The London House
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo first 3 months
Buy Now for $32.62
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Madeleine Maby
-
Written by:
-
Katherine Reay
About this listen
Uncovering a dark family secret sends one woman through the history of Britain’s World War II spy network and glamorous 1930s Paris to save her family’s reputation.
Caroline Payne thinks it’s just another day of work until she receives a call from Mat Hammond, an old college friend and historian, but Mat has uncovered a scandalous secret kept buried for decades: In World War II, Caroline’s British great-aunt betrayed family and country to marry her German lover.
Determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, Caroline flies to her family’s ancestral home in London. She and Mat discover diaries and letters that reveal her grandmother and great-aunt were known as the “Waite sisters.” Popular and witty, they came of age during the interwar years, a time of peace and luxury filled with dances, jazz clubs, and romance. The buoyant tone of the correspondence soon yields to sadder revelations as the sisters grow apart, and one leaves home for the glittering fashion scene of Paris, despite rumblings of a coming world war.
Each letter brings more questions. Was Caroline’s great-aunt actually a traitor and Nazi collaborator, or is there a more complex truth buried in the past? Together, Caroline and Mat uncover stories of spies and secrets, love and heartbreak, and the events of one fateful evening in 1941 that changed everything.
In this rich historical novel from award-winning author Katherine Reay, a young woman is tasked with writing the next chapter of her family’s story. But Caroline must choose whether to embrace a love of her own and proceed with caution if her family’s decades-old wounds are to heal without tearing them even further apart.
Praise for The London House:
“Carefully researched, emotionally hewn, and written with a sure hand, The London House is a tantalizing tale of deeply held secrets, heartbreak, redemption, and the enduring way that family can both hurt and heal us. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names
- A stand-alone split-time novel
- Partially epistolary: the historical storyline is told through letters and journals
- Book length: approximately 102,000 words
You may also enjoy...
-
We Must Be Brave
- Written by: Frances Liardet
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle, Juliet Mills
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone. Ellen has always believed she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home, the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband, Selwyn, had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all.
-
-
I couldn't love this book more.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-04-08
Written by: Frances Liardet
-
The Paris Orphan
- Written by: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Merritt Hicks, Katherine Littrell, Johnathan McClain, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City/Paris, 1942: When American model Jessica May arrives in Europe to cover the war as a photojournalist for Vogue, most of the soldiers are determined to make her life as difficult as possible. But three friendships change that. Journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules. Captain Dan Hallworth keeps her safe in dangerous places so she can capture the stories that truly matter. And most important of all, the love of a little orphan named Victorine gives Jess strength to do the impossible. But her success will come at a price....
Written by: Natasha Lester
-
The Teacher of Warsaw
- A WWII Novel
- Written by: Mario Escobar
- Narrated by: Zach Hoffman
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September 1, 1939: Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz--a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching--is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come.
-
-
Moving
- By Charlene Kasinec on 2023-04-11
Written by: Mario Escobar
-
Letters Across the Sea
- Written by: Genevieve Graham
- Narrated by: Erin Moon, Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by a little-known chapter of World War II history, a young Protestant girl and her Jewish neighbor are caught up in the terrible wave of hate sweeping the globe on the eve of war in this powerful love story that’s perfect for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
-
-
A Truth Is Told
- By Ksky on 2024-03-18
Written by: Genevieve Graham
-
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
- Written by: Beatriz Williams
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Passion, redemption, and a battered old suitcase full of secrets: The New York Times best-selling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale of lost love and female ambition that crosses generations.
-
-
Loved it.
- By Millysgal on 2022-02-10
Written by: Beatriz Williams
-
A Single Thread
- A Novel
- Written by: Tracy Chevalier
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals.
-
-
Lovely story of becoming independent.
- By Susan watts on 2023-12-23
Written by: Tracy Chevalier
-
We Must Be Brave
- Written by: Frances Liardet
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle, Juliet Mills
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone. Ellen has always believed she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home, the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband, Selwyn, had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all.
-
-
I couldn't love this book more.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-04-08
Written by: Frances Liardet
-
The Paris Orphan
- Written by: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Merritt Hicks, Katherine Littrell, Johnathan McClain, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City/Paris, 1942: When American model Jessica May arrives in Europe to cover the war as a photojournalist for Vogue, most of the soldiers are determined to make her life as difficult as possible. But three friendships change that. Journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules. Captain Dan Hallworth keeps her safe in dangerous places so she can capture the stories that truly matter. And most important of all, the love of a little orphan named Victorine gives Jess strength to do the impossible. But her success will come at a price....
Written by: Natasha Lester
-
The Teacher of Warsaw
- A WWII Novel
- Written by: Mario Escobar
- Narrated by: Zach Hoffman
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September 1, 1939: Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz--a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching--is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come.
-
-
Moving
- By Charlene Kasinec on 2023-04-11
Written by: Mario Escobar
-
Letters Across the Sea
- Written by: Genevieve Graham
- Narrated by: Erin Moon, Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by a little-known chapter of World War II history, a young Protestant girl and her Jewish neighbor are caught up in the terrible wave of hate sweeping the globe on the eve of war in this powerful love story that’s perfect for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
-
-
A Truth Is Told
- By Ksky on 2024-03-18
Written by: Genevieve Graham
-
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
- Written by: Beatriz Williams
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Passion, redemption, and a battered old suitcase full of secrets: The New York Times best-selling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale of lost love and female ambition that crosses generations.
-
-
Loved it.
- By Millysgal on 2022-02-10
Written by: Beatriz Williams
-
A Single Thread
- A Novel
- Written by: Tracy Chevalier
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals.
-
-
Lovely story of becoming independent.
- By Susan watts on 2023-12-23
Written by: Tracy Chevalier
-
The Riviera House
- Written by: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again?
-
-
An intricately woven tale of WWII
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-09-12
Written by: Natasha Lester
-
The Paris Apartment
- Written by: Kelly Bowen
- Narrated by: Polly Lee, Marisa Calin, Gemma Dawson, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 2017: When Aurelia Leclaire inherits an opulent Paris apartment, she is shocked to discover her grandmother’s hidden secrets - including a treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. One obscure painting leads her to Gabriel Seymour, a highly respected art restorer with his own mysterious past. Together they attempt to uncover the truths concealed within the apartment’s walls.
-
-
Beautiful sad story that hilights bravery and heart
- By Vera on 2024-06-01
Written by: Kelly Bowen
-
The Masterpiece
- A Novel
- Written by: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this latest captivating novel, New York Times best-selling author Fiona Davis takes listeners into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, 50 years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them. For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different. For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future. It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art.
-
-
An excellent conclusion…
- By Rozmc on 2022-09-02
Written by: Fiona Davis
-
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre
- Written by: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alix St. Pierre. An unforgettable name for an unforgettable woman. She grew up surrounded by Hollywood glamor, but, as an orphan, never truly felt part of that world. In 1943, with WWII raging and men headed overseas to fight, she lands a publicity job to recruit women into the workforce. Her skills—persuasion, daring, quick-witted under pressure—catch the attention of the U.S. government and she finds herself with an even bigger assignment: sent to Switzerland as a spy. Soon Alix is on the precipice of something big, very big. But how far can she trust her German informant…?
-
-
Women ahead of their time.
- By mdickens4 on 2023-12-04
Written by: Natasha Lester
-
The Cartographer's Secret
- Written by: Tea Cooper
- Narrated by: Casey Withoos
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gripping historical mystery for fans of Kate Morton and Natasha Lester’s The Paris Seamstress, The Cartographer’s Secret follows a young woman’s quest to heal a family rift as she becomes entangled in one of Australia’s greatest historical puzzles.
Written by: Tea Cooper
-
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
- A Novel
- Written by: Christy Lefteri
- Narrated by: Art Malik
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight.
-
-
What a story!
- By Megan S. on 2024-07-28
Written by: Christy Lefteri
What the critics say
“Carefully researched, emotionally hewn, and written with a sure hand, The London House is a tantalizing tale of deeply held secrets, heartbreak, redemption, and the enduring way that family can both hurt and heal us. I enjoyed it thoroughly.” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times best-selling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars and The Book of Lost Names)
“An expertly researched and marvelously paced treatise on the many variants of courage and loyalty.... Arresting historical fiction destined to thrill fans of Erica Roebuck and Pam Jenoff.” (Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration and The Mozart Code)
What listeners say about The London House
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ken W.
- 2023-05-06
Didn't Really Enjoy
This was not a great listen for me. I didn't enjoy the reading of the letters and diary entries to advance the plot. At times they were read out of order and were often repetitive. I felt too many of the conclusions reached were pretty contrived. I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or likable. The narration wasn't great. It sounded a little robotic at times. The narrator didn't sound particularly engaged.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!