The Salt Of The Earth
The Bad Penny by Lindsey Hutchinson is a marvellous historical novel that continues on from The Ragged Orphan. I can recommend reading that first for maximum enjoyment. Although this can be read as a stand-alone.
The year is 1894 as the reader returns to the rag and bone yard in Birmingham. We see that hard work does pay off when your boss is fair and kind. There is a camaraderie between the boys in the yard as they look out for each other.
Romance is in the air as new love matches meet up.
And there is tragedy too as death comes calling.
In contrast to the steadfastness of many of the characters, we meet the bad penny – a character who is happy to use people for personal gain, caring little for family and friends. It is a life of lies and greed, never being satisfied. When money motivates, you can be sure of a downward spiral.
All of the characters were well drawn and realistic.
Nineteenth century Birmingham comes alive under Lindsey Hutchinson’s masterful pen. We see the dirt and the squalor as well as the theatres and casinos. Ironically it is in the slums that the good hearts reign as the folk of Birmingham are the salt of the earth. In the upper echelons of society we find the darker hearts.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Bad Penny and look forward to more from Lindsey Hutchinson.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Bad Penny
If you’re born with nothing you have to make your own luck.
When Jared Johnson first meets Clarice Connaught he saves her from the hands of her father, who is brutally beating her in the street. Never one to walk past someone in distress, Jared doesn’t hesitate to help. But who is this girl and what is her story?
Jared Johnson started with nothing. At just twelve-years-old he was orphaned and homeless, but eight years later, Jared is a success. Running McGuire’s Rag & Bone Yard and surrounded by friends, all Jared needs now is to find the perfect girl to settle down with.
Nothing has come easy for Clarice but still she has dreams of a grander life and the finer things. And if her father isn’t willing to provide them then Clarice will do anything to find someone who is.
Jared and Clarice have one thing in common – they are survivors – and in Queen Victoria’s Birmingham you need your wits about you to keep the wolf from the door. But Clarice isn’t everything she seems, and like a bad penny that always shows up, she brings more trouble for Jared and his friends than they could ever have imagined…
Lindsey Hutchinson, the top 10 bestseller, Queen of the Black Country Saga, is back with a page-turning and heart-warming story perfect fans of Katie Flynn, Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/TheBadPennysocial
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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