The Hat Girl From Silver Street by Lindsey Hutchinson. #BlogTour

Let bestselling author Lindsey Hutchinson take you back in time to the Victorian Black Country, for a tale of love, hardship and fighting against the odds to succeed.

Life is tough for Ella Bancroft. After her father, Thomas, is wheelchair-bound by an accident at the tube works, the responsibility for keeping a roof over their head falls to Ella. Ella’s mother died when she was ten, and her sister Sally lives with her no-good, work-shy husband Eddy, so is no help at all.  If she and her father are to keep the bailiffs from the door, then Ella must earn a living.

But Ella is resourceful as well as creative, and soon discovers she has a gift for millinery. Setting up shop in the front room of their two-up, two-down home in Silver Street, Walsall, Ella and Thomas work hard to establish a thriving business. Before long, the fashionable ladies of the Black Country are lining up to wear one of Ella’s beautiful creations, and finally Ella dares to hope for a life with love, friendship and family.

Meeting the man she longs to marry should be a turning point for Ella, but life’s twists and turns can be cruel. As the winter grows colder, events seem to conspire to test Ella’s spirit. And by the time spring is approaching, will the hat girl of Silver Street triumph, or will Ella have to admit defeat as all her dreams are tested.

The Queen of the Black Country sagas is back with a heart-breaking, unforgettable, page-turning story of love, life and battling against the odds. Perfect for fans of Val Wood and Lyn Andrews. 

My Thoughts

Apprentice hate maker Ella Bancroft works under the ever watchful eyes of her rather nasty employer Ivy Gladwin. When Ella’s loving father pushes her to see her own self worth, she makes the decision to leave her job and embark on a new adventure, with more determination than ever to make something of herself.

Thomas Bancroft is wheelchair bound, following an awful accident at work many years before, is left feeling somewhat useless. When he discovers a talent with ribbons he never knew he possessed, himself and his daughter Ella pull together and open up a store of their own, and produce the finest hats in Walsall.

This book was such a joyous story to lose myself in. The author does a marvellous job of exploring the living situations, alongside the various hardships people would have faced in those times too, in such a way that allows you to picture the scene perfectly in your mind. The characters were wonderful and endearing, each having their own stories to share, alongside having their individual personalities which impacted on their relationships throughout.

The story was wonderfully written and flowed perfectly right to the very end. The plot was intriguing and truly captivating, I found myself lost in the story, and completely invested in the lives of the characters. I would certainly recommend this book for others who love historical fiction.

You can purchase a copy of this book by following this link : https://amzn.to/35hXxJS

About The Author