Book Synopsis:
Even in the darkest of times, she never gave up hope
Staffordshire, 1911. Ginnie Jones’s childhood is spent in the shadow of the famous Potteries, living with her mother, father and older sister Mabel. But with Father’s eyesight failing, money is in short supply, and too often the family find their bellies aching with hunger. With no hope in sight, Ginnie is sent to Haddon Workhouse.
Separated from everything she has known, Ginnie has to grow up fast, earning her keep by looking after the other children with no families of their own. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life… until tragedy strikes, snatching away her newfound happiness.
Leaving Haddon three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends in the workhouse – especially Sam, now a caring, handsome young man. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever – until Sam is sent to fight in WW1.Faced with uncertainty, can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had? Or will her heart be broken once again?
An emotional, uplifting and nostalgic family saga that will make you smile, while tugging on your heart-strings. Fans of Sheila Newbury, Kitty Neale and Sheila Riley will love this beautiful read.
The Girl From The Workhouse is available in ebook now for £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
The Girl From The Workhouse is an emotional, captivating read which is perfect for anyone who loves a good saga!
Firstly I have always been fascinated by books set in the Workhouse as the idea is so very different to how things are now, so the blurb instantly appealed to me. I enjoyed learning about Ginny’s time in the Workhouse which was very emotional to read about at times. The friendships that she makes there were wonderful to read about and I loved how her friends became like her family.
Ginny is a fantastic main character who I absolutely fell in love with. Her amazing strength and determination to make the best of things made me quickly warm to her. Her friendship with Sam was incredibly heartwarming and helped ensure the story wasn’t too sad.
The author has obviously done a lot research into the period and I enjoyed learning more about an often overlooked period of life before the first world war. I found it especially interesting to see how the war effected everyone left at home as I don’t remember reading many books about this before.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic read that quickly drew me into the story and kept my interest throughout with its fabulous plot. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely like to read more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Hera Books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Lynn Johnson was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent. She went to school in Burslem, the setting for her first novel and left with no qualifications. Like Ginnie she had ambitions and, in her own time, obtained a BA Hons and a Diploma in Management Studies. She began to research her family tree and it inspired her to write short stories, one of which became the basis for her first novel.
Although Lynn still has a close affinity to The Potteries, she now lives in Orkney with her husband and six beautiful cats.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Great review Joanna. I have been looking at this one for awhile and think I should have jumped at it after reading your review.
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