The Porter’s Wife by Lisa Brown is set in Manchester in 1901. Following the death of her husband, Sarah struggles to survive with her five children. Eventually she builds up a protective wall around herself, not letting anyone in. To make ends meet, her eldest daughter, Margaret, takes a job as housemaid to the local factory owner, but suffers at the hands of the mistress of the house. Tragedy strikes, leaving Sarah with a decision to make and, having made up her mind, she moves to Canada to live with her brother. Nothing can prepare for her for the trials of the journey on a steamship and she is faced with regrets and fear, along with severe doubts about whether she is doing the right thing or not. Luckily for Sarah, it is all worth it when she finally makes a new life for herself and her family in Canada, a life that she never dreamed she could ever have.

The Porter’s Wife by Lisa Brown was a good novel, well written and clearly well researched. The characters fit the story and the plot was written in a way that was smooth and detailed without too much in the way of frivolous unnecessary detail. I did enjoy the book, but I must confess to struggling with it to start off. However, once I got into it, I followed the story through to its conclusion. I understand there is another part to the story and would very much like to read it.

The Porter’s Wife is a story of family. Lisa Brown writes a novel describing human strength and perseverance. Sarah Berry is a devoted wife and mother. The story unfolds during the early 1900s in England. Poverty and disease ran rampant. Smoke and ash from the factory filled the air, making everything filthy; life was barely tolerable. Young and old worked very hard and long hours for very little wages. It was a time when many married for convenience, very few for love. Traditions were not to be challenged; they were the way of life. “Familiar was comfortable, even if familiar was not always pleasant.” Hardship was inevitable to life; it was up to the individual to “seize the moment” and to find their own personal happiness. Sarah lived her life as a prisoner of her own circumstances; would she find freedom from her despair and heartache? With faith as her guide, she and her children set sail on a great adventure to discover life in the unknown.

The Porter’s Wife is not only artfully written, but historically authentic. The feel, the sights and sounds of old England flowed through every description. The plot would seem reliable, almost predictable, and then to the reader’s delight or sorrow, the author would cause you to dive into an unexpected event, triggering a dramatic change in the plot. Lisa Brown brought to life the voyage across the rough seas. You could feel the ups and downs of her characters’ stomachs and emotions. The development of the main characters arced as they reached the peak of their personal conflict. Not only were they described to you, but the author enlightened you with the thoughts and inner conversations of the characters, making them genuine. I found the love story within the story painfully realistic for the era. The ending gave the story a feeling of a happily ever after... which was a relief after a tale of such heartbreak and despair.