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House at the end of Hope street





A Hope street. A house at the end of it. Unseen by many, seen and visited by a handful of very special people.
To be more specific, famous writers, painters, doctors, social activists from the 19th century onwards. What is so special about it? You would wonder.

All of the boarders of the House at the end of the Hope street were women. Women who were struggling through a desperate period of time in their lives. This is the House which provided them with Hope! A space which provided them with ample  time to listen to their own hearts. A place where they formed new friendships with each other.

The book "House at the end of Hope street" is a whimsical novel that addresses hope, feminine strength and wisdom written by the 21st century novelist Menna Van Praag. I read the book recently and was fascinated by the storyline and the beauty of the language used, after reading the first few chapters. The story is about Alba, a young university undergraduate who is going through many difficulties in her academic career. She encounters the House at the end of hope street almost accidentally while wandering along the streets of Cambridge. Peggy, the kind, old house keeper invites her to stay at the house at the end of Hope street and Alba is given ninety nine nights to find answers to her problems in life. In other words, to find out her own self, her dreams and to fulfill them.

I really enjoyed reading it and could draw parallels between the characters and their experiences with what we learnt under Feminist literary theory last year. So, if you are looking forward to unveil all the marvels the book contains I assure you that you are in for a lovely treat!

~Parami Ranasinghe














Comments

  1. sevenamusedbloggersMarch 4, 2021 at 3:41 AM

    This reminded me of the Room Of Requirement (which I still believe is a fabulous room) in Harry Potter which only appears to people in great need of something or the other. This is my first time hearing about this particular novel and I am very curious to know what the plot of it is since you made sure not to reveal any spoilers so i can only assume what it may be about! I'm sure it's a very relatable novel because who wouldn't love to have a space that is devoted to addressing your problems! I would love to give this novel a try sometime in the future!

    -Nipuni

    ReplyDelete
  2. SashaMarch 26, 2021 at 1:46 AM

    Seems like a very relatable and exciting novel Parami! Will definitely check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. NuzlaApril 1, 2021 at 9:27 AM

    Thank you for this post on the novel! I will absolutely read this first thing when I leave university, in peace and quiet without deadlines to face! I love the way you've described it, and it reminds me of the days when I'd read a lot of stories and novels with female leads, fairytales and the like, learning and discovering a lot through their journeys and struggles, hopes and dreams. Waiting to get back to the days of pleasure-reading!

    Nuzla Niyas

    ReplyDelete
  4. TherushieApril 3, 2021 at 1:57 AM

    Sounds lovely, Parami! Being undergrads ourselves, I think we could all use a house at the end of hope street right about now haha :P

    ReplyDelete
  5. SanduniApril 3, 2021 at 3:43 AM

    Thank you for this recommendation Parami! It's been a while since I've read a book. (Couldn't eally get myself to pick up another novel after reading TONS of books for uni :3 ) I'm really looking forward to check it out!

    ReplyDelete

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