Ruby and Grace have grown up in the poorest slums of Hull. Friends since early childhood, they have supported each other in bad times and good. But their families are bound together by more than friendship, and secrets from the past threaten to make their lives even more difficult. The local cotton mill has provided work for Ruby and Grace since they were nine years old, and now years later both girls find themselves the object of attention from the mill owner's sons. As times grow harder, and money ever scarcer, Grace becomes involved in campaigns against poverty and injustice, while Ruby is tempted into prostitution. The two girls are searching for something that could take them far away . . . But what price will they pay to find it? If you like Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love this heartwarming story of triumph over adversity. --------------------------- Praise for Val Wood: 'A heart-warming story filled with compelling action' Rosie Goodwin 'Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson' BBC Radio 4's Front Row 'Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories' Peterborough Telegraph
The Doorstep Girls Series
This series chronicles the lives of two young women navigating poverty and hardship in a bygone era. Bound by a deep friendship, their loyalty is tested by secrets from the past and the temptations of forbidden paths. Experience their struggle for a better future amidst the industrial revolution, where love, loss, and the yearning for freedom intertwine in a compelling tale of resilience.




Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2Far from Home- 558 pages
- 20 hours of reading
 When Georgiana Gregory and her maid, Kitty, make the long sea journey from their native Hull for New York, they are expecting to begin a new life in the freedom of the newly formed United States of America. But in New York, the women discover that the dangers and passions of this new country and its people threaten to overwhelm them. 
- 2Far From Home- 576 pages
- 21 hours of reading
 When Georgiana Gregory and her maid, Kitty, make the long sea journey from their native Hull for New York, they hope to begin a new life in the freedom of the newly-formed United States of America. 
- 3In discovering the mysteries of Jewel's past the girls realise that this is a life-changing voyage of discovery for both of them, as they learn important lessons about family, friendship, love and home.