The Girl From Poor House Lane

The Poor House Lane #1

by Freda Lightfoot

What lengths will a mother go to in order to protect her son? The first in the historical Poor House Lane sagas

The slums of Poor House Lane are no place to bring up a child, and Kate O'Connor struggles to make ends meet when her beloved husband is killed, leaving her a single mother with a baby to support on the meagre hand-outs she gleans from charity. So when the childless Tysons, owners of Kendal's shoe factory, offer to adopt her son, Callum, and employ Kate as his nanny, she seizes the chance to ensure he has a better life.

To be so close to her son, yet no longer be his mother, is bittersweet. But Kate is not prepared for the jealousy the new arrangement provokes in Eliot Tyson's brother, Charles, who sees Callum as a direct threat to his inheritance…

The first heart-rending instalment of The Poor House Lane Sagas are perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2004

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

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. Recommended.

[Kate Danley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Downton Abby, you'll find a lot to love about this book. Lots of period drama with a dash of romance. The characters are well written, the story flows beautifully, lovely writing style... I just really enjoyed this book. Nothing life altering, but gosh, a lot of fun

[Kim Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my normal kind of book and I found it very "by numbers" and predictable. I did want to find out what happened though but there wasn't a conclusion in this book. I'm afraid I don't care enough to get the sequel.

[Ruth Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

an nice easy read.

[Mrs Annette Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievable

I found this a difficult book to enjoy and found myself skipping past many paragraphs, hoping to find something a bit more believable. I looked at the reviews of the next two books in the series and decided to give them a miss even though I wanted out of curiosity to see out the story of Kate and her children turned out. No Freda's best work!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite authors has always been Catherine Cookson. Freda's writing is very similar. I have collected all of Catherine's books and I liked The Girl from Poor House Lane so much that I intend to read all of Freda's as well. Beautifully written with a touch of suspense. Loved it.

[Ann Dickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant, have just ordered the next 2 in the series.

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good saga set in poverty stricken working class Britain

[Carole Fearing]

Lovely story, now reading the 2nd part.(another book)

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love reading your books. They had it Hardin those days. 😀

[Becci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard one to rate as although I enjoyed the story the abrupt ending and unanswered questions has brought down the rating from 4 to 3. To get answers you have to carry on with the series.

[Fiona Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, however the ending was far too abrupt and rather spoiled the whole book.

[Fiona Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, however the ending was far too abrupt and rather spoiled the whole book.

[Susan Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting beginning of the trilogy. Somewhat predictable in parts but still a good book.