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Synopsis: A compelling love story, beginning in poverty at the chain shops of the Black Country, to the sunny beaches of Brittany, and then to an attempt to forge a new life in the immigrant community of New York. An unusual and compelling book.
About the author
Autobiography: Helen Spring was born in the Black Country, in the industrial Midlands of England,like her parents and grandparents before her, and she still has many friends and relatives there.After a successful business career, Helen decided to concentrate on writing fiction. Her first novel was 'The Chainmakers', which tells a fictional story about the people of her grandmother's day, who in spite of the harshness of their lives, (or possibly because of it) managed to defeat the odds by a blend of sheer endurance, hard work, and stoic humour.Helen's second novel was 'Strands of Gold', set in roughly the same period as 'The Chainmakers' but about a very different set of people. It charts the struggle of Lucy Rowlands to escape from the brutality of a loveless marriage and create a new life. This book is set against a background which ranges from the stifling conformity of colonial Singapore to the blistering heat of the Australian outback, and has won praise for its spellbinding descriptions and very engaging characterisation.Published in 2010, Helen's third novel is set in the twelfth century, and is based on the life of a real Welsh heroine, the Princess Gwenllian, who became known as 'The Welsh Warrior Princess.' Her story is one of passion, courage and honour, and gives a fascinating insight into Welsh life at this turbulent time.Helen has recently released a sequel to 'The Chainmakers'. It is called 'Blood Relatives,' and is set in German occupied Rome during the Second World War.To access an interview with Helen Spring go to http://juditharnoppnovelist.blogspot.com
