired from reality and their problems are very much relatable as they face some complicated issues like dominating relationship, beating shyness of one's own etc.Next the setting of the book is very well captured by the author and depicted in its brightest hue of colors that will only make the readers feel like experience the whole story right in front of their eyes. The house itself is described with lots of in-depth details and layers thus making it alive by the author with her carefully chosen words.In a nutshell, this coming-of-age contemporary story is laced with love, drama, friendship, bonding, family and everything in between to make it delectable and deeply touching for its readers.

I've read all her other books and loved them I would have to say this was her worst

Ms. Hore has kept to her standards. Excellent story telling. Highly recommend.

Rachel Hore has done it again!!! Another great read!!!

Its a story of how different people from different backgrounds come together to stay in a place with each of them having their own stories and complexities in their lives. I like tge way how the author shows in the end that, where there is life, there is hope. Worth reading!

As always, fast shipping and arrives as stated. WE are readers inthis home and the books get passed around. Rachel Hore is an authorthat we all like.

Number 11 Bellevue Gardens, is in an Edwardian Terrace in a quiet square in London.  It may look like the other houses, if a little more shabby and in need of paint, but to its residents it is a safe haven, a place to call home.  Leonie came to the house nearly forty years ago when she needed a place to stay after the breakdown of her marriage, and now lets out rooms to others who need a place to stay and sort out their lives.  Rick, works in a supermarket but really wants to write his Graphic Novel.  Rosa comes to London from Poland in search of her brother who came to London a few months previously.  Steph, who ups and leaves her boyfriend and needs somewhere to feel safe an decide what she wants to do with her life.When the house comes under threat, Leonie and the other residents have to look at what the future may hold for them all outside Number 11 Bellevue Gardens.Rachel Hore is one of my favourite authors, her books are always well written with a good plot and characters.  I find she excels in her understanding of people and their traits and relationships with each other.  The characters in this book are very diverse and all come from very different backgrounds but they all share the love for the house and the safety it offers them.The book follows Leonie's story from her teenage years working in her parents shop, to her becoming a model then her marriage and its subsequent demise and her coming to Bellevue Gardens.  The plot also includes the story of Rick, Steph and Rosa as their lives intertwine and overcome hurdles in their lives.  The book deals with issues such as the slave labour of immigrants, emotional and physical abuse, all dealt with great understanding and knowledge.  The book written from the perspective of the main characters so each section is told from a different perspective.  I found that this kept my interest, and attention.I read this as part of bookclub's March choice and really enjoyed it.  I found it a compelling and interesting read that had the message that everyone should should feel safe in their home, no matter what 'home' means to them.  It is a beautifully written book full of characters you will love.

very satisfied

A well crafted novel recalling the past but not losing touch with reality. There is romance and recollections all beautifully and delicately woven together. Very believable characters each with their own secrets and past experiences that get revealed gradually in almost probable manner. Poetic at places.