Book description
The Burnsides' move from Glasgow's tenement slums to the sunny new
suburbs of Flannery Park brings hope to all members of the family. But
heartbreak awaits among the tidy gardens and green lawns and soon
seventeen-year-old Alison is forced to take on responsibility for her
out-of-work father and brothers and put her own ambitions aside. Love as
well as loss threatens Alison's future, however, and leads her into a
relationship with teacher Jim Abbott, an affair which her brothers, even
the brooding Henry, are powerless to understand, let alone prevent.
Throughout the Depression years of the early 30s, the Burnsides - united
by a shared heritage yet divided by their dreams - square up to the
challenge of poverty and fight to hold the family together, whatever the
cost. Born in Glasgow, Jessica Stirling is the author of many
heartwarming novels, most of which have Scottish backgrounds. She has
enjoyed a highly successful career since THE SPOILED EARTH was published
in 1974.
