A Dream of Her Own

by Benita Brown

Carrying a dark secret of her own, can she face those of her new husband too?Dramatic and utterly compelling, A Dream of Her Own is a heart-warming saga from Benita Brown about despair and hope, passion and heartache, and the strength of true friendship. Perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Rosie Goodwin.It's a cold winter's night in 1906 but nothing can dampen the high spirits of Constance Bannerman and her fellow skivvy and best friend, Nella. For tomorrow, Constance can escape her life of drudgery at Doctor Sowerby's home in Newcastle by marrying her handsome sweetheart, the prosperous John Edington.But Constance's last night of servitude is to end in terror. As a final act of spite, Mrs Sowerby throws her out of the house late that evening where she is met by the doctor's dissolute son, Gerald. In the front yard, surrounded by freezing fog, Gerald attacks and rapes her. Distraught and unsure of what to do, Constance marries John the next day with a heavy heart. She cannot tell John what has happened, for his is a respectable family, and shame will not allow her to reveal the truth to Nella. But the worst is yet to come, for John Edington himself has a shocking secret that will make Constance feel more alone than ever...What readers are saying about A Dream of Her Own :'This is a wonderfully compelling read that pulls you right into the world of turn-of-the-century Newcastle... the setting is so incredibly well portrayed, I walked the streets with Constance and Nella ''This is my favourite Benita Brown book! This book has scandal, romance and betrayal . It has everything, I just didn't want to put it down '' Five stars '

Genres: Fiction

484 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

aka Clare Benedict

Benita Brown was born and brought up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England where she now continues living. Her mother, was an English, who was the youngest of thirteen children, and her father, a Indian, who on 1930's came to Newcastle to study medicine and fell in love with the place, the people, and her mother. She went to drama school in London where she met her husband who, also from Newcastle, was working for the BBC. After marrying and having four children she became a full time writer; writing for radio, and then girls' and teenage story papers such as Mandy, Judy, Jackie and Blue Jeans.

When her first romance, written under the pseudonym Clare Benedict, was published in 1991, she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. After six more romances she changed genre and now writes sagas under her own name, Benita Brown. First novels under this name are set in Victorian/Edwardian Tyneside. One of these, Fortune’s Daughter, was long-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. In her more recent books she has moved forward to the mid-twentieth century and although not all the action is set in Tyneside the area still has a strong influence. She died at 77 on 15 April 2014 in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Hospital.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. The writing style was great, easy to read, although not so much as some points, but I still fully understood what was being communicated.

I liked the characters. The plot definitely kept me entertained. I was certainly kept curious throughout. I had many questions during the reading process and they eventually got answered. At least the ones I was like what?

However, one question still remains unanswered and even though the book briefly touched upon it, it was never fully answered. Questions related to the original question still remain. I guess we will never know what happens.

The ending also was very interesting. I understood what was about to happen but in the story they were sort of was adamant about this situation happening so quickly. why? Why did it need to happen as soon as possible? They never touched upon that. They were just like this is happening now or the next day.

I liked the ending but I feel like it needed more. I wasn't fully satisfied with it, you know?

Happy reading everyone! :)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

En lättläst bok som sprakade igång min läslust igen. Mot slutet kändes dock allting väldigt uppspeedat, som att författaren försökte skynda sig med att avsluta boken, kanske började tröttna lite på den, eller behövde skynda sig att bli klar. Rätt många hopp som gav något av en känsla av att det var en sorts epilog. Annars en bra bok full av många händelser och olika vinklar.

[Vicki Anne Searle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dream of a story

It was a enjoyable read, a gripping story' wanting more' .....
A surprisingly different love than what you would have expected..
But kept you interested ' right until the end!
Very good read!

[Winifred Jayne Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable

[Sheryl Ohara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling story

Great reading I couldn't put it down, just wish there was more, to follow the next chapters of the Characters future lives

[Mrs Margaret Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Book

I have enjoyed reading this book. The story is really excellent. This is a book that I just. Couldn't put down.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction set in north east of England what’s not to love! Loved the characters and plot and nice easy reading.

[Cherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this book at times as found it a bit slow but that aside it's got a great story dealing with big issues at the centre of this book.

[Lorna Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me

I found this book incredibly boring and gave up after a couple of chapters. Certainly not a page turner! I won’t be reading any more of Benita’s books, sorry!

[Michelle Ohara · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant book

[Carobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drömmar av guld.

[Alys Audrey Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dream of her Own

A really brilliant read which kept me enthralled, I just couldn't put it down and read it through the night