Seven-year-old Lissie Fairweather is the apple of her father’s eye until tragedy strikes him. Unfortunately, her mom Dora isn't a nurterer. So when Lissie is abandonded in a workhouse orphanage, she must find her own way in the world. Thankfully, she gains an education and a helping hand until she moves to the seaside Scarborough. Here, she works with fabrics, makes friends and even finds young love. But she still longs for her beloved father.
This novel unfolds at a pleasing pace. I stayed engaged as I read and didn't want to skip any parts.
There's also plenty of drama alongside sweet moments. I kept feeling like Lissie was doomed until something good happened to her. This strategy kept my attention.
The title is a bit deceptive. While Lissie could have spent years in the workhouse, she didn't. I would rename the novel something like "The Abandoned Lass" since that title fits the story better.
I will definitely read more books by this author.
Note: includes emotional, mental and physical abuse, sexual content, some profanity

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, as the author of 'The history of Scarborough and its People' I could resosolute with the places in Scarborough mentioned in the book.

I did find the plot a little predictible, and thought the author could expand more on Lissie's experiences in the workhouse.

I also think there was too much empahsis on Lissie wanting to use the toilet at the beginning of the book. Overall a good read. Recommended.

In this new historical fiction novel from Chrissie Walsh, she brings seven-year-old Lissie Fairweather after a family tragedy to life. Left in a workhouse orphanage by her mother Dora Fairweather, readers follow Lissie as she learns to live in and adapt to the workhouse, where she is taken under matron Connie Briggs’ wing, and after as she moves to the seaside town of Scarborough where friends, family, and stability are in her grasp. Unwilling to forget her father and the secrets from her past even in the face of war, readers join Lissie to see what her future will look like and if there is even more happiness in her future. With a cast of great characters, a series of obstacles, and a great emotional storyline, readers will love this early twentieth century historical fiction novel and the world that Walsh has brought to life. Lissie is a complex and strong protagonist whose internal dialogue and life experiences really add to the novel’s great historical setting. Well-written and incredibly detailed, this novel’s atmosphere and character relationships really make the novel stand out, and readers will love Lissie and her life as brought to life by Walsh in this brilliant and emotional new release.

A lovely read with highs and lows. Liked getting to know the characters and also the strong friendships forged. Would recommend this book

This book was not at all what I was expecting but I still found it a very enjoyable read. Good characters with a unique plot.

I absolutely loved this book. It is the first one I have read from this author, and I was not disappointed. The story was well told, and I couldn't put the book down. I admit it is an emotion roller coaster because it was based during a hard time in history. I can't wait for more from this author. I highly recommend this novels to the history/historical fiction lovers.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Boldwood Books

I loved this book! The story was well told - emotional in places, sweet in others and had a brilliant storyline. It really took me to the days of WWI and how life must have been for those left behind on the home front.
The characters were engaging and 2 in particular were enraging! I can't wait to read more from Chrissie.

OMG Heart wrenching and uplifting at the same time. Human nature showing true grit through great adversity. I loved it The Workhouse Lass would make a great film.

Oh my goodness what a book this is. It had everything romance, heartbreak and emotional events.

Lissie lives with her parents. They so different to each other her Father is a loving person and dotes on his daughter, while her Mother is not very nice to her. An unfortunate incident happens and Lissie is taken away from her Father by her Mother. Lissie is abandoned in a workhouse by her Mother. Years later Lissie ends up working in a drapers shop and she meets Flynn who is a wonderful person.

I could not put this book down I cannot say there was anything bad about it I loved every minute of reading it and there was happy moments in the book and also bits where I had tears in my eyes with the hardship.

I certainly would recommend this book. Every book I have read of this author never disappoints.

Lissie Fairweather is adored by her father but same can’t be said about her mother Dora . There are dark and difficult times ahead for Lissie. This book had a great cast of characters but some were a lot nicer than others.
I was invested in this story from the very beginning and was so eager to know how everything would work out for Lissie. This is the second book I’ve recently read based around the late Victorian years and going into the First World War and it’s such an interesting and at times heartbreaking era to read about. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction saga .

The Workhouse Lass by Christie Walsh. While it is true that Lissie spent some years in an orphanage connected to a workhouse, it is by no means her whole story. She adored her father. Her mother was another story. When she was a very small child her parents had a fight, one of many, and her mother hit him with something. He fell to the floor, blood flowing from his head. She and her mother ran. She was worried about her father, but there was not much she could do. They had very little money so sleeping was a problem. Her mother quickly met a man, and they moved in with him. He was awful and his place was worse, but she soon met people who lived in the same alley and they took her in. She went to school, and she had warm meals. Life was good. Then, for no apparent reason, her mother took her to the orphanage and before she could give them any information at all, she left and ran, leaving Lissie there. As with all things, life was bearable and Lissie made friends, one a woman who worked there who found her a spot with her sister-in-law when Lissie was old enough to leave. From there her life took off.

This was a poignant tale, pretty unrealistic in many ways, about a terrible mother and person and a very lucky girl who escaped the miserable life she had with her mother. The people running the orphanage were far from saintly, but life could have been worse. After she left, she met people who would be her friends for their lifetimes and she met the man she was to marry. It was a slice-of-life kind of story, and a good one, giving the reader glimpses into how life was then. The orphanage was probably painted more kindly than it really was but life after the orphanage was pretty accurate. It was a good story with good characters, well developed and personable. The story took us through a war and some of its ramifications. I enjoyed reading of Lissie and her life and her friends. Good book.

I was invited to read The Workhouse Lass by Boldwood Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BoldwoodBooks #ChrissieWalsh #TheWorkhouseLass

Dora Fairweather wasn’t cut out to be a wife and mother, and as soon as she’s able, she turns her back on her young daughter Lissie. With no parents to protect her, Lissie has no option but the dangerous streets of soot-sodden Bradford or the workhouse orphanage. Life in the orphanage is bleak and Lissie longs for the warm embrace of her beloved father.

As the years pass, Lissie learns to enjoy the camaraderie of the other girls in the workhouse, and when she’s taken under the wing of matron Connie Briggs, things begin to look up. A move to the seaside of Scarborough, friends and even love are finally within Lissie’s grasp. But she can never forget her father, cobbler Tom Fairweather, and the terrible secret she has carried all these years.

Powerful. Heartbreaking. Inspiring. Chrissie Walsh is a master at bringing history to life. 5⭐ Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.

It was difficult to read at first. It was gripping and emotional. I cringed and felt so bad for Lissie. She was only 7 years of age and had to deal with so much for her age.

She was a strong, little girl who grew up to be a beautiful soul. She didn't allow her circumstances to bitter her.

The characters were written so well. It was like I knew them. Luckily for Lissie, she met people who became her family. They were there for her even if her mother wasn't.

I related to the time period as my maternal grandfather served in WWI. He was in France and died in Egypt.

I enjoyed the story and loved Lissie. I can't get enough of Chrissie Walsh's books. Her books brings out all your emotions.

A fantastic tear jerker by Christie Walsh. Not much about Lissie’s years in the workhouse, but the characters that helped her endure the harsh treatment and conditions were wonderful. Not a complicated story but the story flowed wonderfully. Well worth reading.

Lissie Fairweather is only a young child when her beloved father is killed and her mother takes her away. However, her mother is abusive and promiscuous, and soon tires of having little Lissie cramping her style, so she is left in the workhouse orphanage to fend for herself, with a severe teacher who takes against the pretty child. Lissie is very fortunate that one of the other staff takes to her, and manages to keep her safe until she is old enough to go out into the world, where she certainly falls on her feet, working in a drapery shop.

But Lissie's past will haunt her in many ways, and as war approaches, her life will change.

The story is a little saccharine, but well told and as a reader I enjoyed rooting for Lissie. I thought the plot was fun to read, although fairly grim whenever the mother appeared, as her attitude and addictions were heartrending.

A good read, I'll certainly look for more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an emotional, often heartbreaking read set between 1903 and 1919. Our heroine is 7 at the start of the story when disturbing events unfold. There’s some enjoyment as Lissie makes the best of the life that’s dealt her. As the story progresses things are more interesting. Then the war years. Those years were harrowing. I did not know about the events of 1914, at the beginning of World War One, where Lissie lived. This is historical fiction and it probably portrayed the events and people of the time accurately for readers.

A great read of survival and self-discovery in a harsh environment I really enjoyed Lissie's journey from the workhouse to the seaside, following her quest for love, acceptance, and the truth about her past. A gripping book.

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

I enjoyed reading this book.

The story of Lissie kept me hooked from the start. She doesn’t have a good mother at all. Her mother leaves her father, and then when they reach an orphanage. Lissie is just left there. As her story continues, she makes friends, but she’s still thinking of her father, how and where he is and whether she will see him again.

The story is emotional in places and was very well written about how people lived during that time.

I recommend this book.

This was a great read about Lizzie Fairweather. Lissie's mum fights with her husband and runs away with Lissie after leaving her husband for dead.Finally her mum takes her to an orphanage and runs away and leaves her.After 7 years Lizzie gets a job in Scarborough working in a drapery shop. Lizzie meets a young man and then war breaks out.All this time Lizzie is looking for her dad if he is still alive. Will she find him and will her young man come back from the war safely.Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book though the ‘Workhouse’ element was a very minor part of the narrative really. The book centred around Lissie Fairweather and her parents - her mother a slatternly woman out for herself and her father a beloved figure in her life.
Her mother took her from The Peak District to Bradford - and eventually abandoned Lissie in the Workhouse. My husband who knows Bradford well says he thinks there was a workhouse in Little Horton. Dora - her mother - meets her end in a tragic way - which remains (and probably was in the day) unresolved.
Lissie is then taken under the wing of another saintly figure and when she becomes too old for the workhouse gets a job in a drapery with the sister-in-law of her workhouse mentor in Scarborough.
Living in the North East the vernacular speech of her friend Meggie was very odd. Lissie meets and falls in love with Flynn - who works on fairground rides owned by Patience - who owned the drapery. Meggie falls for her own beau Jim
So all a little contrived.
Time moves forward and WW1 intervenes. In my mind this was dealt with very quickly - perhaps too quickly - but then this review is written just before Remembrance Day. The horrors of the Trenches and Warfare were well researched and written but glossed over in a few chapters at the end of the book.
Flynn’s experiences could have been explored better in my view - to provide more would be a very major spoiler.

A well written well researched book which for me was a bit rushed. I would have liked a couple of extra chapters in this book rather than some from. another by Chrissie Walsh.

A heartbreaking whilst heartwarming book