Hattie's Home
by Mary Gibson
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Jan 11 2018 | Archive Date Jan 22 2018
Talking about this book? Use #HattiesHome #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
A passionate and heartwarming saga from the bestselling author of CUSTARD TARTS AND BROKEN HEARTS.
January 1947.
The war is over. But London is still a wasteland.
After eight years in the ATS, Hattie Wright returns to a Bermondsey she doesn't recognise. With so few jobs, she reluctantly takes work at the Alaska fur factory – a place rife with petty rivalries that she vowed never to set foot in again. But while she was a rising star in the ATS, Hattie's work mates are unforgiving in her attempts to promote herself up from the factory floor.
After journeying across the world to Australia to marry her beloved, Clara is betrayed and returns penniless, homeless and trying to raise a child in the face of prejudice. While war widow, Lou, has lost more than most in the war. Her daughter and parents were killed in an air raid bomb blast and her surviving son, Ronnie, is fending for himself and getting into all kinds of trouble.
The lifelong friendship these women forge while working in the fur factory will help them overcome crippling grief and prejudice in post-war Britain and to find hope in tomorrow.
PRAISE FOR HATTIE'S HOME:
'Mary transported me right into the heart of Bermondsey and the damage, heartache and devastation the war had left behind. The sights, smells, wreckage, the poverty, it was all so real. Yet even in such dark times friendship and the community shines through' Dash F, Netgalley reviewer.
'If you want a real taste of East London life before 1914, and the horrors and occasional laughs the times could bring – this is a must read' Mark Ryes, Amazon reviewer.
'This is an absolute joy from start to finish and it's clear that Mary Gibson has a passion for history and a good yarn! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the reality of life for women in the period leading up to the Great War without the safety net of the Welfare State to fall back on. It's one of the best historic fiction books I've read in a long time' History Geek, Amazon reviewer.
'Gritty, heart-felt and very real. Gibson really gives you a clear understanding of what life was like ... If you are a fan of Nadine Dorries you will love this' Rachel, Amazon reviewer.
'I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters, in my opinion certainly worth 5 stars!' Shelley, Amazon reviewer.
A Note From the Publisher
Apologies but this title is not available in the USA so requests from this region cannot be accepted.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781784973377 |
| PRICE | £20.00 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 464 |
Featured Reviews
Reviewerlady G, Reviewer
This is not the first Mary Gibson book which I’ve read, and it certainly won’t be the last. Hattie’s Home is a great read on so many levels: the friendship of three women, the working lives of Londoners and the sheer hardship which rationing and lack of basic comforts thrust upon the population.
Hattie returns home to Bermondsey after eight years in the army .. eight happy years in which she has grown as a person and really loved her job. Thinking she was returning to help her mother out, she gets a rude awakening. Clara returns home to her family after having sailed to Australia as a service bride – but with a mixed heritage baby her parents close the door on her. Lou has lost her husband, daughter and parents to the war and has suffered so badly that her son is running wild on the streets. As she gives birth again, she asks the midwife to give her new daughter to another family who can look after her better than she can. Finding each other is the salvation of all three women – but life is by no means easy.
I love that this novel takes up where most finish. The poverty endured is almost unbelievable in this day and age. ‘Bambeating’ made me think that Health & Safety would have had a field day! The indomitable spirit of the characters makes this book compulsive reading. I was glued to it as the story played out.
Highly recommended to all those who enjoy a good read and like to learn something at the same time. This book is packed with details which will both entertain and shock!
My thanks to Melanie Price at Head of Zeus for the arc of this novel. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.
