County Durham 1830s When fifteen-year-old Cissie Brodie loses her parents to cholera she is forced out of the family cottage & left to raise her nine brothers & sisters by herself Although desperately poor strong-willed Cissie determines to build a new home for them all their own little shelter to keep them from the workhouse They have friends but charity cannot always spare them the harsh reality of their struggle & when Cissie attracts the unwanted attentions of a local landowner her world seems close to collapse Can love when it arrives teach her not to fear the world beyond the dwelling place? Catherine Cookson was the original & bestselling saga writer selling over 100 million copies of her novels If you like Dilly Court Katie Flynn or Donna Douglas you'll love Catherine Cookson