Customer Reviews

Victorian Workhouse: The Diary of Edith Lorrimer, England, 1871 (My Story S.)

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I found out about the "My Story" series by accident. Loving English history as I do, I'm always on the lookout for books of that genre. "Anne Boyeyn and Me" was one of the titles that caught my eye on Amazon, and I ordered it, not knowing it was a children's book. I enjoyed it very much-- I am many years past childhood, but I would have loved this book at any age. So I started buying a number of books in the "My Story" series, and that led to "Dear America", another series I can hardly wait to begin.

But--- I digress. "Victorian Workhouse" was an eye-opener for me, because in all my years of reading, I've never read a book that was totally about the workhouses in England during the Queen Victoria period. Mention was made of them in many books, but no hard details. This book is from the viewpoint of a 16 year old girl, who sees the workhouse from the outside, and all the cruelty and corruption in the system. The book tells that story, in a simple and readable way.

Although I am an adult and usually read "heavier", more adult books, these books are quick to read, informative, and most interesting. Great reading for both adults and younger readers. When I was 11 or 12, these would have been just what I would have wanted to read. And am now so glad I found them.

This book is one in the My Story series. The books in this series are fictional diaries of young girls living during different periods of British, Scottish, and Irish history.

Edith Lorrimer, who lives in Stoneleigh, Kent, begins her diary in January 1871, a month before her sixteenth birthday. Unlike many other people in England, Edith is lucky. Even though her father died when she was a young child, Edith and her mother still live a comfortable life. They have a good home, and are able to afford to have two servants. Edith's mother is on the Board of Guardians at Stoneleigh's workhouse, and because she hopes Edith will someday take her place, she begins bringing Edith with her to the workhouse to learn how it is run. What Edith discovers horrifies her. She never knew how bad conditions are at the workhouse, and how terrible life is for the people there. She begins to take a special interest in Rosie, an orphan girl her own age who has lived in the workhouse since she was a very young child, and decides to try and educate her so that she can someday leave and find employment.

Although this book didn't seem to have that interesting a premise, unlike some others in the My Story series, I ended up really enjoying it. It was very well written, and flowed along well, so I never lost interest. I enjoyed reading Edith's diary and learning about how different life was for the middle class and the poor in Victorian England. Readers who enjoyed other books in the My Story series will most likely enjoy this book as well.