Synopsis
'Absorbing, intelligent and atmospheric... Genius' Elizabeth Haynes
_________________________
Fortune favours the fraud...
When she was thirteen years old, Ada Howell lost not just her father, but the life she felt she was destined to lead. Now, at eighteen, Ada is given a second chance when her wealthy godmother gifts her with an extravagant art history trip to Italy.
In the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome, she finally finds herself among the kind of people she aspires to be: sophisticated, cultured, privileged. Ada does everything in her power to prove she is one of them. And when a member of the group dies in suspicious circumstances, she seizes the opportunity to permanently bind herself to this gilded set.
But everything hidden must eventually surface, and when it does, Ada discovers she's been keeping a far darker secret than she could ever have imagined...
'Intelligent, elegant and immersive' Claire Kendal
'A compulsive story, written with steely intelligence and wicked prose' Elizabeth Buchan
Publisher information
- Publisher: Atlantic Books
- ISBN: 9781838952013
- Number of pages: 336
- Dimensions: 234 x 153 x 23 mm
- Weight: 543g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Recommended
‘The Favour’ includes a recreation and modernisation of the ‘Grand Tour’, which I’ve read about several times in other books; for those who are not aware, ... READ MORE
Desperatly wanting to fit in, insecurities
A very unusual book. Three very distinctive sections of the book. Told from a one person perspective. Wanting and maintaining a lifestyle that is not affor... READ MORE
Good read!
The Favour is Laura Vaughans first adult novel, having previously written for young adults. It tells the story of Ada, a young and socially ambitious girl ... READ MORE
Wow great read
When Ada Howell died, she didnt adjust well.
She didnt so much as grieve for him as for the entitled lifestyle, social standing and privileges she has lost... READ MORE
Gripping Literary Mystery
When Ada Howell’s adoptive father dies she and her mother are forced to sell the grand but fading country house in Wales and move to a much more modest hom... READ MORE
Not for me
I was given this book for free in return for an honest review. I’m afraid this book wasn’t one for me. I found it slow and I lost interest in the story. Bu... READ MORE
This is a great story dripping with intrigue, lies and envy I loved it !!
I love a story that is set around a group of young people, and my immediate thoughts were to A Secret History when I read the blurb. Although their is also... READ MORE
Wow, a slow burn thriller with a sting in the tail
Ada Howell felt like she lost everything in life when her step father died, her ancestral pile, their affluent lifestyle and social standing, all the luxur... READ MORE
Venice, distorted friendship, loyalty
A very unusual book. Three very distinctive sections of the book. Told from a one person perspective. Wanting and maintaining a lifestyle that is not affor... READ MORE
wow
This is a great book. Evocative of The Secret History, this tells the tale of Ada, who grew up in a massive old house in Wales, with a stepfather who was a... READ MORE
Three and a half stars - evocative descriptions
This is a very well written book, with evocative descriptions, particularly of Italy.
The main character, Ada, is very definitely a social climber, but one... READ MORE
The Favour
I really didn't see that coming. At all. Honestly it was all bit woah. But I liked the read. The fact that it wasn't all glam and shimmer made it a better ... READ MORE
Great Twist
I love a book that keeps me engaged throughout then suddenly includes mind-blowing twists and turns in the storyline. It blows my mind! This is exactly wha... READ MORE
Amazing Story
I had the privilege of receiving this book as a gift. It is so beautifully presented. As soon as you touch it, you just want to open and travel to the wond... READ MORE
Thrillingly twisty with an unreliable narrator who'll keep you guessing!
At the start of the story we are immediately thrown into Ada’s world of grief and upheaval as she faces leaving behind her lifestyle and ancestral home upo... READ MORE
Great!
The Favour is Laura Vaughan's first adult book, it follows the story of Ada Howell from Wales trying to fit in with the upper end of society. Her adoptive ... READ MORE
Great twist
I was initially drawn to this book due to its ambiguity. I was intrigued by the idea of a favour and what this could mean. I really enjoyed the First Look ... READ MORE
This is a great story dripping with intrigue, lies and envy I loved it !!
love a story that is set around a group of young people, and my immediate thoughts were to A Secret History when I read the blurb. Although their is also a... READ MORE
An interesting, twisty tale full of atmosphere and deceit.
The Favour is a rollercoaster ride spanning years, a twisted tale of privilege and the desire to fit in. What would you do to be part of another world, one... READ MORE
Interesting
i love the concept from the beginning it gives off the impression that you are the main character, and you are in the story which i love because then it se... READ MORE
Interesting and Thought Provoking
This book has had me in a turmoil of emotions, so in one way it is an absolutely fabulously great book, but on the other hand! Well, the story is one of a... READ MORE
Death in Italy
The premise of the book appealed greatly to me, and it started off well. Ada loses her step-father when 13, then the country house has to be sold, and Ada ... READ MORE
A very strange sort of thriller
⭐⭐⭐.5
So I have to be honest, when I first started this book I didn't like it at all. I found the first chapter so pretentious, with a main character who i... READ MORE
A literary page turner.
The Favour was a novel I fell into, it moves slowly but surely through an ever changing character driven drama where the people you meet are not always lik... READ MORE
A captivating read
This was such an interesting book to read and I loved it. It was full of so many intriguing characters and I really enjoyed reading about them all. They we... READ MORE
Complex character
Ada was raised by her mother and step-father in his grand stately home in the Welsh countryside. When he sadly passes away her mother decides to sell up an... READ MORE
Gripping thriller
The Favour by Laura Vaughan is her debut adult novel. A thriller that follows Ada Howell, a young woman who is attempting to find her own place within the ... READ MORE
I absolutely adored this story
“This is not my place, these are not my people”.
Quite a catchy mantra to illustrate the core of this beautiful book: how far would you go to fit in?
Ad... READ MORE
A well crafted tale with exquisite descriptions of Italy
My thanks to Atlantic Books Corvus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Favour’ by Laura Vaughan in exchange for an honest review.
‘Fortune Favours the Fraud... READ MORE
Unpredictable!
When I first started reading The Favour, I couldn’t bring myself to like the main character Ada at all. I found her to be quite whiny and wanting to be som... READ MORE
Twist I never saw coming
I really wanted to like this book however I just couldn't connect to the story.
The whole first part to the book was incredibly slow, it gives you a bui... READ MORE
A fantastic thriller with stunning scenery
Vaughan tells the intriguing and somewhat infuriating story of Ada, who, after losing her father and stately home at a young age, spends her life desperate... READ MORE
Thought Provoking
Firstly thank you so much to Readers First for my free copy in turn for an honest review. I was really intrigued from reading the first impression and was ... READ MORE
Deceiving Dilettanti Discoveries
This is the story of the Grand Tour reimagined for the Modern Age mainly from the character Ada Howell’s perspective. A group of young people experiencing ... READ MORE
Sharp, brilliant, seductive and insidious
Wow this was fantastic. An absolute pleasure to read and vastly entertaining. All the characters were complex and ones you loved to hate especially the nar... READ MORE
Dark and chilling
Wow this book was so much more than I was expecting! The writing is wonderful, so atmospheric.
The book is written from the point of view of Ada, a teena... READ MORE
An enjoyable read
I love the cover of this; so rich and decadent, much like a lot of the story. Ada leaves her imposing family home, Garreg Las complete with ha ha to be a s... READ MORE
Gripping and Unpredictable
WOW.
The book had so many twists and kept me gripped throughout.
Completely not what I had expected but thoroughly enjoyed.
The characters were very compli... READ MORE
A twisty romp through history
A solid 3.5, well written prose and detailed description of Italian art combine to give a super sense of location. The reader is transported to Venice, to ... READ MORE
I hated the characters
To begin with I was intrigued about Ada, her home, her father and what would evolve in her life. As she takes on her journey to Italy to develop herself I ... READ MORE
Oh Ada
Our protagonist Ada thinks she deserves much better from life. After a taste of the good life is snatched away from her she can’t resist the opportunity to... READ MORE
Out of her depth
Ada had been given a chance by her Godmother to go to Italy where she meets people who she aspires to be, so this is her opportunity to show a different pe... READ MORE
Pretty Good
A well written book, with an interesting plotline.
The introduction and first few chapters started off really well, the introduction of Ada, and her backs... READ MORE
Thrilling!
This was very beautifully written and an extremely engaging book with lots of chilling mystery with rich descriptions of italy and magnificent imagery. The... READ MORE
Give this a read!
The favour is a suspense novel, sooooo good. It really is. A girl lost in France, with a passion for art, it really is surreal. Ada Howell is a mysterious ... READ MORE
Wow great read
When Ada Howell died, she didnt adjust well.
She didnt so much as grieve for him as for the entitled lifestyle, social standing and privileges she has lost... READ MORE
Beautifully written thriller
I almost gave up on this book at the start as I didn’t care about the characters, struggled to muster any interest in the spoilt 'dilettantes' touring Ital... READ MORE
Another World
This book "The Favour"by Laura Vaughan is set in the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome.
This is her first book that ... READ MORE
A powerful and gripping story about entitlement and the damage such feelings can cause
The feeling of entitlement underpinning this story made it a really compelling and powerful read and shows just how far reaching and damaging the consequen... READ MORE
A very unappealing set of characters.
Ada loves the dilapidation and decayed grandeur of the house in Wales where she lives with her mother and stepfather. When he dies her mother sells the hou... READ MORE
Not what I expected
I think the overall plot of this book was written well and I was definitely surprised by the book's twist. However, I found it quite difficult to get into ... READ MORE
Interesting but something missing
I thought this was an interesting book, and I generally enjoyed it, but for me there was something missing which stopped me from loving it. I think it migh... READ MORE
Intelligent and sophisticated plot-line
The Favour is clever, it draws the reader in gradually with a slow burn and then even when you think you know, you don't! I really can't say much about the... READ MORE
Enjoyable
I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. My thanks go to Readers First, the publisher and the author.
I found the book to ... READ MORE
good
This is an unconventional thriller set in the modern day in both Italy and England, amongst the upper classes. What’s really likeable about it straight awa... READ MORE
Interesting
I found the book to start off quite slowly. If you're a lover of the arts you will love the first part of the book as its very art centric. The story follo... READ MORE
Slow burning read
The book is beautifully written and the words flow off the page. The beginning is descriptive and introduced Ada and the life she has, one which she feels ... READ MORE
Oh Ada!
Our protagonist Ada thinks she deserves much better from life. After a taste of the good life is snatched away from her she can’t resist the opportunity to... READ MORE
Beautiful setting.
This was a great read based in a beautiful setting in which it was wonderful to escape. It is beautifully written but with a large cast of mostly unlikable... READ MORE
Loved it despite the twist!
Why do publishers insist on making it known that there is a twist in the plot of a book? In the case of The Favour, I knew there was a twist and therfore s... READ MORE
The Favour by Sarah Vaughan
Whilst I read all of this book, The Favour by Laura Vaughan, I did not particularly like or enjoy reading the story. I did not like any of the main charac... READ MORE
Comparison is the thief of joy
The Favour takes us on a journey through the eyes of Ada as she navigates her late teens and young adulthood. Ada is not badly off, but she feels she is no... READ MORE
Loved it
I really liked the cover of this book and it made me want to pick it up and discover more. Following reading the extract describing the plot I couldn't wai... READ MORE
Unsure
So it was really bizarre I hated the character of Ada so much but actually really enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the dip into different cultures and the cert... READ MORE
An unsettling story of class, secrets and social climbing - ITALY
Ada Howell doesn’t quite fit. Educationally, socially, at every turn in her young life…she just seems to miss out.
Deprived of her father and the beloved ... READ MORE
A brilliant debut
I have to say that reading The Favour felt like a bit of a self-indulgence, visiting three of my favourite cites, Venice, Rome and Florence, and detailing ... READ MORE
YES
This book probably had one of the best opening lines Ive ever read! So many more people should be talking about it!!!
" Inevitably, I blame my mother" Stra... READ MORE
Very Worthwhile
The Favour is a character-driven drama where the people in it are not necessarily likeable but are nonetheless preoccupying. Set in Italy, the scenes that ... READ MORE
Very different
Ada imagines herself as a different person to the one life has casted her as. Her aunt acts as a catalyst to the start of Ada’s reinvention, providing fun... READ MORE
An enthralling chiller of trust and promises
Ada Howell has expectations from life. She doesn’t want to just fit in, she wants to go back to where she was. At thirteen she lost her stepfather, and his... READ MORE
What a debut!
I thought this was an excellent read, what a debut! Having spent many a happy holiday in Italy I thought Laura’s descriptions of the country were spot on.... READ MORE
Arty, cultural and subtly evil - what more could you want?
Wow, what a twist! I wasn’t sure what to expect in the first half but really enjoyed what came next in the second half. I also enjoyed the Italy setting, t... READ MORE
An interesting read
An interesting story and well written.
Verified Purchase
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