This is a story about survival. There is some romance but it doesn't play a big role in this book. It is about a young girl who everybody thought wouldn't make it. She was born to alcoholic parents, who forget her more often than they fed her. They live in Old Nichol, one of the worst slum districts in London's East End. which is were the poorest of the poor "live". What they are doing isn't living but surviving each day. Gladys Tunner is a young girl who takes care of herself from a very young age. She learns to survive and be smart about it. Sometimes she coma across as naive but other times very strong and independent.

After a particular horrific incident she has to leave Old Nichol with little money and the clothes on her back. Thankfully she makes friends in the new place she arrives, who help her survive. There she also finds love and loses it as well. There were some really heartbreaking scenes in this book. Bad things continue to happen to Gladys but she doesn't let them bring her down.

In my opinion there should be a sequel because the ending was abrupt and it didn't give me any closure whatsoever. I have read books with open endings but I was expecting an extra chapter or three in this book to see what happened to Gladys. There is one particular character that I am dying to know more about but he was nowhere to be seen. Throughout the whole book I was waiting on that person to make an appearance but unfortunately it didn't happen.

It was a complete fluke that I was lucky enough to come across this ARC on Net Galley, free of charge, and the 1st novel written by Betty Annand from Vancouver, BC, Canada. I had just returned from Vancouver myself so her bio grabbed my interest. She wrote little plays for her local theater, and I had just been to their local Bards on the Beach to see Othello. I was as a result captivated and just had to read this book while also hoping that I'd be accepted as a receiver.

I couldn't put this book down. It was so good! I do hope there will be a continuation follow up because I'm estimating Gladys was only about 23 years old at the conclusion and I want to know what happened to her next.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Betty Annand, and Amberjack Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your work with me.

This is an excellent historical novel, much deeper in detail and depth of story than generally found. The protagonists are well rounded and likable, lots of details of living conditions both good and bad, and the tale holds true to the times. The story is left in the air - I hope this is indicative of a sequel coming, but if not, my imagination can handle it.

Excellent storyline. Wonderful main characters and very well written. I would recommend this book.

This story is about a girl who is called Gladys who was born to alcoholic parents in the later end of the 19th century in one of the worst slums in London. It tells the story of how she escapes the slum called Old Nichol and raises herself up by hard work.
Gladys marries the love of her life but tragedy soon follows her.
The book is well researched and I really enjoyed it although the ending is left wide open and a lot of the story lines unresolved so I really hope that a sequel will follow.

I received an ARC of the novel from Amberjack Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl From Old Nichol is a historical fiction novel by Betty Annand. A girl named Gladys Tunner is born in a placed called Old Nichol AKA the slums of London. Her parents are raging alcoholics so she is forced to care of herself at a very young age. One day, after facing a terrible, disgusting incident as a pre-teen, she understands that she has nothing left for her in Old Nichol. Without any sort of notice, she leaves her parents behind and begins a new life under a new name. Gladys decides that in her new life, she is determined to become a governess. From there, she builds a successful life for herself where she finds good work, her best friend, her husband and even has a daughter. For the longest time, Gladys is happy with her life and what she is doing. Although it may seem like Gladys has escaped Old Nichol for good, it always manages to haunt her in one way or another. Will Gladys be able to live a normal, rich lifestyle under a new name or will her poor upbringing ruin her chances of becoming a governess?

The Girl From Old Nichol is, in one word, captivating. Gladys, the protagonist, is a young lady you will come to love by the end of the novel. You will respect her for her kindness and her ability to survive all that is bad. You will grieve with her when you learn about her childhood and the events that consume her as she grows older. I loved all of her relationships with all of her friends such as Tom and Millie. I thought all of the characters had great backstories and were rounded out enough that you cared for all of them. I think the major part of the novel that people will be talking about though is its ending. I’m not going to spoil the ending, however, I will say the ending is very abrupt and left in the air. When I got to the end I actually screamed because I was so sure that it wasn’t the end. I don’t know if I feel this is a good or a bad thing, if I liked it, or if it was even really needed at all. All I know is that I am hoping there will be a sequel because I need to find out what exactly happened to Gladys.

I really like this novel and think it has a lot of depth. When I found out this was Betty Annand’s first novel I was surprised because of the talent of her writing, it seems like she has been writing for many years. Annand’s writing is great, she creates a great story that sticks with you right away. I think once you start reading it, you won’t want to put this novel down in the beginning. It is filled with several tales of love, survival and friendship all tied into one. Even though I thought the beginning was fantastic, towards the end I felt it lost its way and became somewhat disinterested in what was going on. I understand she had to build up certain plot points in order to develop the story, however, after awhile I felt a lot the events were being repeated. But the abrupt ending sucked me in again and I am left feeling dissatisfied. Maybe dissatisfied in a good way since it makes me want to read more of Gladys’ story. I really hope there is going to be a sequel to this novel because I definitely want to read it, and would love to read more work from this author in the future. I recommend this book to anyone who craves to read a story about a powerful woman who learns to live and survive on her own. I would say that this book is suited for people around the age 18+, only because there is an almost-rape scene that could be disturbing for younger readers. This novel teaches you that although it may not seem like it, if you have the willpower, you can be anything you want to be. As long as you discipline yourself and understand that sometimes you deserve more than what is given to you, you will discover who you are.