My name is Lynne Stringer and I love writing! Of course, that’s not all I love. I also love reading books, especially ones that take me out of the every day and into a new world. It doesn’t have to be a completely imaginary world, either. Anything with fascinating characters and interesting storylines will do. My first young adult novel, The Heir, was accepted for publication by Wombat Books and released on 1 June 2013. It is the first book in the Verindon trilogy. It’s so exciting to have a real copy of my book in my hands.
This book is a gripping and detailed account of a terrible period in England's history, a time when the age of consent for sex was only thirteen and girls were being trapped in brothels, lured there with offers of work as domestic servants and sometimes even sold by their poverty-stricken parents, and raped.
Into this den of vice strides controversial newspaperman WT Stead, who, with the aid of the Salvation Army, fights for the age of consent to be raised and for laws to be introduced to protect girls from this fate. But Stead's methods are sometimes questionable, and this gets him into trouble.
While I wouldn't call this book a pleasant read, as the subject it covers is not one that makes for enjoyable reading, it is still riveting and it holds the reader's interest, especially since it's made clear at the start what Stead's behaviour results in.
Recommended.