“Happiness had never been something she’d looked for. A quiet day with no insults or wallops, that was the best she could imagine.”

Kate Goss lives in Bermondsey England in the 1920’s in a cold garret, working three jobs to pay rent and feed herself. Her mother is dead and she has been living with her aunt and her two cousins who treat her badly and have tossed her out on her own.

Kate has been dreaming of her father coming to rescue her one day, but as the years pass, he never arrives. One day Kate sees her father by mistake and wants to know why he never came for her. At first, he seems like the knight in shining armor she has always dreamed of, but then he seems to change.

Kate’s job as a cleaner at the Bermondsey Bookshop turns out to be her life’s redeeming feature as she learns her worth and makes new friends.

Historically accurate, full of adventure and intrigue, a great read!