The Shackletons of Whitehaven

The Shackleton Saga #1

by Lorna Hunting

A shipping family's triumphs and woes. Set in Cumberland in 1860 when sail was beginning to give way to steam.
Will book-loving Fergus Shackleton find success in business and love despite his overbearing father, Hector?
By forging his own path is Fergus going to turn into his father, the very person he is trying to escape?
Is chasing success going to change Fergus so much that his girlfriend, Becky, is forced to doubt their future together?
Will the price of success be a broken heart?

353 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2022

About the author

Lorna was born and brought up in Lincolnshire. Her Canadian mother would often talk about growing up on Vancouver Island in the 1930s, and the family’s early history there. This sparked an interest for Lorna that continues to this day. After raising a family Lorna studied and taught history at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She now lives in Stamford in a very old house with stone walls and lots of beams.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read but a great story! It's the first in a trilogy and I'm downloading the other two as I'm reviewing this. I have to know how the story pans out.
Fergus is a great main character who has mostly been coasting along working for his irascible father in the family shipping business, with his head constantly in a book and always dreaming. He meets Becky, who lives and works with her mother in a pub in the town. It's almost a case of love at first sight but he's way above her in class and standing in life. To the dreamer, Fergus, this isn't a problem until his eyes are opened for him in a cruel way.
Great characters, great story and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

[Laurence Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book from Lorna Hunting that I’ve read, and once more it’s worth pointing out that I do not usually read historical romances. But she has such a light touch with both her writing and with the research that is effortlessly woven into the story – no info dumps here – that I could not resist another.

This is the story of Fergus Shackleton, born into a shipping family in Whitehaven, England, in the middle of the 19th Century, who loves his books as well as – and I’m not giving much away here – a certain barmaid named Becky.

I was instantly reminded of The Onedin Line, a seafaring TV saga from the 1970s. Though, if my memory serves well, The Onedin Line tended to drag at times, was occasionally unnecessarily grim, and the complex web of relationships often overwrought – nothing like The Shackletons of Whitehaven where, regardless of the difficulties, whether financial or emotional, the characters just get on with things regardless. There is suffering in the story, but no one, least of all the characters suffering, are allowed to wallow in it. Life goes on. People must find a way to earn a living, to survive. And the ships must move iron ore from Whitehaven to Cardiff, coal from Cardiff to Dublin, and ale – or maybe not! – and fine cloth from Dublin back to Whitehaven.

The story moves along at quite a pace, Fergus not seeing eye to eye with his father about how the shipping company his run, and his father and mother disapproving of his blossoming relationship with Becky, below him in station if not necessarily in wit or love of literature.

The amount of research and history Lorna Hunting crams into the story is astonishing. If only history lessons at school had been like this, learning about life in a seaport, the purchasing and selling of ships, the various cargoes that were carried, the financial risks taken by the seafarers as well as the risks taken with their lives, the state of medical science at the time, the fragility of human life as well as of economic wellbeing. The writing is so smooth, and the story passes by so quickly, that all of these history lessons are absorbed without effort, and not once did I have to turn back a few pages because I had either missed or did not understand something.

All in all, despite this not being my normal choice of fiction, I had a lot of fun with The Shackletons of Whitehaven, and learned a lot along the way. Looking forward to the sequel!!

[Helen Hagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book is set in Whitehaven, in the northwest of England, and it tells the story of Fergus Shackleton, whose family runs a large shipping company. At the time when the action takes place, steam-powered vessels are starting to emerge and compete with the slower sailing ships, so the historical background is as interesting as the story which is beautifully woven on top of it.

The main characters are well-rounded, with just the right mixture of strongpoints and flaws to make them realistic, and I must admit to shedding the occasional tear or two as they negotiated life’s ups and downs. I especially warmed to Fergus, given his love of books and poetry, which he increasingly has to juggle with the responsibilities that come with adulthood. In true Romeo and Juliet style, Becky and Fergus are from different social classes, and their struggles to overcome the various obstacles in their way helped to draw me in further. Then, of course, there is 11 year-old Rory, who has a heart-rending subplot of his own.

All-in-all, this was a lovely read to round off the year. Without mentioning any spoilers, it did finish on a note that made me want to read ‘The Shackletons of Coates Lane’ to find out what happens next. It also set me wondering whether I could find an excuse to visit Whitehaven some time, and have a wander around this town which is clearly steeped in history.

[Annett Jummrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Well written story that flows nicely. Loved the decency of the two main characters Fergus and Becky.

Yes, of course, Hector’s change of mind (or however one wants to describe it) feels a bit abruptly (a longer process in how his attitude changes would have been better / believable), but it doesn’t take anything away from the nice storytelling. Highly recommend it.

Looking forward to reading more books by Lorna Hunting (already read “New Beginnings on Vancouver Island”).

4.5-5 stars.

[dorothy cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A throughly enjoyable read

This tells the tale of the Shackeltons shipping company of Whitehaven.
It is well, written and a good read, made all of the better as I am from Whitehaven!

[Janine Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I enjoy historical fiction anyway but the book being set in whitehaven made it even more enjoyable. It was a page turner for me