"Patrick and Ruth Cleary are a young married couple with an apparently happy life and a promising future. They drive to Patrick's parents, near Bath, every Sunday for lunch. Elizabeth and Frederick Cleary try to convince the young couple to let them buy the little cottage just up the drive for them. Ruth is not very keen on this idea, since she loves her flat in Bristol (also bought by her in-laws), and her job at the local radio. Driving from the little cottage to work every day would be impractical. But Patrick is so enthusiastic about the cottage, and the in-laws so convincing, that Ruth gradually caves in. When she loses her job, and soon after becomes pregnant against her wishes, she seems to have no more good reason to resist and she surrenders: the couple moves to the little house. Very soon, Elizabeth insinuates herself in their house and in their lives. She decides about the furnishing, the curtains, everything. Ruth, who feels exhausted and low-spirited during her pregnancy, doesn't protest too much. Once the baby is born, things become even worse: Ruth, who spent months getting ready for a natural birth, has to have a caesarean. Despite her efforts, the baby refuses to breastfeed. Ruth, a former bright woman with career prospects, becomes a depressed housewife who fails to bond with her baby. Before long, she is prescribed anti-depressants. Her in-laws are always willing to ""help"" her, progressively invading her privacy and threatening her sanity. But she does not see things for what they are: she is an orphan longing for approval and a feeling of belonging, and doesn't even dream to entertain negative thoughts about her in-laws, until she ends up in a rest home, which will turn out to be an eye-opener... The Little House is a chilling story about family relationships gone very wrong. Philippa Gregory makes a very accurate character study, and the result is convincing and pretty disquieting. Only the ending seems a bit rushed and defies credibility. A very good novel, who will make you think twice about moving next-door to your in-laws... "