Author:Lesley Pearse,Heather Bleasdale
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Gypsy by Lesley Pearse, read by Heather Bleasdale.
Gypsy is a compelling historical novel of survival from international number one bestselling author Lesley Pearse.
Liverpool, 1893, and tragedy sends Beth Bolton on a journey far from home ...
Fifteen-year-old Beth's dreams are shattered when she, her brother Sam and baby sister Molly are orphaned. Sam believes that only in America can they make their fortunes so, reluctantly leaving Molly with adoptive parents, brother and sister embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.
Onboard the steamer to New York there are rogues aplenty. But Beth's talent with the fiddle earns her the nickname Gypsy - and the friendship of charismatic gambler Theo and sharp-witted Londoner, Jack. And after dodging trouble across America, finally the foursome head for the dangerous mountains of Canada and the Klondike river in search of gold.
How far must Beth go to find happiness? And will her travels lead this gypsy to a place she can call home?
Praise for Lesley Pearse:
'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail
'Lose yourself in this epic saga' Bella
'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly
Find Lesley on Twitter @LesleyPearse or find out more on her website
Gypsy is a compelling historical novel of survival from international number one bestselling author Lesley Pearse.
Tragedy sent her on a journey far from home . . .
With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best
—— Daily MailAn emotional and moving epic that you won't forget in a hurry
—— Women's WeeklyFull of love, passion and heartbreak
—— BestA lovely, warm, page-turner of a story filled with all the perfect ingredients - thought-provoking and emotional too, and with characters that feel like my kind of friends. Cathy’s best book to date!
—— Alex Brown‘The Lemon Tree Café serves up double helpings of happiness, lashings of love, and leaves you feeling full, warm and hopeful.’
—— Debbie Johnson, author of Summer at the Comfort Food Caféa lively confection of the best kind…sweet as a piece of lemon shortbread
—— Fanny Blake, S MagazineUplifting, love-filled slice of brilliance *****
—— HeatCathy Bramley serves up the perfect concoction of charm and escapism
—— Sunday ExpressRomantic, touching and funny - the perfect recipe. I love Cathy’s writing and her characters - her books are delicious
—— Rachael LucasPerfect, feel-good loveliness
—— Miranda DickinsonDelightfully warm with plenty of twists and turns
—— Trisha AshleyA gorgeous, gloriously romantic read with buckets of charm - I absolutely loved it!
—— Jill MansellA heartbreakingly beautiful story about friendship and unrequited love. I was totally and utterly captivated
—— Paige ToonWarning: you will shed tears and end up booking a trip!
—— PrimaPrepare for tears and laughter
—— FabulousUnashamedly romantic
—— Sunday ExpressBrilliantly evocative
—— Paige ToonBrilliant, warm and beautifully judged - I raced through it
—— Cathy KellyA lovely, absorbing novel, full of beauty and mystery
—— Kate EberlenSo evocative you can practically smell the paella and sangria
—— CloserMore than a book about sport it is a book about a young man struggling to find his groove in the rough and tumble of fairly unforgiving, male society.
—— Liam Heylin , Irish ExaminerIn A Natural, Raisin delves into the life of a lower league English football team – a subject never covered before, as far as I know, in literary fiction. Perhaps it doesn’t sound an immediately appealing prospect. But he makes it wholly absorbing.
—— Theo Tait , London Review of Books[A] gripping, well-written and moving story, which should interest anyone curious about enclosed worlds and hidden lives… Raisin captures both the sweat and the glory of football. He has mastered the register of manager-speak, with its urgently shouted clichés, and the earnest banter on fans’ messaging boards.
—— Sameer Rahim , ProspectA Natural makes a conceptual leap that most old-style football fiction laboured to achieve: in the end its characters are as important as the milieu that tethers them and what emerges is an exceptionally good novel, which just happens to take place on a football pitch.
—— DJ Taylor , GuardianRaisin provides an authentic portrayal of life in the lower divisions both on and off the pitch. The fine details are present in the pre-match nerves in the changing rooms, the neatly laid out kit and the smell of Deep Heat, but it is the unchecked laddishness, the fake camaraderie and the close scrutiny from supporters on social media that Raisin wants us to feel… This is a rare novel about the challenge of being a gay professional footballer and hopefully it will go some way to help changing perceptions in a sport that has still got a very long way to go.
—— Ian Aspinall , Late TackleRoss Raisin’s book about a gay footballer, demands about 200 pages of patience, but you won’t regret it. In the vertiginous second half of this rich, wise study of masculinity, Raisin demonstrates with extraordinary sensitivity how difficult it can be to attain E.M. Forster’s dictum, “Only connect!”
—— Claire Lowdon , Times Literary SupplementThe virtue of devastatingly simple storytelling was also felt in Ross Raisin’s A Natural…one of my favourite novels of the year, about a gay footballer hiding an affair with the groundsman at his struggling lower-league team.
—— Anthony Cummins , Daily TelegraphA deeply moving portrait of fear and acceptance.
—— John Boyne , Irish IndependentThis seems like one of those books designed to fold straightaway into contemporary liberal conversation.
—— The SkinnyCause for jubilation . . . This proves her to be the reigning queen of British chick lit . . . insightful, funny and poignant
—— Daily MailPraise for Marian Keyes
—— -Gloriously funny
—— The Sunday TimesFunny but poignant
—— Marie ClaireA total triumph
—— Daily MailNot only is it a great story with funny, loveable characters, it made me laugh out loud
—— StylistA beautifully written modern love story from Britain's best contemporary female author
—— Sun on SundayWonderfully written and completely engrossing, with exquisitely drawn characters in a brilliantly plotted narrative. It will make you think long after you finish the final page
—— Daily MailA tender, funny and hopeful look at love, grief and life. Bumper box of tissues required
—— StylistA beautiful read
—— HelloFunny, heart-warming and extremely wise
—— PrimaA deeply satisfying book full of big emotions
—— Good HousekeepingA laugh-out-loud, rollicking good read and a very touching love story
—— Sunday IndependentMoyes is the queen of the classy weepy
—— ElleA delight
—— The Daily MirrorA sparkling novel of hope and sacrifice’
—— Glasgow HeraldMagical, heart-warming and time-bending story.
—— Mslexia