Spinning Jenny

by Ruth Hamilton

The story of a young orphan girl's struggle to free herself of a tyrannical aunt and escape the poverty of Lancashire's cotton mills. When Jenny gets a chance to better herself, she finds a household as dangerous and weird as the one she left behind.

Genres: Fiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Ruth Hamilton was one of North West England's most popular writers. She was the bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Spinning Jenny, The Bells of Scotland Road, Mulligan's Yard, Mersey View and That Liverpool Girl. She was born in Bolton, which is the setting for many of her novels, and spent most of her life in Lancashire.

(source: http://www.panmacmillan.com/author/ru...)

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1920: At eighteen, Jennifer Crawley led a strange and lonely life - her days in the spinning room of the cotton mill, he nights with her possessive and slightly mad Aunt Mavis. Jenny doesn't know who her parents were. Aunt Mavis never spoke of them. Then came the chance to better herself - to work as a servant at Skipton Hall. And there Jenny found a household as dangerous and weird as the one she left behind. Mrs Sloane was as cruel as she was ugly. Henry Skipton is an embittered solitary man who never sees his invalid wife, Eloise, who's bed-ridden. Eloise wants revenge on her husband.

this is a historical drama that follows Jenny from working in the spinning room at the mill through to her getting a job as a servant at Skipton Hall. The characters are well developed, some were likeable, others unlikeable. This is an easy story to follow and it held my attention throughout.



I would like to thank #NetGalley, #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #RuthHamilton for my ARC of #SpinningJenny in exchange for an honest review,

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the best books I've read in a while. It had me hooked from start to finish.

It's quite a long story but that didn't bother me at all as I just kept wanting to read more.

It's set in the 1920s and I'm really enjoying these kind of books at the moment.

The cover doesn't really do the book any justice in my opinion; as they say, never judge a book by its cover

[Sherry Chiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the books of Maeve Binchy, with their host of disparate colorful characters who are so wonderful to spend time with, you'll like "Spinning Jenny." The setting is 1920s Northwest England rather than Ireland, but the time and place are evoked just as fully, and the entwined storylines are never dull (even when they are somewhat predictable) and move at a quick clip. True, the piling up of secrets, tragedies, and coincidences is a bit much, and the title character is too close to perfect for my liking (I much preferred the scenes with her friend Maria). But if it's fiction as comfort food you want, you can't go wrong with this.

Thank you, NetGalley and Transworld Publishers, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so undecided about this story, hence the three stars. It was good, but in a long way. Yes, it was a long rambling story and I wondered if I'd reach the end of it. And the ending did seem abrupt as though the author suddenly realised she had better wind up the story. I feel sad saying this as the author is no longer with us. The chapters could have been half the size and I wondered at the storyline. For example, I couldn't see the point of Maria's marriage or Jenny finding out who her father was. Neither event added to the story and could have been left out without any harm done.
Jenny seemed to be the main character, although many others were involved and had their own problems to solve. It was filled to the brim with the Lancashire language and that made me smile and even laugh sometimes.
I did keep reading and, for me, that makes the story acceptable. As I said, I'm undecided if I like Spinning Jenny or not. I guess I'll have to leave it for others to decide for themselves.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mill town story by Ruth Hamilton. She follows Jenny from the mill to the big house and through all her troubles. Jenny has a kind heart and looks after everyone and finally comes to look after herself. A great read!!

[Debra Reedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t one of my favorites from Ruth Hamilton. It seemed unnecessarily long and there were times in the story when Jenny seemed very simple minded. I also was somewhat disappointed in the ending.

[Kathryn Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical drama set in a turbulent time of reform. The characters are well portrayed,especially the girls,who struggle with the choices available to them. A good read.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book had to much description which meant I lost the story and interest and i gave up after a couple of chapters

[Mrs Carol M Meres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spinning Jenny

Great content but oddly ambiguous ending left me feeling it’s unfinished business
So perhaps there’s a sequel yet to come

[Carol Tonkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spinning Jenny

This was a truly gripping story if you like Ruth Hamilton’s books. Love, hate and plenty of drama..Would highly recommend