I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for gripping and emotional read The Lost Daughter by Sylvia Broady. Thank you to Rachel Gilbey and Allison & Busby for giving me the opportunity to read this fabulous book.
About the book:
Hull, 1930. A terrified woman runs through the dark, rain-lashed streets pursued by a man, desperate to reach the sanctuary of the local police station. Alice Goddard runs with one thing in her mind: her daughter. In her panic she is hit by a car at speed and rushed to hospital. When she awakes, she has no memory of who she is, but at night she dreams of being hunted by a man, and of a little girl.
As the weeks pass and her memories gradually resurface, Alice anxiously searches for her daughter, but no one is forthcoming about the girl’s whereabouts – even her own mother is evasive. Penniless and homeless, Alice must begin again and rebuild her life, never giving up hope that one day she will be reunited with her lost daughter.
About the author:
Sylvia Broady was born in Kingston upon Hull and has lived in the area all her life,
though she loves to travel the world. It wasn’t until she started to frequent her local library , after World War 2, that her relationship with literature truly began and her memories of war influence her writing, as does her home town. A member of the: RNA, HNS, S of A and Beverley Writers. She has had a varied career in childcare, the NHS and East Yorkshire Council Library Services, but is now a full-time writer. Plus volunteering as a Welcomer at Beverley Minster to visitors from around the world, and raising money for local charities by singing in the choir of the Beverley Singers, both bringing colour and enrichment to her imagination and to her passion for writing.
Social Media Links:
My Review:
The Lost Daughter by Sylvia Broady is a beautifully written and emotional historical family saga that drew me in from the very first page. It tells the story of Alice, who we meet as she is running away from her bully of a husband, fearing for her life. She runs into the path of an oncoming car and is left with serious injuries that result in a loss of memory.
Awaking in hospital Alice is frightened and alone, unable to recall anything about her life. But slowly her memories return and she suddenly comes to the realisation that she has a young daughter. The year is 1930 and Alice comes from a poverty stricken family who don’t have the means to take care of a six year old girl. Not knowing of her daughter’s predicament and believing the lies of Alice’s drunken husband, Agnes hands the young girl over to the authorities. Alice is heartbroken and, as soon as she’s strong enough, sets out to find her missing daughter.
But Daisy is nowhere to be found and Alice, now an abandoned wife, must find a way to keep a roof over her head. As the years pass and WW2 breaks out, Alice’s life is anything but easy. But she never gives up hope that one day she will finally be reunited with her lost daughter.
Set in Hull, this is a grim look at what life was like to be a woman in the years leading up to and during WW2. It’s a story about life, love, loss and human resilience. It tells the story of one woman’s strength and determination to survive, even in the face of such terrible adversity. Poverty was rife and finding the means to survive was not easy, especially for a woman on her own. I loved Alice, her growth from frightened young wife to a strong, independent woman was wonderful to see. And through it all, her determination to find her daughter never wavered, even as she hit brick wall after brick wall during her search.
The Lost Daughter is a gripping and emotional rollercoaster of a read. I’m not ashamed to say I cried many tears while reading this book, especially towards the end of this beautifully engaging and moving saga of a story.
This is the first book I’ve read by Sylvia Broady but most definitely won’t be my last. A brilliant story that brought the war years vividly to life, this is a book I would highly recommend.
Read on for the chance to win 2 x paperback signed books of The Lost Daughter and The Yearning Heart.
Purchase Links:
From 22nd – 29th August, The Lost Daughter will be at the bargain price of 99p.
Giveaway – Win 2 x paperback signed books of The Lost Daughter and The Yearning Heart (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the
Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all
valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received
within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative
winner.
Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties,
with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway
organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random
Resources will delete the data.
I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the
prize.
Check out what these other lovely bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 