The Little House

By: Philippa Gregory

Narrated by: Alix Dunmore

It was easy for Elizabeth. She married the man she loved, bore him two children and made a home for him which was the envy of their friends.

It was harder for Ruth. She married Elizabeth’s son and then found that, somehow, she could never quite measure up...

Isolation, deceit and betrayal fill the gaps between the two individual women and between their different worlds.

In this complex thriller, Philippa Gregory deploys all her insight into what women want and what women fear, as Ruth confronts the shifting borders of her own sanity.

Laying bare the comfortable conventions of rural England, this spine-tingling story pulses with suspense until the whiplash double-twist of the denouement.

©2010 Philippa Gregory Ltd (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Fiendishly plotted...this is Gregory at her most chillingly convincing.' (Cosmopolitan)

'This brilliant psychological chiller...is utterly, nail-nibblingly plausible. You will relish its explosive climax and be gripped through to its final, superb, double-twist finish.' (Daily Mail)

'Insidiously gripping.' (The Independent)

Tedious and anti-climatic

Love Philippa Gregory but this was not her finest hour. Kept waiting for the story to become more sinister but it just dragged on.

The gift of hearing excellent writing.

Delicious! Characters we all know with an ending about which we may only fantasize. Pitch-perfect narration for this story.

Excellent novel

At first I was horrified to have gotten myself another corny story about women who love babies -- I generally detest children in literature and film, I abhor the platitude of motherly love that conquers all, etc. etc. However, thank goodness, it turned out that this was a far better story than the cookie-cutter chick lit plots out there, all so predictable and boring. This was a truly interesting novel.
The writing itself is not particularly beautiful (I mean, Gregory is no Julian Barnes or Ian McEwan... but on the other hand these two men, phenomenal writers, don't know how to imagine a plot). Sometimes I can overlook the lack of stylistic virtuosity, and this was one of those times. Philippa Gregory was able to come up with an engaging storyline and I loved listening to "The Little House." The end is particularly rewarding, and I laughed out loud. Brava!
Highly recommended.

Not the usual!

I’ve come to know & love Philippe Gregory for her historical fiction, but this was a more modern-day suspense story. I loved it! She had me engaged with the characters from start to finish.

What a wonderful delicious book!!!

Compelling from the opening sentence. I couldn’t stop listening, it was one of the best books I’ve read, you can’t help but wonder what will happen next. The whole book absolutely delicious