This is #1 in the Tilly trilogy. I really enjoyed the series. Cookson does a great job of describing the characters - I felt as if I actually knew these characters, and I wanted to know what became of them. I laughed, I cheered, and at times I cried.
A coming of age story of a girl in rural England around 1840. Wrongly accused of using witchcraft by superstitious villagers, Tilly was forced to enter a wide world alone. Through the burning of her home, the shattering loss of the man she loved, and the loss of her family, she willed herself to survive, taking moments of happiness where she could find them. And always there were many men who wanted her, who would take her, but never on her own terms. Very good story.
LOVE Catherine Cookson. I have been reading her books since I was in high school in the 60s. Getting access to her books has been very exciting to me. I want to read all her works even though they are depressing but it always turn out for the best. So there is hope. I have also found the film series based on her books on Netflix and I think I have watched them all.
