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Memory Lane
The Gypsy Bride
A moving and tragic cross-cultural love story for readers of Dilly Court and Kitty Neale.
Oxfordshire, 1917
Ellen is growing up in the Oxfordshire countryside. The granddaughter of a Methodist preacher and intending to marry Charlie, a boy from the local village, Ellen's life is mapped out for her.
When Charlie is killed on the battlefields of the First World War, Ellen is left heart-broken and lost. But then she meets Sam Loveridge. Mysterious and unruly, Sam is from a local Gypsy community, and unlike anyone Ellen has ever met before. Before she knows what's hit her, Ellen is swept off her feet and shown a world of passion, excitement - and true love.
But the conservative world that Ellen is from can't possibly understand or approve of their relationship, and Ellen and Sam are torn apart. Is their love strong enough overcome their cultural distances, or will the hostility and prejudice they face destroy their chance at happiness?
The Gypsy Bride is a dramatic new saga for readers of A Village Scandal .
Oxfordshire, 1917
Ellen is growing up in the Oxfordshire countryside. The granddaughter of a Methodist preacher and intending to marry Charlie, a boy from the local village, Ellen's life is mapped out for her.
When Charlie is killed on the battlefields of the First World War, Ellen is left heart-broken and lost. But then she meets Sam Loveridge. Mysterious and unruly, Sam is from a local Gypsy community, and unlike anyone Ellen has ever met before. Before she knows what's hit her, Ellen is swept off her feet and shown a world of passion, excitement - and true love.
But the conservative world that Ellen is from can't possibly understand or approve of their relationship, and Ellen and Sam are torn apart. Is their love strong enough overcome their cultural distances, or will the hostility and prejudice they face destroy their chance at happiness?
The Gypsy Bride is a dramatic new saga for readers of A Village Scandal .
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2020
19 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 12, 2021
I gifted this book to my Grandma for her birthday, and when she read it and told me I “needed to read it too”, I was a little taken back as it isn’t my “normal” genre to read. Nonetheless, I gave it a go, regretting it in the beginning - however as I got into the heart of the book, I have to say I LOVED it! The story had me hooked all the way through, and I needed to know what was happening next! You know what they say, never judge a book by its cover!
July 29, 2020
Using layer upon layer of fine detail, Katie Hutton evokes a forgotten England in this poignant story of star-crossed lovers from two very different hide-bound tribes. A triumph!
June 7, 2020
It’s 1917. In Oxfordshire’s Chiltern Hills beautiful young Ellen Quainton has been brought up in the austere Primitive Methodist faith. Grieving for a fiancé lost on the Western Front, she is wooed by Sam Loveridge, one of a group of gypsies helping to bring in the harvest. Sam has an ill-tempered wife who has failed to give him any children.
Ellen recklessly surrenders to seduction by the handsome gypsy. Romany culture is as hide-bound as the “Prims” and Sam is forced to serve jail-time for another man’s crime. In prison he is brutally flogged, but then befriends a parson who teaches him to read and write. Meanwhile, in the Chilterns, an elderly widower rescues Ellen from the shame of pregnancy, but her heart has been lost to Sam, who knows he will look for her after his release.
Passion and tragedy are combined by Katie Hutton into a rich powerful saga. The author is a writer of substance: this fateful love affair brings echoes of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure and D.H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow. The Gypsy Bride has a fine pedigree; romance readers will find it deeply absorbing. And a sequel is promised next year!
Ellen recklessly surrenders to seduction by the handsome gypsy. Romany culture is as hide-bound as the “Prims” and Sam is forced to serve jail-time for another man’s crime. In prison he is brutally flogged, but then befriends a parson who teaches him to read and write. Meanwhile, in the Chilterns, an elderly widower rescues Ellen from the shame of pregnancy, but her heart has been lost to Sam, who knows he will look for her after his release.
Passion and tragedy are combined by Katie Hutton into a rich powerful saga. The author is a writer of substance: this fateful love affair brings echoes of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure and D.H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow. The Gypsy Bride has a fine pedigree; romance readers will find it deeply absorbing. And a sequel is promised next year!
October 3, 2021
Beautifully written historical romance. Characters that draw you in, plus a glimpse into the lives of Romani travellers and those of women in the early 20th century. Katie Hutton captures the complexity of relationships wonderfully. This is a classy romance with a feminist core.
June 13, 2020
Quite a powerful saga full of tragedy and such sadness.
Ellen Quainton has been raised in the Methodist faith in the Oxfordshire countryside. Her life is set in stone and she is to marry Charlie from the local village. But when he is tragically killed. She goes inside herself and won't entertain any notion of walking out with another man let alone marry one. That is until she meets Sam a Gypsy from a local camp. He is not the kind of man she has met before and she is intrigued by him and his way of life.
A really good story that will enchant and sadden the reader.
Ellen Quainton has been raised in the Methodist faith in the Oxfordshire countryside. Her life is set in stone and she is to marry Charlie from the local village. But when he is tragically killed. She goes inside herself and won't entertain any notion of walking out with another man let alone marry one. That is until she meets Sam a Gypsy from a local camp. He is not the kind of man she has met before and she is intrigued by him and his way of life.
A really good story that will enchant and sadden the reader.
March 28, 2021
I found this book dull to be honest. I ploughed on through it though because I don’t like to give up on books. It has taken me about 10 days to read and a really good book I can read in 2 days, so that says a lot.
It’s the story of a Methodist girl who falls in love with a married gypsy man and is shunned by her community and her life suddenly changes.
It was really s l o w and I have read many, many books with similar storylines of forbidden love but this was definitely not one of the best.
It’s the story of a Methodist girl who falls in love with a married gypsy man and is shunned by her community and her life suddenly changes.
It was really s l o w and I have read many, many books with similar storylines of forbidden love but this was definitely not one of the best.
February 3, 2021
Ellen loses her fiance in the trenches of WW1. Years later she meets and falls in love with a Romany who is in the area for the summer. Circumstances tear them apart yet bring them together later. This isn't the type of book I'd normally pick up but it was a gift so I felt I should give it a go. As a work of historical fiction, it's not bad. I'm not one for romance but it was quite sweet in parts and not too OTT. An okay read that moved along fairly quickly.
June 28, 2020
Katie Hutton is clearly an author who has honed her craft to razor sharpness. Believable, rounded characters in authentic settings of time and place fill every page of this classicly romantic tale.
Well woven stroylines make this novel stand out from the crowd and is a definite ‘must read’ for the summer.
Well woven stroylines make this novel stand out from the crowd and is a definite ‘must read’ for the summer.
September 29, 2020
I was thrilled to receive a paperback copy of The Gypsy Bride to read and review and share my opinion with you. It’s all very positive, I enjoyed reading this so much while drinking coffee in a local coffee shop!
From page one I was enthralled. This is a lovely historical tale of star-crossed lovers, which will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. There is a sense of sadness within the pages of this book, but this is counterbalanced with hope. Poor Ellen has to try come to terms with the death of her fiance.
Her rigid Methodist upbringing is so at odds with her lover’s carefree gypsy life. But is Sam as carefree as he appears to be? Or, is he unhappy, childless and married to the wrong person?
Circumstances and fate’s cruel hand force Ellen to make some painful and unfortunate decisions which have far-reaching and tragic consequences.
This is the first book that I’ve read from this author. I was impressed by the natural flow and effortless of Katie Hutton’s writing.
Wonderful storytelling. The gypsy way of life is well-researched making the story so authentic and vivid. Great characters, great story. A favourite.
5 stars. Highly recommended
From page one I was enthralled. This is a lovely historical tale of star-crossed lovers, which will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. There is a sense of sadness within the pages of this book, but this is counterbalanced with hope. Poor Ellen has to try come to terms with the death of her fiance.
Her rigid Methodist upbringing is so at odds with her lover’s carefree gypsy life. But is Sam as carefree as he appears to be? Or, is he unhappy, childless and married to the wrong person?
Circumstances and fate’s cruel hand force Ellen to make some painful and unfortunate decisions which have far-reaching and tragic consequences.
This is the first book that I’ve read from this author. I was impressed by the natural flow and effortless of Katie Hutton’s writing.
Wonderful storytelling. The gypsy way of life is well-researched making the story so authentic and vivid. Great characters, great story. A favourite.
5 stars. Highly recommended
August 20, 2020
An interesting topic for a novel. I found it a little slow but readers of romance and sagas will enjoy it I’m sure.
October 6, 2020
Great Book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a true to life in how many things happen in a person's life. Well worth reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a true to life in how many things happen in a person's life. Well worth reading.
April 11, 2022
Absolutely loved this! Couldn't put it down!! Can't wait to read the sequel.
November 12, 2020
Enjoyed this book, I liked the paragraphs from Sam's POV. A nice debut novel.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews