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The Hours Before Dawn
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
16 posts | 10 read | 43 to read
The Hours Before Dawn (1958) was Celia Fremlin's debut fiction, and won the Edgar Award for novel of the year from the Mystery Writers of America. Over time Fremlin would earn the soubriquet of 'the mistress of psychological suspense.' Louise Henderson is a young housewife and mother, trying her best to tend to a husband, two small daughters and a constantly crying baby. Her fatigue is such that she fears she is nearing psychosis; and she can't help but feel that a new lodger in the house, a seemingly respectable schoolmistress, poses a threat to her and her family. 'Tightly plotted and admirably concise... Fremlin expertly ratchets up the tension, notch by notch.' Laura Wilson 'Highly intelligent entertainment, beautifully written with wit and humour.' Frances Fyfield 'It grips like grim death.' Spectator
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review
Tamra
Hours Before Dawn the | Celia Fremlin
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Pickpick

Such witty writing I didn‘t expect! Most of the characters are quite disagreeable, but Fremlin sketches them in such an amusing way. Any caretaker of young children will relate to the exhausted and harried protagonist. 😵‍💫

Though I knew Ms. B was up to no good, I didn‘t see the twist coming. 🫣

I get the Fremlin love! @LeahBergen @Cathythoughts What should I try next?

Cathythoughts Great review! What to try next … , they are all good to be fair. The one I just finished was very good 14mo
Cathythoughts Also recently finished another good one 14mo
LeahBergen Great review! I second The Spider Orchid (it was fun). I have a couple others waiting on my TBR. 👍 14mo
Tamra @LeahBergen @Cathythoughts I placed a library hold on Spider Orchid! 🕷️🥀 14mo
Cathythoughts 🥳 wooohooo 14mo
53 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Tamra
Hours Before Dawn the | Celia Fremlin
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I was not expecting this mystery novel to be so humorous! I rarely laugh out loud while reading, but I‘ve laughed several times already and I‘m only on pg. 39.

I bet a lot of moms thought this in the 50‘s, but didn‘t dare express it aloud. 😅

LeahBergen 😆 It‘s good, isn‘t it? 14mo
Cathythoughts I‘m glad it‘s going well. 👍🏻❤️ 14mo
batsy Yes! It's so witty. 14mo
55 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Tamra
Hours Before Dawn the | Celia Fremlin
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People & pets fed, bread machine loaded, dishes done, Target pickup order placed, second pot of tea brewing…..I‘m diving into the tagged novel at last. 😊

@Cathythoughts 👀 Thanks for putting Fremlin on my radar.

Cathythoughts Oh fingers crossed! I hope you like it 👍🏻😁 14mo
TrishB I have this on the tbr! Will await your review. 14mo
Tamra @TrishB @Cathythoughts I‘m already loving it - sucked right in! 14mo
LeahBergen Yay! 👏👏 14mo
57 likes4 comments
review
batsy
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Pickpick

A smart, perfectly-structured book of domestic terror, & a perfect way to cap off #CloakAndDaggerChristmas. I never wanted to leave Louise's sleep-deprived mind. The writing is superb & shot through with mordant humour. I love the ironic references to the psychological trends that were part of the 1950s discourse. With gender roles clearly demarcated in this era, the real monster in the house is the husband, imo. Hit him with a frying pan, Louise!

batsy This was also my pick for this month's #TBRtarot @CBee 1y
CBee Great! Sounds like a good one! 1y
See All 16 Comments
JamieArc Great review. Love the last line 😂 1y
vivastory Lol. That last line reminds me of this:
https://open.spotify.com/track/28Tmk14BdrfaV2YzxpB35c
1y
batsy @CBee Yes! Nice way to end the reading year 🙂 1y
batsy @JamieArc Thanks! 😂 1y
batsy @vivastory Haha, yes! He definitely had it coming! 1y
vivastory @batsy 😂 Karma 1y
merelybookish Nice! Glad you got to end on a good note (after your terrible start.) I managed 3 books for the challenge which I feel is pretty good! 1y
LeahBergen I really enjoyed this one, too! 1y
jlhammar Oooh, might need to get my hands on a copy of this. Sounds great! 1y
batsy @merelybookish Yes! I've enjoyed all of the rest that I've read and it's been super fun. And well done! I'm pretty surprised that I somehow managed 4 😁 1y
batsy @LeahBergen I would love to read more of Fremlin! 1y
batsy @jlhammar I recommend it with enthusiasm! 🙂 I am planning to try and read this next year as part of my Christmas crime/mystery reads 1y
Tamra So many of you have liked this one - stacked! 1y
73 likes8 stack adds16 comments
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batsy
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Thanks to the #TBRtarot challenge again for making me pick up a book I own and have been meaning to read for awhile! @CBee

It's also (sadly) the last book I can squeeze in for #CloakAndDaggerChristmas for the wild card prompt 🎄🗡️

quietjenn I've been meaning to check this out! 1y
CBee Awesome!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1y
Cathythoughts Excellent book 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1y
See All 6 Comments
batsy @quietjenn @Cathythoughts I am looking forward! 👍🏾 1y
batsy @CBee 🎉🎉 1y
batsy @Cathythoughts Just finished, and I loved it! ❤️ 1y
52 likes6 comments
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HeathHof
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Up Next: Starting the tagged book, winner of the 1960 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel. Thank you @suvata This is the Blind Date With A Book you sent me!

suvata Hope it‘s a good one!!!! 5y
Cathythoughts Loved this one 5y
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review
erzascarletbookgasm
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Pickpick

A sleep-deprived mother of two young girls and a baby, and an oblivious husband take in a lodger. She soon become suspicious of the lodger but between the chaotic household routine and her exhaustion, are all the sinister going-ons part of her imagination? Good plotting and great atmosphere, it also portrays the challenge of motherhood in the 1950s with a little humour. The tension and suspense mounts slowly, the writing rambles a bit, 👇

erzascarletbookgasm ..(cont) but it serves to add to the state of mind of the unreliable narrator. A satisfying psychological suspense read. Recommended. 👍
Thanks for bringing this book to my attention, @cathythoughts .
5y
TheEllieMo Sounds interesting, added to my TBR... 5y
Cathythoughts Great review! I loved it too ♥️👍🏻 5y
See All 7 Comments
batsy Nice review! 💙 5y
TrishB Great review. I see I have already stacked 😁 5y
RadicalReader Can‘t wait to read this amazing sounding novel thanks for the review and wonderful recommendations 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Hope you‘ll get to read it 🙂 @RadicalReader 5y
87 likes4 stack adds7 comments
blurb
erzascarletbookgasm
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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In my current read, Louise is a young housewife with two young daughters and a baby who cries every night, leaving her awake to nurse her baby intermittently. Already lack of sleep for weeks, she is overwhelmed by domestic chaos, prying and complaining neighbours, and a growing suspicion of her new lodger. She cannot differentiate between dream and reality and things turn serious when she ‘keeps losing her baby‘.

#MayMovieMagic #whereismymind

Cathythoughts Great pick ♥️👍🏻I loved this one 5y
JazzFeathers Wow! This sounds interesting. 5y
Cinfhen I think @Kalalalatja put this book on my radar!! Sounds really intense 5y
See All 11 Comments
Bookwormjillk Creepy! 5y
batsy Can't wait to read this! At some point 😆 5y
RohitSawant Intriguing! Also what @batsy said 😄 5y
gradcat This is a great post for this prompt—kudos! 5y
LeahBergen This was such a fun read! 👍🏻 5y
Kalalalatja @Cinfhen I haven‘t heard of it before, but I have to stack it now! 5y
Cinfhen Hmmmmm @Kalalalatja maybe it was @Reviewsbylola 🤷‍♀️ or @emilyhaldi but I definitely remember reading about this book and thinking it sounded super intriguing 5y
emilyhaldi Wasnt me, but I'm stacking! Ps. Sounds like the movie Tully with Charlize Theron, have you seen it?! 5y
89 likes6 stack adds11 comments
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LeahBergen
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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I‘ve just started reading this 1960 Edgar mystery award winner with my best friend for our “long-distance book club” (she‘s in 🇺🇸, I‘m in 🇨🇦).

Thanks for the recommendation, @Cathythoughts !

Reviewsbylola Oooooh this sounds good. Stacking! 5y
erzascarletbookgasm @Reviewsbylola I have the same first reaction ‘Oooooh‘ 😂 I must have missed @Cathythoughts recommendation. Stacking! 5y
Cathythoughts Oh I hope you like it .... I think you will 💕👍🏻 5y
See All 8 Comments
LeahBergen @Reviewsbylola @erzascarletbookgasm It‘s been called “the first domestic thriller” and I can hardly put it down. It‘s great vintage-y fun! 5y
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts I‘m loving it! I had to force myself to put it down to get some things done. 😆 5y
rubyslippersreads This looks great! 5y
Jakaranda i finished it in a day. 5y
LeahBergen @Jakaranda You did! 😆 5y
93 likes5 stack adds8 comments
review
Cathythoughts
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Pickpick

#TimbitTunes #BuildingaMystery ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Originally published 1958, the mystery builds as Louise , exhausted mother of three , takes in a lodger. Eerie, suspenseful, brilliant, clever & so readable. 👍🏻
#Booked2019 #nightorientedtitle I would highly recommend this one 👍🏻✅

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 stacked 5y
batsy Those are my favourite adjectives for a book! 😁 Nice review ❤️ 5y
TheKidUpstairs Oooh.... definitely stacking this one! 5y
See All 8 Comments
Cinfhen Sounds great!!! You‘re breezing through this challenge❤️ 5y
LeahBergen This sounds like my kind of read! 5y
Cathythoughts @TrishB @batsy @TheKidUpstairs @Cinfhen @LeahBergen I found it so readable ... I would stand by this one 👍🏻♥️ 5y
LeahBergen I just ordered a copy. 😄 5y
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen I look forward to your thoughts whenever you get there 👍🏻♥️ I‘ll be reading more of her ... 5y
57 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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Cathythoughts
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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A strung out 1950‘s mother of 3 , takes in a lodger. I never heard of this writer before,very cleverly the tension builds ... #booked2019 #nightorientedtitle I think this is the one for me for this prompt.... I can‘t put it down ( good sign ?! ..... 👍🏻♥️

TrishB You‘re doing well 👍🏻 5y
Cathythoughts @TrishB this book is doing well ...brilliant ♥️👍🏻 5y
aprilpohren What an eerie cover! 5y
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts @aprilpohren yes! Our MC has two little girls in school & baby Michael is still in his pram.... it‘s getting eerier & eerier 😳it‘s very good 👍🏻 5y
batsy I have it stacked already! It does sound very good. 5y
Cathythoughts @batsy I‘m hoping to get back to it later today - it‘s excellent! I must investigate some of her other books ..... 5y
batsy @Cathythoughts I wanted to get this in December, didn't manage to. Maybe it'll be this year's Christmas crime read 😁 5y
Cathythoughts @batsy Oh Thankyou for that ... I‘ll definitely be reading more of her ♥️👍🏻 (edited) 5y
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Cathythoughts
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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#Booked2019 as I‘m actually enjoying Friend Request #SocialMediaFocus so much , I decided to get Three Little Lies ( same author)
Also, my #nightorientedtitle has now changed to tagged book recommended by an IRL Bookclub friend who has similar book tastes to me ..... ♥️👍🏻... all good 😊

BarbaraTheBibliophage Changing up our choices is half the fun of a reading challenge!! 5y
Cathythoughts @BarbaraTheBibliophage it is !! I have turned into “ the constant searcher “ for my best book to enjoy for each prompt ♥️👍🏻 5y
TrishB Cool 👍🏻 5y
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cathythoughts Haha. I hear you! 😘 5y
Cathythoughts @TrishB really enjoying the process ♥️👍🏻 5y
JennyM Ha...my choices for prompts keep changing. I thought I‘d locked most in but, nope, I‘m clearly a mood reader 😆 5y
Cathythoughts @JennyM me too ! Definitely.... it‘s so interesting ♥️👍🏻 5y
62 likes7 comments
review
deirdrebeecher
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Pickpick

For anyone wistfully wishing to be a 1950s housewife here's a bucket of cold water based on Freeman's own experience and published in 1958.

Louise's baby will not sleep through the night. Trying to care for baby, daughters and husband she is almost going insane from exhaustion. When a new lodger raises her suspicions, she is unsure what is reality and what is waking nightmare. Social satire and psycologial horror in a gripping thriller

review
Liberlove
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
Panpan

I was just thankful to finish this book - it didn‘t live up to its ‘masterpiece‘ review and was really difficult to read. Had lots of excess conversation information which I didn‘t think of was needed for only 241 pages it took me weeks to read

RaimeyGallant I keep trying to follow you back, but it won't let me. Argh! 6y
Bklover @RaimeyGallant I‘m having trouble following back too! 6y
RaimeyGallant @Bklover It works now. :) 6y
3 likes3 comments
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Liberlove
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Just this book to finish then these will all be my November reads - I‘ve attempted the bullet journal aspect as inspired by Clwojick! One of my aims is to not have so many unread books sat on my shelf! #november #bookworm #bulletjournal

Clwojick Yay! Looks awesome! 6y
5 likes1 comment
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BiblioBimbo
The Hours Before Dawn | Celia Fremlin
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Found this cool first edition at my favorite antique store today! I've never heard of it but apparently it won the #edgaraward PLUS it's about a 60s housewife who thinks she's losing it which is one of my fave tropes. I'm really looking forward to this one! Does anyone know anything about it?

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