The House at the End of Hope Street - by Menna Van Praag (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When Alba Ashby, the youngest Ph.D. student at Cambridge University, suffers the Worst Event of Her Life, she finds herself at the door of 11 Hope Street. There, a beautiful older woman named Peggy invites Alba to stay on the house's unusual conditions: she'll have ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. Once inside, Alba discovers that 11 Hope Street is no ordinary house. Past residents include Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Parker, and Agatha Christie, who all stayed there at hopeless times in their lives and who still hang around--quite literally--in talking portraits on the walls. With their help Alba begins to piece her life back together and embarks on a journey that may save her life.

Filled with a colorful, unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a wholly imaginative novel of feminine wisdom and second chances, with just the right dash of magic.

Review Quotes

"Van Praag's writing is bright and hopeful, while rich characters combined with an enchanting blend of the real and the mystical make this tribute to individuality a delightful and engaging read. Fans of Jasper Fforde, Gloria Naylor, or Sarah Addison Allen will especially appreciate this story as a celebration of feminine strength and accomplished women through the ages."
--Booklist (starred review)

"Van Praag's fairytale first novel features a house that can change one's life. . . . Fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen should like."
--Library Journal

"Absolutely delightful . . . . Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will thoroughly enjoy this story from start to finish. Well-drawn fictional characters, sprinkled with famous female characters from the past, combine to tell a tale of life, love, and discovering your deepest desires."
--RT Book Reviews (top pick, 4.5 stars)

"Sweet, magical, bookish and romantic."
--Sarah Addison Allen, bestselling author of The Peach Keeper

"This fresh, whimsical book is as full of heart as the house at its heart is full of fascinating women. We should all have such friends and such a refuge!"
--Marisa de los Santos, bestselling author of Falling Together and Love Walked In

"Menna van Praag has created a magical book about an enchanted house and the notable women who inhabit it, both living and dead. Richly atmospheric, literary, and textured, The House at the End of Hope Street casts an enthralling spell, giving both characters and readers not only what they most want, but what they ultimately need."
--Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places

"An enchanting novel . . . Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will be delighted to discover the house at the end of Hope Street, a magical place where ninety-nine days is just long enough to change a life."
--Erica Bauermeister, bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients and The Lost Art of Mixing

"I entered The House at the End of Hope Street and was enchanted--literally under the spell--of Menna van Praag's tender, playful, beautiful writing. It fulfills my book lover's dream of an English literary landscape, in the most surprising and magical way."
--Luanne Rice, bestselling author of The Lemon Orchard

"This exceptional novel enchanted me from the first beautiful page. If only I could stay a spell myself at the house at the end of Hope Street."
--Melissa Senate, bestselling author of The Love Goddess' Cooking School

"The House at the End of Hope Street is a sunrise of a novel, so fresh and lovely, whimsical and original that it will enchant and surprise even the most jaded of readers."
--Barbara O'Neal, author of The Garden of Happy Endings

"The story offers a wonderful mix of all-too-real problems in a fantastical setting. And who couldn't use a Hope Street at some point in her life?"
--Juliette Fay, author of Deep Down True and The Shortest Way Home

About the Author