The House at the End of Hope Street: A Novel

Menna van Praag

Pamela Dorman Books,  April 2013

A magical novel about an enchanted house that offers refuge to women in their time of need

Knocked off-kilter by the Worst Event of Her Life, Alba Ashby finds herself in front of a house in Cambridge, England, that she's never seen before. There, a beautiful older woman invites her to stay on the house's usual conditions -- she'll have ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in.

She soon discovers that 11 Hope Street is no ordinary house. Past residents have included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who have hung around to help newcomers -- literally, in talking portraits on the wall. Here Alba begins a journey that will heal her wounds -- and maybe even save her life.

The House at the End of Hope Street is a charming, whimsical novel of hope and feminine wisdom that is sure to appeal to fans of bestselling authors Jasper Fforde, Lev Grossman, and especially Sarah Addison Allen.

Hardcover | ISBN: 9780670784639 | Publication Date: April 2013

Reviews:

"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

"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 Little Night

"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