Linnet Bird, The

Description: India, 1839: Linny Gow, a respectable young wife and mother, settles down to write her life story. To outside appearances Linny is the perfect Raj wife: beautiful, gracious, subservient. But appearances can be very deceptive ...Born into direst poverty in Liverpool, Linny escapes the life of prostitution her stepfather has forced her into, transforms herself into a young lady, and escapes to India, where the British Raj is in its infancy. There she will find heartache and suffering, but also true love and -- perhaps most precious of all -- freedom. But how did Linny achieve all this? And what has she sacrificed along the way? Most importantly, is this the end of Linny's journey, or is her story not yet over? THE LINNET BIRD is an enthralling tale of one young girl's destiny and her struggle for happiness and survival.

Review: A stirring tale of one woman's search for personal fulfilment -- Woman & Home 20041001 This is a sweeping, unputdownable saga (think The Thorn Birds and Gone with the Wind) that you'll probably want to tell all your friends about -- Woman 20041001 Linny's talent for survival makes for compulsive reading. This Canadian writer's first adult novel succeeds in being more than just a historical saga; it is a rites-of-passage tale with a very convincing and resourceful heroine. -- The Lady 20040928

Author Biography: Linda Holeman is the author of six books for children and young adults, and two collections of short stories for adults, both of which have won her numerous awards in her native Canada. This is her first novel. She has three children and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.