Life in the Lancashire village of Riggan is dominated by the coal pit, for it not only provides employment for most of the villagers, but it is also the focus for most of the communities hopes and fears. Joan Lowrie, one of the pit girls, who has endured many hardships herself comes to the rescue of seventeen-year-old Liz and her baby.
Everybody in The Lancashire village of Riggan is talking about Joan Lowrie, and who could blame them? She’s as beautiful as she is kindhearted and strong willed. For years she’s endured the daily beatings from her father who works in the pit, just like all the other men in town. But the pit is a dangerous place to be, and so when seventeen-year-old Liz is left to take care of her infant baby on her own, Joan comes to her aid. Joan's many selfless acts don’t go unnoticed. She catches the eye of two very different men. Things are not made easier by the arrival of the new vicar's daughter. ‘That Lass O' Lowrie's’ is a tale of friendship, romance, and perseverance, set against the backdrop of a late 19th century mining village in England. Written and published in 1877 by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the novel easily rivals other famous titles of its generation, such as ‘Pride & Prejudice’ by Jane Austen and ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë. Frances Hodgson Burnett was an English American playwright and author. Born in the UK in Manchester to a family of ironmongers, she later migrated to the United States where she would go on to write some of her most famous plays and novels. During the span of her career, Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote and published more than 53 novels, most of them for adults. However, she is perhaps best known for her work in children’s literature, including famous titles such as ‘The Little Princess’ (1905), ‘The Secret Garden’ (1911), and ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’ (1886). Frances Hodgson Burnett is also known for her historical fiction, including acclaimed titles such as 'The Head of the House of Coombe' (1922) and its sequel, 'Robin' (1922). Burnett’s work has been adapted for film many times. The latest movie adaptation of ‘The Secret Garden’ was released in 2020, starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters.
That Lass o' Lowrie's is set in Lankashire and recounts the life of Joan Lowrie, a young woman raised in the impoverished mining town. Joan tries to rise herself above the grim background and move up socially, as she falls in love with a man of a higher social status.
The Lancashire village of Riggan is dominated by the pit, for it not only provides employment to most of those who live there, but is also a focus for the community's hopes and fears, and the place where friendships are made and lost. Joan Lowrie, one of the pit girls, has endured hardship, and beatings from her father, for as long as she can remember, but her pride, determination to rise above her lot, and natural intelligence make her stand apart from the other girls. So it is Joan who comes to the rescue of seventeen-year-old Liz, left to care for her young baby alone and taunted by the others. And it is Joan who attracts the attention of two very different men: Paul Grace, the local curate, longs to help her, but finds himself unable to master his shyness and reach her; his friend Fergus Derrick, the mining engineer, is also intrigued by her. Then the new vicar's daughter, Anice Barholm, whom Grace loves with a gentle passion, comes to Riggan. Generous and warm, she is quickly taken into the heart of the community, and becomes firm friends with Fergus. As Paul sees the two drawn together in sympathetic understanding, he feels his own inadequacies underlined, and fears he may lose everything .... Published in 1878, this is the first novel by the author of The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Abridged and retold in modern English by respected children's authors, this collection of sixteen classic stories makes them accessible to readers as young as six, while retaining all the charm, atmosphere, and sense of adventure that made the original tales world-famous. These dramatic, easy-to-follow stories, charmingly illustrated with verve and humour by specially commissioned artists, deserve to find a home on every child's bookshelf. Included in this boxed set: 1. Alice in Wonderland 2. Treasure Island 3. The Wizard of Oz 4. The Jungle Book 5. The Secret Garden 6. Robin Hood 7. Peter Pan 8. Heidi 9. Anne of Green Gables 10. Little Women 11. Black Beauty 12. The Call of the Wild 13. Robinson Crusoe 14. Wind in the Willows 15. Tom Sawyer 16. Oliver Twist