"Humour, toughness, resolution and generosity are Cookson virtues . . .

In the specialised world of women's popular fiction, Cookson has created her own territory." (Helen Dunmore, The Times)County Durham, 1860s. Born to a family of wealthy glassmakers, Annabella Legrange leads a charmed life, shielded from the struggles of the lower classes.

But when she is eighteen she learns the truth of her birth and her whole world is shattered... Forced to flee and leave behind everything she has ever known, she seeks to find a new life among the working classes where she hopes to forget the troubles of her past. She soon finds that moving on is harder than it looks and that there doesn't seem to be place for her in either society.

Catherine Cookson was the original and bestselling saga writer, selling over 100 million copies of her novels. If you like Dilly Court, Katie Flynn or Donna Douglas, you'll love Catherine Cookson.