Hester Roon
Description
Lofts is a compelling storyteller... She absorbs our attention from the first page... these are sensational tales -The Times Literary Supplement. One of the most distinguished of English women novelists -The Daily Telegraph. A natural storyteller -New York Times Norah Lofts was one of the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, known for her authentic application of period detail to all her books. She was a bestselling author on both sides of the Atlantic. She was born in Norfolk and taught English and History at a girls' school before turning to writing full time in 1936. Her passion for old houses and their continuing history sparked off her much-praised Suffolk trilogy, "The Town House", "The House at Old Vine" and "The House at Sunset". These were followed by the best-selling "The Concubine", "The King's Pleasure", a novel about the life of Katharine of Aragon and "Eleanor the Queen", a novel about the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Lofts wrote more than 50 books, including historical non-fiction and short stories.
Features & Highlights
- The
- Fleece Inn
- stood where the three roads joined--to London, to Norwich and to the sea. Its trade was prosperous, its
- hospitality famous and its host, fat Job, was jolly and generous--to his guests.
- To his servants Job was cruel and menacing and to Ellie Roon, the most menial servant at the
- Fleece
- , he was a figure of
- terror. Ellie was used to being shouted at and bullied, but when her illegitimate daughter was born--in a rat-ridden attic of the
- Fleece
- --she decided that Hester must have a different kind of life.
- And so Hester Roon, equipped with little more than courage and a strong will, began her eventful progress in the harsh
- world of 18th century England. After fleeing from the inn, she became involved in the London underworld. From there she
- was to find herself a destiny far beyond her imaginings.
