The House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild

House of Trelawney

A little bit Schitt’s Creek and a little bit The Durrells in Corfu, The House of Trelawney is Hannah Rothschild’s sophomore novel, and it is a goodie! Remember the old don’t judge a book by it’s cover…I did just that. I saw this cover and said yes, I need to read this book. A UK story, a castle, royalty? I need to read this book. Potential satire? Add to cart.

Trelawney Castle in beautiful, picturesque Cornwall was once a most “magnificent and grand” palace, filled with generations of royalty and their associated business and parties. Now, in 2008, the family’s money mostly spent, Trelawney and her inhabitants have fallen into disrepair. Over the course of several decades, a couple of World Wars, the stock market crash, and a lack of financial education and inspiration to keep up the castle, Kitto, his wife Jane, their three children, Kitto’s parents and an aunt find themselves hanging onto their home by a thread. Ayesha, the 19 year old daughter of an old friend of Jane, comes to stay, entering the picture as the family ramps up its efforts to save the castle. Kitto’s sister Blaze, a financial wiz living in London comes to visit. She might just be the solution the family needs, but can they depend on her? Does she want to save them?

Trelawney boasts a leisurely start, and I didn’t really like any of the characters at first. But, and it is a big but…the story takes shape and the characters become, and I found myself routing for them, and feeling entertained by their foibles. If you like contemporary fiction, and you are reasonably fine with parts that are a little contrived and simultaneously parts that aren’t tidy, and you favor a bit of escapism, give The House of Trelawney a try.