The Ragged Orphan by Lindsey Hutchinson
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 24th February 2023
Published: 24th February 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
When 12 year-old Jared Johnson’s little sister dies, just hours after his mother breathes her last after wasting away so her children could eat, he knows he is on own.
Desperate to avoid the workhouse, he does everything he can to survive the inhospitable streets of Birmingham. Jared is blessed with the gift of the gab and soon attracts the attention of the King of the Tatters, Toby McGuire. Recognising a kindred spirit, Toby soon has Jared out on a cart hustling for rags.
Jared loves driving his horse Bess, shouting ‘any old rags’ as loud as he can, and it’s not long before he’s thriving. But being successful can bring you enemies as well as friends. Toby knows that Jared is destined for bigger things – provided his big mouth doesn’t get him hurt first…
The top 10 best-seller is back with an unforgettable story about an unforgettable boy. Heart-breaking and heart-warming, fans of Katie Flynn, Val Wood and Lyn Andrews will fall in love with this latest page-turner from Lindsey Hutchinson.
MY THOUGHTS:
Another heartwarming tale from the Queen of the Black Country sagas as we meet and follow a young orphan lad who has just lost both his mother and young sister. As with all of Lindsey Hutchinson's reads, it is heartbreaking in places and yet it is filled with warmth and love culminating in a wonderful heartwarming ending.
Jared Johnson is just twelve years old when his mother and young sister Maisy breathe their last, and he has no choice but to leave them in the place that was their home, to go in search of a way out of the poverty-stricken life to which he was born. He leaves word with his kindly neighbour who sees to his mother and sister's send-offs while he begins scavenging around the markets in search of food to survive. He spends one night under the stars by a fire to keep him warm before realising he needs to come up with a better plan. That's when Jared remembers the abandoned cottage he and Maisy used to play in. Upon finding the cottage still abandoned and in complete disrepair, Jared sets up sticks there and goes about making himself a home.
Upon finding an old pram, he dismantles it and uses its wheels and base to build himself a cart to go about making himself something of a living. He knows there's money to be made in buying rags and bones from those in need of a penny or two to feed their families and before long begins to make himself a grand old living. He makes enough to clothe and feed himself whilst gradually making the cottage more habitable. His success does not go unnoticed and in a couple of years' time he is approached by one of Toby Maguire's men and threatened for poaching their patch. Instead of taking the threat to heart, Jared decides to face the man behind the name who runs this band of tatters.
Toby Maguire is known for being a brutal businessman with a ferocity not to be messed with. Jared's open and forthright manner struck a chord with Toby as he saw something of himself in the young lad. He decided to take a chance on him and he wasn't sorry, for Jared brought plenty of ideas to the business and had a smart head on his shoulders. Of course some didn't appreciate the new lad coming in and bringing with him new ideas that created extra work for them. But Jared was not to be swayed. He had bigger plans. One day, he would be "the tatter millionaire", running his own band of tatters...a success in his own right. And he intended to learn as much as he could from Toby Maguire.
THE RAGGED ORPHAN is a delightful tale that is an incredibly easy and quick read that is easily devoured within hours. Though heartbreaking story, it is an uplifting and unique one in which Jared may have lost his only living family but, in his job as a tatter for Maguire, finds a different kind of family. And each with their own heartbreaking stories to tell.
A consuming read, THE RAGGED ORPHAN would make an ideal series following Jared and his friends. Given with how it ended, I do hope we see more of young Jared and his band of tatters along with wonderful Toby and Alice.
I was only introduced to Lindsey Hutchinson a couple of years ago and she has since become one of my go-to authors with her easy style and heartwarming reads. THE RAGGED ORPHAN is no different. It is a quick read with short snappy chapters that keep the pace moving with a plot filled with tension as well as some delightful moments also. At 240 pages it is one of her shorter novels but it was such a delightful read I was sad to see it come to an end.
Once again Lindsey Hutchinson thrills fans with another heartwarming read buried deep in the past shrouded in the societal and social issues facing the working class at the time - poverty, hunger, alcoholism, violence. And yet, not without hope.
Another delightful read sure to warm the hearts of saga fans and Lindsey's own band of readers/fans.
I would like to thank #LindseyHutchinson, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheRaggedOrphan 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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