Of Kind Hearts And Angels
The Runaway Children by Lindsey Hutchinson is a late Victorian novel set in the heart of the Black Country (where all my ancestors come from).
Here, we meet people who are the salt of the earth. People do not have much but what they do have, they share with those who have nothing. Kind hearts and open hands abound as we see that the richest people are those who know how to love.
In contrast, a character with wealth is cruel and tight-fisted, intent on causing trouble and strife wherever she goes.
Family is important. Family are those who love us. We see a new family unit created by those who have nothing uniting together.
Our roots are important. We see a young girl exploring to find out where she comes from. A stash of photos creates more questions than answers.
A promise made years ago sees a family having a guardian angel watching over them. What could have been catastrophic has the potential to be something quite different.
The characters were all well drawn and likable. The villain of the piece was realistically drawn, eliciting feelings of dislike from me.
I really enjoyed The Runaway Children, not least because I was reading on home turf.
I received a free copy from Boldwood and Rachel’s Random Resources via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Runaway Children
A heart-warming saga about surviving against the odds and finding a family, from top 10 bestseller Lindsey Hutchinson.
In two rundown, abandoned houses, at the side of a barren Black Country heath, live six children with no family but each other. Abandoned or orphaned, every day is a fight to find food and keep warm. But they are determined to stay free of the clutches of the workhouse and the horrors that would face them if they were ever torn apart.
Dora Parsons lives with her mother Mary and her evil grandmother Edith. Edith’s house may be comfortable and warm, and food is plentiful, but every day Dora suffers at the hands of her spiteful gran. Desperate to protect her child, Mary longs to run away but she has no money to keep them alive and nowhere else to call home.
When fate intervenes and Mary and Dora meet the children, events are set in train that will change all their lives forever. But will the friends find peace and comfort at last, or does the chill of the winter signal the most desperate ending of all…
The Queen of Black Country sagas is back with a heart-breaking, page-turning story of survival, friendship and what it means to be a family. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.
Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/30A7GCD
Author Bio –
Lindsey Hutchinson is a bestselling saga author whose novels include The Workhouse Children. She was born and raised in Wednesbury, and was always destined to follow in the footsteps of her mother, the multi-million selling Meg Hutchinson.
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