This is a fabulous historical saga, a gripping page turner for a cosy weekend!
A Dutiful Daughter
Will her devotion to duty stop her from pursuing her dreams?
Paisley, Scotland, 1920
By day young Mirren Jarvis works in the twisting department at Ferguslie Thread Mills and by night she works in a local fried-fish shop. She also cares for her sick mother and forgoes the freedom and luxuries her friends enjoy, dreaming of the day her fiancé, Donald, will send for her to come and live with him in America.
In the aftermath of the Great War, many of the women in Mirren’s life are struggling. Her cousin Grace’s fiancé believes he is no longer fit for marriage due to his war injuries, and her widowed sister-in-law faces stern opposition from Mirren’s mother about her decision to remarry. Meanwhile, Mirren worries about her younger brother Robbie’s involvement in politics, encouraged by his friend Joe Hepburn.
As the day-to-day reality of working two jobs and caring for her sick mother begins to weigh more heavily on Mirren, the promise of a life in America with Donald seems even more unobtainable. But when Mirren finally gets her freedom, her plans for the future begin to unravel and she is forced to confront a seemingly impossible choice about her own future.
Storytelling at its best, Evelyn Hood is the original bestselling Scottish saga writer.
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I absolutely loved this book, and in particular the change in Mirren as she develops throughout the story. As usual for me, the setting is crucial, and I really felt the atmosphere in the mills where the girls work, as well as the underlying tension in Mirren’s home as she cares for her mother. She really has the patience of a saint. I’m pretty sure I would have spontaneously combusted with frustration long ago!
What I loved:
- The writer knows how to tug on the heartstrings by just the right amount to really pull you in and connect with the characters.
- The political situation simmers away in the background, like a pressure cooker waiting to explode. I sensed Robbie and Joe’s yearning for their lives to be improved, and the feeling that they believed there was change coming, and in their favour.
- Despite all her problems, Mirren soldiers on, unable to accept assistance even from her aunt, Catherine, due to her pride. Yet we never feel this pride is misplaced.
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The Sunday Times bestselling author of 28 published novels, Evelyn Hood had a variety of jobs, including being a journalist and a poultry farmer. She was a full time writer, best known for her family sagas, set mainly in her home town of Paisley (Renfrewshire) and on the Clyde coast, where she also lived.
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