The Orphan Daughter (Reckoner's Row #1) by Sheila Riley
Genre: Historical fiction
Read: 2nd September 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 5th September 2019)
★★★★ 4.5 stars
THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is the first book by Sheila Riley I have read - both as herself and under the pseudonym of Annie Groves. It's an historical fiction novel with a bit of mystery to it, making it an intriguing and interesting read. Set in the post war era of 1946-1947 in Liverpool, THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is the first in a new series titled "Reckoner's Row", named for the street upon which the story is featured.
Evie Kilgaren is 19 and has plans to make something more of herself than to be a "skivvy" for someone else. She has studied hard for two years at night school in business studies with a focus on bookeeping. She pays for her schooling by doing the menial work of a cleaner whilst dreaming of becoming an office clerk or even office manager. But life has other plans for our Evie.
When war began to threaten their corner of the world, her mother Rene sent her two younger siblings, Jack and Lucy, to Ireland to live with their aunt but has since refused to bring them back to Liverpool. Her father was presumed dead in 1943 when his ship was attacked and since then her mother has taken in a variety of lodgers, the latest being Leo Darnel. Evie does not like Leo and the feeling is mutual. This is only reinforced when Leo burns all of Evie's business studies notebooks as all her hard work went up in flames. A row between them ensues which sees Evie pack a few meagre belongings into a pillowcase and move into her own lodgings on the other side of the canal and out of Reckoner's Row. All the while, saving every penny to bring her brother and sister back from Ireland.
Little did she know, Rene had eventually brought Jack and Lucy back after kicking out the no-good Leo.
And then Rene disappears.
Then when Connie, the landlady to the Tram Tavern next door, finds a slumped figure outside the Kilgaren house she is surprised to discover it is young Jack, Evie's 14 year old brother, and even more so to find he had been shot. A nurse during the war herself, Connie dressed his wounds as best she could before writing a note for Evie and had young Lucy, now 10, deliver it to her lodgings on the other side of the canal.
Evie returns to Reckoner's Row, shocked to learn Jack and Lucy had already returned and their mother was nowhere to be found. She had been gone a few weeks but had done this before, so Evie was sure she would soon return. However, this new turn of events meant her responsibilities now lay back in the very place she'd wanted to escape, what with Jack and Lucy to look after. She would never abandon them as their mother had. Giving up her dreams of bettering herself and leaving Reckoner's Row, Evie swallowed her pride and took the job Connie offered her at Tavern and with it the hand of friendship. Connie became a trusted friend in whom Evie could confide her worries and her fears, and knew she would never be judged.
Although the war had ended, rationing appeared to be even greater, making way for those who traded in the black market. And Evie feared greatly that Jack would fall prey to the likes of Leo who traded heavily in that market which was rife around the docks. The winter of 46/47 is colder than normal with the canal frozen and food and coal are in short supply. So when Evie begins finding boxes of fresh food they haven't seen since before the war, she begins to think Leo is trying to muscle his way back in.
Then a stranger comes to the Row, taking a room at the Tram Tavern and beguiling Connie who never imagine finding love again. But who is this man and what does he want here? And what of his nightly walks and mysterious phone calls from the phone box when there is a perfectly good phone in the tavern?
With several themes woven into the story, THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER brings to life the poverty and the challenges many families faced in the post-war era with rationing, the black market, family violence, work shortages, love, loss and friendship. As the story unfolds, your heart will break for Evie as she sacrifices her dreams to care for her siblings, and the obstacles she faces.
I really enjoyed both Evie and Connie. Even Connie's sprightly mother, Mim, brought some sunshine to what was otherwise darker days. Jack, who seemed older than his years, as he took up the role of the man of the house, and even Lucy with her "good shepherd". I look forward to getting know them all more as this heartwarming series develops with such determined characters to rise above the odds.
THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is perfect for fans of historical fiction, particularly with a taste of mystery, and I do not hesitate in recommending it.
I would like to thank #SheilaRiley, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheOrphanDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
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