Pilgrim Street

by Hesba Stretton

Two poor young brothers struggling to survive in nineteenth-century Manchester, England, begin to see their lives in new perspectives as they learn about God and Jesus Christ.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1867

About the author

Hesba Stretton (1832-1911) was the nom de plume of Sarah Smith, an English author of children's literature. The name Hesba came from the initials of her siblings. She was the daughter of a bookseller from Wellington, Shropshire, but around 1867 she moved south and lived at Snaresbrook and Loughton near Epping Forest and at Ham, near Richmond, Surrey. Her moral tales and semi-religious stories, chiefly for the young, were printed in huge quantities, and were especially widespread as school and Sunday school prizes. She won wide acceptance in English homes from the publication of Jessica's First Prayer in 1867. She was a regular contributor to Household Words and All the Year Round during Charles Dickens' editorship, and wrote upwards of 40 novels.

Reviews

[Lois Hecksel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 19th century author/book in the style of Charles Dickens with a religious bent

[Juliette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my children’s literature course.
Before the class I would have probably just given it one star but because of the class I bumped it up to a two star book. We got into a lot of detail and the techniques used in the book which I found very interesting.

[Chantelle Ashcroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

The structure of the book and the main plot of the novel was interesting. What you have to remember when reading this, is the time in which it was written. Most of the book is written in a very religious way. Especially towards the end where the novel gets very religious.
At the time when this novel was written, there wasn't a lot of children's literature out there. When they did start it, they tried to make it more about instruction than entertainment. So at this time, the novel might have been trying to inform the children about religion and how important it was to believe in God. I think by thinking of the novel this way, it helps to read it.
Also, because of the age, it can be slightly hard to read and understand the language but it isn't too bad.
If you are a student studying children's literature, I would recommend this novel. It has a good lot of points to be discussed.
It is quite a short novel as well which helps.
Overall, it isn't a bad novel to read as long as you understand some of the contexts.