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Days of the Week #1
Mothering Sunday
If you love Dilly Court, you'll love Sunday Times Bestseller Rosie Goodwin.1884, Nuneaton.Fourteen-year-old Sunday Small has never lived outside the Nuneaton workhouse. The regime is cruel, and if it weren't for Miss Beau - who comes in every week to teach the children their letters - and her young friend Daisy, Sunday's life wouldn't be worth living. And now she's attracted the unwelcome attention of the workhouse master.With no choice but to leave behind everything she knows, Sunday strikes out on her own to make her fortune and to fulfil her promise to come back for Daisy. And, secretly she dreams of finding the long-lost mother who gave her away.But she's about to discover that, try as she might to escape, the brutal world of the workhouse will not let her go without a fight . . .Mothering Sunday is the first book in Rosie Goodwin's Days of the Week Collection. Why not try the rest, The Little Angel, A Mother's Grace, The Blessed Child, A Maiden's Voyage, A Precious Gift and Time to Say Goodbye?
514 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2017
549 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Goodwin
103 books368 followersBefore becoming a writer, I was a Placement Support Worker and foster carer, and worked in the social services department after completing a teacher training course. Many children have joined my family over the years. I still live in Nuneaton, where many of my books are set, with my husband, Trevor, and our beloved dogs.
I was thrilled to discover that I'd become one of the top 250 most-borrowed library authors in the UK, and would like to thank all of you who have taken out my books over the last few years! I love meeting my readers and am always pleased to hear from you. I hope you will all continue to get in touch and please do sign up for my newsletter!
I was thrilled to discover that I'd become one of the top 250 most-borrowed library authors in the UK, and would like to thank all of you who have taken out my books over the last few years! I love meeting my readers and am always pleased to hear from you. I hope you will all continue to get in touch and please do sign up for my newsletter!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 9, 2017
Good story,wanted to know how it ended.
March 6, 2017
Every child wants love right? That's all Sunday Small asks for but she is on a fruitless search. Abandoned at birth in a workhouse in Nuneaton her life is a real struggle. The headmistress, Miss Frost has not a compassionate bone in her body and beats the children and places them in a punishment quite often. The only thing that makes life bearable there is her beloved teacher Miss Beau. After getting a few of the workhouse girls pregnant, the abominable, headmaster turns his attentions to her. He will not take no for an answer so she must leave as her only way of survival.She plans to come back for her friends Daisy and Tommy as soon as she as she has made enough . She is secretly planning to find the mother who abandoned her as well. Things are very harsh for this young lady and life is anything but bloomin' roses. Will she find her mother? Will she find the peace of mind she deserves? I suggest you read this and more by this author. I know you'll enjoy it!
This book was powerfully intense and the conditions within this book will not leave me for a long time. I look forward to reading many more books by Rosie Goodwin.
Pub Date 09 Mar 2017.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a review copy for my honest opinion.
This book was powerfully intense and the conditions within this book will not leave me for a long time. I look forward to reading many more books by Rosie Goodwin.
Pub Date 09 Mar 2017.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a review copy for my honest opinion.
June 4, 2019
Rosie deserves all her success she is a fabulous gifted writer. I enjoyed every page and it's certainly worth every penny. She writes about the complexity of relationships, the hardships of life, the ties of family and the joys of love and friendship. The author Rosie Goodwin has written over twenty best selling novels. She is the first author in the world to be allowed to follow three of Catherine Cookson's trilogies with her own sequels. I hope you all enjoy reading Mothering Sunday as much as what I have.
December 27, 2017
Exceptional. Storytelling at it's best. Recommended.
May 7, 2017
Always enjoy reading Rosie Goodwin books. And this one didnot disappoint me
March 11, 2017
3.75 stars. This book isn't something I'd usually read, but I'm going to a book talk with my nan about it soon so thought I'd give it a go!
The tragedies young Sunday Small has gone through during her time in the workhouse are truly horrid, and they continue throughout the rest of her time in the book. I did like the plot, I felt it was easy to read and fairly light-hearted, despite the horrors displayed.
When new characters were introduced there was a bit of info-dumping, I feel it would have been better to gradually feed in information about the new characters instead of just relaying their backstory in one big paragraph. I also didn't find the plot twists to be too shocking, but other than that it was a very enjoyable read.
I loved the character of Sunday, and feel like she meshed in perfectly with the wide cast of characters in the book. They were all so different and well-developed, and each had their own part to play in the story.
This book was very up and down, which I appreciated. Small sprinkles of happiness between the dark parts definitely helped to lift the spirits of the novel, and I loved the descriptions of the trip to London! I also loved how the ending played out, it tied up all loose ends and was done beautifully, ending on Mothering Sunday.
I feel like this book will stick with me for a long time, and has opened my eyes to a completely new genre!
The tragedies young Sunday Small has gone through during her time in the workhouse are truly horrid, and they continue throughout the rest of her time in the book. I did like the plot, I felt it was easy to read and fairly light-hearted, despite the horrors displayed.
When new characters were introduced there was a bit of info-dumping, I feel it would have been better to gradually feed in information about the new characters instead of just relaying their backstory in one big paragraph. I also didn't find the plot twists to be too shocking, but other than that it was a very enjoyable read.
I loved the character of Sunday, and feel like she meshed in perfectly with the wide cast of characters in the book. They were all so different and well-developed, and each had their own part to play in the story.
This book was very up and down, which I appreciated. Small sprinkles of happiness between the dark parts definitely helped to lift the spirits of the novel, and I loved the descriptions of the trip to London! I also loved how the ending played out, it tied up all loose ends and was done beautifully, ending on Mothering Sunday.
I feel like this book will stick with me for a long time, and has opened my eyes to a completely new genre!
February 7, 2018
Oh My Word, what a life Sunday Small leads. She has such a sad start in The Workhouse trying to evade the wrath of Miss Frost and later trying to avoid the lecherous Mr Pinnegar.
The punishments in the workhouse seem so unlikely to us now but were a harsh reality is days gone by.
Sunday is fiercely loyal to her friends and particularly towards brother and sister Daisy & Tommy. She recognises injustice and stands up for the downtrodden even though she is downtrodden herself.
Eventually Sunday escapes from the workhouse and finds a position working for a Mrs Spooner, fortunately they get on like a house on fire if for no other reason than the fact that Sunday works extremely hard and also speaks her mind, Mrs Spooner also speaks her mind – they are quite alike in that respect, probably why they get on.
Time moves on for Sunday and she is almost persecuted each time she goes into the local town shopping. It was unexpected when it was finally revealed who had been the worst perpetrator.
This book was reminiscent of Catherine Cookson books and therefore really enjoyable.
The punishments in the workhouse seem so unlikely to us now but were a harsh reality is days gone by.
Sunday is fiercely loyal to her friends and particularly towards brother and sister Daisy & Tommy. She recognises injustice and stands up for the downtrodden even though she is downtrodden herself.
Eventually Sunday escapes from the workhouse and finds a position working for a Mrs Spooner, fortunately they get on like a house on fire if for no other reason than the fact that Sunday works extremely hard and also speaks her mind, Mrs Spooner also speaks her mind – they are quite alike in that respect, probably why they get on.
Time moves on for Sunday and she is almost persecuted each time she goes into the local town shopping. It was unexpected when it was finally revealed who had been the worst perpetrator.
This book was reminiscent of Catherine Cookson books and therefore really enjoyable.
March 1, 2017
Upon my first impression of this book I was fairly right in judging (yes generally you shouldn't but we all do let's face it.) That this book would be indeed grim.
Usually these sorts of books I tend to pass up as I don't tend to think I will enjoy them as much as others will. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the story.
It started out very bleakly with no hope of any happiness. (Not even a ray of sunshine) I do wish to state that readers that may be triggered by acts of sexual deviancy, violence or loss of babies will not wish to read this as it may be too upsetting.
I would say this story is much like a darker more macabre version of Matilda with characters as mean and cold hearted as Miss Trunchbull (but worse, though hard to believe as Miss Trunchbull is truly wicked) but as lovely and wonderful as Miss Honey.
I do not wish to give any spoilers for this story for readers keen to immerse themselves into this amazing but very grim story so am struggling on how to put my words without giving anything important away.
The storyline is incredible and delves into the world of orphaned children and their day to day lives at a work house and what that would entail.
We embark on a particular Orphan and get to know their story with great detail.
I became very attached to the ins and outs of Sundays life and hung on every word of the book.
I would recommend this book highly to anybody (except for those stated for the reason above as it may be too much)
I do have to note, though I could be wrong, I believe on chapter 22 page 184 there may be a typo/incorrect spelling
"Sunday say opposite her and licked her lips which were suddenly dry." I am certain that is supposed to read "Sunday sat opposite her and licked her lips which were suddenly dry."
Though I am keen to know if I have misunderstood or have indeed found a spelling error.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review (if you have) and to those who will be reading this book I hope you enjoy it as much as I did despite the very bleak and dark plot.
Usually these sorts of books I tend to pass up as I don't tend to think I will enjoy them as much as others will. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the story.
It started out very bleakly with no hope of any happiness. (Not even a ray of sunshine) I do wish to state that readers that may be triggered by acts of sexual deviancy, violence or loss of babies will not wish to read this as it may be too upsetting.
I would say this story is much like a darker more macabre version of Matilda with characters as mean and cold hearted as Miss Trunchbull (but worse, though hard to believe as Miss Trunchbull is truly wicked) but as lovely and wonderful as Miss Honey.
I do not wish to give any spoilers for this story for readers keen to immerse themselves into this amazing but very grim story so am struggling on how to put my words without giving anything important away.
The storyline is incredible and delves into the world of orphaned children and their day to day lives at a work house and what that would entail.
We embark on a particular Orphan and get to know their story with great detail.
I became very attached to the ins and outs of Sundays life and hung on every word of the book.
I would recommend this book highly to anybody (except for those stated for the reason above as it may be too much)
I do have to note, though I could be wrong, I believe on chapter 22 page 184 there may be a typo/incorrect spelling
"Sunday say opposite her and licked her lips which were suddenly dry." I am certain that is supposed to read "Sunday sat opposite her and licked her lips which were suddenly dry."
Though I am keen to know if I have misunderstood or have indeed found a spelling error.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review (if you have) and to those who will be reading this book I hope you enjoy it as much as I did despite the very bleak and dark plot.
April 2, 2017
This book was a Mothering Sunday gift from by son and what a fantastic book! Rosie Goodwin has been one of my favourite authors for a while, and this story is one of her best.
The story is about a girl called Sunday, who was left on the steps of Nuneaton workhouse in 1870. After a brief description of her birth we then find her at the workhouse aged 10, she endures harsh punishments and her life is hard indeed. Sunday Small has a strong will and tries to stick up for the other children especially her friend, Daisy. Her only adult supporter comes in the form of Miss Beau, the teacher who comes to her rescue often. When Sunday nears her fourteenth birthday the housemaster, Mr Pinnegar shows a dangerous interest in her, this flows through the rest of the story, Sunday leaves the workhouse but although she finds friends, she has to endure much more sadness before she finally leaves the memories of the workhouse far behind her.
So, I was extremely pleased with my gift and would recommend this book to all.
The story is about a girl called Sunday, who was left on the steps of Nuneaton workhouse in 1870. After a brief description of her birth we then find her at the workhouse aged 10, she endures harsh punishments and her life is hard indeed. Sunday Small has a strong will and tries to stick up for the other children especially her friend, Daisy. Her only adult supporter comes in the form of Miss Beau, the teacher who comes to her rescue often. When Sunday nears her fourteenth birthday the housemaster, Mr Pinnegar shows a dangerous interest in her, this flows through the rest of the story, Sunday leaves the workhouse but although she finds friends, she has to endure much more sadness before she finally leaves the memories of the workhouse far behind her.
So, I was extremely pleased with my gift and would recommend this book to all.
April 17, 2017
This book is heartbreakingly good.
Sunday Small wasn't even a day old when she was dumped at the workhouse, and for nearly 14 years she's endured unspeakable cruelty and hardship from the house mistress Miss Frost.
She's sent to work for the house master Mr Pinnegar, who likes his girls young. About Sunday's age. When all seems lost she's then given a job outside the workhouse with Mrs Spooner under the careful guidance of the abrupt but ultimately kind Annie.
Upon leaving the workhouse, Sunday swears she will come back for her dear friend Daisy and her brother Tommy no matter what.
But Mr Pinnegar's obsession with Sunday will not abate, he is determined to make her his even though she has left and is not above taking drastic measures for this to happen.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It really depicts the hardship that so many had to go through in the 1800's, both men and women, but ultimately the women.
Sunday's life isn't necessarily easier when she leaves the workhouse. But she's shown kindness and what would have broken so many others makes her strong, and she still has a big heart.
The world Goodwin describes is rich, I got lost in it. I could hear the hooves of the horses on the carts and picture the clothes of the era, and the harsh cold of the winters.
This is the first book I've read by Goodwin, and if this is anything to go by, it most definitely will be the first of many.
An absolute treasure of a story, it will tug at your heartstrings and melt it by the end. Just wonderful.
I would like to thank Readers First and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
Sunday Small wasn't even a day old when she was dumped at the workhouse, and for nearly 14 years she's endured unspeakable cruelty and hardship from the house mistress Miss Frost.
She's sent to work for the house master Mr Pinnegar, who likes his girls young. About Sunday's age. When all seems lost she's then given a job outside the workhouse with Mrs Spooner under the careful guidance of the abrupt but ultimately kind Annie.
Upon leaving the workhouse, Sunday swears she will come back for her dear friend Daisy and her brother Tommy no matter what.
But Mr Pinnegar's obsession with Sunday will not abate, he is determined to make her his even though she has left and is not above taking drastic measures for this to happen.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It really depicts the hardship that so many had to go through in the 1800's, both men and women, but ultimately the women.
Sunday's life isn't necessarily easier when she leaves the workhouse. But she's shown kindness and what would have broken so many others makes her strong, and she still has a big heart.
The world Goodwin describes is rich, I got lost in it. I could hear the hooves of the horses on the carts and picture the clothes of the era, and the harsh cold of the winters.
This is the first book I've read by Goodwin, and if this is anything to go by, it most definitely will be the first of many.
An absolute treasure of a story, it will tug at your heartstrings and melt it by the end. Just wonderful.
I would like to thank Readers First and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
November 16, 2017
An excellent book Sunday Small had a rough life but grew into a strong willed young lady,she was so close to her friends did her best to look out for them.The master of the workhouse was a horrid man and so was miss frost,but sunday carried on with her life to better her life and that of her friends.I can highly recomend this book well worth 5*
April 1, 2025
This was an interesting read and not a genre I usually pick up. It’s the first in the authors “days of the week” series and it was a lot bleaker than I was expecting. There are also lots of very triggering scenes which might be hard for some readers - child rape, sexual deviancy, violence, murder and baby loss all feature. I don’t want to give any spoilers away from the story but the storyline was very gripping and delves deeply into the harsh world of orphaned children forced to live in the workhouse. I really liked getting to know Sunday and her story and there were a lot of great secondary characters I warmed to as well. The plot is very readable and easy to follow and still light despite the dark nature of some of the scenes. I didn’t like the way backstories were delivered though as they came across almost like info-dumps within the chapters but they weren’t massively off putting in the end. I liked how all the loose ends were tied up although some of it did feel a bit unbelievable/far-fetched. Overall an enjoyable read and I will keep an eye out for other books in this series and by this author.
January 1, 2019
Rosie's books are always a thoroughly good read and never repetitive. The disgusting work house master leaves you hoping he gets just desserts. Sunday is very lovable. You long for her to get Daisy out as well and really get engrossed in the story. Miss Beau is also an extremely likeable character, she perhaps cares too deeply for the work house children. But then who else will care for them. Other staff turn a blind eye to the house master being a lecherous paedophile who gets girls 'in the family way'. Many of the staff at the work house or hateful, especially the pathetic women who is jealous of the Masters attentions towards the young girls, what sort of woman wants to be with such a man!.
December 30, 2017
Mothering Sunday
Just finished this book after reading a little angel yes the wrong order but it didn't matter it was a superb read and Rosie has really excelled herself in this book I can't wait for her next one I loved reading about Sunday And Tom and Lavinia and all the rest a well deserved 5 STARS .
Just finished this book after reading a little angel yes the wrong order but it didn't matter it was a superb read and Rosie has really excelled herself in this book I can't wait for her next one I loved reading about Sunday And Tom and Lavinia and all the rest a well deserved 5 STARS .
October 22, 2017
A brilliant book from start to finish. Well done once again Rosie.
March 26, 2018
Fantastic book I couldn't put it down.
April 9, 2019
Another classic by Rosie Goodwin.
June 26, 2020
Audio version of this book 📚- A good storyline that kept you listening wanting to find out what happened! First in a series looking forward to the next one
November 20, 2020
Will I ever read anything but gentle family sagas ever again? Is this a coping mechanism in grief? Who can say.
Read
February 10, 2025What a heartwarming and emotional story. I love all of Rosies books I've read so far they always pull on my heart strings .
September 22, 2025
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
Wow, that was amazing-perhaps even the best Rosie Goodwin novel I have read so far, although it really is tricky to choose a favourite of hers, since they're all so captivating and beautiful to read, and with the exception of Our Fair Lily, I have loved every single one of them!
Rosie Goodwin never fails to impress and captivate your interest, with her excellent writing and thorough representation of Victorian life in all of her Victorian novels, especially when depicting the harsh realities and issues of poverty and hardship back then, with Mothering Sunday having been no exception. In fact, if anything, it was perhaps the one that represented this the best, as we start seeing the harsh regime and life of the workhouse that poor Sunday Small has had to endure her entire life, for nearly fourteen friggin' years as it ends up being, which is really most disturbing indeed. However, she is fortunately a very strong and spunky young girl, which may have been developed from having lived her whole life in the workhouse, or may have just been in her genes, or both, who knows. Even as a child she is shown as being very resilient, and it is her resilience that makes her most admirable, especially with just how much she has gone through by the end of the book.
Seeing Cissie's experience was also very upsetting, who has arguably suffered even more than Sunday, having had to endure the harsh regime and treatment of the workhouse, then gets raped by the vile workhouse master, then ends up getting sent away to an asylum, where she is chained and kept in captivity for 3-4 years. The fact she managed to survive and come out of all that the way she did was amazing to see. One of the things I love best about Rosie Goodwin's novels is that they have characters that have gone through an awful lot of adversity, yet are able to rise above it in the end, which I personally find very relatable, having gone through much adversity myself when I was younger, and also inspiring, seeing how these characters, despite all they have suffered, manage to rise above it and gain their happy endings in the end.
So Sunday fortunately manages to finally escape the harsh confines of the workhouse when Lady Huntley finds her a place working for Mrs Spooner, which delights her greatly, as she finally has the freedom she has long desired. What's great as well is that she ends up being really happy there, and is was really heartwarming to see the strong and meaningful bonds she developed with everyone at Mrs Spooner's house and all the new friends she made, being a new family to her. However, all her troubles are still far from over, with the vile, paedophile workhouse master, Mr Pinnegar, still continuing to harass her, and so you spend the whole book worrying and waiting in such dreaded anticipation and trepidation for him to do something particularly awful to her, as he keeps threatening to get his revenge on her after she reports him and his paedophilia/sexual abuse towards young, innocent minor girls which results in him losing his job of course and the rest of the security he had. This is honestly what we're led to believe will happen, especially as he keeps on harassing Sunday and due to these constant threats of course, and so we're prepared for the worst. However, there ends up being an unexpected twist, with Albert Pinnegar and his gang, while still being a major antagonist and looming threat, appear to have been red herrings to us (the audience) all along, as all the attacks on Mrs Spooner's chickens and house, along with Daisy's mysterious death (which I knew straight away was not going to end up being a suicide), which we're all led to believe Mr Pinnegar and his gang are responsible for, are actually not their doings, but rather Miss Frost, the (former) workhouse mistress, who interestingly takes a back seat for the rest of the story, so she honestly didn't end up coming to mind while all this was going on. It turns out she has totally lost it and gone insane and is the one behind all the attacks, Daisy's murder and kidnapping of Sunday towards the end who she also tries to kill. This was definitely an interesting turn of events, as as soon as we get told it can't be Mr Pinnegar since he has just been killed, the mystery slowly starts to unravel as you start to think of all the possible suspects, and I immediately thought of either Bill, the horrible bloke from the horrible farmer family she briefly worked for, but then of course it came to me thinking who has taken a backseat for the rest of the story, having had no real closure, and Miss Frost came to mind!
I was really happy to see everything ended happily in the end, with Sunday and Lavinia finally reuniting as mother and daughter, and both Mr Pinnegar and Miss Frost no longer being threats, the former being dead and the latter being locked up in the asylum. One part of the book though that was really upsetting and I remember getting such a horrific shock in was when poor Daisy died, as I just didn't expect that such an important character who had already suffered enough and was so innocent and meek too would actually end up being killed off, which is why it came as such a horrific shock. It was very upsetting as well just when you think things are finally going to start looking up for her. I realise I made the mistake of reading A Maiden's Voyage before this, which while doesn't give major spoilers as to what happens here (as the blurbs on the other subsequent books in this series already tell you Sunday and Tom run Treetops Manor as a children's home anyway), still didn't feel as resonant seeing Sunday and Cissie's characters being introduced at this point of time in the future, when it would have of course meant more and been more significant had I read it after this book after having already met those characters and seen what they'd gone through. Interestingly, I did actually get the feeling when reading this and recalling what I'd read in A Maiden's Voyage that Daisy was perhaps no longer there, the way Cissie appears in the future in A Maiden's Voyage at Treetops but not Daisy, nor is she mentioned (Tom doesn't appear in this future, distant sequel I don't think but is mentioned a few times).
Lavinia was a really inspiring and amazing character, being a strong, independent woman but not in the sterotypical sense, but rather more the kind you can relate to, as she goes from being naive and meek to assertively standing up to all the cruelty she witnesses and experiences, with the mental asylum and workhouse and their treatment towards young people as well as in her own personal life with her horrible, vile, scumbag of a husband. It was quite inspiring, as you realise that feeling so passionately angry about something can just naturally force you to suddenly become assertive and stand up to people.
The only things I had to critique was the part where Sunday goes to work for the horrible family in the farm who are just horrible, hateful people and treat her like dirt, and just made me so damn angry and it didn't really add a lot to the plot other than to show Sunday enduring further adversity and introduce more antagonists who may be suspects for Sunday's subsequent kidnapping. They made me so angry, as at least with Mr Pinnegar he's a central part to the plot and adds something and everyone is shown to fight against him, being the main antagonist of the story, but the farm family where just so horrible and hateful without even adding anything, or much at least, and that just made me angrier than anything. The mother and son were the worst, scheming to stop her from leaving with the son sexually harassing and clearly planning to rape Sunday which the mother thoroughly enabled, and I just didn't get why Sunday didn't tell Mrs Spooner that they'd threatened her if she left them when telling her that she'd changed her mind about working at Treetops Manor, making up excuses. I did find it weird too that it was just Sunday they singled out as a perfect wife for the horrible son so they wouldn't have to pay her, despite apparently having had several other girls come to work at the farm before her, who they also sacked, yet with Sunday they were determined she stay so they could exploit her.
Also I don't get why Sunday still needed time to 'forgive' or stop being mad at Lavinia after Zillah had already told her that it wasn't Lavinia's fault she had been abandoned at the workhouse, since she didn't even know she was still alive and how could she have. Also I just couldn't believe how scummy and evil Lavinia's husband/Sunday's biological dad, Ashley was, actually wanting the baby (Sunday) to be killed when finding out it was a girl, I mean why would he want to have it killed rather than just have it sent to the workhouse, as surely they still could have pretended it had died if they'd secretly sent it to the workhouse? He was definitely what you call he Greater Scope Villain, as while he has nothing to do with the main events that antagonise Sunday and her friends like Mr Pinnegar, it was because of him and his vile schemes that all this happened to Sunday, even though him and Sunday never actually have any contact with one another. I was just so glad when he died, with him perhaps being just as evil as Mr Pinnegar, albeit in a different kind of way.
Still, these are pretty minor critiques and even the most amazing of books are not always perfect.
Yet another wonderful gem of Rosie Goodwin's historical fiction novels that I thoroughly enjoyed, and look forward to the next in the series, The Little Angel!
Wow, that was amazing-perhaps even the best Rosie Goodwin novel I have read so far, although it really is tricky to choose a favourite of hers, since they're all so captivating and beautiful to read, and with the exception of Our Fair Lily, I have loved every single one of them!
Rosie Goodwin never fails to impress and captivate your interest, with her excellent writing and thorough representation of Victorian life in all of her Victorian novels, especially when depicting the harsh realities and issues of poverty and hardship back then, with Mothering Sunday having been no exception. In fact, if anything, it was perhaps the one that represented this the best, as we start seeing the harsh regime and life of the workhouse that poor Sunday Small has had to endure her entire life, for nearly fourteen friggin' years as it ends up being, which is really most disturbing indeed. However, she is fortunately a very strong and spunky young girl, which may have been developed from having lived her whole life in the workhouse, or may have just been in her genes, or both, who knows. Even as a child she is shown as being very resilient, and it is her resilience that makes her most admirable, especially with just how much she has gone through by the end of the book.
Seeing Cissie's experience was also very upsetting, who has arguably suffered even more than Sunday, having had to endure the harsh regime and treatment of the workhouse, then gets raped by the vile workhouse master, then ends up getting sent away to an asylum, where she is chained and kept in captivity for 3-4 years. The fact she managed to survive and come out of all that the way she did was amazing to see. One of the things I love best about Rosie Goodwin's novels is that they have characters that have gone through an awful lot of adversity, yet are able to rise above it in the end, which I personally find very relatable, having gone through much adversity myself when I was younger, and also inspiring, seeing how these characters, despite all they have suffered, manage to rise above it and gain their happy endings in the end.
So Sunday fortunately manages to finally escape the harsh confines of the workhouse when Lady Huntley finds her a place working for Mrs Spooner, which delights her greatly, as she finally has the freedom she has long desired. What's great as well is that she ends up being really happy there, and is was really heartwarming to see the strong and meaningful bonds she developed with everyone at Mrs Spooner's house and all the new friends she made, being a new family to her. However, all her troubles are still far from over, with the vile, paedophile workhouse master, Mr Pinnegar, still continuing to harass her, and so you spend the whole book worrying and waiting in such dreaded anticipation and trepidation for him to do something particularly awful to her, as he keeps threatening to get his revenge on her after she reports him and his paedophilia/sexual abuse towards young, innocent minor girls which results in him losing his job of course and the rest of the security he had. This is honestly what we're led to believe will happen, especially as he keeps on harassing Sunday and due to these constant threats of course, and so we're prepared for the worst. However, there ends up being an unexpected twist, with Albert Pinnegar and his gang, while still being a major antagonist and looming threat, appear to have been red herrings to us (the audience) all along, as all the attacks on Mrs Spooner's chickens and house, along with Daisy's mysterious death (which I knew straight away was not going to end up being a suicide), which we're all led to believe Mr Pinnegar and his gang are responsible for, are actually not their doings, but rather Miss Frost, the (former) workhouse mistress, who interestingly takes a back seat for the rest of the story, so she honestly didn't end up coming to mind while all this was going on. It turns out she has totally lost it and gone insane and is the one behind all the attacks, Daisy's murder and kidnapping of Sunday towards the end who she also tries to kill. This was definitely an interesting turn of events, as as soon as we get told it can't be Mr Pinnegar since he has just been killed, the mystery slowly starts to unravel as you start to think of all the possible suspects, and I immediately thought of either Bill, the horrible bloke from the horrible farmer family she briefly worked for, but then of course it came to me thinking who has taken a backseat for the rest of the story, having had no real closure, and Miss Frost came to mind!
I was really happy to see everything ended happily in the end, with Sunday and Lavinia finally reuniting as mother and daughter, and both Mr Pinnegar and Miss Frost no longer being threats, the former being dead and the latter being locked up in the asylum. One part of the book though that was really upsetting and I remember getting such a horrific shock in was when poor Daisy died, as I just didn't expect that such an important character who had already suffered enough and was so innocent and meek too would actually end up being killed off, which is why it came as such a horrific shock. It was very upsetting as well just when you think things are finally going to start looking up for her. I realise I made the mistake of reading A Maiden's Voyage before this, which while doesn't give major spoilers as to what happens here (as the blurbs on the other subsequent books in this series already tell you Sunday and Tom run Treetops Manor as a children's home anyway), still didn't feel as resonant seeing Sunday and Cissie's characters being introduced at this point of time in the future, when it would have of course meant more and been more significant had I read it after this book after having already met those characters and seen what they'd gone through. Interestingly, I did actually get the feeling when reading this and recalling what I'd read in A Maiden's Voyage that Daisy was perhaps no longer there, the way Cissie appears in the future in A Maiden's Voyage at Treetops but not Daisy, nor is she mentioned (Tom doesn't appear in this future, distant sequel I don't think but is mentioned a few times).
Lavinia was a really inspiring and amazing character, being a strong, independent woman but not in the sterotypical sense, but rather more the kind you can relate to, as she goes from being naive and meek to assertively standing up to all the cruelty she witnesses and experiences, with the mental asylum and workhouse and their treatment towards young people as well as in her own personal life with her horrible, vile, scumbag of a husband. It was quite inspiring, as you realise that feeling so passionately angry about something can just naturally force you to suddenly become assertive and stand up to people.
The only things I had to critique was the part where Sunday goes to work for the horrible family in the farm who are just horrible, hateful people and treat her like dirt, and just made me so damn angry and it didn't really add a lot to the plot other than to show Sunday enduring further adversity and introduce more antagonists who may be suspects for Sunday's subsequent kidnapping. They made me so angry, as at least with Mr Pinnegar he's a central part to the plot and adds something and everyone is shown to fight against him, being the main antagonist of the story, but the farm family where just so horrible and hateful without even adding anything, or much at least, and that just made me angrier than anything. The mother and son were the worst, scheming to stop her from leaving with the son sexually harassing and clearly planning to rape Sunday which the mother thoroughly enabled, and I just didn't get why Sunday didn't tell Mrs Spooner that they'd threatened her if she left them when telling her that she'd changed her mind about working at Treetops Manor, making up excuses. I did find it weird too that it was just Sunday they singled out as a perfect wife for the horrible son so they wouldn't have to pay her, despite apparently having had several other girls come to work at the farm before her, who they also sacked, yet with Sunday they were determined she stay so they could exploit her.
Also I don't get why Sunday still needed time to 'forgive' or stop being mad at Lavinia after Zillah had already told her that it wasn't Lavinia's fault she had been abandoned at the workhouse, since she didn't even know she was still alive and how could she have. Also I just couldn't believe how scummy and evil Lavinia's husband/Sunday's biological dad, Ashley was, actually wanting the baby (Sunday) to be killed when finding out it was a girl, I mean why would he want to have it killed rather than just have it sent to the workhouse, as surely they still could have pretended it had died if they'd secretly sent it to the workhouse? He was definitely what you call he Greater Scope Villain, as while he has nothing to do with the main events that antagonise Sunday and her friends like Mr Pinnegar, it was because of him and his vile schemes that all this happened to Sunday, even though him and Sunday never actually have any contact with one another. I was just so glad when he died, with him perhaps being just as evil as Mr Pinnegar, albeit in a different kind of way.
Still, these are pretty minor critiques and even the most amazing of books are not always perfect.
Yet another wonderful gem of Rosie Goodwin's historical fiction novels that I thoroughly enjoyed, and look forward to the next in the series, The Little Angel!
May 18, 2017
Very enjoyable reading would thoroughly recomend it
Enjoyable reading would thoroughly recommend it. Keep your tissues at hand as you will need them I know I did.
Enjoyable reading would thoroughly recommend it. Keep your tissues at hand as you will need them I know I did.
May 7, 2017
Best book
This book gripped me from the first page and I could not put it down !! What a brilliant story from start to finish .. I shall be lost now I have finished it ...its defiantly a must read book I can't praise it enough..please just read it you won't be disappointed....*****
This book gripped me from the first page and I could not put it down !! What a brilliant story from start to finish .. I shall be lost now I have finished it ...its defiantly a must read book I can't praise it enough..please just read it you won't be disappointed....*****
May 4, 2017
Brilliant
Very enjoyable read. Kept me reading every word right to the end. I couldn't put this book down. I hope your enjoy it as much as I did
Very enjoyable read. Kept me reading every word right to the end. I couldn't put this book down. I hope your enjoy it as much as I did
July 10, 2019
A truly brilliant book!
Set in Nuneaton in the 1880’s and follows the life of Sunday, who was left on the workhouse steps as a newborn baby. Life was never easy for anyone in the workhouse, especially Sunday, but she always believed that one day her mother would come looking for her.
A gritty story with twists & turns, I found Mothering Sunday really difficult to put down, so much so I even read the book whilst eating dinner! The author, Rosie Goodwin, has a knack of keeping the reader engrossed in the story and I just didn’t know what was going to happen next.
A must read for Rosie Goodwin fans (and if you haven’t read her books, why not start now?!).
Set in Nuneaton in the 1880’s and follows the life of Sunday, who was left on the workhouse steps as a newborn baby. Life was never easy for anyone in the workhouse, especially Sunday, but she always believed that one day her mother would come looking for her.
A gritty story with twists & turns, I found Mothering Sunday really difficult to put down, so much so I even read the book whilst eating dinner! The author, Rosie Goodwin, has a knack of keeping the reader engrossed in the story and I just didn’t know what was going to happen next.
A must read for Rosie Goodwin fans (and if you haven’t read her books, why not start now?!).
October 16, 2017
What an amazing read. it really makes you apprciate what you have, and how life was back in the era in which the book is set. looking forward to the little angel, the "monday" book in the series. although not usually my kind of read, will find more novels by this author. K
August 28, 2019
Oh really loved this book and cant wait to read the next one. Was good getting to know Sunday and her life in the workhouse, and then her journey to find out who she really was and find out if she got to find her Mother.
November 21, 2017
This is a great book
This book is absolutely great I couldn't put it down. I have just started reading books by this author and I will certainty enjoyed her books.
This book is absolutely great I couldn't put it down. I have just started reading books by this author and I will certainty enjoyed her books.
March 5, 2018
Fabulous
What a fabulous book, another of Rosie Goodwin's. So much thought and whole heartedness has been put into the writing of this book.
What a fabulous book, another of Rosie Goodwin's. So much thought and whole heartedness has been put into the writing of this book.
July 31, 2018
An amazing book that had my hooked from the first page. Sunday is a powerful lead character and you are so drawn into her life. An excellent read that I highly recommend.
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