The Orphan Child

by Catherine King

Little Sarah is found in the an orphaned new-born baby. She is taken in at Meadow Hall in South Riding, Yorkshire, to be trained as a scullery maid. Feisty and headstrong, at fourteen Sarah decides to run away. Dressed as a boy, she meets good-hearted Aidan and impulsive Danby, forming an unlikely but happy trio.When Sarah is found out, Aidan knows she can not live with two young men and reluctantly takes her to the workhouse. He plans to rescue Sarah just as soon as he can, but something keeps Aidan from his promise . . .Reunited as adults, but now strangers, Sarah holds a secret about Danby, Aidan and her unborn child. But can she do what is right for her baby, even if it means losing the love of her life?

Genres: Historical Fiction

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read any Catherine King books for a while, I had forgotten just how good they are. The story is full of twists and turns, the orphan child, Sarah Meadow, has a far from easy start to life and although things improve for her for a while, her life takes another turn for the worst. Sarah is a survivor, she is a hard worker and she is determined. You can't fail to admire her spirit. There is light at the end of a very long tunnel for Sarah, but the ending felt a bit rushed, as though all the loose ends had to be tied up as quickly as possible. Overall a good tale that transports you back to the 1800's.

[Shirley Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book by this author I have read. I found it a little slow at the beginning but it livened up with the workhouse part of the story. Incidentally, I thought at this point that I'd read it before but then I realised that some aspects of this part were very similar to 'Mothering Sunday' by Rosie Goodwin.

Overall I enjoyed the story, however, there were quite a few errors which should have been picked up before publication, very irritating.

[Christina Rochester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read, but it was seriously rapey. There are so many attempted rapes throughout this book that it's a miracle Sarah is still a virgin by the time she becomes free of the workhouse.

The only redeeming main character is Aidan, even Sarah has awful deceitful qualities.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, kept me hooked from very first page. Lots of twists and turns with an unexpected ending! 😮

[Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book.

[Marie Keane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting from a social history point of view. Starts of well with a varied set of characters. Disappointing far fetched ending. Well researched.

[kayley444 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual style of book as I didn’t expect to enjoy a historical novel. Not my favourite but an enjoyable book nonetheless.

[Katie Heptinstall · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Eliza Rayn · Rating 1 out of 5]

the biggest ick 😭 (i didn't even finish reading it because of that)

[Laura jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

found this book hard going and didnt really like it, Sarah is found with her dying mother on Christmas day and was taken in to Meadow Hall where she was trained as a scullery maid. that bit was not too bad but then the owner had to leave the hall due to debts and Sarah pretended she was leaving but instead hid until everyone had gone.
she survived on her own for a while then realised there was someone else in the area. she decided to dress as a boy and she joined two boys who were in the woods. they accepted she was male this was a really boring part and in the end after a lot of things happening they found she was a girl and left them.
sarah was supposed to marry one of the boys but married the other

[V.E. Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Meadow, abandoned as a baby, lives a hard, unhappy life as a scullery maid at Meadow Hall. When the master dies, and the Hall is sold, Sarah refuses to accept that the workhouse is her only option. She dresses as a boy and goes on the road where she meets two men, Danby and Aidan, who will come to dominate her destiny. 'The Orphan Child' is a highly readable, though not always pleasant, novel. It is guaranteed to satisfy fans of 19th century romantic sagas.

[Chrissy]

brilliant so far

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read

[Yvette Smart]

Not for me this one.. I just found it a little slow with not a lot going on.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. It had everything in it to make a good story

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, The story kept me turning pages even though my eyes were dropping.