Calico Road [Paperback]

Praise for Anna Jacobs:

'Another cracking read with a vivid insight into family relationships' - Coventry Evening Telegraph on OUR EVA

'Catherine Cookson fans will cheer' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph

'Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular. She is one of the best writers of Lancashire sagas around.' - Historical Novels Review

'Sensitive and compelling' Nuneaton Evening Telegraph on OUR MARY ANN

'An exciting book of immensely brilliant character portrayal and a great storyline' Bangor Chronicle on OUR EVA

'Another magical Lancashire saga that will delight fans and newcomers alike' Lancashire Evening Post on OUR MARY ANN

Calico Road runs through a tiny Lancashire hamlet up on the edge of the moors, miles from anywhere. Its folk are an independent breed - and in 1827 they are a thorn in the side of the vicious mill owner in the valley below.



Toby Fletcher's father ignored his bastard son while alive. Now Toby is the new owner of the rambling old inn, an unwitting keeper of its secrets. Then Meg Staley comes to Calico, a woman who was strong enough to survive one tragedy, but found it harder to withstand a second blow. Toby finds her wandering the moors, cold and starving, and brings her back to the inn.



Working there, Meg starts to rebuild her life and find a fragile happiness. But then the secrets of Calico Road come crashing down on her and those she has grown to love . . .

CALICO ROAD is a linked book to DOWN WEAVERS LANE. CALICO ROAD tells the story of Meg Staley, while DOWN WEAVERS LANE tells the story of her brother Jack Staley.

I'd been meaning to write Meg's tale for a couple of years, but could never settle on a title. Strangely enough, as soon as I did think of CALICO ROAD, a lot of the story fell into place and I couldn't wait to start writing.

I love writing tales about the moors between Lancashire and Yorkshire. I grew up in Rochdale on the Lancashire side, but some of my relatives lived in Todmorden on the Yorkshire side. One of my treats as a child was when my aunt or grandad took me for walks on the moors. I still like to drive up to 'the tops' and watch the cloud shadows chasing one another across the rolling moorland landscape.

If you've never thought of playing tourist in Lancashire, try the moors territory, Rochdale with its gothic town hall, Todmorden with a town hall in both counties, shown in the carving on the frieze and smaller places like Hepstonstall and Hebden Bridge. There are wonderful small towns and villages, with rows of houses climbing up the hillsides.

I live in Australia now, but I still go back there, both in person and in my imagination. And a lot of my books are set there.

Calico Road runs through a tiny Lancashire hamlet up on the edge of the
moors, miles from anywhere. Its folk are an independent breed – and in 1827
they are a thorn in the side of the vicious mill owner in the valley below.

Toby Fletcher's father ignored his bastard son while alive. Now Toby is the
new owner of the rambling old inn, an unwitting keeper of its secrets. Then
Meg Staley comes to Calico, a woman who was strong enough to survive one
tragedy, but found it harder to withstand a second blow. Toby finds her
wandering the moors, cold and starving, and brings her back to the inn.

Working there, Meg starts to rebuild her life and find a fragile happiness.
But then the secrets of Calico Road come crashing down on her and those she
has grown to love . . . Will they find a way to defeat an evil man, or will he
again wreak destruction? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Have you read all Anna Jacobs’ wonderful sagas? Down Weavers Lane, which is linked to Calico Road, and Threepenny Dreams are among the most recent. All are available from Hodder Paperbacks. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Anna Jacobs grew up in Lancashire and emigrated to Australia a while ago, but still visits the UK regularly to see her family and do research, something she loves. She has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in a spacious waterfront home. Often, as she writes, dolphins frolic outside the window of her office. Inside, the house is crammed with thousands of books.