Four super sagas for long summer evenings by various authors – book reviews –

The Maid of Lindal Hall

Katie Hutton

Inspired by her father’s early years in Barrow, and her own frequent visits to the town, saga author Katie Hutton brings us a moving and drama-packed tale of a young orphan girl whose life is overshadowed by dark secrets in her past.

Set between the wars, and harnessing the rich history of this corner of Cumbria, Hutton introduces readers to some of the area’s famous landmarks like the impressive Cistercian Furness Abbey, Townend, the eccentric National Trust property at Troutbeck, near Ambleside, and the distinctive cottage children’s care homes in Roose Road, once run by the Barrow Poor Law Union.

The two semi-detached houses – originally built by the Barrow Board of Guardians in the early 20th century – accommodated about seventy destitute children, aged three and over, who were brought up in ‘a village-like atmosphere’ and were expected to work as servants when they were old enough.

And it’s at Roose Road in 1920 that we meet three-year-old Molly Dubber, brought from Manchester to Barrow as an orphan, and placed in the care of the home’s resident ‘mother and father,’ Robert and Annie McClure, two characters whom Hutton’s avid readers will recognise from her previous book, Annie of Ainsworth’s Mill.

A skilled tailor, Robert trains boys to his profession whilst his wife prepares the girls to go into service. By 1933, Molly has lived at the house for 13 years but she has never been told the truth about the terrible event that brought her there.

When a request comes in for a new girl to work at Lindal Hall, Annie decides to put 16-year-old Molly forward. The hall has a reputation for not keeping servants due to the moody and unpredictable owner, Anthony Gascarth, who has been damaged by his experiences in the First World War trenches.

Meanwhile, Molly has fallen for Annie’s stepbrother, 28-year-old Mark Fagan, who was blinded in action during the war, but she takes up the position at the ramshackle hall because she is resigned to the fact that her love is unrequited.

But then Molly finds herself with some unexpected attention and an unwelcome visitor from the tragedy of her hidden past... a past she fears she might never truly leave behind.

With its alluring blend of mystery, hardship, authentic detail, and triumph against adversity, The Maid of Lindal Hall is packed with drama and romance... and don’t miss Hutton’s inclusion of a recipe for Butter Pie, that tasty, age-old Chorley and Preston favourite dish!

This book is published on August 31.

(Zaffre, paperback, £8.99)

The Yorkshire Farm Girl

Diane Allen

A hard-working farming family in the Yorkshire Dales are always hoping that they can make a better life for themselves but when war looms, it threatens to tear apart all their long-held dreams.

The rural beauty of the Dales forms the alluring backdrop to a gripping tale of family, love, hope and resilience from popular storyteller Diane Allen.

Allen, whose inspiration comes from the stunning countryside surrounding her home near the historic market town of Settle, has her finger firmly on the pulse of northern saga writing and the hardy Yorkshire folk who have for centuries made their home amongst the hills and dales.

Life is hard for the Fothergill family as they try to make a living on their farm in the Yorkshire Dales in 1938. Bob Fothergill has set his sights on buying his own farm instead of renting the one they currently hold.

His daughter Sally, who will soon be sixteen, wishes her father would see that she could help more with the farm, but he believes that a girl’s place is in the home. Ben, the youngest sibling, has no interest in farming so he is ignored. Sally’s loving and hard-working mother Ivy makes do just knowing that her husband wants what’s best for them.

But when Bob decides to take a well-paid job collecting milk for the local dairy, it causes friction in the family, bringing tension to New Year’s Day in 1939. And with Germany shaking its angry fist at other nations and the threat of another war undermining everything, Ivy and Sally’s lives change.

Sally finally gets her wish to be more hands on with the farm, coping with a bad winter and lambing sheep on her own. But then a stranger walks into Ivy’s life and shows her the affection that she craves and she is in danger of losing her heart to him.

Times are hard and the future is uncertain. Perhaps the coming years can bring better times... but first the Fothergills must survive the oncoming storm.

Allen, an observant and insightful writer, fields a fascinating cast of authentic characters in an enthralling tale packed with emotion, drama and the harsh realities of a family’s struggles in the run-up to the Second World War.

The Yorkshire Farm Girl is a warm-hearted and compassionate tale, evoking the long and tough working hours of farming life but Allen also brings us romance, the shining light of shared adversity, and proof of the enduring power of love and family to transform even the darkest days.

(Pan, paperback, £7.99)

A Daughter’s Gift

Mollie Walton

Some of the Second World War’s unsung female heroes are being given their place in the spotlight in a gripping saga trilogy from Molly Walton, better known as the historical novelist Rebecca Mascull.

A Daughter’s Gift is the second book in this enthralling series which stars the women who worked at a Y Station, a signals intelligence site, near Scarborough.

Inspired by her visit to the stunning Raven Hall Hotel, which sits 600 feet above sea level in Ravenscar, near Scarborough, and enjoys a cliff-top view over Robin Hood’s Bay, Walton dug into this beautiful area’s wartime history and discovered that Raven Hall, built in 1774, was used as a billet for these wartime workers.

And as the wartime home front has often been compared to people’s lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, in terms of the anxiety, fears for the future, restrictions on civil liberties and the grieving process of families who lost loved ones, Walton set out to explore the experiences of women in society, in work and in the home.

At the heart of these stories are widow Rosina Calvert-Lazenby and her five daughters – Grace, Evelyn, Constance and twins Daisy and Dora – and Raven Hall, the crumbling ancestral home of the Lazenby family, of which Rosina is now the sole living member.

We meet up with them again in September 1940, a year since war was first announced and at a time when the threats are becoming all too real. With Raven Hall requisitioned by the army, Rosina must do all she can to protect her family home from the rowdy troops. And after Rosina’s burgeoning relationship with young RAF Sergeant Harry Woodvine is interrupted when he’s posted abroad, the arrival of an older officer who takes a keen interest in her could also spell trouble.

Meanwhile, Rosina’s fearless second daughter, 20-year-old Evelyn, decides to join the Auxiliary Fire Service. Determined to help with the Blitz effort in London, she faces extreme danger. Two kind professional firemen, the Bailey brothers, take her under their wing to help protect and guide her. But with the bombings getting worse, there can be no guarantees.

Who will be safe, how can Rosina protect all those she loves, and is love still possible with such high stakes?

A Daughter’s Gift is another superbly researched rollercoaster ride through the heartaches, dramas and perils of the Calvert-Lazenby family as Rosina and her daughters continue to adapt to a new and complex way of life in which love and friendship blossom, and the dangers and losses of wartime are never far away.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the North Yorkshire coastline, and with its rich and authentic portrayal of the changing role of women and the pressures they faced on the home front, Walton brings us an emotional and insightful story of strength, resilience and romance.

(Welbeck, paperback, £8.99)

The Baker’s Sister

Gracie Hart

Head off to Leeds in the final years of the 19th century for the third book in Gracie Hart’s heartwarming saga series which harnesses all the warmth and goodness of a tasty home-baked cake!

After two years, 21-year-old Meg Fairfax has finally started to make a success of herself and her job. Her skills as a baker have made her enough to buy the bakery she loves and she’s planning a wedding to her fiancé Frankie. But Frankie hasn’t been entirely honest and both the bakery and Meg’s happiness are threatened when she discovers the truth.

Meanwhile, Meg’s younger sister, Sarah, is attempting to build a life for herself in London but soon realises it’s far from what she expected. Finding herself alone on the city streets, Sarah seeks comfort in the arms of a young cockney named Sam Waites. With so much to lose, will the sisters find the security and happiness they seek?

Hart, who was born in Leeds and raised on the family farm in the Yorkshire Dales, knows the winning formula when it comes to northern sagas and this turbulent tale of love and survival is a Yorkshire-flavoured treat!

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)