Isn’t it just the perfect weather to indulge yourself and curl up on the sofa with a saga? The wind is howling away outside, rattling at the widows and what better way to spend the dark evenings than with a book to transport you to other times, other places. Here are three that might just be what you’re looking for:
The Tuppenny Child by Glenda Young
‘She’s not worth more than tuppence, that child!’
Those are the words that haunt seventeen-year-old Sadie Linthorpe. Orphaned when her parents die of the Spanish Flu, Sadie is taken in by Freda McIntyre and her son Mick. Neglected and abused Sadie finds herself pregnant. Sadie is distraught when the child is forcibly taken from her at birth and sold on by the grandmother. The only clue that Sadie has to her whereabouts is that she has been taken to Ryhope. What marks the child out is a small port wine birthmark that resembles a ladybird.
And so the search for her child begins.
But when a visitor from her past appears – one who could jeopardise the life she’s beginning to build and ruin her chances of finding her beloved child for ever.
Another heart-warming saga from the author of Belle of the Backstreets. Warm-hearted characters on every page and a fine attention to period detail sweep you away with Sadie as she sets out to find her child.
Headline Paperback £6.99. Also available in ebook and audio.
The Girls from Greenway by Elizabeth Woodcraft
Angie Smith lives in Greenway, Chelmsford with her elder sister Doreen, her mother, and her drunk, violent father. Life is dull and boring and Angie dreams of bigger and better things.
Out shopping on Christmas Eve, Angie goes into a boutique and there meets the owner, Gene Battini, a charming older man who sweeps her off her feet. Unfortunately, Gene is married – and to complicate matters, Doreen is falling for Gene too.
As life at home goes from bad to worse the girls have to decide whether their choices will force them apart – or bring them closer than ever.
An evocative and nostalgic saga set in the 60s that brings to life the music and fashion of the time. Can you remember the Mods and Rockers, the Ban the Bomb marches? If so you’ll really enjoy this trip back in time.
Zaffre Paperback £6.99. Also available in eBook and audio
The Orphans of Bell Lane by Ruthie Lewis
London 1860s
When Rosa and her younger sister, Gracie are orphaned, they vow to stick together. Life is hard and people are cruel in the workhouse and Rosa does her best to protect Gracie from the dangers and bullies that confront them.
So when Grace is suddenly faced with a world without Rosa, she is forced to make difficult decisions. Can she walk away from everything she has built to protect the children Rosa has left behind?
Returning to the gang-ruled streets of south-east London, Grace is determined to build a better future for herself and for the children of Bell Lane – no matter what the cost.
The first book in the new The Ragged School series. A powerful story of triumph over adversity.
Zaffre Paperback £7.99. Also available in eBook