Ring of Clay [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Margaret Kaine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2004

Despite an early life marked by tragedy and hardship, Beth Sherwin dreams of staying on at school and even going to university - a heady ambition for a Potteries girl in 1956. Then a brutal encounter leaves her pregnant at seventeen. Unwilling to break her widowed mother's heart, Beth bears her secret alone and gives up her baby daughter for adoption. It seems her desperate gamble has succeeded. She finishes school, takes on a challenging job and meets Michael, charming eldest son of the wealthy Rushton family. She has to fight both class prejudice and the jealousy of her old enemy Ursula to win him - but when he asks her to marry him, Beth faces a dilemma. Does she dare tell Michael her guilty secret and risk losing him? And even if he stands by her, can she bear the certainty that the brutal stranger who fathered her child will be at her wedding?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A wonderfully fast moving read with an eye-catching plot brilliantly portrayed.' -- North Wales Chronicle on Ring of 20030724 'A rags-to-riches story with some dramatic twists and turns, the book has everything from romance to tragedy...A real tear-jerking rollercoaster ride...A great book to curl up to after a hard day at work.' Dumfries and Galloway Standard on Ring of Clay 20040213 'A perfect novel ... Kaine is great at conveying the tough times following the Second World War. Beth is an inspiring heroine, and readers will love her rise from rags to riches.' -- Irish Tatler on Ring of Clay 20040213 'A tense and compelling epic.' -- U Magazine on Ring of Clay 20040213 'A realistic style which at once engages the interest and belief of her readers, the story is a gripping "rags to riches" tale which has unputdownable qualities.' Staffordshire Life on Ring of Clay 20040201 'Romance stands out from the crowd...There is much more than just a girl-meets-boy-wedding-bells-happy-ending to Kaine's book...Sub-plots are skilfully woven into the tale, but it is her studies of the relationships between her characters which single the novel out.' Leicester Mercury 20040120 'Kaine has a gift for storytelling.' -- Woman's Way on Ring of Clay 20040120 'Kaine is a fantastic storyteller and has a knack for connecting with the reader and making her characters seem true to life.' -- Woman's Way on Rosemary 20040120 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Born and educated in Stoke-on-Trent, Margaret Kaine now lives in Leicester. She began writing ten years ago and her short stories have been published in women's magazines in Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Norway. She won the 2002 Romantic Novelists' Association/Reader's Digest Of Love and Life New Writer's Award for her first novel, Ring of Clay. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Story Sound; Unabridged edition (May 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859037119
• ISBN-13: 978-1859037119
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

More About the Author

Born and educated in the Potteries in Staffordshire, Margaret Kaine now lives in Leicester. Her short stories have been published widely in women's magazines in the UK, and also in Australia, Norway, South Africa and Ireland. Ring of Clay, her debut novel, won both the RNA's New Writer's Award in 2002 and the Society of Authors' Sagittarius Prize in 2003. She has now published six romantic sagas about life in the Potteries between the 50's and 70's; her latest novel, Ribbon of Moonlight is also set partly in Paris. Translations include German and French and all details of her books can be found on her website - www.margaretkaine.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read, September 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ring of Clay (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read published by Poolbeg Press, Ltd. Ring of Clay is Margaret Kaine's first published novel and received a First Book Award.

It is the story of Beth Sherwin who was born into a working-class family. Her initial experience with prejudice of the classes in Great Britain was at school. Each child had to stand and state their father's profession. In spite of this class distinction, Beth does well in school and later immerses herself in her career, but Beth has a secret, the baby she gave up for adoption.

Michael, heir to the Rushton family empire, asks Beth to marry him. She struggles with the decision to tell him at the risk of losing him, and searching for the identity of her child's father becomes an obsession.

I loved this story. The characters seemed so real that I could visualize them. Sometimes they made me feel like crying, and at other times caused chuckles. I wanted to finish the book in one sitting and it kept me up all night. I not only enjoyed a good story, but gained an insight to the class system. I would definitely read other books by this author.