Prequel to a Compelling Series The Hartford Manor series just gets better and better. I must confess, this, the last (or is it the first?), is the best of a very fine series of books - and my favourite. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for young Betsey and her awful life, and you soon grow to love the little girl. Her trials and tribulations are heartbreaking. The first part of the novel charts her early life, and running alongside it is the mystery at the centre of the Fellwood family. Some 14 years separate the next part when Betsey is a grown woman. Life is never fair in the village where poverty besets its inhabitants and there is a divide between them that have and those that don't. The novel handles each side of the divide admirably. Betsey is a prequel to the three Hartford Manor books and fills in some gaps or, better still, some curiosities, that are presented in the other books and especially in the last, The Rabbit's Foot. Together, they make for a compelling read, and each book is capable of standing on its own. Betsey is a well-written tale; there are moments of history in the text that I personally loved, and the story is a heartfelt tale that will move the reader. The series is highly recommended and one that I loved reading. Well done to the author. A story well worth reading: Having previously read and enjoyed the first three books in the Hartford Series, I purchased Betsey with every expectation of enjoyment, and was not disappointed. Betsey is a heart-warming story about a little girl faced with incredible hardships, which would have daunted most adults, and survives. One whose intense loyalty is rewarded. Highly recommended. Thank you, Marcia Clayton, I loved it! Now I must return to the first three books and pick up the threads. An emotional journey I loved this amazing book. Betsy is a six-year-old girl, but old beyond her years. I was transported into her story and felt the myriad of emotions which Betsey experienced. I laughed when she did and grieved when she did. The details of the story were well-researched and felt authentic. A beautifully told prequel This is by far my favourite of the Hartford Manor Series. This is a beautifully written book which tells the story of Betsey Lovering, a little girl who lives with her parents and two brothers, Barney and Norman. Betsey acts well above her six years, which is needed to deal with her alcoholic, abusive father and the hardship and heartache that follows for this poor little waif. Although Betsey is brave and a survivor, the story never lets us forget that she is only a child and with that, we feel her pain. Due to Marcia's talent for detail and description, it was easy for me to picture the scenes as I read along. I was so enthralled by this story that I read 80% of it in one night and then went back the following night to finish it. Again, the author has done an amazing job at taking us through the difficulties to which the poor were subjected through this period of time. A thoroughly engrossing read that will play with your heartstrings. Cannot recommend this enough!