The Runaway Children by Lindsey Hutchinson
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Victorian era
Read: 5th February 2022
Published: 10th February 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A heart-warming saga about surviving against the odds and finding a family, from top 10 bestseller Lindsey Hutchinson.
In two rundown, abandoned houses, at the side of a barren Black Country heath, live six children with no family but each other. Abandoned or orphaned, every day is a fight to find food and keep warm. But they are determined to stay free of the clutches of the workhouse and the horrors that would face them if they were ever torn apart.
Dora Parsons lives with her mother Mary and her evil grandmother Edith. Edith’s house may be comfortable and warm, and food is plentiful, but every day Dora suffers at the hands of her spiteful gran. Desperate to protect her child, Mary longs to run away but she has no money to keep them alive and nowhere else to call home.
When fate intervenes and Mary and Dora meet the children, events are set in train that will change all their lives forever. But will the friends find peace and comfort at last, or does the chill of the winter signal the most desperate ending of all…
The Queen of Black Country sagas is back with a heart-breaking, page-turning story of survival, friendship and what it means to be a family. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.
MY REVIEW:
Set in late Victorian times, THE RUNAWAY CHILDREN is another delightfully easy read by author Lindsey Hutchinson of whom I never grow tired of reading. So absorbing was the tale that was woven I read it almost in one sitting had it not been for the incredibly late hour (and me paying for it the next day...lol). And as soon as I turned that final page I was left with a feeling of completeness. The story that plays out is unique, heartbreaking and yet it is hauntingly beautiful at the same time whilst reminding us that we don't have to have anything to have everything that we need.
Ten year old Dora Parsons lives with her mother Mary in circumstances from which they see no escape. Through financial necessity, the pair live with Dora's wicked grandmother Edith, who is the epitome of the old witch who lives in the forest upon whom Hansel and Gretel stumble and eats little children for dinner. Edith is a hateful and deplorable woman. She loathes the very existence of Dora and uses every opportunity to abuse the young girl. Her greatest wish is to get rid of Dora so that she can have Mary all to herself to be at her beck and call. Unfortunately, Edith holds the purse strings of which she reminds them both at every opportunity so Mary therefore feels indebted to her...as she is her mother after all.
Mary and Dora came to Edith when Dora was just a baby and they have been trapped in the mausoleum of a house ever since. Dora has never been to school as Edith refuses to pay good money for the child's education so Mary has schooled her in her letters and numbers and taught her to read. The fact that she has never been to school does not reflect in her obvious intelligence, but Edith only scoffs at the mere thought that "the child" even has a brain. Taking every opportunity she can to abuse her, Edith rules the pair with a the threat of her cane should Dora step out of line. Dora continues to try to earn favour with the old witch but it just falls on deaf ears.
Until one day, Edith goes too far...
One day whilst playing outside the walls of her grandmother's house, Dora meets a young boy called Skinny and all at once is introduced to a different world when he takes her and Mary back to the derelict houses in which he and five other children live, fending for themselves. This chance meeting changes the lives of both families and brings them all together. Almost at once Mary can see a light shining from Dora that never has before as she plays with her new friends. Living at Edith's house and never having gone to school, poor Dora never had any friends. And in these new-found friends, Mary has found a peaceful happiness also. Almost like a lifeline. For these children have nothing and yet they have everything they need in each other.
And then one day, their lives take an unexpected turn and they only have those six young children to help them...
But what none of them know is that there is someone watching them. Knows who they are and where they live...and that their needs are greater than they ever were before. So when crates of food begins to arrive at their door weekly, none of them know what to make of it. Nor do they understand the builder who came to assess the houses for repairs or the census person who took each one of their particulars. Soon things begin to take place that make no sense at all and Mary and the children wonder who is watching them...and more importantly...why?
Throughout this wonderful story I could see parallels with one of the author's previous works "The Five Shilling Children" in which a group of orphaned children band together and live in a derelict house, scavenging by day and protecting each other by night. But this story is about more than just the children. It is about Mary, Dora and even evil Edith whose favourite pastime was to disrupt and argue with as many people as she possibly could and walk away leaving carnage in her wake. Edith truly is a deplorable character who readers will love to hate. She is abusive, argumentative, spiteful and bitter to the end. Whilst on the other hand, you will fall in love with Mary, Dora and their band of orphans. I also loved Elijah and Charity as well as the addition of Mason.
THE RUNAWAY CHILDREN is a truly delightful read that is emotive and magical with wonderful ending. You won't want to miss the opportunity to read this beautiful and inspiring story. I was completely absorbed by it and enjoyed every minute I was transported there.
As with every Lindsey Hutchinson book, I truly loved THE RUNAWAY CHILDREN and simply could not put it down. And I cannot wait to see what this wonderful author has in store for us next.
Highly recommended.
I would like to thank #LindseyHutchinson, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheRunawayChildren in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lindsey lives in Shropshire with her husband and Labrador, loves to read and enjoys photography.
Social Media links:
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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