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Sign up todayThe Song of Hartgrove Hall
A Novel
Narrator
James Langton
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
12 hours 53 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“Three brothers return to Hartgrove Hall after World War II to find their beloved home hard-used by military forces and greatly in need of repair. Their efforts are complicated by the introduction of the oldest brother's fiance, Edie Rose, whose beautiful voice instilled hope in the British citizenry during the darkness of war. Soon, all three brothers are in love with Edie, but only one will ultimately win her hand. Fast-forward to present times and Edie has just passed away, leaving Fox reeling from his wife's death and mired in grief. Called upon to babysit his four-year-old grandson one day, he discovers that the lad is a prodigy at the piano with an uncanny ability to impart through his grandfather's musical compositions the emotions Fox felt when writing them. This novel is a joy to read and fills readers with a hope of restoration in the face of loss.”
— Vicki Burger • Wind City Books
A captivating novel that evokes the author’s New York Times bestseller The House at Tyneford
It’s a terrible thing to covet your brother’s girl.
New Year’s Eve, 1946. Candles flicker, and a gramophone scratches out a tune as guests dance and sip champagne. For one night only, Hartgrove Hall relives better days. Harry Fox-Talbot and his brothers have returned from the war determined to save their once grand home from ruin. But the arrival of beautiful wartime singer Edie Rose tangles the threads of love and duty and leads to a devastating betrayal.
Fifty years later, now a celebrated composer, Fox reels from the death of his adored wife, Edie. But his connection with his four-year-old grandson—a piano prodigy—propels him back into life, and he must ultimately confront his past.
The Song of Hartgrove Hall is an enthralling novel about love and treachery, joy after grief, and a man forced to ask: Is it ever too late to seek forgiveness?
Natasha Solomons is a screenwriter and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, The House at Tyneford, and Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English. Her novels have been published in seventeen languages. She lives in Dorset, England, with her husband, the writer David Solomons, and young children. This is her fourth novel.
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.
Reviews
“Packed with beautiful writing and marvelously conceived characters, The Song of Hartgrove Hall moves effortlessly between the threadbare riches of England’s postwar country house society and the discordant ambitions of modern life, all bound together by a timeless love story.”
“[A] tender, lyrical novel of family and fame.”
“A delightful, moving, utterly believable family saga.”
“Part East of Eden, part Far From the Madding Crowd, The Song of Hartgrove Hall finds Solomons hitting perfect pitch in this symphony—sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, always entrancing—of life.”
“Solomon’s reliably lush prose holds its own.”
“The perfect mid-winter read, especially if you’re a Downton Abbey fan…This story will capture your mind and heart.”
“Combines exceptional prose and absorbing story-telling with grace and beauty and is still a page-turner.”
“Descriptions of the verdant British countryside, the grandeur of the manse, and Fox and Edie’s devotion combine in a novel as engaging as Downton Abbey and as literary as a Brontë work.”
“Devotees of television’s Downton Abbey will be drawn in by this novel’s historical detail and emotional story line.”
“Solomons colors this beautiful story of love, loss, and betrayal with rich descriptions of the bucolic English countryside while shining a brilliant light on the inner workings of the music world, new and old.”
“Narrator James Langton tells this lyrical story with gentility and grace…The audiobook goes back and forth in time, showing us both the youthful compiler of folk tunes and the elderly renowned musician…Langton’s leisurely pacing suits the languid atmosphere, and he adequately vocalizes both genders and the varied ages of characters in the story.”
“Written in exquisite and razor sharp prose, The Song of Hartgrove Hall explores the bonds of family, the power of music, and the very nature of what it means to leave behind a legacy. I cannot recommend this novel strongly enough.”
“Natasha Solomons crafts a symphony of words in this luminous novel of a young musician on the verge of great passion. From the very beginning, I was swept away in the music of the story. Brimming with the intertwined melodies of love, loss, and regained joy, The Song of Hartgrove Hall soars.”
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