An emotive treasure of a book from Stacey Hall.
Heartbreakingly, the main protagonist is forced to give up her baby to the foundling hospital due to lack of funds to raise her. The Foundling sets the tone of gender division and inequality which was rife at this time: ‘We prepare girls for service, and set them to knitting, spinning, mending – domestic pursuits that will make them attractive to employers. The boys work in the rope- yards making fishing nets and twine to ready them for naval life”
After giving away her child the poor new mother, Bess, is forced to get on with her job, no post childbirth rest, there is rent to pay. The beautiful writing allows us to emphasise with the downtrodden characters, underlining how fortunate we are in modern Britain.
The author has done her research, historic London comes across well, the vibrancy of the characters contrasting with the indecencies forced upon the poor, the fresh and some times vulgar language brings those murky times to life.
This is sure to appeal to a wide audience, there is huge interest in ancestry these days, people are fascinated to know where they come from. Clara/Charlotte is not given a perspective, the book switches between Bess and Alexandra’s views, but through their eyes we develop a good view of what this little girl feels and desires. This is a story about what it is to be a mother, a demonstration that there are different kinds of mother and love.
I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly, pushed on by the beautiful prose, I think the ending was possibly a little rushed, but it did not detract from my overall enjoyment. A super read!
Heartbreakingly, the main protagonist is forced to give up her baby to the foundling hospital due to lack of funds to raise her. The Foundling sets the tone of gender division and inequality which was rife at this time: ‘We prepare girls for service, and set them to knitting, spinning, mending – domestic pursuits that will make them attractive to employers. The boys work in the rope- yards making fishing nets and twine to ready them for naval life”
After giving away her child the poor new mother, Bess, is forced to get on with her job, no post childbirth rest, there is rent to pay. The beautiful writing allows us to emphasise with the downtrodden characters, underlining how fortunate we are in modern Britain.
The author has done her research, historic London comes across well, the vibrancy of the characters contrasting with the indecencies forced upon the poor, the fresh and some times vulgar language brings those murky times to life.
This is sure to appeal to a wide audience, there is huge interest in ancestry these days, people are fascinated to know where they come from. Clara/Charlotte is not given a perspective, the book switches between Bess and Alexandra’s views, but through their eyes we develop a good view of what this little girl feels and desires. This is a story about what it is to be a mother, a demonstration that there are different kinds of mother and love.
I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly, pushed on by the beautiful prose, I think the ending was possibly a little rushed, but it did not detract from my overall enjoyment. A super read!