The Miner's Daughter

The Families of Fairley Terrace Sagas #2

by Jennie Felton

The Miner's Daughter is the second heartrending saga in Jennie Felton's Families of Fairley Terrace series, in the grand tradition of Katie Flynn, Dilly Court and Josephine Cox, of one woman's quest for happiness after a bitter tragedy, filled with romance, drama and triumph in adversity.

When Annie Day at number four, Fairley Terrace, loses her beloved husband in a tragic mining disaster, she cannot afford the luxury of grief. For now she must find a way to support herself and her two young daughters, Kitty and Lucy, and marriage to widower Algernon Pierce seems to be the answer to Annie's prayers.

For a time, all is well. But beneath her new husband's respectable veneer, lies a darkness which deepens as the years roll by. Annie begins to fear for her daughters' futures, particularly vibrant, headstrong Lucy, whose defiance of Algernon alters the course of their lives for ever...

Don't miss the rest of the compelling, heartwarming sagas of the Families of Fairley Terrace, which began with Maggie's story in All The Dark Secrets, as well as the short story The Birthday Surprise in the saga collection A Mother's Joy, and Edie's story in The Girl Below Stairs.

(P)2015 Headline Digital

Genres: Fiction

Audio

First published September 10, 2015

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Jennie Felton and also the first book I've read in the Fairley Terrace saga series. I loved this book and will definately check out more books by Jenny. I loved her writing style and the way the characters leapt to life on the page.

This book follows Annie after the mining tragedy where she lost her husband. After marrying to provide security for her children- their life takes a different path. Lucy does not like Algernon- her mother's new husband and when she sees a way to escape from his house she seeks refuge with her aunt.

We see her dip her toes into the Music Hall life and the seedier characters around the theatre life. I loved this side to the story. Trying on the costumes and rehearsals.

There is plenty of heartbreak in this book- but lots of wonderful characters to fall in love with. You really care what happens to them all.

With many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read this one.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read.

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy

Another fantastic read from this author the books of fairley terrace are a. brilliant read looking forward to the next book 5 STARS .

[Heather Copping · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series and I enjoyed it as much as the first book. Fans of Katie Flynn will love this book as I did.

[Julie Boon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second books starts with Annie who is now married to local preacher Algernon. Annie reached desperate times trying to bring up her two daughters Lucy and Kitty alone after the death of her first husband John in a mining accident. Algernon likes everyone to think he is a pillar of the community at the local church, but nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Lucy is a sweet, kind, caring, but very headstrong girl, who has the singing voice of an angel and after meeting her father's sister Molly, who was once a singer in the music halls, hopes to follow in her footsteps and become a professional. Her step-father Algernon will not hear of it and puts paid to any dreams and plans she may have had by banning the family from having any contact with her Aunt Molly.

Lucy's sister Kitty is quite the opposite to Lucy. She is weak but always scheming against Lucy to get one up on her with Algernon. The author does a great job with Kitty's character, because as much as you want to dislike her, you hope that one day she will come good.....Maybe she will!!

Joe is the son of Algernon's first wife, who he takes in and looks after as he wants everyone to think what a kind person he is! Joe treats Lucy and Kitty as though they are the sisters he never had, until he reaches the age where he actually loves Lucy enough to want to marry her.

Lucy is so headstrong that she cannot see that her dreams will get her in to heaps of trouble, when she secretly goes to sing in a music hall and Algernon finds out. What happens next actually made me gasp in terror and it isn't pleasant reading, but I felt the author described it very sympathetically and even Lucy herself, says that in some ways Algernon's actions made her choose a path which would otherwise have eluded her.

This is a powerful, heart wrenching story of a family ripped apart by grief and lies, but more importantly, a family that remain strong and loyal through some of the darkest of times.

A truly magnificent sequel to All the Dark Secrets, I do hope there is another one on the horizon! Thank you Jennie for such a wonderful read, you have done it again........

[Anne Mackle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series The Families of Fairley Terrace but as each book focuses on a different family who has lost a loved one in a mining accident it can be read as a stand alone story.
The book starts in 1897. Annie has lost her beloved husband in the mining accident and her daughters Lucy and Kitty are now without their father. Times are tough for a single mother bringing up children and when Annie can no longer afford to pay rent she is threatened with eviction.
A wealthy widower Algernon offers to marry Annie which she sees it as her only option to survive and agrees.
From the start of this story I hated Algernon with a vengeance. He told others he was a man of god and everything he did was in god's name but he was vile.
Lucy is a lovely character who makes a few mistakes and I willed her on throughout the book.
Annie is trapped in a loveless marriage and I so wanted her to stand up to her husband.
Other characters are introduced who will become important in Lucy's life but telling you about them would give away too much of the storyline.
From the poverty of a mining town in Somerset to the bright lights of London music halls this story definitely had me hooked and once I had read the first few chapters I couldn't put it down.
There are many twists and turns throughout the book which helped keep my interest.
Jennie Felton's wonderful description of life in the early nineteen hundreds brought this story and it's characters to life. I'm eagerly awaiting book number three.
At the end of the book there is the prologue and chapter one of the first book All The Dark Secrets and notes from Jennie on music halls and also a little bit about the other families who live in Fairley Terrace.

[Susan Duthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It is the second in 'The Families of Fairley Terrace' series. I had not read the first and don't think it is necessary to do so. The story is set in the early 1900's. After the death of her miner husband, widow Annie, who has two daughters Lucy and Kitty, is left destitute. She marries widower Algernon who has a stepson, Joe, the same age as her girls. Over the years Joe and Lucy fall in love. Kitty is housebound due to chronic illness. Annie finds Algernon to be a violent, cruel, unforgiving and sadistic husband. The book continues to be a great page turner and I thoroughly recommend it.