Cover Image: The Paper Mill Girl

The Paper Mill Girl

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Member Reviews

This is the latest book by this author and once again it was a great book.
I loved the main character in this book. The author always writes characters that are so well developed.
The book is superbly written. I love the setting as it’s close to where I grew up.
This book is emotional and so easy to read.

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I could not put this book down you certainly will need tissues as the ready.

Ruth and her sister Bea work at the paper mill. Ruth will fight for the girls in the department she works in. She is also looking after her parents as her Father was hurt in the mine and cannot work so it is Ruth and Bea’s income that keep them.

Ruth is certainly a strong character and circumstances change for her to make things a wee bit better for her at the mill.

There is romance and also some sad bits in the book.

I would recommend this book.

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A wonderful trip back into my local history. A reminder of how hard life was but how folk really did make the best of it. I loved the characters and the details of their working life. The connection between the characters felt really real and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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An outstanding tale of courage, hope and loyalty, The Paper Mill Girl is another must-read saga from Glenda Young’s immensely talented pen.

The burdens of duty and responsibility weigh heavily on seventeen year old Ruth Hardy’s shoulders. The hours are long at Grange Mill Paper Works and when the working day is done, Ruth has to roll up her sleeves yet again and look after her ailing parents. Money is tight and her salary meagre and Ruth has to make plenty of sacrifices in order to keep the wolf from the door and her parents and her sister Bea as far as she possibly can from the shadow of the workhouse. Life is tough enough already for Ruth and her family and when Bea announces that she is pregnant out of wedlock, it looks like there are harder times ahead for them all. Yet, Ruth refuses to be deterred, but can she handle all that is being thrown her way? Or will she end up crumbling under all the pressure?

Ruth’s work at the paper mill hasn’t gone unnoticed as she soon gets promoted, but just when things finally seem to be going her way for once, there is further upheaval in store for her and her family when her sister’s pregnancy ends in tragedy. Heartbroken and grief-stricken, Ruth needs to be strong once again as she has an infant child to bring up. However, her selfless act will have serious repercussions for her and her family which will bring a dangerous enemy intent on wreaking havoc and destruction closer and closer. But just when all seems completely lost and desperate, Ruth finds herself drawn to charming railway man Mick Carson…

Will happiness ever be within Ruth’s reach? Or will she forever be condemned to a lifetime of loss, heartache and regret?

Gritty, compelling and full of heart, The Paper Mill Girl is an exceptional saga about resilience, survival and love that tells the story of a brave, steadfast and compassionate young woman willing to do whatever it takes to protect the ones she loves. Ruth is a wonderful heroine whose strength, sensibility and capacity for forgiveness will bring readers to tears on many an occasion.

When readers pick up a Glenda Young saga, they know that they are in very safe hands and that is certainly the case for her latest first-class tale, The Paper Mill Girl.

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Glenda Young is definitely an author not to be missed when it comes to family sagas and I have been a fan of hers since I read Pearl of Pit Lane almost a year ago. Although tinged with sadness, The Paper Mill Girl is a wonderfully heart-warming novel filled with strong, colourful characters that I took to my heart.

I loved the main character of Ruth Hardy; dedicated to looking after her unexpectedly expanding family, Ruth is also the best friend a girl could have. Friendship plays a huge part in the book as the rag room girls work, laugh and love together. In a time where every penny counts, they are always willing to share what they have and look after each other and their lunchtime outings never failed to put a smile on my face.

Set in 1919, it's a stark reminder that it's very much a man's world and Ruth is in the unenviable position of being the sole breadwinner as the Hardy family struggles to keep a roof over their heads in the back room of the Guide Post Inn. It's shockingly amusing that men always find money for beer whilst their wives could be at home boiling the bones of a chicken to feed their family. I'd take beer over chicken any day though!

I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a tear or two while I was reading The Paper Mill Girl. Glenda Young's beautifully warm writing really brings the characters to life and I experienced their emotions alongside them. I was positively beaming towards the end of the book and tears of happiness brimmed in my eyes but I quickly blinked them away so I could keep reading as I didn't want to miss a single word.

I always look forward to reading the author's note in Glenda Young's books as her research is outstanding and adds authenticity to the story. I actually didn't realise that Sunderland had a paper mill and even though I've had a book in my hand for most of my life, I had never considered the composition of paper. It was really interesting to get a glimpse inside a working mill in 1919 through Glenda's fantastic storytelling.

The Paper Mill Girl is heart-warming, emotional and simply wonderful. It's perfect escapism and I really can't recommend it highly enough as I absolutely loved it. If you think family sagas aren't for you, you've never read Glenda Young's books - pick one up today and you'll be converted.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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I absolutely loved this book, it fairly broke my heart but I won't say because no spoilers but it put a dagger in me and twisted my heart. Ruth is left with her niece and her poorly parents and has no money to spare. She is constantly giving and never gets to receive. When tragedy strikes she is heartbroken but is there a new light in her life? She has to deal with constant trouble at the paper mill and she can't seem to find the right place to protect her niece - she couldn't possibly leave her with her parents they're too poorly. When will she get her chance to live? Everyone tells her to live for herself but she can't. I guess y'all will have to read to find out. 10/10 for me - chef's kiss.

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‘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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Story starts of with sisters Ruth and Bea working at the paper mill. Bea starts walking out with Jimmy Tate who’s a lazy oaf who thinks women are there to serve men. Her sister Ruth dislikes Jimmy and tries to tell Bea what he’s like, but as the old saying says “Love is blind”.
Ruth likes Mick who also works at mill but there relationship can only go on when Ruth finds time to get away from the house. Her ill mother and father who suffered an accident in pits rely heavily on Ruth so will she get to see Mick. There are twists and turns in the story, enjoy. Recommend it.

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Thanks to Net Galley for offering the opportunity to read this book. I found this book totally absorbing - it follows Ruth Hardy and her life as a worker at the Grange Paper works. What I loved about this book is the description of life and hardships experienced as a Mill worker. You felt like you were transported experiencing how difficult it was to live through poverty and illness and I felt great admiration for Ruth putting her life on hold completely for her parents and sister Bea at the risk of losing her true love. The book was very interesting and brought out all sorts of emotions. it was concluded very nicely which I also loved - some books you are left to your own conclusions. would highly recommend

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I had only read one other of Glenda’s books before this one and loved it..
This book didn’t disappoint me and I loved the story of Ruth and the hardships and challenges she faced with her sister Bea, and caring for her parents.
Glenda Young writes such lovely interesting stories that transport you to the time and place.
Will happily look for her other books to enjoy reading them.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

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Glenda Young writes such lovely atmospheric stories that draw you in and take you on a journey.Ruth Hardy has a hard life working all day at the mill then going home to care for her sick parents as well as all the household chores to be done, she also has to keep an eye on Bea her sister which is getting hard.When ruth is promoted at the mill could her life be changing for the better or will it make her life twice as hard.Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the chance to read this fabulous book 5*

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