The Latecomers, Helen Klein Ross
The Latecomers, Helen Klein Ross
1 Rating(s)
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Latecomers

Author: Helen Klein Ross

Narrator: Lauren Fortgang, Vanessa Johansson, Kevin T. Collins, Robert Petkoff, Polly Lee, Sarah Franco, Sarah Mollo-Christensen

Unabridged: 13 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/06/2018

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

From the bestselling author of What Was Mine-a deeply moving family drama about a young Irish immigrant, an ancestral home in New England and a dark secret that lay hidden in its walls for five generations.

In 1908, sixteen-year-old Bridey runs away from her small town in Ireland with her same-age sweetheart Thom. But when Thom dies suddenly of ship fever on their ocean crossing, Bridey finds herself alone and pregnant in a strange new world.

Forced by circumstance to give up the baby for adoption, Bridey finds work as a maid for the Hollingworth family at a lavish, sprawling estate. It's the dawn of a new century: innovative technologies are emerging, women's roles are changing, and Bridey is emboldened by the promise of a fresh start. She cares for the Hollingworth children as if they were her own, until a mysterious death changes Bridey and the household forever. For decades, the terrible secrets of Bridey's past continue to haunt the family. And in the present day, the youngest Hollingworth makes a connection that finally brings these dark ghost stories into the light.

Told in interweaving timelines and rich with detailed history, romance and dark secrets, Helen Klein Ross' The Latecomers spans a century of America life and reminds us all that we can never truly leave the past behind.

About Helen Klein Ross

Helen Klein Ross is a poet and novelist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and in The Iowa Review where it won the 2014 Iowa Review award in poetry. She graduated from Cornell University and received an MFA from The New School. Helen lives with her husband in New York City and Salisbury, CT.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Helen on August 10, 2018

Well, if a book's author doesn't give it five stars, you have to wonder! Full disclosure: I am the author. This book started out in the walls of an old house my husband and I were renovating in a small town in New England. The house was built by the governor of Connecticut in 1853. In the library, t......more

Goodreads review by Jill on August 26, 2018

As I read Helen Klein Ross's new novel, "The Latecomers", I was pretty sure of rating it a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It was a well-written novel about a multi-generational family, centered around a house in Wellington, Connecticut. The family, the Hollingworths, had wed, bred, and died in the house fo......more

Goodreads review by Mary on September 18, 2018

Book addicts will relate to this: that wonderful feeling of excitement and expectation as you hold in your hand a 400+ page historical novel; turn to the front and find an old and complicated Family Tree, and turning to the back you discover a Bibliography which included novels that you have read an......more

Goodreads review by MaryannC Victorian Dreamer on November 27, 2018

A lovely, touching read about young Bridey who runs off with her beloved, Thom in 1908 during the time when immigrants where making their way to America to seek a better life for themselves. Before the couple can reach American shores Thom dies of shipboard fever and Bridey finds herself with child......more

Goodreads review by lp on July 06, 2018

Everything I look for in a historical fiction...an orphan! Irish immigrants! creepy family mysteries! a huge old house! Helen Klein Ross must have been reading my mind.......more


Quotes

"The Latecomers is an excellent blend of equal parts historical fiction and family drama, with just a hint of a mystery thrown in. It is a brilliant examination of friendship, family, and the ties that bind us together—BookBrowse

"Fans of historical fiction will find much to enjoy-a reprise of the well-loved immigrant narrative and a meticulous depiction of early-20th-century life."
Kirkus

"[A] satisfying blend of historical and familial drama"—Publisher's Weekly

"A born story-teller, a brilliant writer, a century of American history, and an old house that has witnessed secrets, betrayals, love and death, read the first page and I dare you to stop. With The Latecomers, Helen Klein Ross has outdone herself."—Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life and What Comes Nextand How to Like It

"Ross' moving family saga is perfect for fans of Brooklyn and Downton Abbey."Real Simple, "The BestBooks of 2018"

"A triumph of storytelling, The Latecomers is a brilliantly researched and masterly told chronicle of the decades and generations in one immigrant's journey-and the deeply guarded alliances and secrets kept along the way. Ross has written a novel brimming with historical resonance, a riveting read infused with subtle wit and great intelligence."—Kate Walbert, author of His Favorites and A Short History of Women

"Skillfully constructed and rich in detail, Helen Klein Ross's THE LATECOMERS showcases a gallery of vivid characters-Bridey is a particularly sympathetic heroine-and covers a significant span of Irish-American history, unfolding brilliantly from the story of an adoption."—Mary Norris, author of Between You & Me: Confessions of a CommaQueen

"A pair of devastating secrets twists and turns through this riveting, multigenerational novel of a wealthy east coast family and the Irish maid who served them. The Latecomers is about money, identity, and desire-but above all, it's about the lengths to which people will go to protect the ones they love."—Dawn Raffel,author of The Strange Case of Dr. Couney

"For me, the best kind of historical fiction so expertly immerses you in the story and characters that you don't realize that you're receiving an education in the time and place. Helen Klein Ross does just this in The Latecomers. Her eye for accurate, interesting detail pertaining to the lives of women both upstairs and down in early twentieth century New York City and Connecticut, and her ear for the nuances of human behavior make for an engrossingly rich, unforgettable read. The breadth of her research in this novel astonishes me. I couldn't put it down."—Lynn Cullen, author of Mrs. Poe and Twain's End

"Ross gives the novel an epic sweep of history... But the power of the story comes from the interlocking narratives of the family drama."—Minneapolis Star Tribune