Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Ruth Hardy works long hours at Grange Paper Works, with her younger sister Bea, and spends her free time caring for their ailing parents. Their meagre income barely covers their needs, so when Bea reveals that she is pregnant out of wedlock, Ruth knows even tougher times are ahead.
Ruth’s hard work at the mill does not go unnoticed and it looks as though her luck might turn when she’s promoted. But when the arrival of Bea’s baby girl ends in tragedy, Ruth is left with no choice but to bring up her niece herself. However, news of Ruth’s plan brings a threatening menace close.
Although Ruth’s friendship with the girls at the mill, and the company of charming railway man, Mick Carson, sustain her, ultimately Ruth bears the responsibility for keeping her family safe. Will she ever find happiness of her own?
My Review
‘The Paper Mill Girl’ is the fifth book in the Ryhope Village series. I have read, loved and reviewed each of the earlier books in the series and I couldn’t wait to read ‘The Paper Mill Girl’. So I grabbed my copy of the book, I grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for an afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Paper Mill Girl’ but more about that in a bit.
I loved the character of Ruth Hardy and I warmed to her from the very start. In fact by the time I got through the first third of the story, I had begun to think of her as a friend. She is certainly a young lady, who has had to grow up quicker than perhaps she should have. Her mother is suffering from an illness and her father has been left permanently disabled by an accident at the pit and Ruth has been doing her best to care for them both. In fact it sometimes seems as though she and her parents have swapped roles. I hope that makes sense. Ruth’s life isn’t made any easier by the fact that she ends up having to bring up her niece Maude too. All this whilst she is holding down a job at a busy paper mill. The poor girl is that busy worrying about and caring for others that she seems to have forgotten to look after herself too. There were so many times where I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to give her a reassuring hug or to remonstrate with whoever had upset her. There is a glimmer of hope in the future and a potential love interest. I just kept everything crossed that Ruth would get the ‘happy ever after’ ending that she so deserved. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not ging to tell you.
Oh my word, ‘The Paper Mill Girl’ really is an amazing read. The book developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn’t willing to break. I picked the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to make a start but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I was still reading several chapters later. In fact I was so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. I read the book in a single day because I couldn’t bear to put the book to one side. Part of my addiction to the book is due to the fact that I thought so much of Ruth. All too quickly I reached the end of the book. I found ‘The Paper Mill Girl’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Paper Mill Girl’ is superbly written but then I think that to be true of Glenda’s books in general. Glenda grabs your attention from the start and draws you into what proves to be a compelling story. I I love the fact that she bases her stories in Ryhope, which isn’t that far from me and I have family from there too. I never got to meet my Ryhope relatives but by reading books such as Glenda’s, I feel closer to them somehow. Glenda brings Ryhope alive and I feel as though I know the area, even though I have hardly stepped foot over there. I found that I became so involved in the story that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to defend Ruth and to protect her from others. A strange coincidence is the fact that a lot of the names in the book appear in my own family tree- including my mother’s maiden name, my Dad’s family name (Bobby) and the Hardy family. I kept imagining my relatives as characters in the book. I hope that makes sense. In my own opinion, Glenda Young writes superb historical fiction that bring the era alive. Her books are unbeatable and unputdownable.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Paper Mill Girl’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Glenda’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
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