The Orphans of Hope House

Her heart broke as she took in the scene before her. There were too many orphans and not enough beds. The rags they wore barely covered them, and they hadn’t eaten in days. How could anyone let innocent children live like this? She picked up a tiny baby who’d cried as she moved past his cot. “I’ll be back soon, little one.”

Virginia, 1933: Lauren Greenwood was born to look pretty and land a rich husband. For her and her high-society family, it’s easy to forget that America is in the devastating grip of the Great Depression, where children run wild in the streets, endless queues for soup kitchens line sidewalks, and desperation hangs in the air.

But when a young servant comes to Lauren, pregnant and begging for help, her world crumbles. Someone she loves is responsible, and when she finds out the shocking truth she must decide: Protect the Greenwood name or be cast out?

When the servant girl is thrown mercilessly into the street, Lauren knows what choice to make. Suddenly, she is homeless and without a penny to her name - utterly broken by her family’s betrayal.

With nowhere else to go, Lauren takes the servant to a home for unwanted children. She is appalled to find orphans living in squalid conditions, their hunger keeping them awake and making them too weak to even play. The orphanage is on the brink of closure - and those it shelters may lose the roof over their heads....

Yet Lauren refuses to allow such suffering. And when she sees an advertisement in the local newspaper, with an anonymous benefactor promising to donate money to families crippled by the Depression, it could be the answer to her prayers. Can she save the orphans - and her new home - in time for Christmas?

A heartbreaking yet hopeful tale about a brave young woman who gives up everything to help unloved children who have nothing. Fans of Before We Were Yours, The Orphan Train, and Diney Costeloe will adore this poignant historical novel, which shows that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

Listeners absolutely love Rachel Wesson.