Finding Harriett
by Maria Teanby
Rating: ✰✰✰✰
Against the white heat of an iron and steel town, the characters of two women born nearly a century apart are forged. Their lives mirror, touch and cross in hardship, wrought not only by their brutal surroundings, but by the men in their respective lives. Both have their skeletons in the cupboard, both carry the weight of shame. The real force that finally stamps its mould on these women, though, is Harriet's terrible secret. She carried it to her grave and now, at the point of Mia's own death, finding Harriet and her secret is imperative. Mia first discovered Harriet, her great grandmother, many years ago. An illiterate Victorian washerwoman redacted from family memory, Mia had assumed her disgrace was due to bearing four illegitimate children and abandoning two of them. Finding Harriet at that time had been a pivotal point in Mia's life and one at which she forgave herself for abandoning her own two children. Now, on Mia's death bed, Harriet reappears with a new and horrifying shame. Maria Teanby was brought up in the steel boom days of Scunthorpe, but left to pursue a teaching career in London before being drawn home once more to find her roots. There she first encountered the blank wall surrounding her great-grandmother, Harriet. "It was not until I retired that I was finally able to pursue her elusive figure through the pages of history. Based on the real life of Harriet, who was deliberately deleted from family memory, I felt Finding Harriet was a story that absolutely demanded to be told."
Finding Harriett Reader Review
Finding Harriet is a beautifully written tale of loss and survival. Maria Teanby’s vivid and sympathetic book shows us the life and struggles of two women born generations apart. Both Harriet and Mia live in colorful detail and the author shows us the spirit and resilience of both women. Finding Harriet is a tale of love and sacrifice and how two women endure life’s hardships in order to find strength of soul. - R. Lynn
Finding Harriett Book Trailer
Meet Maria Teanby
Maria Teanby was brought up in the steel boom days of Scunthorpe, but left to pursue a teaching career in London before going home once more to find her roots. There she first learned of the secrecy surrounding Harriet. “It was not until I retired that I was finally able to pursue her elusive figure through the pages of history.”
Connect with Maria Teanby
Finding Harriett by Maria Teanby - Featured Book
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Reviewed by Duh
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