After escaping the grip of the workhouse, Lily has kept her fiancé's business afloat while he is away fighting on the Western Front. Still battling on, she's now doing her bit for her country as an auxiliary nurse - but one thing above all else continues to weigh heavily on her heart: her long-lost sister. Born just before her mother died, the scandal was hushed-up and the baby spirited away. But now, at last, there is hope Lily could find her little sister for she has a clue to go on: the name of the notorious baby farmer who bought the child all those years ago. Mrs Jolley. Using all her pluck, and with the help of her two friends Margie and Fanny, Lily will do anything in her power to find her little sister and save her from the dark streets of London. With Winter drawing in, and the war with no end in sight, will she be able to bring her family together?

After escaping the grip of the workhouse, Lily has kept her fiance's business afloat while he is away fighting on the Western Front. Still battling on, she's now doing her bit for her country as an auxiliary nurse - but one thing above all else continues to weigh heavily on her heart: her long-lost sister. Born just before her mother died, the scandal was hushed-up and the baby spirited away. But now, at last, there is hope Lily could find her little sister for she has a clue to go on: the name of the notorious baby farmer who bought the child all those years ago. Mrs Jolley. Using all her pluck, and with the help of her two friends Margie and Fanny, Lily will do anything in her power to find her little sister and save her from the dark streets of London. With winter drawing in, and the war with no end in sight, will she be able to bring her family together?

‘an emotional, captivating read which is perfect for anyone who loves a good saga!’ Over The Rainbow Book Blog Even in the darkest of times, she never gave up hope Staffordshire, 1911. Ginnie Jones’s childhood is spent in the shadow of the famous Potteries, living with her mother, father and older sister Mabel. But with Father’s eyesight failing, money is in short supply, and too often the family find their bellies aching with hunger. With no hope in sight, Ginnie is sent to Haddon Workhouse. Separated from everything she has known, Ginnie has to grow up fast, earning her keep by looking after the other children with no families of their own. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life... until tragedy strikes, snatching away her newfound happiness. Leaving Haddon three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends in the workhouse – especially Sam, now a caring, handsome young man. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever – until Sam is sent to fight in WW1. Faced with uncertainty, can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had? Or will her heart be broken once again? An emotional, uplifting and nostalgic family saga that will make you smile, while tugging on your heart-strings. Fans of Sheila Newberry Kitty Neale and Sheila Riley will love this beautiful read. Readers are loving The Girl from the Workhouse: ‘A poignant, emotional and heart-wrenching read...best read with a box of tissues handy’ Bookish Jottings ‘This truly was a fabulous story from beginning to end and I struggled to put it down!... richly detailed, beautifully written and the storyline along with the characters was enthralling’ Rose is Reading ‘heartbreaking, emotive and well researched...This is an easy,enjoyable and informative read, recommended for lovers of historical fiction.’ Waggy Tales ‘I highly recommend reading this and being transported back in time. An excellent historical fiction that had me compulsively turning the pages.’ Books and Bookends ‘Overall, I loved it. There were lots of moments that made me gasp and others that almost made me cry, and then there were those that made me smile and sigh.’ Jess Bookish Life ‘heartwarming and emotional. I absolutely love the story line...I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is definitely a book to read!’ Jessica Belmont Book Reviews ‘I’m quite astonished this is a debut novel... The characters came alive on the page, and it’s a fully rounded story... A fabulous read’ Grace J Reviewerlady ‘an emotional, captivating read which is perfect for anyone who loves a good saga!... a fantastic read that quickly drew me into the story and kept my interest throughout with its fabulous plot.’ Over The Rainbow Book Blog ‘Ginnie is a likeable character from the off... I cried at some of the heartache she saw, and was so pleased with every small moment of happiness. You won’t be able to put this one down.’ Jennifer C Wilson ‘the author winds her story around your person and snares your heart... Though filled with much darkness and despair, there is also hope and love’ Insatiable Readers ‘Johnson has a Cookson flair...she does capture the heart and soul of her characters.’ Cheryl M-M Book Reviews ‘a step back in time with a young protagonist who pulled on my heart strings...The friendship between her and Sam was especially heartwarming. I really enjoyed my first introduction to this author’ By The Letter Book Reviews

A collection of stories originally published in the 1950s through the 1970s focuses on the sexual experiences of women.

In the 1950s Jennifer Worth was a district midwife in the Docklands of East London where the aftermath of the war meant many lived in shocking conditions. She worked with the Nursing Sisters of St John the Divine, nurses and midwives whose vocation was to work amongst the poorest of the poor. Despite the official closure of the workhouses in 1930, there was nowhere else for many inmates to go so they changed their names and carried on much as before. In 'Shadows of the Workhouse', Jennifer tells the stories of the men and women she met who began their lives in the workhouse.

The newest Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection: this special eBook edition of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd features exclusive content, including Oprah’s personal notes highlighted within the text, and a reading group guide. Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved. Please note there is another digital edition available without Oprah’s notes. Go to Oprah.com/bookclub for more OBC 2.0 content

Tears and tribulations, laughs and heartbreak, from an exciting new talent. Perfect for the fans of Jo Cox and Lyn Andrews. Cara Flowers' mother disappeared when she was too young to realise, and when her grandmother dies she leaves not only an enormous fortune, but also a huge responsibility – she wants Cara to find their estranged family. Her quest leads her to the doors of the looming Bilston workhouse where children are torn away from their families to toil for others. Shocked by the appalling conditions, Cara vows to find a way to shut down the building and rescue its residents. And then she discovers a link between the workhouse and her missing mother... Can Cara overcome her past and save these children from their fate? What people are saying about THE WORKHOUSE CHILDREN: 'A truly beautiful read, well done to the author for giving me such enjoyment' 'A very poignant, feel good novel' 'I laughed, cried and gasped, such a gripping story line' 'What an amazing story start to finish'

The heart-breaking and compelling new book set in a Victorian workhouse from the author of the The Orphans of Halfpenny Street

Discover the Workhouse to War trilogy by Kay Brellend: a new saga series set in the Whitechapel Union workhouse in East London, between 1904 and 1916. . . Christmas Eve, 1909. Eleven-year-old Lily Larkin is left to fend for herself in an East London workhouse after her dying mother is taken to an infirmary: her future looks bleak. Once she is separated from her twin brother, Davy, her childhood hopes seem to shatter. But Lily's fierce spirit - along with her beloved new friends - help her to endure the miserable drudgery of life at South Grove Workhouse and its cruel supervisor, Miss Fox. When a handsome, smartly-dressed gentleman shows up at the workhouse, claiming to be her cousin and with an offer of employment, Lily seizes her chance to escape. But her new job is far from perfect, and her reunion with her brother isn't what she thought it would be. Still, she relishes her freedom from the workhouse, and, finding herself on the cusp of womanhood, is determined to embrace her new life - until a shocking secret from her past is uncovered. As everything she'd ever believed about herself is thrown into confusion, will Lily ever be able to rise above her past? Praise for Kay Brellend 'Vividly rendered' Historical Novel Society 'A fantastic cast of characters' Goodreads 'Thoroughly absorbing' Goodreads

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A novel of orphans and widows, terror and hope, and the relationships that hold women together when life falls apart. With the trial of a murderer dominating the news, the respected wife of a New Brunswick sea captain is drawn into the troubling case of a British home child. Mortified that she must purchase the beautiful teenager in a pauper auction to save her from lechery and abuse, Josephine Galloway finds herself exexpectedly the proprietor of a boarding house maintained by the sweat and tears of a curious collection of women. Among them is the English girl, Flora Salford, haunted by a missing piece of her life that she fears to be lost forever. When tragedy strikes, Flora--already struggling to earn her place in this strange new country--must decide if she can be the pillar Josephine's household desperately needs. Reconnecting with characters of Beth Powning's beloved The Sea Captain's Wife, while navigating the class realities of Victorian Canada and the rise of women's suffrage, The Sister's Tale is a story of women finding their way, together, through terrible circumstances they could neither predict nor avoid, but will stop at nothing to overcome.