Romany Girl [Paperback]

Valerie Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2010

Polly Anna never knew her father, and when her mother died, in poverty, when Polly Anna was just three, the workhouse was the only place for her. Helped by Jonty, a misfit and a cripple who became her best friend, she ran away with the fairground folk and travelled around as a horserider and acrobat - to Appleby Horse Fair, Nottingham Goose Fair and Hull Fair. Her friends became the circus people and the gypsies, and her home the caravans and tents of the travellers. Meanwhile, in a great house in the Yorkshire Wolds, old Mrs Winthrop had never given up hope of finding her daughter, who ran away with a handsome Romany and was never seen again. Young Richard Crossley from the neighbouring estate set out to find the missing daughter, and discovered the colourful world of the fairs and the gypsies. He also discovered Polly Anna - once the waif from the workhouse, and now a fully-fledged Romani Chi - the Romany girl.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Valerie Wood was born in Yorkshire, where she still lives. Her first novel, The Hungry Tide, was the first winner of the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction. She is the author of several novels, all of which are available in Corgi paperback. Find out more about Valerie Wood's novels by visiting her website on www.valeriewood.co.uk

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Random House Pod (Stk) (February 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552159611
• ISBN-13: 978-0552159616
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1.7 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Workhouse, Circuses, and Gypsies.. Oh My!, December 27, 2009

By 

Tara (Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Romany Girl (Paperback)

What young girl doesn't at some time in her life declare that she is going to run away from home and join the circus? I, personally, used to run around my house in tights (in my childhood!!) and jump around like an acrobat. For those that shared similar childhood fantasies, this is the book for you!

Polly Anna is the daughter of a Romany and an English lady. Circumstances land her in the workhouse at the age of three where she spends ten years under the most appalling of circumstances. This was quite educational for me, being my first novel about the workhouses in Victorian England. I had no idea it was so bad. In the workhouse, a crippled, mute boy named Jonty takes care of her. I fell in love with Jonty.

Tragedy strikes, however, and Polly Anna and Jonty run away and join the fair. Polly Anna makes friends and finally feels she has a family of sorts. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, her real family is searching for her mother. They find Polly Anna instead. How is her uppity English family going to take to her being a circus performer tho? Not to mention her being half gypsy. I imagine not everyone in her English family is going to welcome her with open arms... Trouble may lie with her Aunt Rowena.

I forgot to mention that Jonty becomes a circus clown while Polly Anna is an equestrian. This entire story was a lot of fun. I had no idea what the circus was like back in them days. I give this four stars tho because Jonty pretty much disappeared after page 300 and he was my favorite character. Around page 300, I also figured out where it was going and I was hoping it would end a bit differently as well as less predictably.