Songs of Expectation

<p><strong><em>This novel is inspired by a true story. </em></strong></p><p>London, 1881, and another party of child migrants sets sail for Canada, leaving behind all they know in search of a new life. Taken from the slums and workhouses of Britain, they are set to work as labourers and servants, building a nation in a foreign land. Among them is Mary Oliver, desperate to fulfil a promise she made to her dying father; Arthur Dilkes, to whom emigration is just another adventure; Sam Barney, who longs for a new family to replace the one he has lost; Margaret Walsh, who cannot forget the father she has left behind; and Lily, who does not even have a surname to call her own. All are unprepared for the prejudice and hostility they will face, and the obstacles they must overcome. All struggle to escape their pasts. </p><p>Presiding over them and countless others is Alice Hamilton, obsessed with making her mark in a man’s world, whose mission to ‘save’ these children is called into question by a series of tragic events. </p><p>A story of heartbreak and courage, <strong><em>Songs of Expectation</em></strong> shines a light on a shameful chapter in British history.</p>