Title: Saturday’s Child (Heroine’s Born on Different Days of the Week Book 7)
Author: Rosemary Morris
Genre: Historical Fiction, Victorian Fiction, Regency Fiction
Book Blurb:
After the Battle of Waterloo, motherless ten-year-old Annie travels to London with her father, Private Johnson. Discharged from the army, instead of the hero’s welcome he deserves, his desperate attempts to make an honest living fail. Without food or shelter, death seems inevitable. Driven by desperation Johnson pleads for help from Georgiana Tarrant, his deceased colonel’s daughter. Georgiana, who founded a charity to assist soldiers’ widows and orphans, agrees to provide for them. At Major and Mrs. Tarrant’s luxurious house, Annie is fed, bathed and given clean clothes. Although she and her father, her only relative, will be provided for there is a severe price. Johnson will work for Georgiana while Annie is educated at the Foundling House Georgiana established. Despite the years she spent overseas when her dear father fought against the French, the horror she witnessed, and recent destitution Annie’s spirit is not crushed. She understands their separation is inevitable because her father cannot refuse employment. Annie vows that one day she will work hard for her living and never again be poor. It is fortunate she cannot foresee the hardship and tragedy ahead to be overcome when she is an adult.
My Review:
A father willing to do whatever it takes to make sure his daughter survives, a daughter vows to work hard and never again be poor… life’s tragedies shape Annie to overcome any hardship. Annie’s father is a recovering soldier while her mother dies before she reaches the age of ten. He tries to provide for her and fails miserably. In a last-ditch effort, he pleads for help from Georgiana Tarrant, a woman whose charity provides for soldiers’ widows and orphans. She agrees to take in Annie but there’s a steep price to pay for both Annie and her father. Will Annie meet every obstacle head-on or will she crush under the weight of defeat?
Saturday’s Child is an emotional tale of one woman’s exceptional strength under the harshness of the world. In this harrowing tale, Rosemary Morris gives readers an inside glimpse into what life was really like for people in similar circumstances as Annie and her father. The descriptive narration is historically accurate and well-researched, allowing the reader to be immersed in all aspects of the story. I found myself rooting for Annie while crying over what she went through. The plot moves at a nice easy pace so as to connect with the characters. I appreciate Rosemary Morris’ attention to detail throughout her writing. If you love historical fiction honestly drawn with depth, you’ll enjoy Saturday’s Child. A sophisticated piece of fiction that will shed new light on this time period. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
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Author Biography:
There is a gigantic canvas for a historical novelist to choose from.
I am a multi-published historical novelist whose novels are set in the reign of Charles II’s niece, Queen Anne Stuart, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the ever popular Regency era. I have also written a mediaeval novel set in in the reign of Edward II.
I chose those periods because each of them affected the course of history. If the Duke of Marlborough had not won The War of Spanish Succession, and The Duke of Wellington had been defeated by Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo, the history of Britain and that of Europe would be different. Defeat would also have had far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. If Edward II had won the Battle of Bannockburn, it is feasible that he would have conquered Scotland and, perhaps, as it is claimed, he would not have been murdered.
The more I read about my chosen eras the more fascinated I become, and the more aware of the gulf between the past and present. Those who lived in the past shared the same emotions as we do, but their attitudes and way of life were in many ways very different to ours. One of the most striking examples was the social position of women and children in in bygone ages.
My characters, are of their time, not men, women and children dressed in costume who behave like 21st century people.
Research of my chosen eras sparks my imagination. The seeds of my novels are sown, and from them sprout the characters and events which will shape their lives.
I was born in Kent. As a child, when I was not making up stories, my head was ‘always in a book.’
While working in a travel agency, I met my Hindu husband. He encouraged me to continue my education at Westminster College. In 1961 I and my husband, by then a barrister, moved to his birthplace, Kenya, where I lived from 1961 until 1982. After an attempted coup d’état, four of my children lived with me in an ashram in France.
Back in England, I wrote historical fiction, joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Historical Novel Society, Watford Writers and online groups.
Apart from writing, I enjoy classical Indian literature, reading, visiting places of historical interest, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts.
My bookshelves are so crammed with historical non-fiction, which I use to research my novels, that if I buy a new book I have to consider getting rid of one.
Time spent with my five children and their families, most of whom live near me, is precious.
The second editions of my historical novels and my new ones will be published by Books We Love. http://bookswelove.net
Social Media Links:
Website https://rosemarymorris.co.uk/
Reviewed by: Mrs. N