A new book from Stacey Halls is always a treat. Her historical research is impeccable, and her prose sparkles as she draws the reader in to her story and her characters. The first impression here looks as if that’s going to be more of the same. But even in that short extract, I found myself drawn in. Right away my sympathies for Martha were engaged because she’d been in one of the notorious Magdalen laundries. It made me want to find out more about her.