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  • Published: 31 August 2017
  • ISBN: 9781473554634
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 13 hr 31 min
  • Narrator: Penelope Freeman

A Shilling for a Wife




Gritty and page-turning historical saga set in 1860s Bolton and Manchester, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

Random House presents the audiobook edition of A Shilling for a Wife by Emma Hornby, read by Penelope Freeman.

Sally Swann thought life couldn't get much worse. Then a single coin changed hands.

A dismal cottage in the heart of Bolton, Lancashire, has been Sally’s prison since Joseph Goden 'bought' her from the workhouse as his wife. A drunkard and bully, Joseph rules her with a rod of iron, using fists and threats to keep her in check.

When Sally gives birth, however, she knows she must do anything to save her child from her husband's clutches. She manages to escape, and taking her baby, flees for the belching chimneys of Manchester, in search of her only relative.

But with the threat of discovery by Joseph, who will stop at nothing to find her, Sally must fight with every ounce of strength she has to protect herself and her son, and finally be with the man who truly loves her. For a fresh start does not come without a price . . .

A SHILLING FOR A WIFE is powerful, absorbing storytelling that is perfect for fans of saga by Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Maggie Hope.

  • Published: 31 August 2017
  • ISBN: 9781473554634
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 13 hr 31 min
  • Narrator: Penelope Freeman

About the author

Emma Hornby

Emma Hornby lives on a tight-knit working-class estate in Bolton and has read sagas all her life. Before pursuing a career as a novelist, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly, to working in a Blackpool rock factory. She was inspired to write after researching her family history; like the characters in her books, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire's slums.

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Praise for A Shilling for a Wife

A woman’s lot was shocking in the 1850s as this Cooksonlike saga brilliantly describes... Have some tissues handy!

Peterborough Telegraph