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A Mother's Secret
A Mother's Secret
Sep 22, 2024 6:32 AM

Author:Dilly Court

A Mother's Secret

When seventeen-year-old Belinda Phillips falls in love with a handsome Anglo-Indian officer, she knows that he is a man she can never hope to marry. When he is reported missing, believed killed in action, Belinda discovers that she is pregnant. Facing disgrace and ruin, she has no option other than to accept an arranged marriage with a middle-aged widower, knowing she must keep the secret of her child's birth for ever.

Reluctantly she sends her beloved daughter to a foster mother in Cripplegate, little realising she has entrusted Cassy's care to Biddy Henchard, a woman who runs a notorious baby farm in an area full of poverty and disease. Despite her terrible upbringing, Cassy survives the old woman's cruel neglect. All the while she dreams of a mother she has never known, hoping she will come and save her from her dreadful fate. But when Biddy dies suddenly, ten-year-old Cassy finds herself destitute and with little hope of ever finding the mother she so longs for...

Reviews

Praise for Jenny Holmes

—— :

Vibrant and heart-warming, Jenny Holmes makes Chapel Street come alive.

—— Sunday Express on The Shop Girls of Chapel Street

Gritty and uplifting, it's a tale of triumph over adversity

—— Choice on The Mill Girls of Albion Lane

Belongs to that small group of novels by which all others are ultimately judged

—— Frank Kermode , Spectator

Not since Shakespeare has love been so fully, vividly, scrupulously and directly communicated

—— Isaiah Berlin , Sunday Times

"Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have once again provided an outstanding translation of a major Russian novel. They capture Pasternak's 'voice' with great skill. Thanks to their sensitive rendering, those reading Doctor Zhivago in English can now get a far better sense of Pasternak's style, for they have produced an English text that conveys the nuances (along with the occasional idiosyncrasies) of Pasternak's writing. Notably as well, their version includes some phrases and sentences that inexplicably were omitted by the original translators. The text is accompanied by useful (but not overwhelming) notes in the back that provide information about many historical and cultural references that would otherwise be obscure for those coming to the novel for the first time. Without a doubt, their version will become the standard translation of the novel for years to come."

—— Barry Scherr, Mandel Family Professor of Russian, Dartmouth College

As well as a gripping story, Doctor Zhivago is a work of meditation and a quiet challenge. Pasternak meant every word of it. I believe he would be pleased with the powerful fidelity of the translation now before us

—— Angela Livingstone , Times Literary Supplement

A fast-paced, psychological drama . . . with an enthralling plot, a cast of fascinating characters, and Pearse's addictive storytelling, Suspects will grip from start to finish

—— The Best Life Project

This is a book to talk about, to drill down into the story and really think about it

—— Devon Life

Praise for Lesley Pearse

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Storytelling at its very best

—— Daily Mail

Evocative, compelling, told from the heart

—— Sunday Express

Glorious, heartwarming

—— Woman & Home

Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written

—— Closer
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