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The Ferryman's Daughter
'I absolutely loved it. Hester is one heck of a woman!' Heidi Swain'A charming book seasoned with romance and a sprinkling of danger' Western MailCan Hester help her family escape desperate poverty and fulfil her Hester always loved her mother best, her father had always been a hard man to like, spending more time (and money) in the local than with his family. After her mother's sudden death, followed by an injury forcing her father to give up his job as the ferryman, Hester is placed in the position of care-giver for her young brother and sister. As the years pass Hester must row the ferry night and day to keep them all from starvation, while her hopes of working in a kitchen and one day becoming a cook, slip further and further away. But just how far is Hester willing to go to make her dream a reality And as the threat of war comes ever closer to the Cornish coast, will it bring opportunities or despair for Hester and her familyA gripping family saga perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry, Glenda Young and Mollie Walton. Escape to the Cornish coast and discover a strong woman who will do anything for her family and for her dreams... Readers are already falling in love with was a superb read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment' Being Anne'A sublime novel, written deftly, and with a keen attention to detail' Netgalley reviewer'Lovely family saga book' Netgalley reviewer
384 pages, Paperback
Published May 14, 2020
8 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Juliet Greenwood
10 books119 followersJuliet Greenwood is the author of seven historical novels, her latest being with Storm Publishing. She has long been inspired by the histories of the women in her family, and in particular with how strong-minded and independent women have overcome the limitations imposed on them by the constraints of their time, and also with the way generations of women hold families and communities together in times of crisis, including WW2.
After graduating in English from Lancaster University and Kings College, London, Juliet worked on a variety of jobs to support her ambition to be a full-time writer. These ranged from running a craft stall at Covent Garden to collecting oral histories of traditional villages before they are lost forever, and more recently as a freelance editor and proof-reader.
She finally achieved her dream of becoming a published author following a debilitating viral illness, with her first novel being a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and her first two novels reaching #4 and #5 in the UK Kindle store.
Juliet now lives in a traditional quarryman’s cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine. She can be found dog walking in all weathers, camera to hand.
After graduating in English from Lancaster University and Kings College, London, Juliet worked on a variety of jobs to support her ambition to be a full-time writer. These ranged from running a craft stall at Covent Garden to collecting oral histories of traditional villages before they are lost forever, and more recently as a freelance editor and proof-reader.
She finally achieved her dream of becoming a published author following a debilitating viral illness, with her first novel being a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and her first two novels reaching #4 and #5 in the UK Kindle store.
Juliet now lives in a traditional quarryman’s cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine. She can be found dog walking in all weathers, camera to hand.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 14, 2020
Isn’t it wonderful when a book turns out to be exactly what you hope it might be? My reading choices, since lockdown began, have mainly been romantic comedies – and that’s where I tend to turn when looking for comfort and escape. But I was rather looking forward to something totally different, the best of storytelling with a historical context, strong characters I could believe in, some trials and tribulations… and as I sank into the pages, entirely swept away by this wonderful story, experiencing every twist and turn in Hester’s life, I soon realised that I might have found the most perfect escape of all.
Hester Pearce is a strong woman so perfectly drawn: you feel at your core every single moment of her life experience, aching for her as she shows such exceptional courage in the face of every new challenge. At first, it’s making ends meet against impossible odds, holding the family together after the loss of her mother, ensuring that there’s food on the table and enough money to pay the rent collector to keep a roof over their heads. Her father would happily spend every penny at the Fisherman’s Arms after his days working as a ferryman: she becomes adept at concealing any spare cash she can, raised from the sale of preserves made from fruit she forages from the deserted walled garden at Afalon, the nearby mansion and estate. It’s already a hand-to-mouth existence, but when her father has a serious accident that stops him working, Hester takes his place, rowing passengers across the estuary in all weathers – an incredibly demanding job for a young woman, and her effort and the hardship she endures entirely exhaust you as you read.
At the beginning, the main focus is on family, on relationships, on duty and obligation, on survival – with Hester’s hope of not living her whole life in the shadows, of achieving her dream and being able to make her own choices, looking increasingly impossible. But the war is coming, and with it the possibility of a change of fortune: the impossible dream begins to shimmer once more, but so does the threat to any possibility of future happiness, and Afalon may not be quite the place of safety it might seem.
And that’s as far as I’m going to go in telling the story – the author really does it very much better, and the writing and story-telling is so very, very good: the whole book is a thoroughly gripping and emotional read, filled with so many heart-stopping moments. The Cornish setting is really wonderfully drawn, as are the day-to-day lives of the people, the acts of kindness and cruelty, the yawning gulf between those who have so little and the tantalising glimpses into the lives of those who have so much more. Every character, no matter how peripheral, is entirely three-dimensional, alive on the page – and the villain of the piece really is a particularly sinister and threatening creation.
The depth of research that must have gone into this book is clearly evident, and there’s a wonderful richness in the detail – I found the focus on the production of food particularly fascinating, but also enjoyed the insights into the impact of the war on the small rural community, and the harsh realities of life for those who return.
This was a superb read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment – I really didn’t want to leave the world the author created behind, or the exceptional woman whose life I’d felt privileged to share. Just wonderful – worth every moment of the wait, and so highly recommended.
Hester Pearce is a strong woman so perfectly drawn: you feel at your core every single moment of her life experience, aching for her as she shows such exceptional courage in the face of every new challenge. At first, it’s making ends meet against impossible odds, holding the family together after the loss of her mother, ensuring that there’s food on the table and enough money to pay the rent collector to keep a roof over their heads. Her father would happily spend every penny at the Fisherman’s Arms after his days working as a ferryman: she becomes adept at concealing any spare cash she can, raised from the sale of preserves made from fruit she forages from the deserted walled garden at Afalon, the nearby mansion and estate. It’s already a hand-to-mouth existence, but when her father has a serious accident that stops him working, Hester takes his place, rowing passengers across the estuary in all weathers – an incredibly demanding job for a young woman, and her effort and the hardship she endures entirely exhaust you as you read.
At the beginning, the main focus is on family, on relationships, on duty and obligation, on survival – with Hester’s hope of not living her whole life in the shadows, of achieving her dream and being able to make her own choices, looking increasingly impossible. But the war is coming, and with it the possibility of a change of fortune: the impossible dream begins to shimmer once more, but so does the threat to any possibility of future happiness, and Afalon may not be quite the place of safety it might seem.
And that’s as far as I’m going to go in telling the story – the author really does it very much better, and the writing and story-telling is so very, very good: the whole book is a thoroughly gripping and emotional read, filled with so many heart-stopping moments. The Cornish setting is really wonderfully drawn, as are the day-to-day lives of the people, the acts of kindness and cruelty, the yawning gulf between those who have so little and the tantalising glimpses into the lives of those who have so much more. Every character, no matter how peripheral, is entirely three-dimensional, alive on the page – and the villain of the piece really is a particularly sinister and threatening creation.
The depth of research that must have gone into this book is clearly evident, and there’s a wonderful richness in the detail – I found the focus on the production of food particularly fascinating, but also enjoyed the insights into the impact of the war on the small rural community, and the harsh realities of life for those who return.
This was a superb read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment – I really didn’t want to leave the world the author created behind, or the exceptional woman whose life I’d felt privileged to share. Just wonderful – worth every moment of the wait, and so highly recommended.
May 21, 2020
Early twentieth century fictional heroines, viewed through the reading lens of twenty-first century women, have a tendency to leave those of us of a feminist persuasion, sighing in frustration as the ‘poverty-stricken, uneducated, desperate’ heroine falters at the feet of some unscrupulous, conniving, controlling man. (I’ve lost count of the times I’ve yelled at the pages of a historical novel, ‘No! Don’t do that – you don’t have to do that!’)
It was ever thus. And tends to get predictable. Backbone, in my experience, is sadly lacking in the traditional, modern historical novel. The kind that stiffens the spine of the indomitable Hester Pearce, in The Ferryman’s Daughter is a joy to encounter. And were 21st century me able to time travel back and meet her, she’d soon have me nodding my approval.
The Ferryman’s Daughter explores realities for women in the early 1900s and shows how they don’t always capitulate to the accepted mores of the time. Hester is a new girl (woman) on the block and her presence is a breath of Cornish fresh air. After her mother dies and her father – the titular ferryman – has an accident, it is down to Hester to keep her family together. That she does this, literally, against every odd known to ‘desperate’ historical novel womankind is the essence of this book. And there is nothing contrived about Hester’s quiet heroism, her determination to be fearless, even when she scared half to death.
The deeply menacing presence of Jimmy Harkness, arrogant in his assumption that Hester will succumb to his advances because she has no choice, is a revealing portrait of the kind of man women have always had to deal with, and still do. These days however it’s acceptable for us to say ‘No’ and have that wish respected. In the early 1900s, with a war on the horizon, it was a brave young woman who stood her ground and resisted the terror tactics of a man bent on her subjugation and humiliation. Hester does this and we applaud her, because over a century apart, she is us. There is plenty of tension – the author knows her craft and paces the book perfectly – moments when we genuinely fear for Hester. But she isn’t raped or battered or left for dead. She fights back and fights hard. Hester Pearce is a fictional heroine for her time and ours.
There are other heroines in this book too – women with the privileges and education Hester is denied. And this is the other splendid aspect of The Ferryman’s Daughter. These women aren’t snobs, they don’t parade their birthright or advantages; they’re supportive of each other’s endeavours, embracing an equality which Hester gradually comes to appreciate and accept. The relationships between Hester and Clara Trewarren, the daughter of gentry, and later with the enigmatic Miss Chesterfield, are both beautifully rendered. And Hester’s mother, who tried to teach her she was as good as anyone, that no dream was too big to be realised, remains, long after her death the core of Hester’s courage.
The Ferryman’s Daughter is a tour de force – it turns the concept of the traditional historical novel on its head, showing us how, like women today, there have always been smart, audacious, feisty women prepared to defy convention. Women with backbone – women whose instinct shapes their view of themselves as gutsy and capable.
There isn’t a single simpering woman in the entire book, and it is a better, more authentic and satisfying reading experience for it. Not enough stars!
It was ever thus. And tends to get predictable. Backbone, in my experience, is sadly lacking in the traditional, modern historical novel. The kind that stiffens the spine of the indomitable Hester Pearce, in The Ferryman’s Daughter is a joy to encounter. And were 21st century me able to time travel back and meet her, she’d soon have me nodding my approval.
The Ferryman’s Daughter explores realities for women in the early 1900s and shows how they don’t always capitulate to the accepted mores of the time. Hester is a new girl (woman) on the block and her presence is a breath of Cornish fresh air. After her mother dies and her father – the titular ferryman – has an accident, it is down to Hester to keep her family together. That she does this, literally, against every odd known to ‘desperate’ historical novel womankind is the essence of this book. And there is nothing contrived about Hester’s quiet heroism, her determination to be fearless, even when she scared half to death.
The deeply menacing presence of Jimmy Harkness, arrogant in his assumption that Hester will succumb to his advances because she has no choice, is a revealing portrait of the kind of man women have always had to deal with, and still do. These days however it’s acceptable for us to say ‘No’ and have that wish respected. In the early 1900s, with a war on the horizon, it was a brave young woman who stood her ground and resisted the terror tactics of a man bent on her subjugation and humiliation. Hester does this and we applaud her, because over a century apart, she is us. There is plenty of tension – the author knows her craft and paces the book perfectly – moments when we genuinely fear for Hester. But she isn’t raped or battered or left for dead. She fights back and fights hard. Hester Pearce is a fictional heroine for her time and ours.
There are other heroines in this book too – women with the privileges and education Hester is denied. And this is the other splendid aspect of The Ferryman’s Daughter. These women aren’t snobs, they don’t parade their birthright or advantages; they’re supportive of each other’s endeavours, embracing an equality which Hester gradually comes to appreciate and accept. The relationships between Hester and Clara Trewarren, the daughter of gentry, and later with the enigmatic Miss Chesterfield, are both beautifully rendered. And Hester’s mother, who tried to teach her she was as good as anyone, that no dream was too big to be realised, remains, long after her death the core of Hester’s courage.
The Ferryman’s Daughter is a tour de force – it turns the concept of the traditional historical novel on its head, showing us how, like women today, there have always been smart, audacious, feisty women prepared to defy convention. Women with backbone – women whose instinct shapes their view of themselves as gutsy and capable.
There isn’t a single simpering woman in the entire book, and it is a better, more authentic and satisfying reading experience for it. Not enough stars!
July 1, 2020
I have long admired Juliet Greenwood’s work and The Ferryman's Daughter follows her usual brilliant standard. This is an excellent story, well told, so that, as a reader, I was soon able to enter the world and lives of the characters.
The protagonist, Hester Pearce, is multi-layered and, as the story progresses from her childhood to being a young woman, each layer is peeled away to show yet another facet of her nature. This is a wonderful portrayal of a strong female character, shown as exceptional for a young woman in the early 20th century, when the decades covered hardship, patriarchy, great divisions in society, the impending and actual devastation of war and a necessary adaptation to the great changes of the time. So wonderfully shown through the author’s skill and imagination.
And the supporting characters are equally rounded and believable, her self-indulgent but proud father, her siblings, her friend, the tenacious but also menacing suitor.
Both the internal and spoken dialogue is realistic and give depth to each character.
It is particularly clear that the author has researched extensively; the epoch, the setting at that period, the society that lived through those years. There is a strong sense of the times throughout; the descriptions of the Cornish background are well drawn and give a brilliant sense of place, so easy to evoke. I sometimes felt I was there; in the hamlet, on the river, the walled garden at Afalon. I loved the emphasis on the foraging, preserving and cooking, which, to me, adding to the whole ambience of book.
There are so many themes interwoven throughout: familial love, duty, compassion, courage, sacrifice, anger, happiness, loss, dreams versus reality; hope. All add to give a reality to Hester and her story
I don’t like to reveal the story in my reviews; I think it spoils it for future readers. But I do try to say what works for me as a reader; what I particularly like, and I hope I have shown this in my review. It's an outstanding book.
For me, this is a gripping historical well-paced family saga that sweeps the reader along. I would strongly recommend The Ferryman's Daughter.
The protagonist, Hester Pearce, is multi-layered and, as the story progresses from her childhood to being a young woman, each layer is peeled away to show yet another facet of her nature. This is a wonderful portrayal of a strong female character, shown as exceptional for a young woman in the early 20th century, when the decades covered hardship, patriarchy, great divisions in society, the impending and actual devastation of war and a necessary adaptation to the great changes of the time. So wonderfully shown through the author’s skill and imagination.
And the supporting characters are equally rounded and believable, her self-indulgent but proud father, her siblings, her friend, the tenacious but also menacing suitor.
Both the internal and spoken dialogue is realistic and give depth to each character.
It is particularly clear that the author has researched extensively; the epoch, the setting at that period, the society that lived through those years. There is a strong sense of the times throughout; the descriptions of the Cornish background are well drawn and give a brilliant sense of place, so easy to evoke. I sometimes felt I was there; in the hamlet, on the river, the walled garden at Afalon. I loved the emphasis on the foraging, preserving and cooking, which, to me, adding to the whole ambience of book.
There are so many themes interwoven throughout: familial love, duty, compassion, courage, sacrifice, anger, happiness, loss, dreams versus reality; hope. All add to give a reality to Hester and her story
I don’t like to reveal the story in my reviews; I think it spoils it for future readers. But I do try to say what works for me as a reader; what I particularly like, and I hope I have shown this in my review. It's an outstanding book.
For me, this is a gripping historical well-paced family saga that sweeps the reader along. I would strongly recommend The Ferryman's Daughter.
August 11, 2020
The Ferryman’s Daughter is an historical family saga set in Cornwall. The story begins in 1908 and focuses on Hester Pearce and her dreams to run a café. Her father rows passengers across the Hayle estuary near St Ives, while her mother keeps the house and uses her cooking skills to create preserves which she sells.
When Hester’s mother dies and her father is badly injured in an accident, Hester is forced to leave school, then take charge of the ferry herself. However, she is determined to make more of her life, so she learns to cook and bake. When World War One breaks out, Hester finds employment in a local house where soldiers are sent to recover; here she puts her resourceful cooking skills to good use.
I enjoyed the Cornish setting of this book, while the parts set during the war were some of my favourites, especially the creative ingredients used during times of shortages. I also liked the parts set in the gardens; I wanted to take part in digging and harvesting of the fruit and vegetables alongside the characters. Overall, a lovely story about a practical young woman and her ambitions to make a living for herself in a period of history when many women traditionally looked after the home.
When Hester’s mother dies and her father is badly injured in an accident, Hester is forced to leave school, then take charge of the ferry herself. However, she is determined to make more of her life, so she learns to cook and bake. When World War One breaks out, Hester finds employment in a local house where soldiers are sent to recover; here she puts her resourceful cooking skills to good use.
I enjoyed the Cornish setting of this book, while the parts set during the war were some of my favourites, especially the creative ingredients used during times of shortages. I also liked the parts set in the gardens; I wanted to take part in digging and harvesting of the fruit and vegetables alongside the characters. Overall, a lovely story about a practical young woman and her ambitions to make a living for herself in a period of history when many women traditionally looked after the home.
October 20, 2020
Isn't it just wonderful when a book turns out to be exactly as you hoped it would be? That is how THE FERRYMAN'S DAUGHTER by Juliet Greenwood was for me. It was delightful, engaging and a completely easy read that I immersed myself into the early 20th century Cornwall alongside Hester to live and breathe all that she experienced. By the time I reached the conclusion, I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to stay there in that cafe overlooking the crashing waves, the lighthouse and the sweeping beauty of Cornwall.
1908: Eleven year old Hester Pearce and her mother collect apples, blackberries and a variety of other fruits to make jams and chutneys before winter arrives. Her father is the ferryman who rows passengers from Hayle to St Ives across the estuary while her mother, who was once a head cook in a restaurant as well as a Afalon, uses her cooking skills to make preserves and chutneys to sell. Her grandmother is head cook up at the big house Afalon, home to the Elliots. When she is not in school, Hester helps her mother keep house and look after her younger siblings, Robbie (8) and Alice (5).
Hester adores her mother and as she watches the swell of her mother's belly grow once again, she recalls the doctor's words to her father at the time of the last lost baby. Then her mother dies after yet another stillbirth and her father is badly injured in an accident, losing his arm, making him unable to continue to ferry passengers across the estuary. Hester is forced to leave school to keep house and look after Robbie and Alice as well as take charge of the ferry herself. At least this way she can keep track of the finances so they always have enough for food, coal and the rent man. Plus her mother's secret stash of coins saved from selling her preserves and chutneys.
But before she died, her mother gave her a book filled with all her recipes and made Hester promise not to give up on her dreams of owning and running a cafe. But what with keeping the house and their bellies full, how was she to follow her dreams now? Her family needed her...and she couldn't abandon her siblings.
Then her father, who drinks at the Fisherman's Arms every night (even moreso since his accident), hatches a plan with young Jimmy Hacknell to take charge of the family's finances once again. Jimmy, who seems to be spending more and more time at their table, has taken a liking to Hester and between him and her father they have decided that Hester will marry the boy, and putting Jimmy in sole charge of ferrying the passengers and therefore her father in charge of the money. But Hester has no plans to marry Jimmy. She cannot stand the puffed up tosser who loudly boasts to anyone within hearing distance of his grand plans to become rich and lord it over the fishing village.
Then war breaks out and Hester escapes to become head cook at Afalon under the employ of new owner Miss Chesterfield, who has turned the once grand house into a convalescent home for soldiers. There she puts her mother's recipes to good use in simple and nutritious meals for the men whilst training up young Molly as under-cook.
Before the war, Hester had bravely saved the life of Clara Trewarren, who tried crossing the estuary in a storm and nearly drowned. Since that night, Clara owes her life to Hester and becomes firm friends with her, despite the difference in their classes. Now Clara has escaped a life that is expected of her as a lady to Afalon where she assists the old gardener after the young gardeners joined up to fight. When injured men are brought to Afalon to be treated as the hospitals are full to overflowing, Clara then assists the VADs with cleaning and treating the men as best she can. At least this way she feels as if she is doing something more worthwhile than sitting around embroidering and waiting for a husband.
Although Hester is now safe within the confines of the big house, she still must be careful when she walks to the village and keeps a lookout for Jimmy who attacked her one evening when she rebuffed his advances. When Jimmy leaves for war, Hester breathes a sigh of relief that at last she's safe. At least Robbie is now old enough to take over the running of the ferry but he must also find ways to hide the takings from his father who will scavenge it to buy a pint or three. But when Jimmy suddenly returns announcing to everyone that Hester is fiance, Hester realises she will never be safe here and begins to make plans to escape the village and Jimmy's clutches.
As time goes on, Hester begins to wonder will she ever be able to fulfill her dream of owning and running that cafe she saw overlooking the beach in St Ives with her mother all those years ago?
I loved THE FERRYMAN'S DAUGHTER and didn't want it to end. I love the Cornish setting and the era when women were just coming into themselves with war taking the men away and women having to fulfill the roles they left behind. I'm not a feminist but I loved Hester and her determination to make something of herself without the aid of a husband. I also loved Clara who stepped out of the mould that had been shaped for women in her position to befriend Hester, a working class woman, and did more than just sit around looking pretty. Besides, I'm a sucker for books set in Cornwall.
A refreshing and engaging story from beginning to end, THE FERRYMAN'S DAUGHTER is everything I had hope it would be and more. Even down to the unsavoury villain. Will he get his just desserts? You'll have to read it and find out!
Perfect for those who love historical fiction sagas or who just want something to take them away from the troubled times of a reality for a few hours.
I would like to thank #JulietGreenwood, #NetGalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #TheFerrymansDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
1908: Eleven year old Hester Pearce and her mother collect apples, blackberries and a variety of other fruits to make jams and chutneys before winter arrives. Her father is the ferryman who rows passengers from Hayle to St Ives across the estuary while her mother, who was once a head cook in a restaurant as well as a Afalon, uses her cooking skills to make preserves and chutneys to sell. Her grandmother is head cook up at the big house Afalon, home to the Elliots. When she is not in school, Hester helps her mother keep house and look after her younger siblings, Robbie (8) and Alice (5).
Hester adores her mother and as she watches the swell of her mother's belly grow once again, she recalls the doctor's words to her father at the time of the last lost baby. Then her mother dies after yet another stillbirth and her father is badly injured in an accident, losing his arm, making him unable to continue to ferry passengers across the estuary. Hester is forced to leave school to keep house and look after Robbie and Alice as well as take charge of the ferry herself. At least this way she can keep track of the finances so they always have enough for food, coal and the rent man. Plus her mother's secret stash of coins saved from selling her preserves and chutneys.
But before she died, her mother gave her a book filled with all her recipes and made Hester promise not to give up on her dreams of owning and running a cafe. But what with keeping the house and their bellies full, how was she to follow her dreams now? Her family needed her...and she couldn't abandon her siblings.
Then her father, who drinks at the Fisherman's Arms every night (even moreso since his accident), hatches a plan with young Jimmy Hacknell to take charge of the family's finances once again. Jimmy, who seems to be spending more and more time at their table, has taken a liking to Hester and between him and her father they have decided that Hester will marry the boy, and putting Jimmy in sole charge of ferrying the passengers and therefore her father in charge of the money. But Hester has no plans to marry Jimmy. She cannot stand the puffed up tosser who loudly boasts to anyone within hearing distance of his grand plans to become rich and lord it over the fishing village.
Then war breaks out and Hester escapes to become head cook at Afalon under the employ of new owner Miss Chesterfield, who has turned the once grand house into a convalescent home for soldiers. There she puts her mother's recipes to good use in simple and nutritious meals for the men whilst training up young Molly as under-cook.
Before the war, Hester had bravely saved the life of Clara Trewarren, who tried crossing the estuary in a storm and nearly drowned. Since that night, Clara owes her life to Hester and becomes firm friends with her, despite the difference in their classes. Now Clara has escaped a life that is expected of her as a lady to Afalon where she assists the old gardener after the young gardeners joined up to fight. When injured men are brought to Afalon to be treated as the hospitals are full to overflowing, Clara then assists the VADs with cleaning and treating the men as best she can. At least this way she feels as if she is doing something more worthwhile than sitting around embroidering and waiting for a husband.
Although Hester is now safe within the confines of the big house, she still must be careful when she walks to the village and keeps a lookout for Jimmy who attacked her one evening when she rebuffed his advances. When Jimmy leaves for war, Hester breathes a sigh of relief that at last she's safe. At least Robbie is now old enough to take over the running of the ferry but he must also find ways to hide the takings from his father who will scavenge it to buy a pint or three. But when Jimmy suddenly returns announcing to everyone that Hester is fiance, Hester realises she will never be safe here and begins to make plans to escape the village and Jimmy's clutches.
As time goes on, Hester begins to wonder will she ever be able to fulfill her dream of owning and running that cafe she saw overlooking the beach in St Ives with her mother all those years ago?
I loved THE FERRYMAN'S DAUGHTER and didn't want it to end. I love the Cornish setting and the era when women were just coming into themselves with war taking the men away and women having to fulfill the roles they left behind. I'm not a feminist but I loved Hester and her determination to make something of herself without the aid of a husband. I also loved Clara who stepped out of the mould that had been shaped for women in her position to befriend Hester, a working class woman, and did more than just sit around looking pretty. Besides, I'm a sucker for books set in Cornwall.
A refreshing and engaging story from beginning to end, THE FERRYMAN'S DAUGHTER is everything I had hope it would be and more. Even down to the unsavoury villain. Will he get his just desserts? You'll have to read it and find out!
Perfect for those who love historical fiction sagas or who just want something to take them away from the troubled times of a reality for a few hours.
I would like to thank #JulietGreenwood, #NetGalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #TheFerrymansDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
June 7, 2020
A young woman against many odds that would normally pull her towards accepting a fate that confined her to caring for her younger siblings and her wayward father, manages to keep alive an ambition to become something more than what society, her father and a boy named Jimmy expect from her, to follow an ambition, towards independence without neglectubg those who rely on her, finding those who see her for who she really is, even when she loses sight of that herself.
A ferryman's daughter in a Cornish seaside village, she leaves s hook after the death of her mother, taking over domestic duties, then her father's job when he is invalided.
Eventually circumstances including the outbreak of war provide her an opportunity to pursue her first love, to cook wholesome homemade food from the abundance of a local garden and will lead her to realise a dream she inherited from her mother.
A refreshing protagonist, living in an era where few women escaped the narrow role society decided for them, she will pave the way to setting a new example for those who experience setbacks, showing how they can be overcome and the importance of being supported by like-minded women.
A ferryman's daughter in a Cornish seaside village, she leaves s hook after the death of her mother, taking over domestic duties, then her father's job when he is invalided.
Eventually circumstances including the outbreak of war provide her an opportunity to pursue her first love, to cook wholesome homemade food from the abundance of a local garden and will lead her to realise a dream she inherited from her mother.
A refreshing protagonist, living in an era where few women escaped the narrow role society decided for them, she will pave the way to setting a new example for those who experience setbacks, showing how they can be overcome and the importance of being supported by like-minded women.
July 7, 2020
A heart warming book
Cornwall 1908, eleven year's old Hester Pearce lives with her mum Sadie, dad Robert, younger siblings Robbie and Alice, dad works as a ferry man her mum is well known for her chutney making and she loves to help with the fruit picking, chopping and stirring, her dreams of one day to run her own cafe and cook the best food ever. The ferrymens cottages in the row are a tight knit community. When Hester gets the chance to become an apprentice in a restaurant after she leaves school, taking on by M. Alphonse in St Ives its a dream come true but poor Hester has to take her mother's place in running the family home after her loss, with more sorrow ahead. But she treasures her mums recipe book. What a breath of fresh air this book is to read. Full of ups and downs for Hester, who is strong willed to get what she wants out of life, I found this an enchanting book,with characters along the way to touch your heart. Warming story from start to finish. Loved it.
Cornwall 1908, eleven year's old Hester Pearce lives with her mum Sadie, dad Robert, younger siblings Robbie and Alice, dad works as a ferry man her mum is well known for her chutney making and she loves to help with the fruit picking, chopping and stirring, her dreams of one day to run her own cafe and cook the best food ever. The ferrymens cottages in the row are a tight knit community. When Hester gets the chance to become an apprentice in a restaurant after she leaves school, taking on by M. Alphonse in St Ives its a dream come true but poor Hester has to take her mother's place in running the family home after her loss, with more sorrow ahead. But she treasures her mums recipe book. What a breath of fresh air this book is to read. Full of ups and downs for Hester, who is strong willed to get what she wants out of life, I found this an enchanting book,with characters along the way to touch your heart. Warming story from start to finish. Loved it.
July 25, 2020
Cornwall in the autumn of 1908 sees eleven year old Hester living with her parents and siblings alongside the estuary where her father rows the ferry for a living, her mother is a cook, making extra money baking for a restaurant in St. Ives. After losing her mother, and her father then having a really bad accident, Hester feels that she has no choice but to step in to look after the family, the house and run the ferry business. One night she rescues a young lady, Clara who comes from one of the "big houses", a lifestyle miles different from Hesters, will she forever be in their debt? Is her father always going to drink all their rent money away every week? Hester is a strong willed and hard working young woman but does she have what it takes to provide for her family and what about her own dreams and ambitions to run her own cafe. Her mother had this same dream and never had a chance to fulfill it, will Hester?
Before long war comes to Cornwall and as the shortages start, Hester is offered a job as a cook at Afalon, is she up to it and can she manage her father who is totally against it and then there's Jimmy Harkness, a nasty character who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Soon her friends and neighbours rally to look after the gardens, as the young gardeners have all joined up, and along with the VADs and other staff, the house comes alive once more.
A sweeping saga set on the Cornish coast and countryside, featuring a great character in Hester, she is feisty and headstrong but that is what she needs to be to survive these times of uncertainty and danger. She knows what she wants to achieve and it's not easy but she will do what she can to have the life she has dreamt of. A great 5☆ read.
Before long war comes to Cornwall and as the shortages start, Hester is offered a job as a cook at Afalon, is she up to it and can she manage her father who is totally against it and then there's Jimmy Harkness, a nasty character who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Soon her friends and neighbours rally to look after the gardens, as the young gardeners have all joined up, and along with the VADs and other staff, the house comes alive once more.
A sweeping saga set on the Cornish coast and countryside, featuring a great character in Hester, she is feisty and headstrong but that is what she needs to be to survive these times of uncertainty and danger. She knows what she wants to achieve and it's not easy but she will do what she can to have the life she has dreamt of. A great 5☆ read.
December 28, 2020
Hester's story is fabulous. Her grit and determination in the face of poverty and discrimination is an inspirational read. It's a poignant tale but full of hope. Class divides inhabit this story as settled occupants but Hester manages to bridge the chasm, to protect her family against greed and indifference, to raise her siblings as best she can, to fight off unwanted attention and family intrusion. And each time she is knocked down, Hester clambers back up, creating yet another small opportunity to improve her lot in life.
This is a rewarding story by Juliet Greenwood. I loved it!
This is a rewarding story by Juliet Greenwood. I loved it!
July 17, 2020
Hester
A fantastic book by this author engrossed from page 1 Hester took a job helping the returning injured from ww1 but she had a dream of her own to have a cafe like her mam wanted so she trying to save as much as she could to make her dream come true but there is a man who wants Hester any way he can hester has to keep her wits about her. 5 stars for a brilliant read hoping for more books from this author
A fantastic book by this author engrossed from page 1 Hester took a job helping the returning injured from ww1 but she had a dream of her own to have a cafe like her mam wanted so she trying to save as much as she could to make her dream come true but there is a man who wants Hester any way he can hester has to keep her wits about her. 5 stars for a brilliant read hoping for more books from this author
December 29, 2020
I was given this book as a thank you gift and not being the type of book I would buy myself, I gave it a go. The content is brilliant. A rags to richer kind of story with a little historical bits added
I did enjoy the book but felt that the ending was a little rushed.
I did enjoy the book but felt that the ending was a little rushed.
July 21, 2020
A strong story
Hester's story. A riveting read that grips all the way following Hester's tragic life and how she copes. I didn't want it to end!
Hester's story. A riveting read that grips all the way following Hester's tragic life and how she copes. I didn't want it to end!
July 31, 2020
I really loved how this book highlighted the predicament of women in the early nineteenth century. The unfulfilled dream of Hester's mother to run her own restaurant is heartbreaking, especially when it seems that Hester will also fail in her desire to control her own life. It is hard to imagine these as fictional characters, so strongly did they jump off the page and embed themselves in my consciousness.
Life was hard in the Cornish community but sometimes fate can lend a helping hand. The idea of having little or no control over who a girl must marry seems anathema to us now but it really isn't that long ago. All the way through this book I was keeping my fingers crossed for Hester to find a solution.
The background of rowing the ferry really places this book in context as well as showing how reliant on the weather and the tides the people were. It only takes one misfortune to change lives and likewise one piece of good fortune to change them for the better.
This is a thoroughly absorbing read and when I'd finished, I really didn't want to come back to reality.
Life was hard in the Cornish community but sometimes fate can lend a helping hand. The idea of having little or no control over who a girl must marry seems anathema to us now but it really isn't that long ago. All the way through this book I was keeping my fingers crossed for Hester to find a solution.
The background of rowing the ferry really places this book in context as well as showing how reliant on the weather and the tides the people were. It only takes one misfortune to change lives and likewise one piece of good fortune to change them for the better.
This is a thoroughly absorbing read and when I'd finished, I really didn't want to come back to reality.
September 11, 2020
I am not sure how I came to pick 'The Ferryman's Daughter as my latest read, but I am glad I did. The author sounded familiar, Julia Greenwood it seems first came to my notice when she was part of the 'Transita' group of authors, of which I was a follower. I read her 2005 novel Elisa's Castle in 2007, all rather a long time ago, but at least I now know why her name attracted my attention.
Glad it did as 'The Ferryman's Daughter' is perfect escapism, as the reader is swept away to Cornwall in the early C20. The protagonist Hester of the title, is such a feisty young lady, for the era particularly unusual. C21 feminists will love her. The beautiful Cornish landscapes and the people are realistically portrayed as we read about life in a small rural community during this period.
A historical family saga that one does not want to end, because you feel there is an exciting future ahead of Hester. Recommended to anyone looking for a novel that will take them away from these troubled times for a few hours.
Glad it did as 'The Ferryman's Daughter' is perfect escapism, as the reader is swept away to Cornwall in the early C20. The protagonist Hester of the title, is such a feisty young lady, for the era particularly unusual. C21 feminists will love her. The beautiful Cornish landscapes and the people are realistically portrayed as we read about life in a small rural community during this period.
A historical family saga that one does not want to end, because you feel there is an exciting future ahead of Hester. Recommended to anyone looking for a novel that will take them away from these troubled times for a few hours.
July 30, 2020
This is my first book by Juliet, but I can say it definitely won’t be my last. The ferry man’s daughter is set in Cornwall and starts in 1908. It follows the life of Hester and her family as they struggle to survive during the hard times before WW1. I have spent many happy holidays in Cornwall, and the way Juliet describes everything it’s easy to imagine yourself there during these bygone days. Sadie Hester’s Mum always dreamt of owning a little cafe in St Ives and she took Hester there to share her dream with her. Unfortunately Sadie dies during childbirth leaving Hester to grow up quickly and take her place running the home for the family. This was just the opposite of what Sadie wanted for her eldest daughter. Hester is a strong person who won’t give up without a fight, and this book is a lovely read following the ups and downs of her life. I highly recommend this book and I’d love a follow on to see where life takes Hester.
May 18, 2020
Strong,trail breaking women feature in this early 20th century story. The main character is a resourceful girl/woman who has to overcome much before finding her way. A good read.
July 18, 2020
I loved this so much!! It was one of those I didn’t want to finish because I loved the world and characters so much. Lovely story and beautifully written.
December 11, 2021
Look forward to reading more of her books
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