The Workhouse Children: A heartwarming saga

Lindsey Hutchinson

Dec 2016 · Head of Zeus Ltd

About this ebook

Tears and tribulations, laughs and heartbreak, from an exciting new talent. Perfect for the fans of Jo Cox and Lyn Andrews.

Cara Flowers' mother disappeared when she was too young to realise, and when her grandmother dies she leaves not only an enormous fortune, but also a huge responsibility – she wants Cara to find their estranged family.

Her quest leads her to the doors of the looming Bilston workhouse where children are torn away from their families to toil for others. Shocked by the appalling conditions, Cara vows to find a way to shut down the building and rescue its residents. And then she discovers a link between the workhouse and her missing mother...

Can Cara overcome her past and save these children from their fate?

What people are saying about THE WORKHOUSE CHILDREN:

'A truly beautiful read, well done to the author for giving me such enjoyment'

'A very poignant, feel good novel'

'I laughed, cried and gasped, such a gripping story line'

'What an amazing story start to finish'

Ratings and reviews

The Workhouse Children is a debut novel by Lindsey Hutchinson. It is 1901 in the small town of Bilston (which is in the industrial West Midlands). Cara Flower’s grandmother, Henrietta Selby, has just passed away, and left Cara very well off (house and money). Her grandmother left a letter for Cara giving her the task of looking for any lost relatives and to care for them. This is puzzling to Cara who believed she had no other family. Cara had been raised by her grandmother, and she would never speak about Cara’s parents. It turns out that Cara’s mother, Elizabeth married someone inappropriate causing an estrangement. Martin Lander, the family solicitor, suggests that Cara check the Bilston workhouse. Cara is shocked by the conditions in the workhouse and how it is managed by the Master and Matron (Fred and Ada Tulley). She does, though, find her thirteen-year-old brother, Charlie. There is a sister, Daisy, but Fred Tulley had sold her as a servant (and pocketed the money). It seems Fred and Ada are doing everything possible to run the workhouse cheaply so they will have extra money (so they can live comfortably). Cara sets out to empty the workhouse and make it obsolete (after finding Daisy). But the local Magistrate of Bilston, Joseph Purcell (as well as the Tulley’s) is not happy with Cara’s plans. Will Cara succeed with her mission? Will Cara be able to find out what happened to her parents and why they did not raise her? The Workhouse Children is nicely written and easy to read. I did find The Workhouse Children to be an uplifting, sweet story (unrealistic, but a good read). It would be lovely if there were more people like Cara in this world. I did enjoy reading how Cara tackled the problem of the workhouse and discovered her family history. I give The Workhouse Children 3.5 out of 5 stars. I did find that the author would sometimes go into a little too much detail with her descriptions (it bogs down the story). The Workhouse Children is a British novel so it contains British expressions and slang (must of them can be figured out). I did find some information to be repeated (do authors think we forget things one chapter to the next). The story is told from different viewpoints which can be confusing (I wish the author had stuck with the third person point-of-view). The Workhouse Children could do with a little editing (just a little too long). The Workhouse Children is a good first book and the story will linger in your mind long after you finish it. Ms. Hutchinson’s next book The Wives’ Revenge.

Great book ,didn't want to put it down, fell behind with other things to get on with the story didn't want to wait till later 👍

A great read lots of unexpected twists. Will be looking out for more by this Author.

About the author

Lindsey lives in Shropshire with her husband and dog, loves to read and has recently discovered photography. She is the daughter of million-copy bestselling author Meg Hutchinson.