I wonder what these people would think if they knew their story was being discussed nearly two centuries later and how public opinion would now find Emmeline a victim and Mr Maguire the criminal.

Someone who these days would have a jail sentence and be put on the sex offenders register, barely suffered whilst Emmeline endured the most horrible life because of what happened to her as a 13 yr old. Don't read any reviews if you're planning to read this, or look at spoilers, poor Emmeline, I find it unbelievable that not one person saw this as not her fault, let alone saw her as the victim. The second part of the book deals with Emmeline' s life, mainly around the age of 34. I found the scene where he is leading her upstairs whilst his family is away particularly poignant, she stops to look at his daughter's dolls house, you can tell she would love to stop and play and has never had the chance to do this, and this brings home to him that this is what she should be doing. When the boss of her department shows her kindness she falls in love with him which makes her a helpless target for this predatory male.

The move from her family is devastating, she is shy and homesick and the work is exhausting. She is completely naive and nobody makes her aware of the problems she might face. I came to this book with very little knowledge of the content and a few hours after finishing I'm still coming to terms this was based on real events, without that knowledge I would have mentioned it is too farfetched, but obviously knowing that fact, it isn't.Įmmeline Mosher's farming family is starving so she goes to work at the cotton mills some way from her home to send money home to her family. The true story of Emeline Bachelder Gurney 1826-1899.

Emmeline by judith rossner