1892. When her beloved father dies, Juliet and her mother, the difficult but vulnerable Agnes, are left to fend for themselves.
When Agnes lands a job as a seamstress for a titled family, things appear to be looking up. But just as the pair begin to find their feet, Juliet finds herself defenceless and alone.
Without her mother to protect her, Juliet becomes the victim of a traumatic incident and is left to face an impossible dilemma. She flees to Manchester seeking support from her estranged family but comes up against her formidable grandmother, who is determined to bend Juliet to her will.
It will take all Juliet’s ingenuity to escape the clutches of her ruthless grandmother and make her own way in life.
A Riveting Read! 
What a story! In the same vein as Catherine Cookson and Josephine Cox, this is a compulsive read.
When Juliet’s father dies, life is set to get much harder for both her mother and herself. Just when they seem to have conquered poverty and hardship, things get worse and Juliet finds herself alone and vulnerable. She must find the strength to carry on without her mother’s protection and seeks help from her aunt and grandmother, strangers to her but family nonetheless . . .
This is a smashing read; with lots of period details of women’s fashion as well as an exciting saga I found myself plunged into the late 19th century and really enjoyed all the small details of that time. With a skilfully crafted story and true-to-life characters from all sections of society, this is a very easy book to read and the author certainly knows her stuff! Rather riveting, full of information and, at times, quite exciting too! Definitely one I recommend and I look forward to reading more from Susanna Bavin in future.
My grateful thanks to the author for my paperback copy of her novel. This is – of course – my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: historical women’s fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook, audio cd
- Size: 416 pages
- Publisher: Allison & Busby
- Publication Date: 23 May 2019
- Links: Goodreads
- Google Play
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- W. H. Smith
- Waterstones
Author Bio
Susanna Bavin lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her husband and their two rescue cats. She is originally from Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, where her family has lived for several generations and which provides the setting for her family sagas – The Deserter’s Daughter and A Respectable Woman, which are both set in the early 1920s; The Sewing Room Girl, which takes place across the 1890s; and The Poor Relation, which has an Edwardian setting.
Susanna Bavin also writes as Polly Heron.
Social Media
Website: susannabavin.co.uk
Twitter: @SusannaBavin
Facebook: @SusannaBavin
Grace J Reviewerlady 