Boon's Bookcase

A Respectable Woman

by

Susanna Bavin

This is the second book I have read by this fabulous author, the first one being The Deserter's Daughter and what a fabulous book that was! I am ploughing my way through Susanna's books and A Respectable Woman is another great read and here is my review:-

Review

Nell is married to Stan and has a beautiful little boy. Life is hard, but she is trying to make the best of being a wife and mother and trying to keep the wolf from the door. A midwife knocks on her door asking for Mrs Hibbert, she first thinks there is some kind of mistake, or maybe it is an omen that she will have another baby soon! Nell can't stop thinking that this is some kind of mistake and then finds out about Stan's double life and that he is married to someone else as well and she is having a baby!

Nell wastes no time in picking up her son and gathering up the few belongings she has and runs away to start a new life. She lodges with a lovely husband and wife (Mr & Mrs Brent) who end up looking after her and her children (the midwife must have been an omen after all!) while she goes to work in a factory as a machinist.

Just as things start to tick along nicely, Nell is given the news that she is to be made homeless as Leonie Brents' husband has died and her daughter Hilda and her son in law Edmund are moving in.

Meanwhile Jim Franks has come back from the war and rather than go back to his life as a proper gent and his job as a  Solicitor, much to the embarrassment of his family, he starts a window cleaning business and aims to help people in distress. Along comes Nell looking for somewhere to live and Jim finds any excuse to be near her and to help her in any way he can.

Of course, things do not run smoothly and Nell finds herself in all sorts of bother with Stan and the conniving Edmund, but Nell has to look out for her children and she will do what she has to do to make sure they have a decent upbringing.


Another fabulous read by this author and I really cannot wait to read more from her. I have the next one waiting to come with me on my next holiday!