this book is the first in the "house" trilogy, it starts in 1381 when a serf runs away from his master, the trials and tragedys that happen to him remind us just how brutal life was in 14th century England, it makes you want more and you get it in "The house at old vine" good historical , suspenseful reading, no one has yet to beat Norah Lofts

Beautiful. My aunt bought a 1950's edition of this book at an estate sale. She loaned it to me and I could not put it down. What a shame it is out of print. I can't wait to read The House at Old Vine.

Norah Lofts is a wonderful storyteller. In the Townhouse, she begins with an ordinary English peasant, Martin Reed, as narrator. He describes how he rose to wealth and built the townhouse. The story then switches narrators to fill in the story as the years pass, but the last word in the novel belongs to Martin as a wise old man. A wonderfully vivid picture of medieval England is painted along the way and we meet some equally vivid people. Along with the realism, there's a touch of the supernatural. It's a shame it's out of print.

I can't say enough good things about this classic book. I first read it as a child, and since then (I'm 40 now), I have re-read it over and over. Yes, it's THAT good!

It is a historical tale of a girl in 15th-century England who refuses to let go of her dream: to be a wool merchant, like her grandfather. The characters are warm and alive, the details of everyday living during such a long-ago time are colorful and remarkable. History buffs will love how the author makes the distant past come alive. I remember reading it as a child and thinking, "Even hundreds of years ago, people had the same problems that we have!" It made me realize that human hopes and dreams existed then, as they do now. It is truly a story of a heroine, and the struggles and trials she endures to make her dream come true.

I have to scratch my head and wonder, A) Why this incredible book is no longer in print (???!!), and B) Why doesn't someone make a movie of this book? The book sends a badly needed lesson to young girls: that they can do anything they want, if only they believe in themselves.

I HIGHLY recommend finding this book and giving it to your child to read, and then reading it yourself! If I had to have three books (of all the hundreds of books I own), on a desert island, this book would be one of them.

"The Maude Reed Tale" is one book I will treasure until I am a very old woman.

A captivating story of how one unconventional medieval maiden uses her unwanted courtly training to pull her family back from the brink and save her grandfather's failing wool business. There's a bit of a "road trip" to this tale, too, as the heroine ventures out with her faithful pony Brownie. Part of what makes this book so appealing is the evocative detailing of food, fashions and pasttimes at the castle and Maude's house. Romance, suspense and adventure are packed into this slim volume, all elegantly understated. Don't be surprised if you get at least a second or third read out of this one.

"I do not want to be a lady I want to be a wool merchant" That line is how I always describe this book. Young Maude wants to be a wool merchant but in medival Europe young girls where sent off to become ladys not merchants. This is a wonderful story I remember reading as a child and cherish it. I hope to find a copy to read to my own children.

My husband's grandmother gave this book to me and I hesitated to read it. But when I did, I was drawn into the house. Starting with the second book of the series rather than the first actually made me into one of the characters of the book because I was new to the house. The house knew secrets that I thought would somehow be revealed to the occupants over time, but the house was silent. Each generation lived, echoing the generations before but never knowing the root of all they did. The story goes on just as life. A person is born. And the end of their story is that they die. And the world goes on. Each chapter is the story of an individual who comes to the house and becomes a part of its history, told in the first person. You love some characters and you hate others. And the house sees all and is silent. The end of the book you find, is just the end of another life. And you realize that the world continues and other stories will go onward. Reading The Town House, you realize that the stories in The House at Old Vine are going full circle in this tragic and comic thing we call life. Justice is not always found. Secrets are not always told. And the world lives with those results. You'll feel a part of these people's lives and realize that, even centuries ago, humans are just as human as you and I. And humans will go onward. My offspring will have offspring who will have offspring and my life will be forgotten, but the consequences of my life will likely follow themselves to the next generation.

This book takes place in midieval England. It is a beautiful story about a knight and his lady and all of the hard ships that they suffer apart. He leaves her and their children at a beautiful house that he built for them without food or furniture while he goes off to earn money for them. She faces a plague, out-laws, starvation, and humiliation. He faces death, slavery, and longing. It is a beautiful love story. Great for a rainy day with a box of tissues. I loved it!

Not great, not mind bogling, but pleasant. This book starts with a love story in the late 1600s. It is in a house built by a man for the Queen Elizabeth, then it follows the house to the next owners accused of witchcraft, and on it goes until 1913. You experience the love of every owner, and the losses. this book has a lot of the same characters as Norah Lofts put in her book Parageters. So if you like one, you should like the other.

the history of a an English house, and its inhabitants/owners, over a period of several centuries. Amazing, and one could believe that a similar house's history could be true, from the original construction eons ago to a surprising ending as its owners travel ful circle in time.

This book is about Daisy, an extremely beautiful woman who finds herself out of work in London during the 1700s. By mistake she finds herself in Kitty's place, a reputable brothel. Unfortunately our heroine is not the brightest, and has no understanding of what is going on around her. She thinks that she is in a hotel! She is adventually rescued from her plight before her reputation is permanently damaged. She then bumbles from one distaster to another. This book is fun to read, and like all Norah Lofts books-relaxing. It isn't very taxing to read, but it is a great book anyhow. The only down side to the book is that the main female character, Daisy, is an idiot.

Historically accurate, fast paced and very enjoyable. Daisy, 15, a simple country girl is soon turned away from her new position in Victorian London. Her May Day celebration in the street and her spirited defense of her pagan abandonment are offensive to her employer as are her supreme beauty and grace. In all innocence she enters a fashonable brothal in search of "a place to sleep." It is soon apparent to Madame Kitty that she has considerable talent and is employed as an entertainer with a new name "Hebe" (Goddess of youth and spring, cupbearer to the Olympian gods). But this is a tragedy... So it is her glory (her passionate nature) which is her undoing. Of course, one must remember that a tragedy may yet end well, or at least ambiguously. I expect this book will increase in reputation over time, although today it is relatively unrecognized.

This is a wonderfully told tale by a masterful storyteller. It should appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction, as well as those who enjoy the novels of Victoria Holt and Catherine Cookson.

After the French Revolution, the very young, beautiful and aristocratic Isabelle de Savigny flees France after the guillotining of her father. She turns to her cousin in England, the imperious and implacably cold Lady Rosaleen, who lives on a beautiful country estate called Nethergate. Expecting to find succor and a respite from her woes, Isabelle instead finds that, as a now poor relation, she is to be shown her place. which is little more than that of a servant, rather than that of an honored guest. She is manipulated by Lady Rosaleen into becoming little more than assistant to Lady Rosaleen's maid, Martha.

Unhappy with her lot and distressed with her treatment, she falls prey to the romantic overtures of Lady Rosaleen's youngest son, Alan, and they fall in love. When Martha discovers their involvement, she promptly reports it to Lady Rosaleen, who has her son recalled for service by his regiment, where he is sent overseas. In the meantime, discovering that Isabelle is pregnant, she arranges for Isabelle to be married to Martha's one armed, boorish brother, George, so that the baby will have a father. They leave for the country where they will be innkeepers. Lady Rosaleen simply tells her household that Isabelle has run away.

There, Isabelle meets Joanna, a woman well trained in the medicinal arts, who ends up helping her in a way that Isabelle could never imagine. After giving birth to a beautiful girl, whom she names Annabelle, and who is the spitting image of Alan, her life is barely worth living at the hands of her abusive husband. The fates and Joanna intervene and provide a way for her to leave the inn and seek a better future without George.

Isabelle turns her energies to providing for her young child, as best she can. She finds herself returning to Nethergate, where she takes charge of a destiny that will one day see her fortunes returned to her through Annabelle. This is the story of Isabelle's struggles to restore to her and her child the life and place in society that Isabelle once knew. It is a story of loss and betrayal, of love and hope. It is an enormously entertaining story and one which the reader will enjoy.

This book follows the interweaving lives of two families. A woman who is escaping the French Revolution runs to her wealthy cousin at Nethergate. The cousin, Rosaleen, is jealous of her and due to the information given by her maid Pratt, she marries her off to an abusive returned soldier. The story follows her to an inn, through murder, into the service of a girls school, and back to Nethergate where Pratt now lives as a painful reminder of her past. The story is facinating in the way that Pulp Fiction is. You really don't know where it is going at first but you can't put it down. I would have given it 5 stars, but Norah Lofts always seems to ruin her own books in the last couple of pages.

This biography of Anne Boleyn is short and quite accurate. There are a ton of illustrations in the book that really contribute to the overall effect. I life the fact that the author didn't overly sypathize with Mistress Anne but didn't try to persecute her either.

A great book for someone who wants to learn more about history but doesn't have time to delve into a 500 page book that is full of dry, useless information.

This is a wonderful book. A bit hard to find, but if you get a chance, I definately recommend it. There is nothing blatantly scary about it (which makes it odd that it's listed under Horror . .. ), but it definately leaves you with an eerie feeling that will keep you thinking about the book for days. Another book to check out by the same author is Bless This House. An equally chilling novel.

Ms. Lofts is a best selling author of romantic suspense and well-written historical fiction. In a preamble to this book, Ms. Lofts declares that she is a devotee of ghost stories and houses. This book is her manifestation of that interest. Ms. Lofts expertly melds her two passions, creating a crisp, creepy collection of short stories with a haunted house theme that will keep the reader turning the pages. Well-written and often chilling, they are certainly well worth reading.