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House of Trelawney

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild, read by Elaine Claxton.

Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize For Comic Fiction

'If you’re in need of a Succession replacement then this tale of a crumbling English dynasty clinging on to the past while coping with the fallout of the 2008 crash is for you. Pure pleasure' – Stylist

'Delights from start to finish' Mail on Sunday
'Witty and stylish' Sunday Times
'Jilly Cooper territory with a whiff of Joanna Trollope ... a lavish saga' The Times
'Slyly comic' Red
'What you might get if you threw What a Carve Up! and Kind Hearts & Coronets into a blender together' John Boyne
The seat of the Trelawney family for over 800 years, Trelawney Castle was once the jewel of the Cornish coast. Each successive Earl spent with abandon, turning the house and grounds into a sprawling, extravagant palimpsest of wings, turrets and follies.

But recent generations have been better at spending than making money. Now living in isolated penury, unable to communicate with each other or the rest of the world, the family are running out of options. Three unexpected events will hasten their demise: the sudden appearance of a new relation, an illegitimate, headstrong, beautiful girl; an unscrupulous American hedge fund manager determined to exact revenge; and the crash of 2008.

A love story and social satire set in the parallel and seemingly unconnected worlds of the British aristocracy and high finance, House of Trelawney is also the story of lost and found friendships between three women. One of them will die; another will discover her vocation; and the third will find love.

Critics Review

If you’re in need of a Succession replacement then this tale of a crumbling English dynasty clinging on to the past while coping with the fallout of the 2008 crash is for you. Rothschild is a mischievous narrator and this story is pure pleasure from the word go
Stylist
Fun of this kind is irresistible
Guardian
Jilly Cooper fans (and who isn’t?) will love the unashamedly upmarket settings and posh characters. A romcom to beat the winter blues: funny, sharply-observed and boho-chic glamorous
Daily Mail
Waspish yet generous-hearted, it delights from start to finish
Mail on Sunday
Rothschild … is a witty, stylish storyteller and her overall message definitely feels timely
Sunday Times
This is Jilly Cooper territory, with a whiff of Joanna Trollope; a lavish saga about privileged people behaving badly … Rothschild is a writer of high intelligence, however, and she shakes these dear old tropes up into something more akin to John Lanchester’s blistering contemporary satire Capital … Rothschild teases out the green shoots with skill and humour … If we take House of Trelawney as a light-hearted state-of-the-nation novel, it says a lot about the dangers of dwelling on past entitlement and the importance of unsentimental realism
The Times
Curl up and lose yourself in this hugely entertaining satire of a deeply dysfunctional family of aristocrats desperate to save their crumbling Cornwall home
i paper
This slyly comic novel is a great dissection of class and privilege
Red
A satisfying read, with plenty of good one-liners and a sly twist
Sunday Telegraph
The madcap nature of the story; the clichés, and clever way they are rendered, make this a thoroughly enjoyable read – or, to use the correct terminology, a jolly good show. Yet the larger issues this satire plays on are equally fascinating
Irish Times
Rothschild’s engaging tale House of Trelawney cleverly satirises an unconventional aristocratic clan who have run into money troubles
independent.co.uk
Wraps up a story of love and friendship in a gentle satire of entitlement … Good fun
Observer
A sparkling satire
Image Magazine
In their crumbling Cornish castle, the impoverished and eccentric aristocratic Trelawneys live on their wits and value-pack mince. But the fallout of the 2008 financial crash brings even more change in its wake. A wryly witty and sharp social satire
The People
Author Hannah Rothschild
Narrator Elaine Claxton
Duration 14 hours and 42 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781526622280
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Humour, Modern and contemporary fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE

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