1859 was a bleak time if you were a woman with no money and responsibilities. Widowed
very young, with four children Martha's life was tough but when her father in law who
was their guardian died and left Martha and her young family to the guardianship of the
lecherous lawyer Montgomery, Martha knew she had to run away.

New York City was another world - poverty, the incessant noise, the animosity of
neighbours, the environment were foreign but they all gritted their teeth and tried
to survive. When things began to threaten their lives Martha took the bold step of handing first
her eldest two to the Friends of Society and then the youngest two. She did not realise
that she was legally giving them up.

The story of heartbreak with plenty of determination to get her children back against
immense odds is beautifully told. Martha never gave up hope for a reconciliation and
she was successful with the exception of Homer who did not know his biological mother
at all.

At the end of the story there was a chapter giving details of how the children's lives
evolved after they reconciled including Homer who had links with the author of this
story. This added a great human touch to the story and it was good to see how far
they all came to lead happy settled lives.

Fantastic! This meticulously-researched book kept me interested from start to finish. I was intrigued by the subject and characters, which were delivered expertly and fluidly. I would absolutely recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction. Thank you to the author for teaching us readers more history!

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for this advanced digital copy. I look forward to seeing this book in print.