The heartfelt new saga from Mary Gibson, bestselling author of Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts. London, 1935. Ruby is always hungry, but she will go without if it means her young brothers can eat. 1930s Bermondsey might be called the larder of London, with its pie, pickle and jam factories, but for the poor working classes, starvation is a heartbeat away. When Ruby's neighbour suggests she go to the Methodist Mission for free food, Ruby knows her father will be furious, but that she has no other option. It is a decision that will change the course of her life forever and lead her to face a terrible choice between duty and a great love. Praise for A SISTER'S STRUGGLE: 'Affecting, poignant and intensely emotional... A stirring and captivating read guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings that is absolutely perfect for fans of Call the Midwife' Julie, Bookish Jottings. 'Beautifully written book. I feel so honoured to have witnessed this raw and heartfelt story and I am hoping this review will give the book the justice it deserves... An emotional and heartfelt journey [...] told with pure honesty and heart' Stacey is Reading. 'A brilliant saga filled with intrigue and questions... Full of friendship, family and choices, it's a book I can highly recommend to all saga fans. But do remember to set aside a day to read, because once you start, you won't want to put the book down' Lauren, Mixing Reality with Fiction. 'Brilliant depiction of London and life during trying times. I immediately wanted Ruby and her family to be OK and was rooting for them' Katherine's Book Universe. 'Perfect reading on a cold winter's night... Set around the same time as the popular Call the Midwife, so if you are a fan of that you are sure to like this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much that it's one I will read again' Rachel Bustin. 'A truly beautiful book... It gives you a glimpse into real London in the 1930s... An eye-opening book, and if you love Call the Midwife, you will LOVE this book' Cara's Book Boudoir.
The poignant and powerful second novel from the bestselling author of Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts. London, 1923. Bermondsey is the larder of London with its bustling docks, spice mill, tannery and factories. Milly Colman knows she's lucky. Working at Southwell's jam factory all week means she can have a pay packet and a laugh with her mates come Saturday. It's a welcome escape from home, where Milly must protect her mother and sisters from her father's violent temper. When autumn comes, hop-picking in Kent gives all the Colman women a longed-for respite. But it is there, on one golden September night, that Milly makes the mistake of her life and finds her courage and strength tested as never before. PRAISE FOR JAM AND ROSES: 'This book is raw and powerful and a fabulous read. This is where girl power came from; women like Milly and her family, girls who did not even have the vote at this time. This book is also a history lesson, telling the story of the general strike' Mrs H, Amazon reviewer. 'Well written, with pace, engaging characters, a good narrative and some suspense. A real authentic tone, too: the central characters reminded me of the formidable spirit of my mother/grandmothers who lived through, and survived, these demanding times' Fredmart, Amazon reviewer. 'A fantastic read! I was hooked from the first paragraph, Mary Gibson is a fabulous and talented writer. A book you can't put down but, yet you want to find out the ending without wanting the book to finish. Well done and thank you. Can't wait to read the next book' Michelle Thompson, Amazon reviewer. 'If you enjoy post war stories of women's hardship, based in london, then this is the book to read. It kept me enthralled from the start. Highly recommended' Shell R, Amazon reviewer. 'So full of emotion and tragedies, but also humour, happiness, love and hate' Patsy, Amazon reviewer.
Mary E. Matury Gibson's debut memoir depicts the life of a first-generation American coming of age in a small rural town. In a world before the Beatles and the computer age life was very different. It was a time of innocence before history would form us and affect us in ways we could have never imagined.
Challenging traditional gender expectations, thousands of girls of Gibson's generation not only aspired to public careers as writers, artists, educators, and even doctors but also began to experiment with new forms of "female masculinity" in attitude, bearing, behavior, dress, and sexuality--a pattern only gradually domesticated by the nonthreatening image of the "tomboy." Some, such as Gibson, at once realized and reenacted their dreams on the pages of antebellum story papers. This first modern scholarly edition of Mary Gibson's early fiction features ten tales of teenage girls (seemingly much like Gibson herself) who fearlessly appropriate masculine traits, defy contemporary gender norms, and struggle to fulfill high worldly ambitions.
A passionate and heartwarming saga from the bestselling author of CUSTARD TARTS AND BROKEN HEARTS. January 1947. The war is over. But London is still a wasteland. After eight years in the ATS, Hattie Wright returns to a Bermondsey she doesn't recognise. With so few jobs, she reluctantly takes work at the Alaska fur factory – a place rife with petty rivalries that she vowed never to set foot in again. But while she was a rising star in the ATS, Hattie's work mates are unforgiving in her attempts to promote herself up from the factory floor. After journeying across the world to Australia to marry her beloved, Clara is betrayed and returns penniless, homeless and trying to raise a child in the face of prejudice. While war widow, Lou, has lost more than most in the war. Her daughter and parents were killed in an air raid bomb blast and her surviving son, Ronnie, is fending for himself and getting into all kinds of trouble. The lifelong friendship these women forge while working in the fur factory will help them overcome crippling grief and prejudice in post-war Britain and to find hope in tomorrow. PRAISE FOR HATTIE'S HOME: 'Mary transported me right into the heart of Bermondsey and the damage, heartache and devastation the war had left behind. The sights, smells, wreckage, the poverty, it was all so real. Yet even in such dark times friendship and the community shines through' Dash F, Netgalley reviewer. 'If you want a real taste of East London life before 1914, and the horrors and occasional laughs the times could bring – this is a must read' Mark Ryes, Amazon reviewer. 'This is an absolute joy from start to finish and it's clear that Mary Gibson has a passion for history and a good yarn! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the reality of life for women in the period leading up to the Great War without the safety net of the Welfare State to fall back on. It's one of the best historic fiction books I've read in a long time' History Geek, Amazon reviewer. 'Gritty, heart-felt and very real. Gibson really gives you a clear understanding of what life was like... If you are a fan of Nadine Dorries you will love this' Rachel, Amazon reviewer. 'I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters, in my opinion certainly worth 5 stars!' Shelley, Amazon reviewer.
Handsome Frank Rossi took Matty Gilbie away from her working class roots in Bermondsey, East London and promised her fame and fortune. In America, the Cockney Canary would become a movie star. As his wife, she would be half of a power couple, fêted and adored by all. But the Wall Street Crash of 1929 puts paid to all that, and as Frank becomes more violent and unstable, Matty flees in the dead of night. Once home in Bermondsey, she goes into hiding and starts desperately looking for work. But only Peak Freans, the hated biscuit factory, is hiring staff. Then, as a secret from her past comes back to haunt her, Matty learns that Frank is on the move, determined to find her and get her back.
This is a great story of a family overcoming obstacles without even realizing them as obstacles. Immigrants have always had the "eye" on the "prize" syndrome and Nino, the father, is no exception. His accomplishments with such steady and singular focus are impressive. They are also indicative of the live many immigrants lived to ensure their children would have a better life than circumstance placed upon them. Immigrants are the true heroes of their future generations and Mary's father Nino is no execption. -CJ Martello, Columnist for Fra Noi Italian-American Magazine and author Petals From Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago's Roseland, Pullman and Kensington Neigborhoods.
Randall Lee Gibson of Louisiana offers the first biography of one of Louisiana's most intriguing nineteenth-century politicians and a founder of Tulane University. Gibson (1832--1892) grew up on his family's sugar plantation in Terrebonne Parish and was educated at Yale University before studying law at the University of Louisiana in New Orleans. He purchased a sugar plantation in Lafourche Parish in 1858 and became heavily involved in the pro-secession faction of the Democratic Party. Elected colonel of the Thirteenth Louisiana Volunteer Regiment at the start of the Civil War, he commanded a brigade in the Battle of Shiloh and fought in all of the subsequent campaigns of the Army of Tennessee, concluding in 1865 with the Battle of Spanish Fort. As Gibson struggled to establish a law practice in postwar New Orleans, he experienced a profound change in his thinking and came to believe that the elimination of slavery was the one good outcome of the South's defeat. Joining Louisiana's Conservative political faction, he advocated for a postwar unification government that included African Americans. Elected to Congress in 1874, Gibson was directly involved in the creation of the Electoral Commission that resulted in the Compromise of 1877 and peacefully solved the disputed 1876 presidential election. He crafted legislation for the Mississippi River Commission in 1879, which eventually resulted in millions of federal dollars for flood control. Gibson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880 and became Louisiana's leading "minister of reconciliation" with his northern colleagues and its chief political spokesman during the highly volatile Gilded Age. He deplored the growing gap between the rich and the poor and embraced a reformist agenda that included federal funding for public schools and legislation for levee construction, income taxes, and the direct election of senators. This progressive stance made Gibson one of the last patrician Democrats whose noblesse oblige politics sought common middle ground between the extreme political and social positions of his era. At the request of wealthy New Orleans merchant Paul Tulane, Gibson took charge of Tulane's educational endowment and helped design the university that bears Tulane's name, serving as the founding president of the board of administrators. Highly readable and thoroughly researched, Mary Gorton McBride's absorbing biography illuminates in dramatic fashion the life and times of a unique Louisianan.
Mary Gibson's stark portrait details her struggles to break out of assigned gender roles of the early 1960s and into a carer in nursing that would span 50 years in her own real compelling story of her professional life.
In the spirit of her previous memoirs, Mary reveals her profound fortitude, perseverance, faith and inspiring optimism amidst her constant trials, including her own injuries and health problems. This is a must read for everyone, especially for baby boomers who may soon be facing their own needs for nursing and rehabilitation care." -Jack Murray, retired Editor of The Regional News, Freelance Writer Mary E. Matury Gibson is a first-generation American born to Sicilian parents. She is the youngest of six children. Educated at Purdue University Calumet, she holds a degree in Industrial Environmental Psychology and Nursing/Nurse Practitioner degree. She has worked as a critical care staff nurse and Nurse Practitioner for more than fifty years. Mary has two adult daughters and five grandchildren. Mary resides in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and spends her retirement years writing about her life-long career in nursing and the historical changes in health care that have effected people in every walk of life.
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