
The Paper Mill Girl
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $14.52
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Janine Birkett
-
By:
-
Glenda Young
About this listen
'She's just a paper mill girl.'
Seventeen-year-old Ruth Hardy works long hours at Grange Paper Works with her younger sister, Bea, and spends her free time caring for their ailing parents. Their meagre income barely covers their needs, so when Bea reveals that she is pregnant out of wedlock, Ruth knows even tougher times are ahead.
Ruth's hard work at the mill does not go unnoticed, and it looks as though luck might turn when she's promoted. But when the arrival of Bea's baby girl ends in tragedy, Ruth is left with no choice but to bring up her niece herself. However, news of Ruth's plan brings a threatening menace close.
Although Ruth's friendship with the girls at the mill and the company of charming railway man Mick Carson sustain her, ultimately Ruth bears the responsibility for keeping her family safe. Will she ever find happiness of her own?
Look out for Glenda's other compelling sagas, Belle of the Back Streets, The Tuppenny Child, Pearl of Pit Lane and The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon.
©2020 Glenda Young (P)2020 Headline Publishing Group LtdListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon
- By: Glenda Young
- Narrated by: Katy Sobey
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a newborn baby girl is found abandoned with nothing but a scarlet ribbon tied to her basket, Ada Davidson, housekeeper of the wealthy McNally family's home, the Uplands, takes her into her care. Sworn to secrecy about the baby's true identity, Ada names her Jess and brings her up as her own, giving Jess no reason to question where she came from. But when Ada passes away, grief-stricken Jess, now 16, is banished from the place she's always called home. With the scarlet ribbon the only connection to her past, will Jess ever find out where she really belongs?
By: Glenda Young
-
A Mother's Shame
- By: Rosie Clarke
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie Bailey has not had an easy childhood. Her father, Michael, always too easy with his fists after spending the family’s rent money down the pub. Just sixteen, in love and blinded by promises, Maggie sees marriage to handsome Jack as her great escape. However, she soon finds herself abandoned with a beautiful baby when Jack disappears. Maggie is forced to seek a new life away from the East End of London and finds herself a job at a hotel in Yarmouth.
-
-
Leaves you guessing until the very end!
- By Dogs, Cats, and Kids on 08-08-24
By: Rosie Clarke
-
Pride of Lancashire
- Music Hall Series, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carrie Preston is used to hard work - oldest of 10, with an incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for her siblings. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate deals her family the cruellest of hands, rendering them more desperate than ever. In a harsh world, small acts of kindness can bring great hope - Eli Beckett's offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for Carrie, especially as Eli's uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to build a music room.
-
-
very enjoyable. thank you
- By Kindle Customer on 08-30-22
By: Anna Jacobs
-
The Innkeeper's Daughter
- By: Val Wood
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holderness, 1846.For reliable, thirteen-year-old Bella, life isn’t turning out quite as she’d hoped. She lives at the Woodman Inn – an ancient hostelry run by her family in the Yorkshire countryside – surrounded by two older brothers who never pull their weight and a flighty younger sister. When Bella learns not only that her father is seriously ill, but that her mother is expecting a fifth child, her dreams of leaving home to become a schoolteacher are quickly dashed.
By: Val Wood
-
A Daughter's Journey
- Birch End, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Julia Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jo Melling has arrived in Birch End from Australia, still grieving her father's recent death. She's not intending to stay long, but after tracking down her distant family, Jo becomes more involved in village life than she could ever have imagined - and suddenly in danger too. Jo also finds herself drawn to Nick, a handsome newcomer to the village. Nick had planned to settle in Birch End and start a business, but as he grows closer to Jo, he realises he may have to choose between his dreams and a chance at love.
-
-
another great book
- By joanie on 04-21-20
By: Anna Jacobs
-
A Pennyworth of Sunshine
- The Irish Sisters, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Marie McCarthy
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keara Michaels doesn't want to leave her family in Ireland, but fate sends her first to Lancashire, then across the sea to Australia, pregnant and penniless. And Theo Mullane, the man who loves her, is married, with an ailing baby son, so cannot follow her as he longs to. Mark Gibson leaves Lancashire to avoid marriage. But gold prospecting is a dangerous pursuit, and when his gentle young wife dies in childbirth, his father-in-law kidnaps the baby. So Mark runs away again, this time to Western Australia, where he employs Keara in his country inn.
-
-
Awesome narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 08-08-20
By: Anna Jacobs
-
The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon
- By: Glenda Young
- Narrated by: Katy Sobey
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a newborn baby girl is found abandoned with nothing but a scarlet ribbon tied to her basket, Ada Davidson, housekeeper of the wealthy McNally family's home, the Uplands, takes her into her care. Sworn to secrecy about the baby's true identity, Ada names her Jess and brings her up as her own, giving Jess no reason to question where she came from. But when Ada passes away, grief-stricken Jess, now 16, is banished from the place she's always called home. With the scarlet ribbon the only connection to her past, will Jess ever find out where she really belongs?
By: Glenda Young
-
A Mother's Shame
- By: Rosie Clarke
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie Bailey has not had an easy childhood. Her father, Michael, always too easy with his fists after spending the family’s rent money down the pub. Just sixteen, in love and blinded by promises, Maggie sees marriage to handsome Jack as her great escape. However, she soon finds herself abandoned with a beautiful baby when Jack disappears. Maggie is forced to seek a new life away from the East End of London and finds herself a job at a hotel in Yarmouth.
-
-
Leaves you guessing until the very end!
- By Dogs, Cats, and Kids on 08-08-24
By: Rosie Clarke
-
Pride of Lancashire
- Music Hall Series, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carrie Preston is used to hard work - oldest of 10, with an incompetent mother and a drunken father, she struggles to find food for her siblings. But nothing could have prepared her for the day fate deals her family the cruellest of hands, rendering them more desperate than ever. In a harsh world, small acts of kindness can bring great hope - Eli Beckett's offer of a job at the Dragon pub promises a better future for Carrie, especially as Eli's uncle has offered his nephew some spare land to build a music room.
-
-
very enjoyable. thank you
- By Kindle Customer on 08-30-22
By: Anna Jacobs
-
The Innkeeper's Daughter
- By: Val Wood
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holderness, 1846.For reliable, thirteen-year-old Bella, life isn’t turning out quite as she’d hoped. She lives at the Woodman Inn – an ancient hostelry run by her family in the Yorkshire countryside – surrounded by two older brothers who never pull their weight and a flighty younger sister. When Bella learns not only that her father is seriously ill, but that her mother is expecting a fifth child, her dreams of leaving home to become a schoolteacher are quickly dashed.
By: Val Wood
-
A Daughter's Journey
- Birch End, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Julia Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jo Melling has arrived in Birch End from Australia, still grieving her father's recent death. She's not intending to stay long, but after tracking down her distant family, Jo becomes more involved in village life than she could ever have imagined - and suddenly in danger too. Jo also finds herself drawn to Nick, a handsome newcomer to the village. Nick had planned to settle in Birch End and start a business, but as he grows closer to Jo, he realises he may have to choose between his dreams and a chance at love.
-
-
another great book
- By joanie on 04-21-20
By: Anna Jacobs
-
A Pennyworth of Sunshine
- The Irish Sisters, Book 1
- By: Anna Jacobs
- Narrated by: Marie McCarthy
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keara Michaels doesn't want to leave her family in Ireland, but fate sends her first to Lancashire, then across the sea to Australia, pregnant and penniless. And Theo Mullane, the man who loves her, is married, with an ailing baby son, so cannot follow her as he longs to. Mark Gibson leaves Lancashire to avoid marriage. But gold prospecting is a dangerous pursuit, and when his gentle young wife dies in childbirth, his father-in-law kidnaps the baby. So Mark runs away again, this time to Western Australia, where he employs Keara in his country inn.
-
-
Awesome narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 08-08-20
By: Anna Jacobs
-
The Bermondsey Bookshop
- By: Mary Gibson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in 1920s London, this is the inspiring story of Kate Goss' struggle against poverty, hunger and cruel family secrets. Her mother died in a fall, her father has vanished without trace, and now her aunt and cousins treat her viciously. In a freezing, vermin-infested garret, factory girl Kate has only her own brave spirit and dreams of finding her father to keep her going. She has barely enough money to feed herself, or to pay the rent. The factory where she works begins to lay off people and it isn't long before she has fallen into the hands of the violent local money-lender.
-
-
A glimpse into the past
- By Luci-Lu on 10-27-21
By: Mary Gibson
-
The Forgotten Home Child
- By: Genevieve Graham
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, James Langton
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 97 years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago....
-
-
Great Story
- By Kindle Customer on 04-13-20
By: Genevieve Graham
-
A Single Thread
- A Novel
- By: Tracy Chevalier
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals.
-
-
Well-written but Not for Everyone
- By Janna Wong Healy on 04-05-20
By: Tracy Chevalier
-
A Sister's Struggle
- By: Mary Gibson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1935. Ruby is always hungry, but she will go without if it means her young brothers can eat. 1930s Bermondsey might be called the larder of London, with its pie, pickle and jam factories, but for the poor working classes, starvation is often only a heartbeat away. When Ruby's neighbour suggests she ought to go to the Methodist Mission for free food, Ruby knows her father will be furious, but she has no other option.
-
-
Pretty good listen.
- By Becky Jones on 05-06-23
By: Mary Gibson
-
All the Lonely People
- By: Mike Gayle
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Birdpaints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship, and fulfillment. But it's a lie. In reality, Hubert's days are all the same, dragging on without him seeing a single soul. Until he receives some good news - good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on.
-
-
For all the lonely and not-so-lonely people
- By R. Sharma on 08-22-21
By: Mike Gayle
-
The Dover Café at War
- The Dover Café, Book 1
- By: Ginny Bell
- Narrated by: Bea Holland
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the heart of Dover's Market Square lies the Castle's Café. A bustling, homely place run by the formidable Nellie Castle and her six children. Since the scandalous birth of her beloved son 10 years before, Marianne, Nellie's eldest daughter, has preferred to stay in the kitchen, hidden away from the town gossips. Overcome with shame, Marianne has never revealed the name of Donny's father - not even to her own mother. But with World War II just around the corner, Marianne's past catches up with her. And suddenly the lives of the Castle family become a lot more complicated.
-
-
LANGUAGE
- By S B on 03-21-22
By: Ginny Bell
-
The Linen Queen
- A Novel
- By: Patricia Falvey
- Narrated by: Sarah-Jane Drummey
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-centered, unstable mother, Sheila McGee cannot wait to escape the drudgery of her mill village life in Northern Ireland. Her classic Irish beauty helps her win the 1941 Linen Queen competition, and the prize money that goes with it finally gives her the opportunity she's been dreaming of. But Sheila does not count on the impact of the Belfast blitz which brings World War II to her doorstep. Now even her good looks are useless in the face of travel restrictions, and her earlier resolve is eroded by her ma's fear of being left alone.
-
-
Predictability
- By gene on 02-06-25
By: Patricia Falvey
-
Daughter of the Reich
- A Novel
- By: Louise Fein
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich. But she never imagines that all she believes and knows about her world will come into stark conflict when she encounters Walter, a Jewish friend from the past, who stirs dangerous feelings in her. Confused and conflicted, Hetty doesn’t know whom she can trust and where she can turn to, especially when she discovers that someone has been watching her.
-
-
PROFANITY KILLED THE BOOK
- By Amazon Customer on 12-16-20
By: Louise Fein
-
The Lost Children
- By: Shirley Dickson
- Narrated by: Rosie Jones
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob. Night after night, wailing bombs and screeching planes skim the rooftops overhead. They cradle each other, shivering in terror, not knowing if they'll live to see dawn. Their mother, Martha, has no choice but to evacuate them to the safety of the countryside. At the train station, Martha bites back tears as she says good-bye to her precious children. Knowing she might never see them again, she gives Jacob a letter, pressing the envelope into his hands and telling him to only read it if they are in danger.
-
-
Slow start but thoroughly enjoyable book
- By William Shelor on 06-19-21
By: Shirley Dickson
-
The Yellow House
- A Novel
- By: Patricia Falvey
- Narrated by: Sarah-Jane Drummey
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Yellow House delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century. Eileen O'Neill's family is torn apart by religious intolerance and secrets from the past. Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream. As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the very personal impact the conflict has had on her own life.
-
-
I enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end
- By sandra fusilier on 01-08-20
By: Patricia Falvey
-
The Orphan Sisters
- By: Shirley Dickson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A heartbreaking, enthralling and utterly unforgettable World War 2 story of two young sisters cruelly abandoned by their mother at an orphanage. 1929: four-year-old Etty and eight-year-old Dorothy are abandoned at Blakely Hall orphanage by their mother, never to see her again. With no other family to speak of, the sisters worship their beloved mam - and they are confused and heartbroken to be deserted by her when they need her the most.
-
-
Excellent story. PG-13+
- By Melissa L S on 09-18-19
By: Shirley Dickson
-
The Tobacco Girls
- By: Lizzie Lane
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bristol, 1939. School leaver Maisie Miles suspects her father, a small-time crook, has an ulterior motive for insisting she gets a job at the W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory but keeps it to herself. She's befriended by effervescent Phyllis Mason and kind-hearted Bridget Milligan who take pity on her and take Maisie under their wing. But beneath their happy-go-lucky exteriors, they all harbour dreams and worries about what the future holds.
-
-
Maudie
- By Facie Thornton on 01-28-24
By: Lizzie Lane
Critic reviews
"Real sagas with female characters right at the heart." (Jane Garvey, Woman's Hour)
"If you love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, you'll love Glenda Young's 'amazing novels! (ITV's This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall)
"In the world of historical saga writers, there's a brand new voice." (My Weekly)