Winter’s Daughter

Book excerpt: With her trademark warmth and powerful characters, Winter's Daughter is a stunning new Victorian saga - about a young child separated from her mother, and the family who bring her in from the cold. 'As always, Val tells it from the heart . . . A stirring story of faith, hope and charity will enthral you' Peterborough Telegraph Hull, 1856. James Ripley and his wife Moira have always looked out for the poor of Hull. When, during one stormy night, there is a flood in a nearby cellar - a popular shelter for the homeless - James rushes to help. Among those rescued is a dark-haired little girl who speaks a language no one can understand. Some say that she came to the cellar with her mother, but no one knows where the mother is now. Concerned for the child's safety, James is unsure of what to do. Where has the girl's mother disappeared to? And what can be done to help the homeless who have lost the only shelter they knew? A stunning new story of family, love and the importance of kindness, from the Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood. 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 'With fully developed characters and a compelling story, it's no wonder the author won the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her debut... A great choice for a book club' Belfast Telegraph