The House of Velvet and Glass

By: Katherine Howe

Narrated by: Heather Corrigan

Katherine Howe, author of the phenomenal New York Times best seller The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, returns with an entrancing historical novel set in Boston in 1915, where a young woman stands on the cusp of a new century, torn between loss and love, driven to seek answers in the depths of a crystal ball.

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in an elegant town house in Boston's Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium.

But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long-simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium's crying glass.

From the opium dens of Boston's Chinatown to the opulent salons of high society, from the back alleys of colonial Shanghai to the decks of the Titanic, The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist that will leave readers breathless.

©2012 Katherine Howe (P)2012 Hyperion (packaging elements only)

Critic reviews

“Richly atmospheric, The House of Velvet and Glass transported me to the turn of the 20th century and a world changing as rapidly and irrevocably as our own. A gifted historian and storyteller, Katherine Howe has created a vividly imagined world that made me want to suspend time, lingering just a bit longer with the characters who live there, before the whole thing vanished in the clouded glass.” (Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places)

“Katherine Howe follows up her amazing debut with The House of Velvet and Glass, a thoughtful journey into the realms of the supernatural that inhabits its source material with effortless ease and charm. A totally absorbing read peopled with characters who will haunt readers’ minds.” (David Liss, author of The Twelfth Enchantment and A Conspiracy of Paper)

“ The House of Velvet and Glass is an intricate and intimate family portrait, painted against a backdrop of beautifully rendered tales of colonialist Shanghai, the wreck of the Titanic, and upper-crust Boston dabblers in the spirit world in the uneasy days preceding the Great War. I’d ask Katherine Howe for more than this, but it seems churlish to request that she turn the pages for me.” (Lyndsay Faye, author of The Gods of Gotham and Dust and Shadow)

Interesting

Any additional comments?

This was my first audible, and I enjoyed it very much. It is fiction, but was well researched for historical accuracy.

Interesting Twist

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The twist in this book makes the story worth reading. Really sad...but still a satisfying ending.

Any additional comments?

The author's first book was better, but this one is still good.

great story

great story and very engaging. The only disappointing part is that even though this is part of a series, it had nothing to do with her first novel. But I did love this book.

It's okay.

I think if you like historical novels, you might like this.

For me this was a bit of a slog. The writing style is fine. The reader was fine. I had a hard time getting interested in the plot; heck, I had a hard time *finding* the plot. Actually, when the reader said, "Epilogue," I was a bit surprised; I felt like the long, long exposition was just wrapping up and now we were finally headed for some conflict development. So, I guess I'm saying I found it dull. But that is a highly personal opinion, and probably not shared by most people who read this. Do not let my need for proverbial car chases and explosions dissuade you from giving this a try.

The book has some good insights into the human experience. It did spark thought, which is very much to the author's credit. I suspect part of my lack of enthusiasm was that I already knew what happened on the date mentioned at the start of the first chapter, so the "surprise" ending fell a bit flat, and the rest of the book repeated that pattern. I think because I am somewhat acquainted with a few important historical dates already, the effect of the suspense in the text was a bit like listening to your nephew tell you a knock knock joke you've known for 30 years; you saw that punchline coming from word one.

It's not a romance. It's not really a paranormal book. It wasn't a mystery. I do not think it rises to the level of great literature; that is to say I don't think teachers with force feed this to teenagers. I think I would put this one on the "Historical Fiction" shelf. If that's your bag, give it a go.

meh

Narration was awkward with added commas and robot-like speaking at times. was disappointed that the story line didn't really tire in with the first book in the series

Deeply Moving Glimpse of the Past

Where does The House of Velvet and Glass rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I looked forward to every chance I had to listen to this story. I was moved, educated, surprised, as I heard the story of a family struck by tragedy - first on the Titanic, then in the Great War - and the secret it reveals about the survivors. The leisurely pacing takes you back in time to find a world that first appears less hurried than ours, but is in fact, racing ahead technologically, scientifically, socially while people struggle to keep up. Progress doesn't come without pain - and this family suffers when members struggle to control and understand an inherited 'gift' that comes with a heavy price. Heather Corrigan did a wonderful job capturing the difference personalities and conflicts - I will look for more stories featuring her as reader.

Slow Beginning

I loved the concepts in the story... The characters were interesting and unique, but I felt that it took an awfully long time for things to start happening. Once they did, the story picked up and was very good.

Great story, NOT the right narrator for it.

I consistently enjoy this author's content but this narrator almost ruined the story for me. Her voice's baseline is squeaky and completely unable to capture any masculine flavor at all. Disappointing performance.

Delightful!

Katherine Howe doesn’t disappoint. The novel does have a slow start. Don’t give up. It’s great historical fiction about the 1900’s. Okay

Snore!

I really loved Katherine Howe's last book, but this one was a real yawner! The character development was poor and the "mystery" was not intriguing...just boring. I really wanted to like this but I was starting to dread my listening time so I gave up about 3/4 of the way in and I almost never do that. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.