Written by Chrissie Walsh

 

 

 

 

In the aftermath of the General Strike, times are tough for coal miners and their families. Can little Cally break free from poverty, and forge a successful life for herself?

When Cally loses her beloved mum, she hopes her father will comfort and protect her. But instead she soon acquires a cruel and vengeful stepmother, and Cally begins to fear that she is on her own.

Through uncomfortable years in service, to a terrifying brush with the streets, through hard work and determination, Cally finally finds a place for herself. She even trusts enough in the future to create her own family, despite being so cruelly abandoned by her own.

At last in a place of peace and contentment, Cally has all she ever hoped for, but with World War 2 looming, how long can she hold on to the people she loves?

Taking us from 1926 all the way to end of the Second World War, Chrissie Walsh has written a heart-breaking tale of love and survival, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Lyn Andrews.

 

 

 

 

A Splendid Saga!   

 

I’m very fond of a good historical saga, and this ticks all the boxes; poverty, hardship, a world war, all the obstacles put in Cally’s way and one very determined young lady!

Cally is just a young child, but she understands things way beyond her years when her mother dies. Despite the obvious love between her and her father, Cally suffers even more in life and has to fight to survive against a cruel and uncaring stepmother. Her life is never easy, but Cally never loses her belief that if she works hard there is better to be had. This is her story.

My first read by Chrissie Walsh and I admit to being quite shocked that this is only her second novel – she writes like a much more experienced author, and the substance of this novel reminds me of such greats as Catherine Cookson and Josephine Cox. Chrissie spins a fantastic tale .. beautifully created, well-written and with a really good storyline which got me into the book very quickly and kept my full attention to the very end. Definitely a new fan here, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future releases and – hopefully –  somewhere along the way managing to read The Girl from the Mill, her debut novel. I couldn’t fault anything about this second book and so enjoyed it! Absolutely worth a full five stars.

My thanks to publisher Aria for my copy via NetGalley, and particularly to Vicky Joss for my spot in this blog tour. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

 

Tags: historical saga

• Format: ebook
• Size: 288 pages
• Publisher: Aria
• Publication Date: 21 November 2019
• Purchase Links: Google Play
•                                 iBooks
•                                 Kobo
•                                 amazon

 

 

Author Bio

 

 

Born and raised in West Yorkshire, Chrissie trained to be a singer and cellist before becoming a teacher. When she married her trawler skipper husband, they moved to a little fishing village in N. Ireland. Chrissie is passionate about history and that passion and knowledge shine through in her writing. The Girl from the Mill is her debut novel.

 

Social Media

 

Twitter: @WalshChrissie

 

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