{"product_id":"songs-of-expectation","title":"Songs of Expectation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis novel is inspired by a true story. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLondon, 1881, and another party of child migrants sets sail for Canada, leaving behind all they know in search of a new life. Taken from the slums and workhouses of Britain, they are set to work as labourers and servants, building a nation in a foreign land. Among them is Mary Oliver, desperate to fulfil a promise she made to her dying father; Arthur Dilkes, to whom emigration is just another adventure; Sam Barney, who longs for a new family to replace the one he has lost; Margaret Walsh, who cannot forget the father she has left behind; and Lily, who does not even have a surname to call her own. All are unprepared for the prejudice and hostility they will face, and the obstacles they must overcome. All struggle to escape their pasts. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePresiding over them and countless others is Alice Hamilton, obsessed with making her mark in a man’s world, whose mission to ‘save’ these children is called into question by a series of tragic events. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA story of heartbreak and courage, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSongs of Expectation\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e shines a light on a shameful chapter in British history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487940714869,"sku":"9781806342051","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781806342051.jpg?v=1786355162","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/songs-of-expectation","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}