A Sister's Destiny by Rosie Clarke
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1
Read: 28th June 2023
Published: 29th June 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
As war looms in Europe, 18-year-old Jane Shaw, runs the household as an unpaid servant on a meagre budget.
When tragedy strikes and she loses her beloved younger brother in suspicious circumstances, Jane takes a position in service looking after Ned, a troubled young boy. Here she meets dashing David Heron, Neds Uncle and they form an immediate attachment until she is dismissed after being accused of stealing a piece of jewellery.
Returning home, Jane and her sister, Melia are soon orphaned and left at the mercy of their Aunt Alice. When War breaks out Jane decides to strike out on her own and do her bit for King and Country in the Nursing Corp. Here, despite the terrible conditions she finds her true vocation and her one true love. But Jane’s destiny has many more twists and turns to come.
Will Jane ever find her peace and get her happy-ever-after? and where does her destiny lie and with whom?
MY THOUGHTS:
Will happiness be her destiny...?
I love Rosie Clarke's books and devour every one of them. They make me laugh, they make me cry...they are a pure joy to read. They serve a reminder as to how different life was just one hundred years ago. The working class don't need to live in abject poverty as they once did; unmarried mothers are no longer ostracised; life may still be hard at times but at least now we have the benefit of assistance that our ancestors did not. Rosie Clarke's books are a sobering reminder of what once was and how far we have come. But they are also delightful reading and a perfect way to escape the busyness and realities of today. A SISTER'S DESTINY is just another of her delightful offerings I simply devoured.
At 18, Jane Shaw doesn't have the easiest of lives. She is kept busy looking after a demanding mother and caring for her 3 year old brother Charlie who has special needs of his own. As an unpaid skivvy for her ungrateful mother, Jane cooks and cleans and looks after the family home while her younger sister Melia goes to school. Having been incapacitated after the birth of young Charlie, Jane's mother spends most of her time abed whilst yelling her demands to her daughter that she "keep the brat quiet" or bring her whatever it is she requires.
Given that her father's wage at the local solicitor's firm brings in a meagre income, Melia is expected to leave school shortly and take over from Jane at home so that she can get a job that will bring in more money. However, Melia doesn't want to do that. She has the opportunity to continue her schooling and become a teacher, which is her heart's desire. Jane wants to do what's best for her family and try to give Melia the chance she dreams of. She leaves home to work in service as a nursemaid to a wealthy woman in Norfolk. Her charge is something of a terror but the two soon form an unlikely bond and Ned begins to thrive under Jane's love and care. But when she comes to blows with his mother, she tells her a few home truths that don't go down well and she is dismissed on the spot. Ned is bereft at her leaving but Jane promises to keep in touch with him. Returning home, her troubles only worsen when tragedy strikes the family with three separate deaths, leaving them orphaned and nowhere to live.
Jane writes to her father's sister in London, Aunt Alice, who surprises her with a visit and she agrees to take the girls but Jane needs to finalise things there before making the move. But she sends Melia back with Aunt Alice so that she may settle in a new school. Aunt Alice has already agreed to fund her extra schooling and college so that Melia may become a teacher and as Jane will need a job has offered her employment in her teashop. But when Jane gets to London, she is happy enough baking for the teashop but she realises she wants something more from life. And with the war looming, she feels she is needed elsewhere and signs up to the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) where she falls into the vocation of nursing. Of course, this does not go down well with Aunt Alice and the two come to blows with Aunt Alice washing her hands of Jane.
Whilst working with the VAD she meets two other young women like herself, Rose and Frances, and together they train as nurses. War is now well under way in Europe and Jane has the opportunity to work at the Front. There she continues a friendship she struck up with a family friend of Rose's, Captain (Doctor) Richard Bedford. But conditions in France are harsh and the gunfire can be heard day and night. Men come in with all sorts of injuries - some surface, some critical, some fatal. Some nurses find it too difficult to cope and return home at the earliest opportunity but Jane is made of sterner stuff. In France, she finds hope again. She learns to forgive and how to live. But the war giveth and the war also taketh away. And losing is hard.
But when one door slams, another one opens...and Jane finds a refreshing new opportunity. One she had never contemplated. And it leads her to a life she had never dreamed of or opportunities she never considered. And with that new life came a freedom...a destiny that was always meant to be hers.
A SISTER'S DESTINY is a heartbreaking read at times. I cried for Jane at all she endured and thensome. But we see her rise above her trials and despite her scars, she is able to forgive and she is able to move on. And she comes through the other side. This is a novel of sacrifice, of love, of survival, of forgiveness and of resilience.
There is not much more I can say about this book except that it is a delightful read, an easy read, and I've enjoyed my time with Jane. I would welcome a sequel, should there be one but if not, the story suffices as is.
As always, Rosie Clarke is a pleasure to read and I welcome many more!
I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ASistersDestiny in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.
Rosie also writes under the name of Anne Herries and Linda Sole.
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