The Sixpenny Orphan

by Glenda Young

'Real sagas with female characters right at the heart' Woman's Hour
'In the world of historical saga writers, there's a brand new voice' My Weekly

'Heart-warming, emotional and simply wonderful . . . If you think family sagas aren't for you, you've never read Glenda Young's books - pick one up today and you'll be converted' 5 * reader review

If you love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, you'll LOVE Glenda Young's 'amazing novels!' (ITV's This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall)
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'Please, sir, take us both. We only have each other. We don't know how to live apart.'

After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters - and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence.

Ten years later, Poppy is married with three children. Not a day goes by when she doesn't think about Rose, but after many years of searching, Poppy has accepted that her sister is lost to her. That is until a letter suddenly arrives, revealing Rose's fate and breaking Poppy's heart. Determined to be reunited with her beloved sister, Poppy sets out to bring Rose home.
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What readers are saying about Glenda's heartwrenching

'Definitely an author not to be missed when it comes to family sagas' The Book Magnet

'Writes superb historical fiction that bring the era alive. Her books are unbeatable and unputdownable' Ginger Book Geek

'The perfectly imperfect, human nature of Glenda Young's characters are what keeps her readership hooked' Clyde's Corner

'Gritty, compelling and full of heart . . an exceptional saga' Bookish Jottings

'Better than a Catherine Cookson' 5* reader review

'Wonderful read, full of rich characters, evocative description and a touch of romance' 5* reader review

'Just wanted it to go on forever and read more about the characters and their lives' 5* reader review



Love Glenda's sagas? Don't miss her cosy crime mystery series staring Helen Dexter and her trusty greyhound, Suki, starting with Murder at the Seaview Hotel and Curtain Call at the Seaview Hotel, out now!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2023

Reviews

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born and bred Sunderland author Glenda Young is back with another fabulous historical family saga “The Sixpenny Orphan”, based in the pit village of Ryhope in the 1900s. Being a Sunderland lass myself, it was great being able to relate to the areas mentioned in the story, thus creating for me an added interest to the whole delightful, literary package.

I fell in love immediately with the orphan girls Poppy and Rose and my heart truly bled for how their lives were forced in different directions, literally through the toss of a coin. Poppy became an incredibly strong woman and if I had half of her mental and physical strength, I’d consider myself very lucky! What she and her family were forced to endure during such a short time was truly heartbreaking and places today's trivial problems into a certain perspective.

Glenda writes with an obvious passion for the characters her stories are based upon and together with her own personal knowledge and researched history of Ryhope and surrounding areas has produced a first-class family saga that is heartwarming, tender, emotional and although heartbreaking throughout, will guarantee to have you beaming with happiness before the end.

If the storyline interests you or historical family sagas are your ‘go-to’ genre or even if you’re already a dedicated Glenda Young fan like I am, then you’ll not be disappointed in “The Sixpenny Orphan” and I hope to continue reading many more North East based stories from this talented writer in the future….

#TheSixpennyOrphan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Glenda Young and I honestly thought it was a fantastic read. From the first couple of pages I just knew this was going to be a perfect read for me and it definitely was. This author writes an excellent saga with strong characters and a great storyline. Even though it’s set in the early 1900’s I could actually visualise the people and the settings they were so well described. You can picture the poverty and the houses these people had to live in at this time. Whilst this is an easy read, it’s at times an emotional one and I found myself wiping away the odd tear or two. I was so invested in this book that life paled into the background until the very last page. I will be going straight to Amazon to download more books by this author. 5⭐️

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always expect a good strong saga from this north-east writer, and I'm never disappointed. This book has all the ingredients - a poverty striken childhood for its heroines, a lack of adult love, a battle for survival that needs courage, wit, strength and the hope that things will get better. The beginning of the book is almost too sad as orphans Poppy and Rose live out their miserable existence in a draughty old barn with the woman who takes them in, and it gets worse when the sisters are forcibly separated! I couldn't help thinking the mining community of Ryhope would not have let two little girls suffer so much - everyone knew they were neglected and starving - and so I wasn't wholly convinced by their situation. But the strength of their characters kept me reading and I was rewarded as the story moved on 10 years to follow grown up Poppy, now married to a miner, and her continuing tribulations. She stays strong, feisty and loyal as she continues to face challenges of poverty and hardship, and never gives up on her dream of being reunited with Rose.
The background of an early twentieth century mining community is very authentic - though as I said I think the adults might have been more sympathetic to the orphan girls - and gives a real sense of time and place to the story. A very enjoyable saga.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryhope village Sunderland 1909.
Orphan sister's Poppy and Rose Thomas live in the barn with knocker upper Nellie Harper, she gave no love to them both, sharing a pair of boots, taking turns going to school, cleaned cooked and chased the mice, Nellie's brother Norman runs and owns the farm so why does she live in the barn.
Creepy Malcolm Scurrfield does a deal with her and after tossing a sixpence he buys Rose from her he doesn't want to upset his wife and takes Rose away on Christmas Eve and Poppy promises to find her one day and bring her back to Ryhope.
Two sisters separated it's many years later before they are reunited.
I loved this read, a stand alone book that will pull at your heartstrings as you read.
The love that has been written will set your emotions going up and down in every chapter.
With a few well known characters added in as a bonus from her previous books.
The secret recipe of shop keepers Ambrose and Ella Trewhitts jam tarts will live on in Poppy and her family for many years to come.
This book will leave flutters in your tummy and tears in your eyes as the author writes the history of Ryhope Village to hold in your hearts. 5 stars.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this fabulous book.
This was the first book I have read from Glenda Young but certainly will not be my last! This was such an emotional story throughout and I really felt for Rose and Poppy when they were growing up and throughout their lives. This was a fast read with real emotion to it. I can't wait to read another one from this author. Highly recommended to all saga lovers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Paula Learmouth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure to get my booked signed by Glenda as my son meet her, and what a lovely woman she is. This is my first book I've read by Glenda, but it won't be my list.
Poppy and Rose's father died in the pit and her mother was found on the beach dead, the locals say she died of a broken heart. Poppy and Rose are took in by Nellie Harper, but it's not a easy life for them. Poppy and Rose only have each other and that's the way they what it to stay. At night one of the girls sleeps while one has to stay awake so she can wake Nellie when the church bell rings 3 times, as Nellie in a 'knocker upper' she wakes the men up to do their shift down the pit. The girl that sleeps goes to school, as they both can't go as they only have one pair of boots between them. Poppy knows something is up as Nellie has been different towards her but she's not sure what, all she knows is Nellie has had 3 letters. Poppy finds one of the letters and there's only one person she knows that she can trust to read it and that's Sid. Sid, Poppy and Rose go down to the beach and into a cave to read the letter, but the tide comes in quicker than they thought and they almost die.
I don't want to say anything else as it will spoil the book, but I will say it is emotional at times.
I have enjoyed this book so much, especially as I knew and been to the place that Glenda spoke about.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sixpenny Orphan by Glenda Young.
After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters - and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence.
I loved this book. I felt like I knew the girls Poppy and Rose. I really didn't like Nellie. I felt like I travelled back in time when I read this book. 5*.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional period saga that pulls on the reader’s heartstrings, orphaned sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by Nellie who sees them as a moneymaker, getting them to steal for her. The story follows the journey of them loosing each other after one of them is sold by Nellie, and their lives leading up to them being reunited, a real tearjerker that I would recommend reading with a box of tissues to hand. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Daisy Blacklock · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Sixpenny Orphan by Glenda Young is a brilliant historical saga of two sisters who are torn apart as children.

I really loved the dynamic of Poppy and Rose and I felt we got to really know them early on. I thought the addition of Sid was also really clever. He added a lot to the story and made things a lot more interesting.

Truthfully, I felt that it almost moved on too quickly. I kind of wanted the story to continue when they were children as I felt it jumped ahead ten years too soon. I think it would’ve been interesting to also zoom in a little to the war and the characters experience of it. Despite it being a major part of their lives presumably, there was barely any mention of it.

Once we got into the story more it flowed effortlessly. Glenda is no doubt a very talented writer and it was so great to read. It just had such a great sense of ease.

Towards the end the stakes were heightened, and it was incredibly compelling. I was so hooked and so much more kept getting thrown at the characters, but they pulled through. I would’ve also have perhaps liked a little more at the end in terms of how they got on later in life. I did like the 9 months later section, but I just wanted a little more. Perhaps this is a good thing though because I got so attached to the characters.

Overall, it was a great, heart-warming easy-read.

Thank you, Headline and Anne (Random Things Tours), for my copy.

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel of hardship set early 20th Century RYHOPE, Sunderland



As the novel opens, Poppy and Rose, aged 10 and 9 respectively, are orphans under the 'care' of Nellie Harper. They live in her brother's barn in the mining village of Ryhope. The young girls are not cherished by this calculating and cruel woman, they are, however, of use to her - they wake her, so that she can carry out her job of "knocker-upper" (that is, waking the miners who are due to go on shift by rapping on their windows). They have to alternate their days of school attendance, as they only have one pair of shoes between them. They are under-nourished paupers and permanently hungry.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Nellie has put an advertisement in the Sunderland Echo. She is selling them, and a taker is a man of means, but he imposes a vicious condition: he will spin a coin to determine which of the siblings he will take. He will not take both and it is Rose who accompanies the stranger, leaving her sister behind, forlorn, bereft and alone.

Down the line, Poppy is married with bairns and can only assume that Rose has died, as there has been no contact for many a year. And then a letter arrives....

The author has conjured up a sense of time and place, creating a heartfelt story of the era that exposes the terrible hardships for many members of society.

[Carolyn Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic historical novel from Brenda Young. Set in the northeast mining town of Ryhope it is a stark reminder of what life was like and how big the divide was between the classes.
Poppy and Rose Thomas are orphans living with the cold-hearted Nellie Harper. The two sisters share a strong bond, Poppy being the protective sister over little sister Rose. The greed of Nellie and a sixpence coin changes the paths and lives of the two sisters for ever. From this comes strength and battles for survival.
I enjoyed following the young sisters lives from childhood through to adulthood. I felt pangs of emotion at what the girls suffered and how the world seemed to be against them. It was interesting how the village were there for them at a vital and dark time. I would have liked the story to have told us about how the village and towns surrounding were affected and survived the First World War. This could then have gone on to explain the flu pandemic that hit afterwards giving a further understanding of the story for the reader.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Glenda young for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 322

Publisher - Headline

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

'Please, sir, take us both. We only have each other. We don't know how to live apart.'

After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters - and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence.

Ten years later, Poppy is married with three children. Not a day goes by when she doesn't think about Rose, but after many years of searching, Poppy has accepted that her sister is lost to her. That is until a letter suddenly arrives, revealing Rose's fate and breaking Poppy's heart. Determined to be reunited with her beloved sister, Poppy sets out to bring Rose home.

Mt Review

Two poor little girls being "looked after" by a widow, Nellie, who has little interest in them, the weans are barely cared for. When Nellie has the bright idea to make money and be rid of them both she feels she is coming into money and can say goodbye to her pitiful existence. However when the buyer takes only one of the girls, Poppy is heartbroken and will never forget her sister. Ten years pass and finally Poppy has the chance to try and get her sister back however Poppy is poor and struggling to make ends meet and Rose is very different to the little girl Poppy last seen ten years ago.

Ooft family drama/saga guys, classism, set in a time where people could sell off children to the wealthy and not an eyelid batted, ooft. The book is split really in two, the past when the girls are wee and just trying to get by day by day, starving, sharing a pair of boots and then ten years on and divided by class, money and unknown danger.

As well as issues surrounding the time period, poverty, classism we also examine the affects of family being torn apart, experiences and how that shapes character and interaction(s). Wee bit emotive in places, rage inducing and all the things we have come to expect from Young, we do like her books and perfect for stepping out of your own life into others, if only for a short time. 4/5 from us, we have a few of hers on the tbrm and look forward to reading them.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got through this in one day, very enjoyable read, entertaining, plenty going on and very engaging! I loved how the scenery was described and how the characters were written. The story just flowed and flourished!

The story has a variety of themes including poverty and inequality, these themes are written well and handled very sensitively.

We meet two orphan sisters named Poppy and Rose who are living in a barn with a woman who has taken them in, they are soon forcibly separated and the battle for survival against the odds begins.

There is a strong focus on hope here and that shines through throughout the story as it teaches us that there is always hope no matter what your situation might be!

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love these kind of books, although quite sad, I do find them incredibly uplifting. The two sisters, Poppy and Rose were orphaned at a young age and went to live with a cruel relative. They were then split up when one of them was sold.

Told in a way you could almost be there. I enjoyed how the story was split into the younger years and as the girls become adults and are reunited. This emotional storyline that will tug on your heartstrings.

I really didnt want it to end and was left wanting to know more. Loved it from cover to cover and I'm already looking forward to reading more from Glenda.

[joyce brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read from Glenda Young.

I loved this book, like all of Glenda's other books. Get characters become so real. There are many ups and downs but love comes through in the end. The family bond is so strong, that even in the darkest of times, all the characters pull together and help each other out. I love the way many of the characters have appeared in some of Glenda's other books. Even though they are not a saga, everyone in Ryhope benefits from the help given to them by their neighbours. I hope to read more from Glenda Young soon.

[irene currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic story of two sisters

Once again Glenda Young has reached in deep and brought a tragic tale to life reading her books pulls you into the story line from the beginning tears of heartache for the sisters and for their friends don't know how many tissues I went through if I could give this more than five stars I would if you haven't already read this book then I highly recommend it twists and turns all the way

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy and Rose are such an adorable pair and although it didn't always pan out how I'd hoped, the journey they go through is emotional and I loved them all the more for it.
Couple of surprises thrown in and some colourful characters too.

An engaging read and I think its this authors best book yet.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent,another brilliant read from local author Glenda Young.
It's interesting to know places such as the Guide Post Inn in Ryhope , SUNDERLAND still stand today.I was talking to the landlord of the pub recently ( June 2023) and he explained how the current pub used to be three separate rooms,whereas it is all one room and a beer garden now.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful warm story. Well written and visually described. Luckily I was on holiday and could read this with pleasure.
This book has heartbreak, love, sadness, and determination.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[debbie styler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

Well you never seem to disappoint your readers,another superb story,it was gripping from the start,well done on another successful story,I cannot wait to read the next book,I have read many books by different authors and you certainly are one of my favourites

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glenda has an amazing ability to write inspiring heroines who we are all rooting for, but what ‘The Sixpenny Orphan’ really highlighted for me is Glenda’s aptitude for writing truly incredible leading men.
Full review over on my blog - http://clydescorner.org/2023/05/10/re...

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about 2 Orphans called Poppy and Rose, taken in by an unkind lady called Nellie. They live together in a barn until Rose is sold to an unkind man and they are separated. Both girls grow up apart until one day Poppy gets a letter from 'Rose'. I really enjoyed this

[Lorraine Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Just loved this story so much was happening and kept me reading it just loved loved loved it great story

[Gloria]

A 1 day read, I couldn't put it down once started. A compelling heartfelt read.
More please!!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Lindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book, I didn’t want the story to end.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this book in 2 days, I Couldn't put it down

[Linda Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Izabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book,but the first moment was a bit boring 😴. It took ages before action started, but I'm glad I've read till end.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book .. well written, interesting and no filler pages.