Children of Fortune

By: Val Wood

Narrated by: Anne Dover

Brought to you by Penguin.

1864: following the untimely death of her cold-hearted husband, Beatrix and her three children are finally free. While Ambrose has already determined his path in life, eldest son Laurie's future is less certain. With the responsibility of the family estate on his shoulders, Laurie must decide between staying in Yorkshire to farm the family land and following his dreams.

Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school. There, she befriends the enigmatic Olivia Snowdon and they quickly become inseparable. But Olivia's family past is shrouded in mystery and as she begins to dig deeper secrets come tumbling out....

Can the two families overcome the challenges that lie ahead?

©2021 Val Wood (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A heart-warming story filled with compelling action." (Rosie Goodwin)

"Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson." (BBC Radio 4's Front Row)

"Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories." (Peterborough Telegraph)

Engaging characters!

We loved the story, really cared about the characters. Good capturing of a time gone by.

Sugary Sweet

No irony in the title. They are children of fortune. Everyone loves everyone. Everything turns out perfectly for everyone. I finished the story just in case a meteor fell on all of them gathered at the end. But no. It felt like a reading of old fashioned letter writing where letters contained everything from the weather to who came to visit to how the crops are doing. Would have been more interesting to me had the story started with Beatrix, her loveless marriage and Edward’s unrequited love.