London in the 1700s is a place of great poverty but also somewhere for the extremely rich as well.
Bess is of the former category and when she has an illegitimate baby girl, who she barely gets to know before handing her over to the Foundling Hospital and just has time to name her Clara before she parts with her.
The Foundling Hospital is a shock to her as it is very grand and imposing and a trail of mothers and their babies is led to a great hall where each mother and child is viewed by some genteel people seated around the room.
Six years later it is an elated Bess who returns to reclaim her child after she has got her life together, but is dismayed to learn that Clara has been reclaimed by her herself.
So begins Bess's quest to find her child and she secures a post as a nursemaid to a six year old called Alexandra who reminds her of the baby she loved and lost.
I thought this book might be heavy going as I don't usually read something set so far in the past, but it is a light and easy read and I quickly got to know the various characters within the pages and couldn't wait to find out if there was a happy ending or not, so if anyone else is interested, read it and you will find out.
Bess is of the former category and when she has an illegitimate baby girl, who she barely gets to know before handing her over to the Foundling Hospital and just has time to name her Clara before she parts with her.
The Foundling Hospital is a shock to her as it is very grand and imposing and a trail of mothers and their babies is led to a great hall where each mother and child is viewed by some genteel people seated around the room.
Six years later it is an elated Bess who returns to reclaim her child after she has got her life together, but is dismayed to learn that Clara has been reclaimed by her herself.
So begins Bess's quest to find her child and she secures a post as a nursemaid to a six year old called Alexandra who reminds her of the baby she loved and lost.
I thought this book might be heavy going as I don't usually read something set so far in the past, but it is a light and easy read and I quickly got to know the various characters within the pages and couldn't wait to find out if there was a happy ending or not, so if anyone else is interested, read it and you will find out.