Pride of Lancashire (Preston Sisters 1) [Paperback]

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

Carrie Preston is used to hard work – oldest of ten, with an incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for her siblings. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate deals her family the cruellest of hands, rendering them more desperate than ever.



In a harsh world, small acts of kindness can bring great hope –Eli Beckett’s offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for Carrie, especially as Eli’s uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to build a music room.



With the great cities of England alive to the sound of music halls, the locals of Hedderby are soon looking forward to their own place of celebration and merriment. Yet not everyone in the town shares this excitement, and some will stop at nothing in the pursuit of selfish gain.

I love finding aspects of history that haven't been
over-exposed in fiction. In the mid 19th century, Lancashire was the
biggest centre of music halls outside London, and they started as singing
rooms attached to pubs. My heroine isn't a performer, but an organiser, and
she hasn't got a golden voice. Nor does she seek fame or fortune, just
enough to eat and clean clothes to wear - until she meets Eli Beckett and
begins to share his dreams of opening a singing room in the small
Lancashire town of Hedderby. But their ambitions clash with a rich and
ruthless man's needs for land, and they end up fighting not only for their
dreams but their lives.

This is the first in the series and won an award for Australian Romantic
Book of the Year in 2006.

It's followed by Star of the North, Bright Day Dawning and Heart of the
Town, each a complete read in itself, but set against the background of
Eli's attempts to build a music hall. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Carrie Preston is used to hard work - oldest of ten, with an
incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for the
younger children. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate
deals her family the cruellest of blows, rendering the Prestons more
helpless and desperate than ever.

Eli Beckett's offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for
Carrie, especially as Eli's uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to
build a music room. The locals of Hedderby are soon looking forward to
their own place of celebration and merriment. Yet not everyone in the town
shares this excitement and some will stop at nothing in the pursuit of
money. --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.