A Mother's Dilemma

by Emma Hornby

Gritty and page-turning historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

Genres: Historical Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Emma Hornby was born and raised on a tight-knit, working-class estate in Bolton, England. She is a mother of three wonderful children and fiancée to one very patient man.

History has always been her passion and she grew up with her nose buried in sagas. Before pursuing a career as a novelist, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly to working in a Blackpool rock factory. She later wrote short stories and non-fiction pieces for the internet, print and stage, and also worked as a freelance poet.

Her books are gritty historical family sagas, set in Victorian and WWII Bolton and Manchester, which she began writing after researching her family history. The colourful folk she unearthed gave her plenty of inspiration; like the characters in her novels, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire's slums.

Emma's first book, A Shilling for a Wife, was the bestselling debut saga novel of 2017. Her debut WWII book, Her Wartime Secret, was shortlisted for the 2022 RNA Romantic Saga Award. Her other titles regularly appear in the official bestsellers' charts.

Visit Emma's website at emmahornby.com for more.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved reading about Jewel Nightingale and her life of her family and the struggle to survive,Jewel goes through life wanting love,marriage and children,On the night of the opening in town of a new building her cousin Benjy plies her with ale with a heartbreaking result and jewel is desperate for a way out of the shame.I was so happy that i read this book and can highly recommend it if you want to know what happens.Well done Emma Hornby 5*

[Pol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Emma Hornby,s 4th book. What a book it did not disappoint. From beginning to the end a great read.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd get along with the style and era very well, but my gosh! By the last few chapters I couldn't blink. It was an easy enough read, and its plot panned out perfectly. Following Jewels story from the very start, it did a great job at linking the small details and leaving no questions. Highly recommend.

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely tale following the journey of Jewell, and the harrowing baby farming around the slums of Manchester. Being my hometown I Ioved all the local references. It was, in the words of Jewell herself, 'A Reet Good Read'.

[Clare Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow up to Manchester Moll, Emma Hornsby didn’t disappoint. The poverty and slums of Victorian Manchester are portrayed so vividly that I could imagine a TV series. Not always a comfortable read but very informative. Quite a change to have an ethical story, too.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was full of exceptional goings on and coincidences. So much happened to Jewel in the space of a year or so that it became confusing. I did find the part about “baby farming” interesting and felt that the author could have explored this further. The ending however was completely unbelievable.

[Christine McCallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many twists at the end, it got a bit confusing, but overall a great story

[Gail Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The father dies leaving the mother & her children the only opinion us the workhouse the kind cook who helps, the warden hates her & the boy who befriends & helps her great story as always from a great gritty author

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this book again. really enjoyed it as much the second time around.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby farming in the Victorian era. Bolton and Manchester Minnie Maddox helps flora nightingale bring her daughter into the world , but unknown to flora the baby dies so Minnie swaps babies with another in her care . The baby named jewel is loved and cared for over the years. At the age of seventeen Jewel is raped by her cousin benji and finds herself pregnant keeping it a secret from her family she flees to a baby farmer. Jewel suffers so much through her pregnancy. I found this book a harrowing read from start to finish the accounts from the author made this a fantastic read as always her books just grow and I never get let down with them. I just loved it all.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book I really enjoyed this, read it some time ago forgot to add to my GR.

[Lou Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Again, Emma has researched tremendously well; she describes her journey to her learning about ‘baby farming’, in her Authors Note, at front of book. I felt that this note lends the story a little bit extra. Her interest piqued my interest from beginning. Parts of the story make for some uncomfortable reading; understandably, with the subject matter, notwithstanding that these times were also extraordinarily hard. What I love about Emma’s writings is that I find myself reading aside from the story; in this case looking into the history of some infamous people in history (mostly women) who carried out these heinous acts, some for many, many years before they were prosecuted, and legislation was brought in to eradicate. A lot of the story also lifted me giving me a warm, excited, can’t-wait-to-read-more feeling, as I rooted for the character Jewel! I also adored Minnie Maddox, Flora, Sarah and Maxwell. Fantastic read, had me gripped, one of Emma’s best. 5/5

[Laura Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I had watched a Catherine Cookson adaption of tv and really wanted to read a story with that vibe and this was the first book that came to hand. What luck?!
I burned through this in a little over a day and I can't wait to read more of Emma Hornby's work.

Full review to come as I have thoughts on this one
xx

[Angi Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!!

Don't have much time to write a full on review but I want to say how brilliant this book was. Had it on my mind every day..wanting to get back to it! Fantastic! I loved it!

[Lorna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

What a wonderful , frightening, amazing journey Jewel had in her life all twists and turns, secrets coming from all directions, you didn't have a clue what was happening next but all's well in the end / crying 😢 laughing 😝 a really great story 📖

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

Couldn’t put it down, similar to Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, Emma Hornby tells a brilliant story that will keep you guessing with twists and turns. Pure talent.

[Annemarie Farthing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baby Farming 😞
I read this book as it said it was perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin.
Maybe I have been spoilt by Rosie?
This book didn't do anything for me sorry to say.

[Brenda Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book until I got to the ending it was to unrealistic for me.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

This is the first book I have read by this author, I did enjoy it but nevertheless at times it could be rather puzzling!

[Sally Hogston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jewel

Brilliant book. A very tangled web was gradually unravelled as the story went on with an ending you wouldn't expect.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story with twists and turns but a lovely ending for a brave women called Jewel fantastic read

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on the cover says 'as good as Dilly Court'. I'd say this is better.

[Carey Kairine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book hard to get into, but then found myself not able to put it down.

[Arlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it hard to read and keep up with the conversations in dialect, off putting, so didn't get far with book

[Robyn Eastman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather long winded