THE COCOA GIRLS

Author(s): Annie Doyle

Location(s): Gateshead, London, New York City (NYC), Paris

Genre(s): Historical, Fiction

Era(s): Late 19th and early 20th centuries

Gateshead, 1903 – four-year old Evie’s world crumbles when her grandmother dies. Evie’s unmarried mother Margaret and Aunt Dinah discover their mother’s death has left them deeply in debt to their vicious aunt. She orders the sisters into service and sends Evie to the workhouse.

Margaret abandons Evie and disobeys her aunt to run away with Evie’s father, Louis. Refused permission to marry, the couple plan a new life in London. Louis’s empty promises lead Margaret to a rundown music hall and a terrifying life as an exotic dancer.

Dinah works as a scullery maid in Northumberland, promising to repay her mother’s debt, find her sister and implore her to return to Gateshead for Evie.

As Evie struggles to survive, Margaret and Dinah deal with life after their mother’s death. Events take them from Gateshead to London and then New York City. Will they vanquish their evil aunt and be reunited with Evie before it’s too late?

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