Product Description

Sadie Smith, born with a degenerative hip, is unable to walk. Sent to a Dr Barnardo's home for treatment, she is so excited that she fails to realise she will never see her beloved family again. In 1927, once fully cured, Sadie is offered the opportunity of a lifetime; to start a new life in Canada. But when she arrives at the Trikhardts' farm in the heart of Ontario, her new life seems far from perfect. Worked from dawn to dusk, she treasures the scarlet ribbons her mother gave her and seeks solace in her friendship with fellow orphan, cheeky-faced Robbie. A freak hurricane finally provides Sadie with a lucky escape. From Canadian parlourmaid to pilot in Britain's Air Transport Auxillary, from office clerk to managing director, Sadie has to draw on her courage and strength in a determined struggle to find the lasting happiness that had eluded her as a child.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32266 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

About the Author
Emma Blair was born in Glasgow and now lives in Devon. She is the author of twenty bestselling novels, including MAGGIE JORDAN and HALF HIDDEN, the latter with which she was shortlisted for Romantic Novelist of the Year Award.

Customer Reviews

An amazing tale of a young girls triumph over adversity
As an avid reader of Emma Blair novels I could not miss this one out of my reading list. It starts with a young girl named Saidie Smith who has a problem with her hip.Her father has TB so she is sent away to a childrens home so she does not catch this, then life threatening disease and also so her hip may be fixed. Saidie will never see her family again although she does not know this at the time. The Bardardoes home that she is at gives her and all her other friends the chance of a lifetime-the chance to emigrate to the country of their choice. Saidie chooses Canada so she can travel with her best friend. However when they arrive in Canada the pair are split up much to their dismay. Saidie ends up living with a cruel foster family who make her work day and night on a farm for only $2 per month. One day their is a freak hurricane which kills her foster father. Amazingly luck strikes her way again when she is offered an opportunity to work as a maid in a rich household. The family she works for treat her like part of their family. Saidie eventually ends up falling in love but when WW2 breaks out disaster strikes.It is not taxing read so anyone of any reading abilities may read it. In my opinion this is the best book of the century, without a doubt!

A fabulous read for teenagers.
Sadie Smith is born with a degenerative hip and therefore cannot walk. She is sent away to a home as her family cannot afford to keep her. On the way to the home Sadie's mother buys her a pair of Scarlet Ribbons, these become Sadie's most treasured possesion. Sadie moves to Canada for a new start in life but a freak hurricane leaves her with a lucky escape but causes her to lose her ribbons. She works as a maid and soon becomes the housekeeper and then soon becomes the wife of the eldest son. Sadly her husdand dies during the war and Sadie is left to bring up a child on her own.