Tag Archive | Boldwood Books

The Hat Girl’s Heartbreak by Lindsey Hutchinson

Oct22

Working Together

The Hat Girl’s Heartbreak by Lindsey Hutchinson is a marvellous historical novel that I absolutely adored.

The action is set in 1906 in Walsall near the district of Caldmore (pronounced Karma) which I know very well from my three years spent at college there. It was easy for me to picture the action.

This is a tale with a moral showing how our actions and choices have consequences – both for good and for bad. We see that goodness is attractive, and that character will speak for itself.

A warm-hearted character offers help to those in need. Homes and livelihoods expand to give a warm welcome.

At a time when women were seen as second class citizens, it is good to see a group of women succeeding in business. Hard work and skillful hands are the order of the day.

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The Women Of Fishers Wharf by Tracy Baines

Oct19

A Community Atmosphere

The Women Of Fishers Wharf by Tracy Baines is a marvelous  historical novel set in 1912 in a North Eastern fishing community.

Life was hard. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. People had to make money however they could in order to keep themselves and their children out of the poor house. There were hard choices to be made at times. Women were particularly vulnerable. If they lost their husband, there would be no money as there were no widow’s pensions. Women did what they had to in order to put food on the table.

There were very few jobs available to women. Many worked at home doing piecework in their cottages. Some worked in shops. We see the strength and tenacity needed in order to survive.

Being at sea was a hard life. The atmosphere on board ship has been captured perfectly with Tracy Baines descriptions.

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Heartache At Blackberry Farm by Rosie Clarke

Oct5

In Love & War

Heartache At Blackberry Farm by Rosie Clarke is a marvellous historical novel. It is part of the Blackberry Farm series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in order so you can track character progression.

We catch up with the action in 1940. The war has very much been established as young men are away at war and land girls are working on the farm.

Blackberry Farm welcomes all with open arms, including the reader. The farmhouse takes in all who need shelter, love and care. The welcome is as warm as the fireplace. The farm is busy but never too busy to support those in need.

War is terrible. Husbands, brothers, sons all go off to war – but not all return. Those who do may well be injured but loved ones are just happy to see them again.

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The Soldier’s Daughter by AnneMarie Brear

Sep9

A Kind Heart

The Soldier’s Daughter by AnneMarie Brear is a marvellous historical novel.

The action takes place in 1860 in Bingley near Bradford. It is a time of change as the cotton mills that have profited from the slave trade really need a new way of thinking and operating.

The leading lady and her father have returned from India and bought a large house and grounds. India holds many memories for them and is the place where the mother and grandmother died. We witness the freedom for women in India contrasted to the constraints in Britain.

Evie is a free spirit. She does not let the constraints of Britain squash her upbringing in India. She has a kind heart, often preferring to endanger herself in order to help others. This does not always make her popular.

There is much grief in the novel as modern medicine has not yet been discovered, meaning that lives may well be cut short.

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