Nobody's Girl

Excellent book! Great characters and a brilliant storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

I was impressed with this story. There was tragedy, mystery and a bit of romance in this story. A well written period piece.

A truly heartwarming tale, this novel is set in between the two world wars and could well be regarded as a family saga - well, with a much extended family.
I've always enjoyed stories set in a bygone era of big houses with inhabitants both above and below stairs. This one is set at a time when the edges are blurred and servants are treated as very much a part of the family.
The female characters are of the very capable kind, not the smelling salts variety and whilst all is not happy all the time it is set in a time of courtesy and respect.
The best news of all, of course, is that there will be sequel and I so look forward to catching up with everyone I feel I've come to know in this book. Very well written and extremely true to the time in which it is set, this is a book and an author which I am very happy to recommend.

I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Having read and enjoyed many of Tania Crosse’s previous historical sagas, I was absolutely delighted when I found out that this exceptional author had a new book out and Nobody’s Girl is a gripping, enthralling and engrossing tale that did not disappoint!

Wealthy industrialist Wigmore Stratfield-Whyte and his wife Clarissa have the world at their feet. With their business booming and their marriage flourishing, Wigmore and Clarissa’s life is idyllic – until a tragic twist of fate robs them of their most precious treasure. Distraught, inconsolable with rage and grief and with nothing left to love for, Wigmore and Clarissa wonder whether they will ever be happy ever again. With their days bleak and their nights tortured by anger, rage and devastation, Wigmore and Clarissa seem to be destined for a lifetime of misery and heartbreak – until a tragic accident brings them into contact with spirited farmer’s daughter Meg Chandler.

Meg is determined not to have anything to do with the wealthy Stratfield-Whyte family. The resourceful girl is completely wracked with grief and bereavement and she just want to be left alone. Yet, there is something about this fragile girl that makes Clarissa want to move heaven and earth to help her out. But is Meg ready to let anyone in and to trust anyone ever again? Or will she continue to hide behind the impenetrable walls which she has built around herself? Will the Stratfield-Whyte family bring her the happiness which she has been searching for all her life? Or will they end up hurting Meg even more?

Tania Crosse is an exceptional storyteller who grabs her readers’ attention from the first sentence and keeps them enthralled and entertained until the very last page. Nobody’s Girl is an emotional and dramatic tale written with flair, compassion and sensitivity that is sure to bring a tear to readers’ eyes. A wonderfully written and mesmerizing tale about secrets, healing from the past and the ties that bind, Nobody’s Girl is a spellbinding saga that has got it all: richly nuanced characters, vivid descriptions of early twentieth century life, heart-pounding pathos, tender emotion and a gripping narrative that will entrance readers

A fantastic historical tale from one of the best in the business, I cannot wait for the next saga from one of my favourite writers: Tania Crosse!

Oh.My.Word! 'Nobody's Girl' really isn't the easiest book to read. I had read about a chapter when I became choked with silent emotion, and I had to pause, put the book down and try to reassemble my thoughts. Now, what've I've just said isn't a negative thing at all, especially how I said that it wasn't an easy book to read. In terms of language usage and storyline organisation, it WAS an easy book to read; in terms of the theme of that first chapter, no, it wasn't an easy book to read. With other books I have read, we usually get a meet a greet type feeling at the beginning of the book, being eased into the storyline gently and completely unaware as to what may be around the corner (or, the next page). However, 'Nobody's Girl' didn't really do that, before I had even learnt the ins and outs of the main characters I had been caught off guard in such a heart-wrenching way. I so badly wanted to cry, but I couldn't because the emotion was far too raw. Does that make sense? Sometimes you can read something in a book which upsets you drastically, to the point you're stunned into silent emotion. It was that.

As I mentioned before, I had to put the book down and go do something else which didn't require any of my emotions. But, the more I tried to calm my emotions, the more I struggled to forget the novel. I felt as though I was abandoning the characters by pausing the book. How stupid does that sound, but it's true.

When I decided to pick the book back up, I needed to keep my emotions in check otherwise the book was going to take me an age to read, and that's not TWG. 'Nobody's Girl' is set in the years between the Great War and World War II, straight away it was as though I had stepped back in time due to the use of 'motor vehicle', for example. Those slight word variations throughout the novel may be overlooked by many readers, but it was brilliant to see the author use the language from the time in which her book was set. 'Nobody's Girl' starts off with two main characters, Wigmore and Clarissa Stratfield-Whyte; and it didn't seem too long before another character main character was added. Sigh. I just wish it was under better circumstances.

Meg Chandler, a character who I would give anything to talk about right now. A character who, unfortunately, I cannot say too much about due to spoilers. A character who, just like the characters at the start of the book, managed to stir up the silent emotion I had been trying to hide for most of the book. Every emotion, action, and description about Meg's situation was written to the point I thought I was watching everything from the sidelines. The pain. The moment of being unable to do anything; I have no words about how a large portion of the storyline made me feel. Saying that I became emotional would be an incredible understatement, I mean, who wouldn't get emotional over the entire novel?

Tania Crosse created firework situations for several of the characters, and they were all written with such poise, sincerity, devastation, yet undeniable beauty. Yes, I could no longer understand my own thoughts and feelings whilst finishing this book, but the authors story telling had me absolutely spellbound.

'Nobody's Girl' was full to the brim of heart-wrenching moments; sometimes it felt as though the beginning of the book started off the domino effect for the rest of the book. It got to a point where I was reading so fast because I was so worried someone else in the book was going to end up emotional, or more sparks were going to fly. This book really was cut throat.

On one hand, Nobody's Girl kept me on the edge of my seat with emotions even I couldn't understand, but on the other hand, Nobody's Girl gave me hope, a sense of belonging, a reason to love and the lesson in learning how to BE loved.

This book is by far the most intense, and emotive novel I have read so far this year. Tania Crosse has blown me away and I am still trying to work out how to put my feet back on the ground. I will not forget Nobody's Girl in a hurry, Meg will always be the girl in my heart.

Absolutely outstanding.

Thanks Aria.