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The Sisters on Bread Street
Leeds, 1914. Sisters Julia and Margaret Wood are struggling to rise above devastating poverty, while the threat of war looms large over their community. Angry feelings about foreigners have reached boiling point; their German-Jewish father's search for work proves hopeless, leaving entrepreneurial Julia to keep the family afloat by hawking homemade pies on the streets of Leeds.
Her beautiful elder sister Margaret, an apprentice milliner and new member of the suffragette set, seeks a faster way out of the daily grind, pinning her hopes on a rich suffragette's journalist son, Thomas.
But as the war rages on, it is left to Julia to discover the true meaning of courage and family, as she learns to look forward to the start of the new day - and the promise of a better life ahead.
Additional Info: Sisters on Bread Street originally published as by Frances McNeil. It is based on stories told to Frances by her mother, Julia. The first, limited, edition came out shortly after Julia's hundredth birthday. The revised and expanded version was published as Somewhere Behind the Morning, which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award.
Her beautiful elder sister Margaret, an apprentice milliner and new member of the suffragette set, seeks a faster way out of the daily grind, pinning her hopes on a rich suffragette's journalist son, Thomas.
But as the war rages on, it is left to Julia to discover the true meaning of courage and family, as she learns to look forward to the start of the new day - and the promise of a better life ahead.
Additional Info: Sisters on Bread Street originally published as by Frances McNeil. It is based on stories told to Frances by her mother, Julia. The first, limited, edition came out shortly after Julia's hundredth birthday. The revised and expanded version was published as Somewhere Behind the Morning, which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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333 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 7, 2016
This book is a beautifully written historical romance - but I wouldn't have expected anything less from Frances Brody. I've enjoyed all of her books - and this was no exception. Margaret and Julia are imperfect, yet lovable characters who draw you into the plot right away. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves the romance genre - particularly if you enjoy some drama too, because there's plenty of that!
March 21, 2016
This is the first book I’ve read by Frances Brody and I was thrilled to experience the work of a new author. I’ve been enjoying fictional historical sagas recently and I was intrigued by the synopsis of Sisters on Bread Street as its set at the start of WWI and is based in the city of Leeds, north west of England.
The story is based around Julia and Margaret Wood, sisters living on Bread Street, Leeds, a fairly deprived area of the city. Julia, the younger of the two sisters, is very headstrong, hard working, knowledgeable and very kind and caring. I loved Julia’s character, she was only 15 but she kept the family and neighbours going with all her hardwork and initiative. Margaret is a few years older and is the lady of the household, she doesn’t do as many chores as Julia as she is working as an apprentice seamstress and likes to look her best at all times and is also a member of the suffragette movement. I felt that Margaret was quite selfish and I didn’t particularly warm to her but during the story she was very resilient. Julia likes to write down in her notebook all the goings and comings of life on Bread Street and the book starts off in Spring 1914, prior to the start of WWI and finishes in Spring 1919.
The storyline was a very raw and honest account of life in poverty stricken Leeds. The sisters also had to contend with the racism directed at their German-Jewish father and this was escalated when war was declared which brought danger to Julia and her father. You experience the intensity of the devastating poverty of the time and also of the emotions of families being separated with the men being enlisted for war duties. It was heartbreaking and tragic at times what the poor had to deal with but they dealt with it with humour and dignity.
I found the story very intriguing, emotive, heart warming and full of hope. It had a lovely romance interwoven between the pages which was beautiful and touching at a very dark time in history. 4/5* read.
The story is based around Julia and Margaret Wood, sisters living on Bread Street, Leeds, a fairly deprived area of the city. Julia, the younger of the two sisters, is very headstrong, hard working, knowledgeable and very kind and caring. I loved Julia’s character, she was only 15 but she kept the family and neighbours going with all her hardwork and initiative. Margaret is a few years older and is the lady of the household, she doesn’t do as many chores as Julia as she is working as an apprentice seamstress and likes to look her best at all times and is also a member of the suffragette movement. I felt that Margaret was quite selfish and I didn’t particularly warm to her but during the story she was very resilient. Julia likes to write down in her notebook all the goings and comings of life on Bread Street and the book starts off in Spring 1914, prior to the start of WWI and finishes in Spring 1919.
The storyline was a very raw and honest account of life in poverty stricken Leeds. The sisters also had to contend with the racism directed at their German-Jewish father and this was escalated when war was declared which brought danger to Julia and her father. You experience the intensity of the devastating poverty of the time and also of the emotions of families being separated with the men being enlisted for war duties. It was heartbreaking and tragic at times what the poor had to deal with but they dealt with it with humour and dignity.
I found the story very intriguing, emotive, heart warming and full of hope. It had a lovely romance interwoven between the pages which was beautiful and touching at a very dark time in history. 4/5* read.
August 1, 2018
A great read and so well written. Using the journal of her mother and building some historical fiction around the actual story is so cleverly and lovingly done.
September 18, 2018
I have viewed several references that this novel is a historic romance. I do not believe that tag gives credit to the absorbing story that is based on the narrative of life experiences shared with Frances by her mother, Julia, of the time period 1914-1919. It is a poignant story of daily life in northern England during WWI, including urban poverty, attitudes to foreign nationals (Julia’s German-Jewish father), and women’s struggle for independence through suffragette meetings to the right to choose their preference of work and to be paid appropriately for that work. In some moments it is difficult to understand why women’s struggles still continue for respect and equality. But to understand all the undercurrents of today, it is important to read the history and the “can do” attitude that never fails women and especially when we give each other comfort, support, and encouragement.
For more details, be sure to visit Frances Brody’s website: http://frances-brody.com/sagas/breads...
For more details, be sure to visit Frances Brody’s website: http://frances-brody.com/sagas/breads...
July 25, 2024
Set at the start of the First World War, two sisters in Leeds are struggling to survive; their father is Jewish and prejudice against 'foreigners' is rife. Julia may be the younger sister but she is by far the most practical, working hard to keep the family together. Margaret considers herself above it all, works with a hat maker and wants to marry Thomas as a way out of poverty. Thomas' mother is less than entranced at the idea.
The story tells the story from the viewpoint of those left at home, whether women and children or men unable or unwilling to fight, and paints an interesting picture of how they all coped. The characters evoke sympathy and understanding and it is all told from Julia's point of view. I found the style of writing a little difficult at times, but the quality of the content was excellent.
The story tells the story from the viewpoint of those left at home, whether women and children or men unable or unwilling to fight, and paints an interesting picture of how they all coped. The characters evoke sympathy and understanding and it is all told from Julia's point of view. I found the style of writing a little difficult at times, but the quality of the content was excellent.
June 29, 2019
This book was a slow burn. I kept reading and then having a long break as it didn’t hold my attention! I had to finish it because well, that’s me😀
A good storyline just long, drawn out and boring at times.
A good storyline just long, drawn out and boring at times.
March 6, 2022
A very enjoyable story set during the onset of WW1. I love historical fiction and this didn’t disappoint. It took me a while to get into at first but couldn’t put it down from the halfway point. I would definitely read another from the same author.
July 1, 2022
Sorry, but just couldn’t keep my attention! I tried, gave it a decent shot, and 100 pages but just didn’t capture my interest. I did like when the author used local dialect. I could’ve kept reading if there was more of that, but alas….DNF
February 7, 2017
Enjoyable read. Irritating that one of the sister is so selfish but enjoyed the story, well told.
July 17, 2016
Frances Brody is one of the most accomplished and talented writers of crime fiction writing today, with her Kate Shackleton series becoming a firm favourite with readers the world over, but this outstanding storyteller has also written a string of dramatic, engrossing and atmospheric historical sagas that are now being reissued which are sure to delight and enthrall new and old fans alike.
Sisters on Bread Street is set in the earlier years of the twentieth century in working class Leeds where poverty was rife and commonplace, money was scarce, starvation a regular occurrence and jobs few and far between. Keeping the wolf from the door and a roof above one’s head was a challenge that became increasingly difficult as the years went by and the gathering clouds of the First World War approached at an alarming rate – and nobody knows this better than Julia Wood and her family. The daughter of a German-Jewish father, Julia might’ve grown up surrounded by her parents’ love and affection, but she had quickly realised that the tolerance and respect which her parents had instilled in her at a very young age was not so easily replicated outside of the four walls of her own house. With her father a frequent victim of prejudice and xenophobia, Julia had to grow up fast and learn to look after herself. With her mother having passed away, her father having lost his job at the butcher’s and opportunities for advancement being limited, the burden of responsibility lies heavily upon her shoulder, but Julia is determined to do her utmost for her family – even if it means putting her own happiness on the back burner.
Julia’s sister Margaret, however, is nowhere near as selfless. Beautiful, self-absorbed and avaricious, Margaret yearns for the day she can escape the stifling confines of life on Bread Street and dreams of one day becoming rich and not living in abject poverty. An apprentice miller who turns her nose up at helping Julia and her father with their pie-making business, she is constantly on the look out for a way of escaping the daily grind. When Margaret catches the eye of Thomas, the son of a rich journalist, she thinks that she is one step closer to achieving her goal of leaving the grinding poverty behind for the life she has always deserved, but does fate have other ideas in store for her?
Will Julia and Margaret ever find the happiness which they have been searching for for most of their lives? Or will they lose everything which they’ve come to hold dear to their heart as the First World War puts everyone’s life at risk?
Frances Brody is an outstanding storyteller who has this fantastic gift of making the past come to vivid and exciting life. Dramatic, emotional and absolutely impossible to resist, Sisters on Bread Street is a compelling, believable and heartwarming saga that once I started, I couldn’t bear to put down. Frances Brody writes with bold and evocative colours and you can feel all the emotions which her characters go through as they battle prejudice, hunger and adversity whilst not letting circumstance vanquish their spirit.
A stellar saga from a writer who is in full control of her storytelling powers, Sisters on Bread Street is not to be missed!
Sisters on Bread Street is set in the earlier years of the twentieth century in working class Leeds where poverty was rife and commonplace, money was scarce, starvation a regular occurrence and jobs few and far between. Keeping the wolf from the door and a roof above one’s head was a challenge that became increasingly difficult as the years went by and the gathering clouds of the First World War approached at an alarming rate – and nobody knows this better than Julia Wood and her family. The daughter of a German-Jewish father, Julia might’ve grown up surrounded by her parents’ love and affection, but she had quickly realised that the tolerance and respect which her parents had instilled in her at a very young age was not so easily replicated outside of the four walls of her own house. With her father a frequent victim of prejudice and xenophobia, Julia had to grow up fast and learn to look after herself. With her mother having passed away, her father having lost his job at the butcher’s and opportunities for advancement being limited, the burden of responsibility lies heavily upon her shoulder, but Julia is determined to do her utmost for her family – even if it means putting her own happiness on the back burner.
Julia’s sister Margaret, however, is nowhere near as selfless. Beautiful, self-absorbed and avaricious, Margaret yearns for the day she can escape the stifling confines of life on Bread Street and dreams of one day becoming rich and not living in abject poverty. An apprentice miller who turns her nose up at helping Julia and her father with their pie-making business, she is constantly on the look out for a way of escaping the daily grind. When Margaret catches the eye of Thomas, the son of a rich journalist, she thinks that she is one step closer to achieving her goal of leaving the grinding poverty behind for the life she has always deserved, but does fate have other ideas in store for her?
Will Julia and Margaret ever find the happiness which they have been searching for for most of their lives? Or will they lose everything which they’ve come to hold dear to their heart as the First World War puts everyone’s life at risk?
Frances Brody is an outstanding storyteller who has this fantastic gift of making the past come to vivid and exciting life. Dramatic, emotional and absolutely impossible to resist, Sisters on Bread Street is a compelling, believable and heartwarming saga that once I started, I couldn’t bear to put down. Frances Brody writes with bold and evocative colours and you can feel all the emotions which her characters go through as they battle prejudice, hunger and adversity whilst not letting circumstance vanquish their spirit.
A stellar saga from a writer who is in full control of her storytelling powers, Sisters on Bread Street is not to be missed!
March 10, 2016
I thought this was going to be yet another book about a city childhood in poverty, but it was much better than this. It took a while to get going, but then the story started to emerge. It was supposed to be from a diary, but didn't read as such.
Easy enjoyable read and well written
Easy enjoyable read and well written
July 18, 2016
Read for Novelicious - review to follow.
February 4, 2016
A beautifully written look at a bygone time. The characters are well written and full of life. Its gritty and full of realism. I highly recommend this book!
December 10, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend! Review coming to the blog soon! www.charlenemcelhinney.co.uk
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews