The Sixpenny Orphan By Glenda Young

‘The Sixpenny Orphan’ is the latest book by Glenda Young.

After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters – and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence. Ten years later, Poppy is married with three children. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t think about Rose, but after many years of searching, Poppy has accepted that her sister is lost to her. That is until a letter suddenly arrives, revealing Rose’s fate and breaking Poppy’s heart. Determined to be reunited with her beloved sister, Poppy sets out to bring Rose home.

Historical fiction is not a genre that I read much off but there was something about ‘The Sixpenny Orphan’ that intrigued me.

The story is seen through the perspective of orphan Poppy, she has a younger sister that she’s very protective off. They live in poverty with Nellie, a hard woman who treats them badly, so badly that she sells Rose and Poppy vows to find her. Fast forward ten years later and Poppy receives word from Rose and is determined to find her. Married with three young children, Poppy is delighted to have her sister back, but Rose is far from the innocent sweet girl that she used to be.

This story is a lovely one with characters that made for interesting reading. I really liked Poppy, she’s a strong personality, unfortunately with being so poor, she’s unable to read or write but she has other skills that she uses to her advantage to create a good life for her family. The story gives an insight into the time period, the different classes of society, and treatment of the poor and women and this makes for sad and unsettling reading.

‘The Sixpenny Orphan’ is a warm story about a cruel time filled with determination and hope.

You can buy ‘The Sixpenny Orphan’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.