Showing results for "The Workhouse Girl" in All Categories

1884 - When Betsan Morgan’s mother succumbs to a devastating illness, she doesn't think her life could get much worse. But then her father moves in his new beau, an unserious flitty woman and coincidentally also the bargirl in the pub he works in, and she soon learns her house is no longer a home. All she can do is sit in the attic and stare at the portrait of her mother. Her new stepmother, Elinor, couldn’t even let them have the grace of keeping it in the hallway.

Ever since Jimmy was a boy, he’s known two things: the rough streets of Merthyr Tydfil and that one day he would marry Enid Hardcastle. But when Enid disappears without a word, his life takes a different turn. Determined to make something of himself, Jimmy pours his heart into his job at Mr Baxter's workshop, dreaming of the future he and Enid might one day share. Yet, just as his hard work begins to pay off, a man arrives claiming to be Mr Baxter’s illegitimate son, threatening Jimmy’s chance of inheriting the business he was promised.

As World War II looms ahead, Velma and Jack Gooding's joy of welcoming a healthy son into the world is soon overshadowed when Jack falls gravely ill with Tubercular Pneumonia. To aid his recovery, the family moves to a small farm, where Jack slowly recovers and eventually takes on part-time work. The attack on Pearl Harbor, a turning point for all Americans, propels the Goodings to California. There Jack builds B-17s, while Velma manages their home life with now two young sons.

When 12-year-old Ada Cooper's elder sister, Connie, goes mysteriously missing, Ada and her younger brother, Sam, are forced to fend for themselves. Connie's job at the match factory was the only thing keeping the family together, and when the rent man, Mr Winterbourne, threatens them with internment at the workhouse for non-payment, Ada and Sam must flee. A costermongering family come to their aid by providing Ada with a barrow of her own to sell fruit and veg by day and flowers outside the theatres by night.

Have you ever wondered if you could make a change in this world, if it is actually possible to effect the lives around you? If you have wondered, then this is for you. Jared is a counselor who is fed up with life. He can’t see the good he is capable of, nor anything worthwhile he has ever done. He is ready to throw in the towel, when an old man comes into his life and gives him a second chance.

"I wanted to save lives, but I discovered that war wounds everyone. I also discovered the power of willpower and love." World War II, Italy 1944. Grace, a new nurse, arrives at the front. She dreams of saving the lives of soldiers, but a few days later she gets badly injured, and her dreams are shattered among explosions and bullets whistling. Lying in her hospital bed, Grace refuses to face reality and is unwilling to return home to the US. She wants to recover and become a nurse again, even though her body will never be as it was before her injury. But her journey of recovery will be a ...

Born to wealth that the Civil War ravaged, held captive by renegade Comanche, and rejected by family and friends, Mary Elizabeth (“Libby”) Haley ran away from home at the age of 14. Libby learned to navigate the dangerous and volatile Old West and made a name for herself as Squirrel Tooth Alice. Given her moniker because of a gap in her front teeth and her passion for raising ground squirrels as pets, Libby made the best of a difficult situation.

Lily Moon, the local miner's daughter, spends her days as a parlour maid for Lord and Lady Bellingham at Oakley Manor, on the outskirts of Nuneaton. She's always been happy with her lot in life, and never expected more. But one day, everything changes when she temporarily becomes lady's maid to the Bellingham's daughter, Arabella, who is pregnant with the illegitimate child of her lover, and about to be unhappily married off to a man double her age.

When thirteen-year-old Bertram Jordan is arrested and sent to a penal colony in Australia, his biggest regret is leaving behind his friend Alice Truelove. The children were each other’s comfort when they had to live rough on Wednesbury heath, surviving on whatever meagre funds they could pilfer from passing market-goers. Now they must face their futures alone.

Abigail Callahan, a single young mother, is determined to create a safe haven for her six-year-old son, Carl, in the harsh world of the Wild West. Her life takes a dangerous turn when notorious cattle thieves raid the peaceful ranch where she works, kidnapping Carl and the ranch owner's daughter, Ellie. Abigail, a woman with a secret past and hidden skills, is prepared to do whatever it takes to rescue her son. She will go to any lengths to save him... Tucker Bennett, the gruff and grieving ranch owner, has withdrawn into himself since the death of his wife. His relationship with Ellie has ...

Carmen knows her beau's mother doesn't like her. Although her parents immigrated to the United States from Spain, the woman accuses her of being Indian, Mexican, or some other heritage she considers undesirable. Her beau says it doesn't matter to him what his mother thinks, but Carmen can't help but wonder what will happen if the woman finds out her parents and grandparents were gypsies.

Haunted by the memory of the SULTANA riverboat disaster, where he witnessed countless lives perish, Deputy U.S. Marshal Lucas Cain reunites with his old friend, Jim Barnes, now living as a small rancher. When Jim's livelihood is shattered by the ruthless theft of two hundred cows, Lucas pledges to recover the stolen herd.

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity. May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant.

With a saddle bag full of stolen gold and dreams of a new beginning, Jeremiah rides across the untamed plains of Oklahoma. His destination is Treasure Coast, a fabled paradise in Mexico that he discovered in the pages of an old book. Fueled by hope and accompanied by his fiancée and a trusted friend, Jeremiah is determined to turn the fantasy into reality. But the Des Gang, once his allies, are relentless in their pursuit, eager to reclaim what Jeremiah took from them—and they won't stop until blood is spilled. Can he outrun his enemies, or will they reclaim what’s theirs in blood? ...

Captured in the last year of the Civil War, Lucas Cain becomes a POW in the infamous Andersonville prison. There he learns how to survive the cruelty of the Confederate guards, and the perfidy of a few who are prisoners themselves. When the war ends, Lucas and almost 1,500 others crowd aboard the riverboat Sultana, which has a capacity of just under 400 passengers. After an unforeseen event occurs, Lucas finds himself further adrift.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love. “The Correspondent is this year’s...

My husband doesn't understand why I want to return to work, especially while our daughter is still so young. She's only four weeks old. But I'm at risk of losing my job if I don't. Hiring a nanny seems like the best solution, and Bree Miller is the perfect answer — she's young, bright and immediately adores Delilah. We go for a walk in Central Park on Bree's first day. I'm taking a call when I hear a loud, high-pitched shriek. My heart races in my chest as I turn the corner. A man dressed head-to-toe in black has his fingers wrapped around the handle of Delilah's stroller...

Over 1 Million Copies Sold A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last...

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here. Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.

This Christmas is a special one for Kitty and Leo: not only is it their first since becoming an official couple, but it's the first in their brand new home. After a whirlwind summer together, they are planning to spend the Christmas period curled up in front of the open fire, exchanging gifts and making new traditions.

A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick In this debut, for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan and Mary Beth Keane, three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend as they try to heal strained family bonds through the passage of time. It’s been years since the three...

A New York Times Bestseller Soon to be a Netflix Film A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! “Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing.” -- Kevin Wilson, author...

From the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first love. You knew I’d write a book about you someday. Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their...

"As narrator, the terrific Laser, an actress and puppeteer, only enhances the swoon-worthy quirks and romance." —Vulture A Today show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, A Goodreads Choice Awards 2024 Winner, and long-listed in many Best of the Year 2024 picks! A propulsive and uncommonly wise...

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death—by the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals...

For 18 years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows - her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy - until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF NPR’S “BOOKS WE LOVE” ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S “100 MUST-READ BOOKS”...

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Of all the stories that argue and speculate about Shakespeare’s life ... here is a novel ... so gorgeously written that it transports you." —The Boston Globe In 1580’s England, during the Black Plague a young...

When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident. During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash.

My son Cam is going to be a baseball star. He’s only thirteen but this trip is a huge opportunity for him. There are scouts from all the major baseball teams at this tournament. He is the one to watch. The night before the tournament starts, Cam’s bed is found empty. Everyone is a suspect. People are always jealous of him — other kids, other parents. Even his own father. Anyone could have taken him. The police start digging into every corner of our lives. They want to know everything about us. Everything about our relationship. Every secret we’ve kept from each other.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD From the author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that “hits like a sledgehammer . . . an absolutely must-read novel” (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl). Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as...

This page-turning novel from #1 bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, follows an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school. It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of...

It’s a New Jersey summer in 1967, and thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan has the makings of a tennis prodigy. His surgeon father encourages his ambition, while his mother dreams of their only child following his father’s path. Surrounded by his parents’ love, Ravi chafes a bit at their daily routines and little traditions. Then one unexpected day, everything changes. Realizing how much he took for granted, Ravi must grow up overnight and find a new role in the life of his family.