Lakeland Lily

Lakeland Sagas

by Freda Lightfoot

Lily Thorpe is a spirited, ambitious fisherman’s daughter, desperate to escape the poverty of her Lakeland home. When the rich Clermont-Read family spoils her plans, Lily embarks on a personal quest for revenge and marries their only son, Bertie, a handsome indolent charmer. Rejected by his family, the young couple soon find themselves battling against the very poverty Lily had hoped to escape... A twist of fate brings her the freedom she craves, but the price Lily must pay is vindictive snobbery from Bertie's mother - as well as another far greater one, finally leading to a passionate affair with Nathan Monroe, a local steam boat captain. Now it is Lily who must protect herself against the threat of vengeance and decide who is more important, her husband or her lover.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 1997

About the author

Born in Lancashire, I've been a teacher, bookseller and in a mad moment, a smallholder on the freezing fells of the Lake District where I tried my hand at the ‘good life’, kept sheep and hens, various orphaned cats and dogs, built drystone walls, planted a small wood and even learned how to make jam. I now spend the winter in Spain and summer in the UK. I have now published 48 books including many bestselling family sagas and historical novels.
For more information, visit my website www.fredalightfoot.co.uk.

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book was so into it but had to go places so took me away from my reading and couldn’t wait until I got back so could carry on reading
Lily is such a strong character whatever life throws at her she never gives up

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about Lily. I hope there is a book 2. 😀

[Jenna Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story that kept the reader guessing all the way through.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good read but rather long-winded

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lily's beau Dick is mowed down in a boating accident Lily vows to take revenge on the family involved.
She does this by tricking into marriage the Clermont Read's son Bertie knowing it would devastate the family socially coming from the lower classes herself.
But ultimately this causes not just the Reads' distress but also her own family and herself as this marriage is just one of mutual using, Bertie as he knew it would upset his dictatorial mother and Lily for her own personal quest of revenge.
Enter Nathan Monroe a boy from Lily's past and childhood school bully and tormentor but from an annoying and spiteful boy Lily finds herself deeply attracted to Nathan but now she is in no position to do anything about it due to her binding herself so deeply to the Clermont Reads.
But when the chips are down Lily does her duty and in the face of family tragedy and disaster she sticks by those who she originally sought out to vent her spite on and eventually saves the Reads from financial ruin but amidst the turmoil of her life can she ever find happiness in her personal relationships?
Can she shake off the shackles and trap she has built for herself and find true love with Nathan or is she doomed to stay married to the inept and lazy Bertie and just be a source of income to his extended relatives?
Well written, great characters and an enjoyable storyline this is a great read from beginning to end.

[Anne Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lengthy novel with a complex plot, its theme is revenge. When Lily's childhood sweetheart is killed in a boating accident, she vows revenge on the family who owned the boat. How she does this and how so often the results backfire on Lily herself fill the entire book. The Lake District in described in vivid detail and is almost a character itself, giving a real flavour of what it is like to live there. Set in the early 20th century, it inevitably covers the Great War and, knowing the statistics, I found it hard to believe that both the men in Lily's life survived. But, of course, this is fiction, where anything can, and does, happen.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading LAKELAND LILY. Memorable characters and an interesting time period. The differences in class are well portrayed. This is a descriptive read, not overly so. I could easily visualize the characters, scenes & situations.

The cover & blurb don't show or tell when the book is set. It was only opening to the first page that I discovered we were about to enter 1909.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting for angiofiles. Traces the life of a young girl before, during and after World War I and her crossing of the classes.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as the story has lows and high just like real life, although in true story tale ending it all ends happily. Look forward to reading more by the same author.