Readers Place

About the Book

The first time Annie Sweet sees 43 Stanley Road, the house is so perfect she almost feels as though it has chosen her. She longs to move in, but with her husband seeming more distant, and her daughter wrapped up in her friends and new school, Annie is left alone to mull over the past.

Soon she becomes consumed by the house and everyone who has lived there before her, especially a young chorus girl called Lily Painter, a rising star of the music hall whose sparkling performances were the talk of the town.

As Annie delves further into Lily’s past she begins to unravel a dark episode from Edwardian London, that of two notorious baby farmers, who lured young unmarried mothers with the promise of a better life for their babies. Until Annie solves the mystery at the heart of the scandal, the ghost of Lily Painter will never be able to rest.

Based on a real period from London’s rich history, Caitlin Davies skilfully blends fact and fiction to bring to life part of our sinister past. Spanning an entire century, from the journals of an Edwardian police inspector to a doomed wartime love affair, The Ghost of Lily Painter is an engrossing and poignant novel from a hugely talented writer.

Starting Points for Discussion

*The Ghost of Lily Painter is full of strong female characters. In what ways is the subject of women’s rights and emancipation explored in the book? *What effect do you think the break-up of Annie’s marriage has on the other relationships in her life and how does it allow developments to take place in the novel? *The Ghost of Lily Painter spans a period of over 100 years but the characters’ lives are linked in many ways. Did you find any parallels between any of the issues and dilemmas the different characters faced and how much do you think society’s attitudes towards these issues have changed now? *Annie’s Mum is very cagey about her ancestry – why do you think this is? *Did the story make you curious about your own home’s previous
occupants? Have you ever used a census to trace your or someone else’s genealogy? *The last Government Census in the UK sparked debate over its
practicality, relevance and whether it should continue. What are your thoughts on the Census? *Think about the ways the different inhabitants of 43 Stanley Road have reacted to the presence of Lily Painter’s ghost. Have you ever seen or felt a presence … do you believe in ghosts?

Suggested Further Reading

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale