A Mother's Christmas Wish by Glenda Young
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 24th November 2022
Amazon
Published: 24th November 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
'I hope this Christmas is better than last year's.'
Following a scandalous affair, wayward Emma Devaney is sent in disgrace from her home in Ireland to Ryhope, where she will live with her widowed aunt, Bessie Brogan, and help run her pub. Bessie is kind but firm, and at first Emma rebels against her lack of freedom. Struggling to fit in, she turns to the wrong person for comfort, and becomes pregnant.
Accepting she must embrace her new life for the sake of her baby, Emma pours her energy into making the pub thrive and helping heal the fractured relationship between Bessie and her daughters. She catches the attention of Robert, a gruff but sincere farmer, who means to win her heart.
As December approaches, thankful for the home and acceptance she's found, Emma is determined to bring not just her family, but the whole Ryhope community, together to celebrate - and to make one very special mother's Christmas dreams come true.
MY THOUGHTS:
What a delightful heartwarming historical saga tale A MOTHER'S CHRISTMAS WISH is! It is an easy read from start to finish that will fill you with delightful and warm your heart and soul. I don't think I have read Glenda Young before but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for other books by her. I love this type of historical saga with an easy reading style. It is one of my favourite genres that is up there with Catherine Cookson, Lindsey Hutchinson and Dilly Court.
1923: Seventeen year old Emma Devaney has left her home in Ireland under a cloud of shame and sent to live with her aunt Bessie Brogan in Ryhope in the North East of England. Emma decides that this will be a new start but instead she arrives drunk, with a black eye and shrouded in scandal. From the moment she steps off the boat she is faced with challenges that bring out the stubborn and outspoken streak in her, landing her in some unfortunate situations.
Her introduction to Ryhope is not a good one. After stepping off the train, she walks to the first pub to ask for directions to her aunt's pub, the Forester's Arms, and instead stays for several drinks with a charming yet unsavoury character who plies her with several stouts and then suddenly leaves her standing outside her aunt's pub before she makes her grand entrance by falling flat on her face through the door. Scooped up by the rugged and handsome Robert Murphy and under Bessie's guidance, she is then deposited in the spare room to sleep off her stupor. And after an entrance like that, she is sure to set tongues wagging throughout Ryhope.
From the moment Emma arrived, she has brought light to her aunt Bessie Brogan's life. Since losing her beloved husband Pat just months before, Bessie's heart has not been in the pub that has for so long been the lifeblood of her's and Pat's lives. She had instilled young Jimmy Porter in the pub and left him to run things for her but in her absence as she remained shut away in the back rooms in her grief, unable to face serving at the bar again without Pat by her side, the once pride of their lives had now attracted the wrong sort of crowd and gained a bad reputation. Then learning of her niece's impending arrival later that day, despite the three weeks' notice Bessie's sister Nuala had given her (mail tended to be a little slow), Bessie then hastily made room for Emma in the spare room Jimmy had occupied before given his marching orders as "family came first".
As soon as Emma had slept off the stout she had consumed on the day of her arrival with the nefarious Ginger Benson in the Railway Inn, she was taught how to serve at the bar, pour a pint and all the ins and outs of running a pub under Jimmy's scowling eyes while her own blackened one lost its shine. It wasn't long before Emma got into the swing of things and learnt how things ran but it also wasn't long before she noticed some discrepancies and not wanting to worry her grieving aunt, decided to tackle them herself.
Emma proves her worth as well as being the talk of the village what with her scandalous arrival. But despite her trying to make this a new start for herself, things don't always go according to plan and she finds herself in a situation from which she can see no out. And so she turns to the one person she never thought she would. But will her trust be betrayed once she reveals her secret? Or could this be the answer for which she's been looking?
There is so much to love in this delightful tale of camaraderie and friendship. Villages tend to be the best and the worst of places, functioning as a family and knowing all your foibles and secrets as well as being the place you can seek refuge and be safe. This tale is about the sisterhood and camaraderie of women and the strength they draw from each other. But like all sagas of this nature there also comes heartache. And yet I enjoyed every minute of this wonderful tale and wish I could go back there. I loved Emma and Bessie, as well as Robert and the kindly Joy and even the spiky Lil.
From reading the Acknowledgements/Notes at the end, I gather that Bessie Brogan features in a previous book "The Tuppenny Child" and upon searching out her other titles I've discovered Annie Grafton, who is often mentioned and referred to in this book, features in another of her previous titles. I've also discovered that they mostly appear to be set in Ryhope so each of them will more than likely cross paths in past or future publications, but without them being a series. I'll be interested in checking them out.
A thoroughly enjoyable tale in the vein of my all time favourite Catherine Cookson and perfect for fans of this genre like Cookson, Lindsey Hutchinson and Dilly Court. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
I would like to thank #GlendaYoung, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AMothersChristmasWish in exchange for an honest review.
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