A young girl struggles to realise her dreams when her life is derailed - from the Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood.
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Holderness, 1846.

For reliable, thirteen-year-old Bella, life isn't turning out quite as she'd hoped. She lives at the Woodman Inn - an ancient hostelry run by her family in the Yorkshire countryside - with her parents and siblings, but when she learns not only that her father is seriously ill, but that her mother is expecting a fifth child, her dreams of leaving home to become a schoolteacher are quickly dashed.

Times are hard, and when their father dies Bella also has to take on the role of mother to her baby brother. Her days are brightened by the occasional visit from Jamie Lucan - the eighteen-year-old son of a wealthy landowning neighbour. Also grieving the loss of a parent, Jamie has more in common with Bella than she thinks.

When her mother announces out of the blue that she wants to move the family to Hull, Bella is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. They arrive to find that the public house they are now committed to buying is run-down and dilapidated. Could things get any worse? Or could this move turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Bella?

If you've liked books by Dilly Court and Katie Flynn, you'll love Val Wood's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.
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Praise for Val Wood:

'A heart-warming story filled with compelling action' Rosie Goodwin
'Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson' BBC Radio 4's Front Row
'Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories' Peterborough Telegraph

About the Author
Since winning the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her first novel, The Hungry Tide, Val Wood has become one of the most popular authors in the UK. Born in the mining town of Castleford, Val came to East Yorkshire as a child and has lived in Hull and rural Holderness where many of her novels are set. She now lives in the market town of Beverley. When she is not writing, Val is busy promoting libraries and supporting many charities. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull for service and dedication to literature. Find out more about Val Wood's novels by visiting her website: www.valwood.co.uk


Book Information
ISBN 9780552177580
Author Val Wood
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Corgi Books
Publisher Transworld Publishers Ltd
Weight(grams) 304g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 127mm * 27mm