I have been a fan of Glenda's work for a fair while. I read her weekly column in the People's Friend magazine and I read and loved her first book called 'Belle Of The Back Streets', as did my lovely Mam. I read the synopsis for 'The Tuppenny Child' and I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy and start reading straightaway. That's exactly what I did too!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Tuppenny Child' but more about that in a bit.
I took to Sadie Linthorpe from the first time I met her. She hasn't exactly been dealt the best hand of cards shall we say. Her parents died in an accident and she is on her own. She falls in with a woman, with an ulterior motive, who uses and abuses Sadie whenever she likes. This woman's son is also a seriously nasty piece of work. I so wished that I could have jumped inside the pages of the book to sort the pair of them out. Sadie has a bairn who is sold by the unscrupulous woman that Sadie lives with and this was against her (Sadie) wishes. Sadie resolves to get her baby back but she only has two clues as to the location of her bairn - firstly the family that bought her live in Ryhope and secondly Sadie's daughter has a unique birth mark on her body. Sadie knows that if she sees that mark she has found her bairn. Sadie moves to Ryhope despite not knowing a soul but it doesn't take her long at all until she finds a job, a roof over her head and she starts to make friends. Will Sadie find her bairn? Is there a twist to the tale? Well you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
For me, one of the strong attractions of this book was the fact that the story largely takes place in Ryhope, nr. Sunderland (which back then was in County Durham but it is in Tyne & Wear now. I love that Glenda has set the book in Ryhope because I have family that lived in Ryhope. I never knew them but through Glenda's fabulous writing, I got a real sense of the lay out of Ryhope and a good feel for the people who live there. I even found that I was reading the book in a Mackem or Durham accent. People might not understand what I mean by that but if a character in the book says something then I say it myself with the appropriate accent. (By the way for those who are unfamiliar with the North East of England, a Mackem is somebody from the Sunderland area).
It took me no time at all to become addicted to reading 'The Tuppenny Child'. In fact as I was reading the synopsis, I just knew that I would be unable to put the book to one side even for just a nano second. The book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I didn't want to break. I had an inkling that I would binge read the book over the course of a day and that's exactly what I did. I couldn't bear to be parted from the book and it travelled everywhere with me. It was as if by putting the book down, I feared breaking the hold that the book had over me. At any rate the pages of the book turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out if Sadie got the happy ever after ending that she so deserved, steadily grew and grew. I was so focused on the story and the characters that I lost all track of time. It seemed to take me next to no time to get to the end of the book which I was so disappointed about. I don't mean that I was disappointed with how the story ended but I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
'The Tuppenny Child' is brilliantly written but then I wouldn't expect anything else from Glenda Young. She has a writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and she keeps that attention throughout the story by keeping the characters interesting and the storylines realistic. I find that Glenda writes in such a way that feel more like a conversation between friends rather than a piece of written text. I hope that makes sense. Glenda doesn't pull any punches either. She tackles particular subjects with great sensitivity and compassionate whilst at the same time being totally honest.
Reading 'The Tuppenny Child' certainly took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride with all the ups, downs, highs, lows and well you get the picture. This book had me feeling happy one minute and angry the next. I had taken to Sadie and most of the characters so well that if anything happened to them, it felt personal and because they hurt, I hurt. I so wished that I could have jumped inside the pages of the book to sort certain characters out or encourage to vacate the area (although I wouldn't have been as polite as that).
In short, Glenda Young has done it again and she has written one hell of a book that will tug on even the hardest of heartstrings. I would definitely recommend this author and her books to other readers. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next and fortunately I don't have too long to wait because her next book 'Pearl Of Pit Lane' is due to be released on 14th November 2019. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board for 'The Tuppenny Child' is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This is the first book that I have read by Glenda Young but it certainly won’t be my last.
I was drawn to this book because of the location it was sent in as I am from the North East of England.
This is a beautifully written book and the author has managed to write emotion throughout the book.
There are many strong characters throughout this book but I especially loved Sadie and wanted to know whether her quest to get her daughter back was successful.
This book is a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. An excellent book.

Note to the author: I lived in Sunderland for eight years back in the mid-’60s to the mid-’70s, so obviously, your book had sentimental, nostalgic value. I lived on Ryhope Road for three of those years, down from Mowbray Park. My Aunty Norma and Uncle Tommy (by marriage) owned Ryhope Post Office in that decade and longer. My Aunty is retired and in her 90’s now.

I recommend this book. A delightfully warm, poignant tale about Sadie searching for the baby taken from her without her consent. It’s vibrant with emotion and tension. Sadie is an unforgettable character with such a commendable strength of purpose. The characterisation is exceptional with some warm, substantial, well-fleshed out, relatable characters. I even began to take to Tom when I recognised he was riddled with PTSD. The theme perfectly outlines the plight and stigma attached to an unwed mother in those days. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline.

Set in May 1919. Sadie Linthorpe is just seventeen years old. She goes in search of the child that was stolen from her when she was just days old. She finds work and a place to stay in the Railway Inn in Ryhope where she believes the child she called Bridie now resides. All she remembers about her is the red wind mark on her shoulder in the shape of a ladybird.

This is a beautifully written roller coaster read. Sadie is a really strong character who I both liked and felt sorry for. She has a long and hard journey ahead of her to try and get her daughter back. There is a great cast of characters, from villains to people who have Sadie's back. Sadie has many hurdles to climb. There not a lot I can say about this book without giving away far too ma y spoilers. A super read.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Headline and the author Glenda Young for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has a great plot, excellent main characters and I read it in one sitting! I would highly recommend this book.