Oscar Defoe and the Victorian Workhouse 1834 is a novel set in Victorian England in the village of Isleworth, Middlesex, on the outskirts of London. Mary Anne Higgins, at the age of 18 and unmarried, gives birth to Oliver Defoe and meets with the prejudice of the villagers. Her fiancA(c), Oscar Defoe, is arrested on dubious charges of theft and imprisoned in the notorious Newgate Prison for many months. Here, he endures harsh conditions and a strict regime while awaiting trial at the Old Bailey. While Oscar is held prisoner, Mary Anne, her mother Bess, and her youngest brother Charles endure their own agony as they are reduced to pauperism and are forced to enter the workhouse at Isleworth. Meanwhile, Mary Anneas two elder sisters and her brother are sent into service at Syon House at the Duke of Northumberlandas stately home. After enduring much suffering and anguish, the family members are eventually reunited.

Oscar Defoe and the Victorian Workhouse, 1834 A review of chapter 6 - Syon House "With no time to read the whole book before the printers speed into action, I studied the chapter on Syon House, my family's London home for 400 years, and was immensely impressed by the accuracy of the author's research and the fluent style which brings the characters to life. The contrast between Syon and the workhouse and between the rich and poor, is a poignant reminder of the hellish life that so many lived in Victorian times. This brief taste of Barbara O'Sullivan's historical tale has certainly wetted my appetite for a more comprehensive study of Oscar Defoe." Duke of Northumberland,2006 "It is very interesting; a good period piece and has a nice historical flavour." J K Wingfield Digby, Sherborne Castle, Dorset, 2006

Oscar Defoe A review of chapter 6 - Syon House by The Duke of Northumberland With no time to read the whole book before the printers speed into action, I studied the chapter on Syon House, my family's London home for 400 years, and was immensely impressed by the accuracy of the author's research and the fluent style which brings the characters to life. The contrast between Syon and the workhouse and between the rich and poor, is a poignant reminder of the hellish life that so many lived in Victorian times. This brief taste of Barbara Maliszewski's historical tale has certainly wetted my appetite for a more comprehensive study of Oscar Defoe. Duke of Northumberland 24th March 2006 "It is very interesting; a good period piece and has a nice historical flavour." J K Wingfield Digby, Sherborne Castle, Dorset Barbara O'Sullivan was born in Chiswick, London and worked as a legal secretary in the City of London and Toronto, Canada for 32 years.

Tales of Woe Short Stories was first published by Lulu Press Inc, USA in 2008. The stories are mainly on a historical theme.

Penny a Corner by Barbara Sullivan was first published in 2007 by Four O'Clock Press, London, (Bookforce) and is a Novel based on true crime set in London in 1692.

Oscar DefoeA review of chapter 6 - Syon HouseWith no time to read the whole book before the printers speed into action, I studied the chapter on Syon House, my family's London home for 400 years, and was immensely impressed by the accuracy of the author's research and the fluent style which brings the characters to life. The contrast between Syon and the workhouse and between the rich and poor, is a poignant reminder of the hellish life that so many lived in Victorian times. This brief taste of Barbara O'Sullivan's historical tale has certainly wetted my appetite for a more comprehensive study of Oscar Defoe.Northumberland24th March 2006

Master Snell is a novel loosely based on victorian history late in the reign of Queen Victoria.

The Chimes A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, a short novel by Charles Dickens, was written and published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It is the second in his series of Christmas books five short books with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840's.