Sixpenny Girl [Hardcover]

Meg Hutchinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Saran Chandler sees her mother and baby sister sold by her evil stepfather, Enoch Jacobs, and only escapes the same fate herself when Enoch falls into the canal and drowns. She is determined to reunite her family, but has no money or friends—until she meets Luke Hipton, and they build a life and business together in a miserable Black Country town. She comes into conflict with the local depraved businessman, Zadok Minch. He wants both Saran and her property, but when she discovers that he was the man who bought her family, she vows undying revenge.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Yet another stunning Hutchinson story... A beautiful piece of imaginative living fiction.' - North Wales Chronicle 'The mistress of simmering sagas gives us the story of another heroine, whose spirit and courage will entrance readers.' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph 'A compelling read, for all the heart-breaking agony.' - Coventry Evening Telegraph 'This is dramatic, gritty stuff.' - Bookseller 'Meg Hutchinson's tales enthrall.' - Bolton Evening News

About the Author

Meg Hutchinson left school at fifteen and didn't return to education until she was thirty-three, when she entered Teacher Training College and studied for her degree in the evenings. Telling stories and writing compositions has been part of Meg's life since a child and she now indulges this passion in a little cottage in Shropshire.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; Reprint edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340824824
• ISBN-13: 978-0340824825
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,727,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sixpenny Girl is Worth Every Cent., March 29, 2006

By 

Reviews No More - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixpenny Girl (Paperback)

This is the first book I truly believe is worthy of being called a "classic" in some time. As my first Meg Hutchinson novel, I fell madly in love with it from the beginning and found it difficult to leave alone until the very end. It is more than a pleasure to find a current British author who writes period novels in a Dickens style about the impoverished poor rising above some very oppressive odds.

This story starts out in 1830s England when women have no power once they are married, and their husbands often treat them viciously. Saran Chandler is a beautiful teenager whose widowed mother married a drunken scumbag named Enoch Jacobs for the money their father left them. Eventually, after he's drank up everything, he enslaves her, Saran, and her little sister until he sells the two of them in a tavern, and he would do it to Saran as well, except he drowns while sleepwalking.

A young boy named Luke Hipton becomes Saran's friend, and together they both go in search of her mother and little sister, encountering hardships galore, finally settling in a dreary little industry town called Wednesbury. There are tons of heartache for these two young, penniless friends, but they are also blessed with the strong ties of loyal friendship from others because of their honesty. It is there in the unlikely Wednesbury that things go from bad to worse, but then miraculously change for the best for all concerned. The action never stops in this fast paced novel. You come to care for all the good characters, hate the truly evil ones, and root for both Saran and Luke all the way. It's a wonderfully told story you won't want to miss, and the wrapups bring the sweetest, smile evoking surprises. Saran was an ambitious mover and shaker, building her own empire from nothing but sheer determination and a few penniless friends in a world where English women once had no say, crushing all her and her friends' adversaries. You go girl! Rewards of reading Sixpenny Girl? Priceless.

2.0 out of 5 stars Sixpenny Girl was just okay, January 31, 2011

By 

Kaye - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sixpenny Girl (Paperback)

I guess I like Catherine Cookson the best. I think when a book is written it should leave things to the imagination. A bit off color for me and very violent. I would not purchase from this author again.