BLOG TOUR: A Secret in the Family - Nancy Revell

1945, Sunderland. Ida Boulter makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave her five children behind as she escapes her husband and moves to London to start afresh with the love of her life.

1953, County Durham. Ida’s children have since built a new life in the beautiful home of Cuthford Manor – looked after by their eldest sibling Angie and her husband.

But their world is about to be rocked once again when their mother turns up out of the blue for the first time in eight years.

She has come back bearing a secret she can no longer keep from her family.

Will telling the truth cause more harm than good?

Only their love for one another will carry them through the turbulent times ahead.

 

What did I think?

It took me far too long to discover the books of local author Nancy Revell, but better late than never, and I have recently completed my Shipyard Girls collection after absolutely loving The Widow's Choice.  A Secret in the Family is the sequel to The Widow's Choice but it can definitely be read as a standalone, so don't be afraid to jump into the series if you're just discovering it now.

Young Ida dreams of a life on the stage but, like most working class women in Sunderland, she finds herself looking after a brood of children whilst her husband Fred spends his hard-earned wages from the pit down the pub.  It's no wonder that Ida's head is turned by Carl but when their affair is discovered she has a difficult choice to make: leave her children and start a new life or take the inevitable beating from Fred.  

Having read The Widow's Choice, I saw Ida in a bad light as I couldn't understand how she could leave her children but there are always two sides to every story and this is Ida's.  How my heart went out to her both in the past and the present and I was so pleased that she found happiness with Carl.

I really enjoyed catching up with Angie and her siblings again.  Angie has suffered her own heartbreak in the past but she has been given a second chance at love with Stanislaw, however, she is still not allowing herself to be truly happy.  When Ida returns, it's quite a shock for the siblings and some forgive her quicker than others.  There is so much emotion in this book that I couldn't hold back my tears at the end, so I would advise have a tissue handy when you're reading it.

Emotional, heartwarming and captivating, Nancy Revell brings the past to life in her wonderful new book, A Secret in the Family.  From County Durham to London, I felt like I was walking in the characters' shoes and experienced not just the sights and sounds but their emotions too.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend A Secret in the Family and I adored every single beautifully written word.  An easy five stars!

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Nancy Revell is the author of 12 titles in the bestselling Shipyard Girls series, which tells the story of a group of women who work in a Sunderland shipyard during WWII. Her books have sold more than half a million copies, across all editions, with the last book in the Shipyard Girl series a No.2 Sunday Times Bestseller. 

Before that, she was a journalist who worked for all the national newspapers, providing them with hard- hitting news stories and in-depth features. She also wrote inspirational true-life stories for just about every woman’s magazine in the country. 

Nancy was born and brought up in the North East of England and now lives in Oxfordshire with her husband, Paul.

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The Widow's Choice - Nancy Revell

1949, County Durham.

From the Shipyards of Sunderland to Lady of the Manor . . .

When Angie marries her sweetheart Quentin and moves into Cuthford Manor to begin their new life together, she feels like the luckiest woman in the world.

But Quentin falls victim to a tragic accident and Angie's life is left devastated. Now, along with the prospect of rebuilding her life, she is faced with an impossible choice that will have far-reaching consequences for herself and those she loves most.

Angie will need to draw on the help of her family, the community of Cuthford Manor and her old friends from the shipyards if she's to find happiness again.

 

What did I think?

I've wanted to read one of Nancy Revell's novels in The Shipyards Girls series since I realised they were set locally in Sunderland and I finally have a Nancy Revell novel in my hands in the form of The Widow's Choice.  There are 12 books in the series that finished in 2022 but The Widow's Choice revisits some of the main characters so fans of the series could see what happens next and new readers would be tempted to see what happened earlier.  

Although the characters are new to me I felt as if I'd known them for years.  I felt Angie's pain at her devastating loss and could totally understand why she wanted to make a new start but memories are more than bricks and mortar.  Luckily, she has her shipyard girls around her to support her through her difficult time.

Angie may be the mistress of Cuthford Manor but it's a title that she doesn't feel she is entitled to and this isn't helped by her devious mother in law who is determined to get her hands on the manor for herself.  There are secrets aplenty to discover in this engaging family saga and I was surprised to find myself researching some true stories that I had never heard of before.

Heartbreaking, heartwarming and completely uplifting, The Widow's Choice has it all: strong female characters, devastating family secrets and a bucketful of emotions.  I am now more than tempted to read The Shipyard Girls series, in fact I feel compelled to do so after encountering these colourful characters for the first time in The Widow's Choice.  

I received a paperback copy for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Sixpenny Orphan - Glenda Young

'Please, sir, take us both. We only have each other. We don't know how to live apart.'

After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters - and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence.

Ten years later, Poppy is married with three children. Not a day goes by when she doesn't think about Rose, but after many years of searching, Poppy has accepted that her sister is lost to her. That is until a letter suddenly arrives, revealing Rose's fate and breaking Poppy's heart. Determined to be reunited with her beloved sister, Poppy sets out to bring Rose home.

 

What did I think?

It is always a pleasure to read a Glenda Young novel and The Sixpenny Orphan is no exception.  I absolutely love these sagas set just after World War I in the coal mining village of Ryhope in Sunderland.  The past is brought vividly to life through the warm and evocative writing of natural storyteller, Glenda Young.

This book starts in 1909 when orphans Poppy and Rose are children living in the farming community of Ryhope with Nellie the knocker upper.  I didn't even know such a role existed but in the days before alarm clocks, the coalminers needed somebody to wake them up before their shift at the pit.  Nellie has plans to turn the girls from a burden into a commodity but when a man from Sunderland turns up to buy them, he will only take Rose.

Oh my heart broke for these two girls.  They have had so much heartache in their short life since the death of their parents and then living in such awful conditions with a woman who doesn't care about them.  Splitting them up is devastating for both Poppy and Rose but we really see what Poppy is made of when she hatches a plan to bring Rose home as the book jumps forward ten years to 1919.

This is a novel that entertains from start to finish.  The characters are so realistic and the scenery so vivid that I could picture it clearly in my mind.  Of course it helps a little that I know Ryhope well but I can't walk through the village now without replaying scenes in my head from Glenda's fantastic novels.

There is so much to love about this book: the wonderful characters and the challenges they face, the entertaining and compelling storyline and the jam tarts that I could almost taste.  Even the dedication page gave me a lump in my throat!  The dirty and cramped living conditions in a coalmining village must have been awful, but the resilience and fierce determination of Glenda's female characters completely warms your heart.

The Sixpenny Orphan is such a heartwarming, heartbreaking and entertaining read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  I used to say I wasn't a saga reader but then I discovered Glenda Young's novels: this is not just a saga, this is a Glenda Young saga and it's simply wonderful.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Glenda Young credits her local library in the village of Ryhope, where she grew up, for giving her a love of books. She still lives close by in Sunderland and often gets her ideas for her stories on long bike rides along the coast. The novels are inspired by Glenda’s love of soap opera, and are dramatic with lots of action and wonderful female characters. There’s a lot of warmth and humour too. 

A life-long fan of Coronation Street, Glenda runs two hugely popular fan websites including the Coronation Street Blog since 2007 and the original fan website www.corrie.net, online since 1995. Glenda is also the creator of the first ever weekly soap opera, ‘Riverside’ which appears in The People’s Friend, the longest running women’s magazine in the world. 

As well as her gritty sagas, Glenda writes a fun, cosy crime series set in a Scarborough B&B. Glenda has had short fiction published in Take a Break, My Weekly, The People’s Friend and Best and in 2019 was a finalist in the Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais Comedy Award.

For updates on what Glenda is working on, visit her website glendayoungbooks.com and to find out more find her on Facebook @GlendaYoungAuthor Twitter @flaming_nora and Tiktok @glenda_young_author

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The Tuppenny Child - Glenda Young

'She's not worth more than tuppence, that child!'

Those are the words that haunt Sadie Linthorpe. She is the talk of Ryhope when she arrives there, aged seventeen, alone, seeking work and a home in the pit village. But Sadie is keeping a secret - she is searching for her baby girl who was taken from her at birth a year ago and cruelly sold by the child's grandmother.

All that Sadie knows about the family who took her daughter is that they live in Ryhope. And the only thing she knows about her daughter is that when the baby was born, she had a birthmark on one shoulder that resembled a tiny ladybird. But as Sadie's quest begins, a visitor from her past appears - one who could jeopardise the life she's beginning to build and ruin her chances of finding her beloved child for ever...

 

What did I think?

I've made no secret of the fact that I absolutely love Glenda Young's sagas and I first discovered them at book three, Pearl of Pit Lane, so I made sure to add the first two books to my collection.  The beauty of Glenda Young's books is that they're not a series and you can read them in any order, although you do often get cameo appearances by characters from previous books and it's like waving to old friends when they get mentioned.

The Tuppenny Child is set in Ryhope, a small mining village in Sunderland, but it's further down the coast in Hartlepool where we meet our heroine, Sadie.  Sadie is a hard worker and all her earnings are handed over to her landlady for her bed and board and my heart went out to her at being stuck in such a vicious circle.  When Sadie finds herself pregnant by the landlady's son, her landlady sees her chance for a few extra pennies and sells the baby behind Sadie's back.  This is when we see the true strength of Sadie as she vows to get her daughter back and follows her to Ryhope.  

I know Ryhope well but even if I didn't, Glenda Young's wonderfully descriptive writing creates all the sights and sounds of the bustling pit village.  The characters are larger than life and I loved the pub landladies who each run one of the many pubs in the village.  The strength of women, despite their many challenges, is shown beautifully and there is a keen sense of community that warms the heart.

Heartwarming doesn't even come close to describing The Tuppenny Child as it's also heartbreaking yet completely uplifting and incredibly entertaining.  It's a book I will definitely read again and I absolutely loved it.  Very highly recommended.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: A Mother's Christmas Wish - Glenda Young

'I hope this Christmas is better than last year's.'

Following a scandalous affair, wayward Emma Devaney is sent in disgrace from her home in Ireland to Ryhope, where she will live with her widowed aunt, Bessie Brogan, and help run her pub. Bessie is kind but firm, and at first Emma rebels against her lack of freedom. Struggling to fit in, she turns to the wrong person for comfort, and becomes pregnant.

Accepting she must embrace her new life for the sake of her baby, Emma pours her energy into making the pub thrive and helping heal the fractured relationship between Bessie and her daughters. She catches the attention of Robert, a gruff but sincere farmer, who means to win her heart.

As December approaches, thankful for the home and acceptance she's found, Emma is determined to bring not just her family, but the whole Ryhope community, together to celebrate - and to make one very special mother's Christmas dreams come true.

 

What did I think?

With her fabulous cosy crimes, entertaining weekly soap and heartwarming Ryhope sagas, Glenda Young has fast become one of my favourite authors.  There aren't many authors whose books I read without reading the synopsis but Glenda is one of them.  It's not only that the books are guaranteed to be good, it's also that I don't want to spoil a single surprise of the fantastic storyline.

It's December 1923 and 17 year old Emma is leaving her home in a small Irish village and setting off on a long journey to North East England.  Emma is leaving under a cloud and I love the wonderfully imaginative scandal that Glenda Young has come up with for Emma.  Emma makes quite a first impression when she reaches her Aunt Bessie's pub at the end of her journey: the small coal mining village of Ryhope.

I absolutely adored this book; I laughed, I cried (TWICE!!) and I was entertained from start to finish.  I really don't think any review I write could do it justice, you just really need to read it for yourself.  It's festive in the loveliest way with family and community spirit at its heart and I loved seeing the main characters from all of the previous Ryhope sagas making cameo appearances.  I also loved reading about the Irish tradition of Nollaig na mBan (the Women's Little Christmas) and it's so beautifully incorporated into the storyline.

You can save some pounds on your heating bill by reading A Mother's Christmas Wish; it didn't just warm my heart, it warmed me from head to toe.  Glenda Young breaks saga stereotypes with her hugely entertaining and incredibly inventive storylines and A Mother's Christmas Wish is not to be missed.

Very highly recommended - I wanted to read it again the moment I turned the final (soggy, tear-stained) page.  It's absolutely beautiful, unforgettable and unmissable.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Amazon US

About the author:

Glenda Young credits her local library in the village of Ryhope, where she grew up, for giving her a love of books. She still lives close by in Sunderland and often gets her ideas for her stories on long bike rides along the coast. A life-long fan of Coronation Street, she runs two hugely popular fan websites.

Social Media Links – 

For updates on what Glenda is working on, visit her website glendayoungbooks.com and to find out more find her on Facebook/GlendaYoungAuthor and Twitter @flaming_nora.

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BLOG TOUR: The Miner's Lass - Glenda Young

'You're a Dinsdale lass, Ruby. Nothing and no one keeps us lot down.'

A life of poverty in a cramped pit cottage is all that seventeen-year-old Ruby Dinsdale has known. Even with her father and younger brother working at the coal mine, money is tight. Her mother Mary is skilled at stretching what little they have, but the small contribution Ruby makes from her job at the local pub makes all the difference. So when Ruby is sacked, and Mary becomes pregnant again, the family's challenges are greater than ever.

When charming miner Gordon begins to court Ruby it seems as though happiness is on the horizon, until she uncovers a deeper betrayal than she could ever have imagined.

But although the Dinsdales are materially poor, they are rich in love, friendship and determination - all qualities that they will draw on to get them through whatever lies ahead.

What did I think?

If you’re thinking you don’t read sagas, then think again; you’ve not read Glenda Young’s sagas!  The Miner's Lass is Glenda's sixth saga and it is absolutely brilliant.  As soon as I opened the book I was transported to Ryhope in 1919 and I simply couldn't put it down.

The Dinsdale family rely on every penny that comes into their small cottage so when Ruby finds herself out of work she needs to find a new job fast.  Ruby's brother Michael will be old enough to go down the mine with his dad when he turns 14 and oh how my heart broke for him; it's almost unimaginable today to think of children working underground in such awful and dangerous conditions.  The whole community revolved around the pit and this was portrayed beautifully in The Miner's Lass.

Life is rarely considered easy but it was definitely a much harder life 100 years ago.  Families didn't have much money to live on but everyone helped each other out and they found joy in the little things.  Mental health is so important these days so it was interesting to read about the local asylum and how men used to drop off their troublesome women at the door.  It's shocking when you think about it as many people should have never been sent there.

So, whilst The Miner's Lass is a wonderful story of family, friendship and community there's so much more to experience in this outstanding novel.  It's packed full of drama and challenges for the characters and it gives us a glimpse of what life was like in an early 20th century coal mining community.  The characters are portrayed so vividly that they virtually leap out from the page as we experience every trial and tribulation with them.

Written with warmth, drama and a bit of humour, The Miner's Lass is hugely entertaining from start to finish.  Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it and it's an easy 5 stars.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Paper Mill Girl - Glenda Young

 

'She's just a paper mill girl.'

Seventeen-year-old Ruth Hardy works long hours at Grange Paper Works, with her younger sister Bea, and spends her free time caring for their ailing parents. Their meagre income barely covers their needs, so when Bea reveals that she is pregnant out of wedlock, Ruth knows even tougher times are ahead.

Ruth's hard work at the mill does not go unnoticed and it looks as though her luck might turn when she's promoted. But when the arrival of Bea's baby girl ends in tragedy, Ruth is left with no choice but to bring up her niece herself. However, news of Ruth's plan brings a threatening menace close.

Although Ruth's friendship with the girls at the mill, and the company of charming railway man, Mick Carson, sustain her, ultimately Ruth bears the responsibility for keeping her family safe. Will she ever find happiness of her own?

What did I think?

Glenda Young is definitely an author not to be missed when it comes to family sagas and I have been a fan of hers since I read Pearl of Pit Lane almost a year ago.  Although tinged with sadness, The Paper Mill Girl is a wonderfully heart-warming novel filled with strong, colourful characters that I took to my heart.

I loved the main character of Ruth Hardy; dedicated to looking after her unexpectedly expanding family, Ruth is also the best friend a girl could have.  Friendship plays a huge part in the book as the rag room girls work, laugh and love together.  In a time where every penny counts, they are always willing to share what they have and look after each other and their lunchtime outings never failed to put a smile on my face.

Set in 1919, it's a stark reminder that it's very much a man's world and Ruth is in the unenviable position of being the sole breadwinner as the Hardy family struggles to keep a roof over their heads in the back room of the Guide Post Inn.  It's shockingly amusing that men always find money for beer whilst their wives could be at home boiling the bones of a chicken to feed their family.  I'd take beer over chicken any day though!

I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a tear or two while I was reading The Paper Mill Girl.  Glenda Young's beautifully warm writing really brings the characters to life and I experienced their emotions alongside them.  I was positively beaming towards the end of the book and tears of happiness brimmed in my eyes but I quickly blinked them away so I could keep reading as I didn't want to miss a single word.

I always look forward to reading the author's note in Glenda Young's books as her research is outstanding and adds authenticity to the story.  I actually didn't realise that Sunderland had a paper mill and even though I've had a book in my hand for most of my life, I had never considered the composition of paper.  It was really interesting to get a glimpse inside a working mill in 1919 through Glenda's fantastic storytelling.

The Paper Mill Girl is heart-warming, emotional and simply wonderful.  It's perfect escapism and I really can't recommend it highly enough as I absolutely loved it.  If you think family sagas aren't for you, you've never read Glenda Young's books - pick one up today and you'll be converted.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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I've Been Watching You - KA Richardson

 

Ben Cassidy is a new crime scene investigator and is finding her feet juggling work and motherhood. Keen to better herself, she enrols on a course in Digital Forensics and meets Jacob Tulley, an ex-army veteran struggling with his past.

When Detective Inspector Alistair McKay and the team are called to a suspected hit and run involving a care home worker, Ben suspects there is more to it, and uncovers a link to a series of murders that hits far too close to home.

Ben and Jacob must work together when evidence of a digital footprint emerges from the killer who knows how to cover his tracks. He’s confident they can’t find him, and when he realises ‘the one who got away’ is under his nose, sets out to finish the job he started.

Can Ben cope with overwhelming memories, can Jacob put his past aside to help Ben and DI McKay gather the evidence needed, and can they stop the cycle of victims?

What did I think?

Oh my word, this book is SO creepy.  KA Richardson has created a stalker on steroids in her recently republished novel, I've Been Watching You.  I have read a few of KA Richardson's later novels so I know how dark they can get but I've Been Watching You still had my skin crawling; it's that creepy feeling of someone watching your every move without you realising it.

The storyline has two main threads: the stalker serial killer and the blossoming relationship between two damaged characters who are hunting the murderer.  This is one heck of a sick, twisted killer but I loved how we get a glimpse of their past, not so much to explain why they're doing what they're doing but to see what broke them.  That's as close as I'm getting to talking about the plot for fear of spoiling it for others.

I loved the characters of Ben Cassidy and Jacob Tulley who both have very disturbing back stories of their own.  It's no wonder that they are drawn to each other like magnets as they must be able to see similarities to themselves in each other.  It's wonderful to see that both characters are very family oriented and they are as important to their families as their families are to them.

As I've read KA Richardson's books out of order, it was great to see characters I recognised and it felt like meeting an old friend you haven't seen for years.  I certainly wouldn't mind having some of these strong, loyal and determined characters on my team.  As I've Been Watching You is set in the North East of England, particularly Sunderland, it's also great to see locations I know; I'll never tire of reading books set in my native North East.

Prepare to have your skin crawling when you read this creepfest from KA Richardson; I've Been Watching You is dark, creepy and completely addictive.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon - Glenda Young

'You deserve more than this, Jess... You deserve to know the truth about the McNallys.'

When a newborn baby girl is found abandoned with nothing but a scarlet ribbon tied to her basket, Ada Davidson, housekeeper of the wealthy McNally family's home, the Uplands, takes her into her care. Sworn to secrecy about the baby's true identity, Ada names her Jess and brings her up as her own, giving Jess no reason to question where she came from.

But when Ada passes away, grief-stricken Jess, now sixteen, is banished from the place she's always called home. With the scarlet ribbon the only connection to her past, will Jess ever find out where she really belongs? And will she uncover the truth about the ruthless McNallys?

What did I think?

I've only recently discovered local Sunderland author Glenda Young and what a fabulous discovery she is.  Living in the North East, it's almost obligatory to have family sagas in your library and I read a fair few in my youth.  I thought my saga reading days were over until Glenda Young hooked me with her proggy mat hook in Pearl of Pit Lane so I was very eager to read her new book, The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon; so eager in fact that I read it in just two sittings over the course of 24 hours.

One of my favourite things to discover in a book is a map and I love the map of Ryhope, Sunderland from 1919 that Glenda Young has included in the front of the book.  They certainly had a lot of pubs in such a small area back then, but with Ryhope being a mining community the men working underground all day certainly deserved a pint or two after their shift.

The main character of Jess is such an outstanding character; I felt very protective of her possibly due to the reader being there at her birth in 1903.  Left on the steps of the McNally house in a basket with a scarlet ribbon attached to the handle, Jess is taken in by housekeeper, Ada.  Jess has such a happy life with Ada, despite James McNally's attempts to erase her existence, until Ada dies and Jess suddenly finds herself homeless and alone at 16 years old.  I really felt for Jess but she shows that she's made of stronger stuff and that horrible James McNally better watch out for the whiplash of karma.

Although very character driven, and what wonderful characters they are, the writing is so vivid that I felt as if I was walking through Ryhope village myself.  I certainly felt like I was on the beach in one particular scene with Glenda Young's evocative writing giving me goosebumps.  I love the little elements of Sunderland history that Glenda includes in her impeccably well researched novel, namely Sunderland's famous Vaux beer and the heartbreaking Victoria Hall disaster.

Glenda Young is an extraordinarily talented storyteller and The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon is a wonderful story from beginning to end; it's more heartwarming than a roaring coal fire.  Superbly written, the storyline is compelling and surprising with characters that are so vivid they virtually leap out from the page.  I absolutely loved it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Pearl of Pit Lane - Glenda Young

When her mother dies in childbirth, Pearl Edwards is left in the care of her aunt, Annie Grafton. Annie loves Pearl like her own daughter but it isn't easy to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Annie knows the best way to supplement their meagre income is to walk the pit lane at night, looking for men willing to pay for her company.

As Pearl grows older she is unable to remain ignorant of Annie's profession, despite her aunt's attempts to shield her. But when Pearl finds herself unexpectedly without work and their landlord raises the rent, it becomes clear they have few choices left and Annie is forced to ask Pearl the unthinkable.

Rather than submit to life on the pit lane, Pearl runs away. She has nothing and nowhere to go, but Pearl is determined to survive on her own terms...

What did I think?

I have to be honest and say that I was a bit nervous about reading Pearl of Pit Lane as I don't usually read sagas but I am so glad that I made an exception for Glenda Young.  I clapped my hands with glee when I opened the book and found a map of Ryhope in 1919 (the setting of the book); I do love maps in a book as they really help to bring the story to life.  I enjoyed Pearl of Pit Lane so much more than I expected and Pearl's story is so compelling that I found myself reading just one more chapter until I'd devoured every single page.

I'm from the North East so I was brought up reading Catherine Cookson books and it's inevitable that any sagas based in the North East will be compared to Dame Catherine's famous novels.  So it is praise indeed to say that Pearl of Pit Lane would definitely come top of my Catherine Cookson chart any day.  Through her vivacious and descriptive writing, Glenda Young has an amazing ability to bring her characters and scenery to life and breathes new life into the tired and dusty saga genre.

Pearl is such a brilliant character with an outstanding story; brought up by her Aunt Annie in the shadow of the local colliery and living in squalor, the pair don't have two pennies to rub together.  Annie's meagre income in the shop they live above doesn't even pay the rent so she is forced to sell herself on the street.  When Annie's debts mount up, she can only see one way out of the hole she finds herself in and that's for Pearl to walk the streets with her.  Pearl is such a strong, steely character that she runs away to the village in search of work rather than follow in her Aunt's footsteps and her story just gets better and better from there, although I'm not saying any more about the plot.

Surrounding Pearl are some tremendous characters; I've already mentioned her Aunt Annie but there's also her friend Joey, Reverend Daye the benevolent vicar, Jackson the local bad guy who keeps crossing paths with Pearl, Jim the grocer who takes a chance on Pearl despite the protestations of his wicked witch of the west wife Renee, and last but by no means least Boot the dog who stays by Pearl's side watching out for her.  Such a colourful cast of characters brought amazing depth to the story and brought the whole book to life.

Pearl of Pit Lane is an exceptional and impeccably well researched novel by Glenda Young; Glenda even joined a clippy mat workshop so she could write about Pearl's creations and I'm sure she visited a few of Ryhope's pubs, purely for research, of course!  I found Pearl of Pit Lane surprising enthralling; I'd given myself a couple of days to read it because I thought I would struggle to connect with a saga, however, I was riveted from start to finish and ended up reading it cover to cover within 24 hours.  I can't praise Pearl of Pit Lane highly enough and I would recommend it to all; it's nice to escape to the past sometimes and I loved seeing Ryhope (in Sunderland) through Glenda Young's eyes.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Glenda Young is a short story award-winner, her fiction is regularly published in Take a Break and My Weekly.  Glenda also writes Riverside, the first weekly soap opera for The People's Friend.  She credits her local library in the village of Ryhope, where she grew up, for giving her a love of books.  She runs two hugely popular Coronation Street fan websites which both respectively have an impressing and international following, with 20k on Facebook, 32k on Twitter and a mailing list of 4.5k.

For updates on what Glenda is working on, visit her website: glendayoungbooks.com.  You can also find Glenda on Facebook: @GlendaYoungAuthor and Twitter: @flaming_nora.

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Roy Keane - The Second Half review

As a Sunderland fan, I enjoyed it.  Roy clearly had (and still has) great affection for Sunderland.  I felt the emotion when he departed Man United, and was quite surprised at the emotions of what I previously perceived to be a hot headed man.  There are some funny moments in the book, like not signing a player because of his answering machine message and not taking to Ipswich because they played in blue.

Although written with Roddy Doyle, I think Roy has played a big part in writing the book.  I felt his voice coming through and not just with all the swearing!  There are a lot of facts and figures that probably won't be terribly interesting to any non-Sunderland or Ipswich fans.

I always had respect for Roy Keane but this book certainly changed my impression of him.  I thought Roy would have lost his temper more with the players; Sunderland does test you sometimes!   I do think Roy's emotions show on his face, so perhaps one of his scowls would have more effect than a temper tantrum.

A nice insight into the transition from player to manager, written with honesty and integrity.

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What I was reading when I started my blog

I haven't read an autobiography for a while so, being a Sunderland fan, I picked up the new Roy Keane book.  I'm about half way through and had my one and only laugh out loud moment at the expense of Newcastle (sorry Mags fans).  I've found it easy to read but a bit jumbled in the first half, jumping between Man U and Ireland.  Still, I'm enjoying it so far and it's giving a rare insight into the life of a new manager.  I look forward to giving my final thoughts when my reading is done!