Let bestselling author Lindsey Hutchinson take you back in time to the Victorian Black Country, for The Hat Girl From Silver Street, a tale of love, hardship and fighting against the odds to succeed.
Life is tough for Ella Bancroft. After her father, Thomas, is wheelchair-bound by an accident at the tube works, the responsibility for keeping a roof over their head falls to Ella. Ella’s mother died when she was ten, and her sister Sally lives with her no-good, work-shy husband Eddy, so is no help at all. If she and her father are to keep the bailiffs from the door, then Ella must earn a living.
But Ella is resourceful as well as creative, and soon discovers she has a gift for millinery. Setting up shop in the front room of their two-up, two-down home in Silver Street, Walsall, Ella and Thomas work hard to establish a thriving business. Before long, the fashionable ladies of the Black Country are lining up to wear one of Ella’s beautiful creations, and finally Ella dares to hope for a life with love, friendship and family.
Meeting the man she longs to marry should be a turning point for Ella, but life’s twists and turns can be cruel. As the winter grows colder, events seem to conspire to test Ella’s spirit. And by the time spring is approaching, will the hat girl of Silver Street triumph, or will Ella have to admit defeat as all her dreams are tested.
The Queen of the Black Country sagas is back with a heart-breaking, unforgettable, page-turning story of love, life and battling against the odds. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.
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My Review
How young Ella grows from being an apprentice to a slave driver of a milliner and establishes her own successful business makes for a remarkable story. She goes to work to support her wheelchair bound father, but then he finds that he can help her with setting up a business. Through her business she meets the man she falls in love with. But then trouble comes in many ways and Ella’s spirit is tested.
This is a story of entrepreneurship, courage, loyalty and love that manages to draw you in although it is set in the 1900s. The characters in the story are so well defined – some mean, vindictive, some kind and gentle – and it’s easy to get emotionally involved with the story. I found myself moved to tears at times, and smiling at other times as I got so caught up in this beautifully told story.
This is my first book from this author, but I’m certainly going to be looking out for more from her as her writing reminds me of Catherine Cookson, whose books I grew up with.
Meet The Author
Lindsey Hutchinson is a bestselling saga author whose novels include The Workhouse Children. She was born and raised in Wednesbury, and was always destined to follow in the footsteps of her mother, the multi-million selling Meg Hutchinson.
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