I love Rosie Clarke's historical novels and A Mother's Shame didn't disappoint me. Maggie works hard but her father is brutal. When both her ma and pa die, Maggie sets about finding somewhere for her and her brother to live but, in the meantime, he stays with their older sister. Maggie decides to marry Jack and live in his house with his mother; unfortunately, circumstances mean Robin is placed in social care and he isn't allowed to be removed. Maggie is distraught but realises she must get on with life all the while looking for Robin in the hope of being reunited. You really do need to read this book to get the full story; Rosie drew me in from the very first page and I was glued to my iPad until I finished! I felt as though I was the proverbial fly on the wall, as part of the story. The characters are so relatable. I loved it!

Things fall apart suddenly. So many things happen to her it is a wonder she can lift her head. She does move forward, though, and finds a new home with a kindly woman in Yarmouth. There she runs into a young man she had known at home and despite knowing it was the wrong thing to do, she marries him. She is a strong and decisive woman. Vowing not to follow in her mother’s footsteps she makes decisions that will affect her in so many ways down the road. This was a heart-breaking book, but well-done. Maggie was a strong, well-written character who knows her own mind. She takes care of others and always will. She knows where she is going, long-term, and I have no doubt she will succeed in her goals and in her life. Well plotted, lovingly drawn. An excellent read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Mother’s Shame by Boldwood, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #boldwood #rosieclarke #amothersshame

I love Rosie Clarke's books and she is one of my go-to historical saga authors. I have enjoyed her Harpers Emporium series as well Blackberry Farm and a few of her standalones. A MOTHER'S SHAME is simply delightful and although heartbreaking it is also a heartwarming tale.

Set in London, the story begins in 1925 and Maggie Bailey is living with her mother, father and younger brother Robin. Her elder sister Sadie is married, lives a few streets away and is expecting her first baby. Her father is an abusive brute who is quick with his fists with her mother and lately has set his sights on Maggie. But she stands her ground and locks her bedroom door to stop him from venturing in at night.

Maggie works at a bakery bringing home the much-needed income to support her family, particularly when her father becomes unable to work after an incident involving a pan of hot water. Now her mother must nurse her father and Maggie must find herself a second job working nights to earn the income her father would have down at the docks. She meets Bill Biggins and his wife Ann who are thrilled to give her a job in their cafe. Ann is expecting a child and is unable to put in the long hours. Soon Maggie is running between her day job at the bakery and her hours at the cafe. But when Bill offers her a better wage to work there full time, Maggie is thrilled.

It is when she is walking home from the cafe one evening that she meets Jack Holmes who charms her off her feet almost at once. The two are no strangers to each other having crossed paths on occasion but now that she is almost 17, Jack has thrown his cap at Maggie and they soon find themselves walking out together. But Jack has big plans for himself and Maggie. He wants to marry her but not yet...not until he has established himself well enough to take care of her. But when circumstances arise, Maggie escapes her abusive home life to marry Jack.

If she thought life was to be a bed of roses after her marriage to Jack, she was to be sadly mistaken. But Maggie wears no rose coloured glasses and knows not to expect much from life. When Jack disappears, Maggie despairs as to how she will cope on her own, particularly when her only friend succumbs also. She decides to make a new life for herself outside of London and ventures to a place she has only heard about. Her responsibilities continue to pile up as do the tragedies that follow her. She is determined to make something of herself by improving her life, and that of her brother Robin, and tackling whatever comes her way. But life continues to throw cruelties and injustice her way and in another bid to escape, Maggie finds herself in yet another situation she has stupidly put herself into in a bid to give them a roof over their heads. So what else is there to do? Escape yet again. It seems that Maggie does a lot of running away in this story but she also made a lot of stupid decisions as well.

Throughout the story, Maggie is on a journey to find herself and her place in life. Little did she know she didn't have to go far to find it...for it landed in her lap when she least expected it. It was the most heartbreaking and touching moment for what was lost, what could have been and what never will be. But it was also a promise of a new life, a chance to do what she always wanted to do and to love and be loved. The mystery behind her parentage is cleverly woven into the story and is something of a poignant touch.

Poor Maggie certainly didn't have much luck through most of the story. Tragedy seemed to follow her where ever she went. But she faced them with strength and resilience...and still came through the other side. A MOTHER'S SHAME is a poignant story that is a well written addictive read from start to finish. I especially loved the format in which it was written with Maggie retelling her story to the Sally Army man, Thomas, going back and forth as her story unfolded. It was different perspective for Rosie Clarke but it works incredibly well and I loved it.

I loved A MOTHER'S SHAME so much more than I thought I would and has to be my favourite of the author's thus far. I thoroughly recommend it for fans of historical fiction sagas.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AMothersShame in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Rosie Clarke always seems to draw her readers into her books from the 1st page and her newest doesn't disappoint!!
She pulls you into this small, dysfunctional family and makes you feel like the fly on the wall!! A wonderful way with descriptive words without being boring and lengthy.
This book was a very good read and has all the hallmarks of the female struggle to survive those harsh times. There were so many hurdles thrown into each chapter but Maggie seemed to be more than capable of overcoming them.
If I have to be brutally honest I would mention that the ending was all a little too rushed, suddenly all was explained!
Thoroughly enjoyed A Mother's Shame and would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and Rosie Clarke. Waiting for the next title, Rosie!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book is about the life of a young girl, the difficulties she faced, her happy times as well as sad, the decisions she made and her determination. It also showed how homely as well as relationships like romantic/friendships effect a person.

For Maggie's her life at home wasn’t nice, she had so many responsibilities, worked two jobs, she didn’t have much choice.

When she was 16, she was hoping to find a way to get away, but the commitments didn’t lessen. Maggie wanted to change her life and that of her brother Robin and was set on doing this.

The love she had, came in varied forms. The decisions she made, weren’t always right, and people shunned her. She learnt from the works she did, and secrets were kept by all.

The story was poignantly and beautifully written.

A book to be read, especially if you love historical fiction.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley in granting this book in return for an honest review. Love Rosie Clarke and this book being a standalone was of a very high standard.

This tale about Maggie Bailey who has not had an easy childhood. Her parents unfortunately do not provide her with a good start in life her father, , Michael, always too easy with his fists after spending the family’s rent money down the pub and her mother showing little interest in protecting her.

The book develops strongly as Maggie goes through life’s trials and tribulations with great strength and resilience.

Really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who likes a tale about strong characters and a proper conclusion.

I love Rosie Clarke's books. This one is set in London in 1925. Maggie is living with her mother and father and young brother. Her sister is married, lives a few streets away and is expecting her first baby. Her father is a drunken brute who Maggie fears so much she has to lock her bedroom door. He is abusive to her mother and scares both Maggie and her young brother.

When a tragedy happens, those closest to Maggie let her down in the most awful way and she is left to fend for herself. Just as she is finding peace she makes a wrong decision which plunges her back into a nightmare of not knowing who to turn to.

Poor Maggie didn't have much luck through most of the book. Heartbreak after heartbreak occurred in what is a really good story. The times she lived in were hard for women and made even harder by men who didn't care how they treated women they were supposed to love.
Another page turner by Rosie Clarke.

Rosie Clarke is one of my favourite family saga writers, all her books are amazing and this is no exception. This is a great story about two young girls who are both in the family way and become good friends.. the two girls are completely different personalities and come from totally different backgrounds. The book has many twists and turns and has romance and drama

Definitely worth a read as are all Rosie’s books

Set between the world wars in England, A Mother's Shame is about a young girl's very difficult life; her sorrow, her moments of joy, her choices, perseverance and hope. It is also about the effects of familial and romantic relationships as well as friendships and how they mold and shape people.

Maggie's home life was horribly abusive. Her responsibilities were many and she worked incredibly hard. She had no choice. At 16 she tried an escape route but her responsibilities continued to pile up. She was driven and determined to improve her life and that of her younger brother Robin but suffered from injustices. She found versions of love in different forms. Unfortunately, her decisions were not always good ones and she was ostracized in unexpected ways. Her jobs were educations in themselves. Not only that but everyone had secrets!

My favourite aspects are the threads of mystery woven into the story including Maggie's parentage and disappearance of a loved one. I could almost feel Maggie's despair in her words, thoughts and actions. Her special relationship with her brother is heartwarming. Talk about a riveting and emotive story!

Written poignantly and beautifully in Rosie Clarke fashion, this stand alone book is not to be missed particularly for those who are avid Historical Fiction fans and is also a great starting point to become immersed in the genre.

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this heart crushing yet wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Rosie Clarke for the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and it is worthy of its 5 star rating - I was so keen to find out what happened that I was reading whenever I could find a minute.

I say I really enjoyed it and I did - it was predictable at times and stuck to the general tone of books of this genre but I have to say I found the final 5% really disappointing.

I wont spoil it for others coming along and reading it by providing a synopsis but the the storyline involving the main character really lost credibility for me in that last 5%. Events happened that referred to parts earlier in the story but there was no explanation as to why what happened had happened. I found it really strange.
It did not detract particularly from the story just was not credible in my view.

However please don't let that put you off reading this book because it was worth reading and although harrowing in places, it was an enjoyable read.
Just not events depicted in that final 5%.

Thank you again to all involved in my chance to read this book

A fantastic story. Maggie's life is hard and she struggles to cope with her home life with her violent father and longs for a better future for herself and her little brother. After a terrible tragedy occurs she considers taking her life but when Thomas a member of the salvation army finds her she opens up to him and as we follow the ups and downs of her life will she finally find the happiness she deserves and get her little family back together. Such a great read and I loved her character and how she copes with life I the eastend and the hardships and tragedies she has to cope with,Highly recommend this book

Amazing story couldn't put it down and read it in one afternoon, wonderful characters and the storyline was brilliant, highly reccomended read

I do so love Rosie Clarke's books as she brings you into the story and you feel as though you are part of it.This is an emotional book as it had me weeping.EXCELLENT Book 5*

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC another brilliant family saga ,couldn't sleep as needed to finish it This author is so brilliant love her books and they just can't get any better

Maggie doesn’t have her sorrows to seek, disaster strikes at home mainly due to her father’s drinking. Trusting her sister Sadie to care for their young brother Robin proves to be a mistake, then she is heartbroken when Sadie reveals information stating why she can’t have a say In what happens to Robin. Maggie is heartbroken, which leads to her making some rash decisions.

When Maggie decides to take a course to help her realise a dream she once again is let down by the very people who should care most for her!

A Mother's Shame by Rosie Clarke

A lovely story of Maggie , born into a poor family and a violent father.
A lot in Maggie's life doesn't always go in her favour , but like a lot of stories like this , things have a way of coming good eventually.
I very much enjoy books by this author who writes such great characters who often endure very dark times.
Brilliant.

A amazing saga from this author as per usual. I enjoy her books for a bit of light reading. Thank you netgalley for this copy. 5**** as usual