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Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. There’s a family that invites these other families to come live with them, a dude growing drugs at their house, a woman who is fiddler that’s busking on the streets and asking her abusive ex-husband for help, and a possible suicide pact/cult murder. None of this is implausible or that out there, but they’re a bit weird plot components. Whether or not it’s weird in a good or bad way probably depends on the reader. The Good Stuff She compromised on everything in the end to find a place that was close to her job and not too far from the train station. There was no gut instinct as she stepped across the threshold; her heart said nothing to her as the estate agent showed her around. But she made it a home to be proud of, painstakingly creaming off the best that T.J.Maxx had to offer, and now her badly converted, slightly awkward one-bedroom flat makes her feel happy. She bought it; she adorned it. It belongs to her. There are many intriguing characters who do not directly narrate the novel. Is there a character whose point of view you’d have liked to had included? What do you think Martina, for example, thought about David and Birdie’s choices? Go and see the solicitors,” says her mother. “Call them. Make an appointment. Make sure it’s not a mistake.”
The Family Upstairs | Book by Lisa Jewell | Official The Family Upstairs | Book by Lisa Jewell | Official
She takes the letter into the kitchen and sits it on the table while she fills the kettle and puts a tea bag in a mug. Libby is pretty sure she knows what’s in the envelope. She turned twenty-five last month. She’s been subconsciously waiting for this envelope. But now that it’s here she’s not sure she can face opening it. In The Family Upstairs, the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and master of “bone-chilling suspense” ( People) delivers another powerful and propulsive story of two families living in a house with the darkest of secrets. Meanwhile, in France, a musician living on the streets realizes that it's time for her to return to London to deal with things she once left behind.In Part III, we learn that after Martina's miscarriage, David impregnated 13-year-old Lucy, resulting in baby Libby. In present day, Lucy finds Henry at the mansion (masquerading as Phin). (So, Libby and Miller are actually talking to Henry). While the premise of The Family Upstairs seems like pretty standard mystery fare, I should warn you that this is sort of a weird story. Lucy and Clemency experienced unspeakable abuse as children, but, miraculously, they managed to break the cycle and become good mothers to their children. What are their relationships like with their children? What makes them good moms? The relationship between Henry and Phin is pivotal to the plot, but we aren’t told as much about the friendship between Lucy and Clemency. What details do we glean about their relationship from Henry and Lucy’s memories and Clemency’s account toward the end of the novel? In your opinion, who is the most tragic figure in this novel? Do they experience healing or redemption?
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell | Waterstones
She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. I think so.” There’s a covering letter, something about nobody else named on the trust coming forward in due time. She can’t digest it at all. Henry, rightfully, hates David. Yet, Henry and David share many similar tendencies and qualities. Compare and contrast the two men. What is the effect of characters calling Libby “the baby” throughout the novel? How does this inform your opinion of Libby and her role in the story? Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.
As trustee of the Henry and Martina Lamb Trust created on 12 July 1977, I propose to make the distribution from it to you described in the attached schedule… What types of power are wielded in this novel? Who has power, who loses it, and who wants it? Is there a character without any agency?
The Family Remains: the gripping Sunday Times No. 1 The Family Remains: the gripping Sunday Times No. 1
Her mum knows what’s in here. Or at least she has an idea, though she was never told formally what was in the trust. It might, as she has always said, be a teapot and a ten-pound note. As Libby looks into the circumstances of their lives, deaths and disappearances, she risks uncovering dark secrets as her investigation leads her down a path of strange discoveries. I thought much of it was very well done. The mystery is compelling and paced evenly throughout the book. Jewell draws a compelling portrait of a family falling into the clutches of a conniving egomaniac. It’s not entirely satisfying, but is largely well-written and believable enough. I like that Jewell makes the effort to craft mystery novels that aren’t only centered around a handful of plot twists. Instead, she tries to offer her readers compelling stories that extend beyond that. But of course there’s some plot twists in there, too!Well then, my angel,” says her mother—and Libby can hear her smile from all these miles away—“you’ll be a very rich woman indeed.”
The Family Upstairs (Lisa Jewell) Summary Guide - LitLovers The Family Upstairs (Lisa Jewell) Summary Guide - LitLovers
The parts with Libby and Miller investigating the story were probably my favorite parts, possibly because they’re the most normal/relate-able characters in the book. I guess I’m just basic like that, but either way, all the characters feel distinctive with unique personalities. I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I initially thought I would. Read it or Skip it? Rich, dark, and intricately twisted, this enthralling whodunit mixes family saga with domestic noir to brilliantly chilling effect.” —Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author However, I think this is a highly subjective opinion, and there’s nothing objectively bad about any of it. In fact, after reading, my main thought was that the book is well-plotted and well-written as far as mysteries go. There’s a good cast of characters, an interesting plot, and Jewell has written a thriller that’s more than just some plot twists. Overall, I liked this book, even if the subject matter wasn’t to my tastes. The ending isn’t perfect (I was left with a few questions), but it’s not bad either. With its atmospheric setting, dark mystery, and twists and turns, The Family Upstairs seems like the perfect book to adapt to a movie. Who would you cast as its stars? Discuss as a group how a director might adapt a book with so many narrators and perspectives.She feels a little breathless, as she sometimes does when she’s just about to stand up and give a sales presentation at work, like she’s had a strong coffee. She takes the tea bag out of the mug and sits down. Her fingers caress the corner of the envelope and she inhales.
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