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Christine Evans
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Song of the Shuttle: A transatlantic historical saga (The Lancashire Cotton Saga Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Christine Evans (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 451 ratings
A gripping saga, stretching from the industrial towns of England to the American Civil War! For fans of Nadine Dorries, Maeve Binchy, Freda Lightfoot and Dilly Court.

Two headstrong young women are fighting for their independence…


1861, Northern England



Jessie Davenport, a young mill worker, and Honora Darwen, an orphan determined to follow in her father’s medical footsteps, strike up a friendship in the busy industrial town of Gorbydale.

With whispers of war on the horizon and discontent spreading in the Invincible Mill where Jessie works, the lives of the young people in Gorbydale are changed forever.

With her mother unwell and her brother sent overseas to serve in the American Civil War, Jessie has to fight for the survival of her family.

Honora, meanwhile, struggles to break free from her subservient position in her uncle’s grand house.

Could a voyage to the New World give the two women the freedom they crave? Will peace come to the turbulent town of Gorbydale?

And could love be on the horizon for Jessie and Honora…?



SONG OF THE SHUTTLE is the first book in The Lancashire Cotton Saga: a thrilling historical romance novel, spanning two continents, with strong-willed heroines at its heart.

THE LANCASHIRE COTTON SAGA SERIES:
BOOK ONE: Song of the Shuttle
BOOK TWO: Twist of the Thread
BOOK THREE: Calico and Silk
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Lancashire Cotton Saga
  2. Print length
    360 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 17, 2019
  5. File size
    2.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 3 books in this series.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07K28TC1Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (January 17, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 17, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 451 ratings

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Christine Evans

Christine Evans

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
451 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Barbara
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great story!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This story really surprised me. Not sure what I expected but, it told of the cotton famine in England and of the war of the North and South in America. A great love story too!
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  • Annette Johnson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
    I really enjoyed this book! It did start alittle slow and at times I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. I think about half way through it got more interesting and I found myself rushing to finish. I thought the Civil War history interesting.
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  • Lu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful historical fiction with a bit of romance, a lot of history, and memorable characters
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020
    A mill worker and the owner's son will fight their attraction to each other while trying to survive the struggles brought to the cotton trade by the American Civil War.

    Song of the Shuttle is book #1 in the Lancashire Cotton Saga and can be read as a standalone.

    Jessie Davenport worked at the Invincible Mill, an imposing factory that was the heart of the town of Gorbydale. She was appreciated by all for her hard work and had captured the attention of the overseer Taylor Walmsley.

    Taylor was about to propose when the mill owner son, Robert, kissed Jesse at the local fair to win a wager. Jesse already thought he was an idle and useless rich boy, but the kiss sealed her bad opinion of him.

    Jesse's life was changing fast, with Taylor having second thoughts and her mother becoming ill.

    The book is set in Victorian England, portraying the mill workers' lives and the owners' struggles, especially with the beginning of the American Civil War.

    With cotton becoming scarce, so did work. Life was very hard, and mill owners tried to find alternative sources of raw materials.

    Locals were torn between the need for cotton and the repulsive reality of its production through slavery.

    I was very impressed by the quality of the writing and the richness of the details. I don't want to give spoilers, but the reader is taken into the mills, then across the ocean to the heat of the American Civil War. There is even a casual encounter with Abraham Lincoln.

    The side characters are remarkable: the prim and idealist Honora, the free-spirited Dolly, the loyal wife Melissa, and the cold and ambitious Taylor, to mention a few.

    There are several side stories, all well developed and engaging. I loved the sense of family, community, and the sneak peeks into history.

    I especially loved meeting Kezia and her husband, two slaves with remarkable inner strength who fought for freedom.

    Song of the Shuttle by Christine Evans is a beautiful historical fiction with a bit of romance, a lot of history, and memorable characters. I cannot wait to start the next book in the series, Twist of the Thread.

    Highly recommended!

    I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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  • Stephanie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Middlemarch
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020
    I received a complimentary review copy from Sapere Books in exchange for an honest review.

    As always, I attempt to give you some feedback without giving away too many details.

    When I saw the synopsis for this book (and its sequel, which comes out soon), I immediately thought of a modern Middlemarch. Song of the Shuttle fits that criteria due to the nature of writing and the topics. The book covers multiple families, whose stories are interwoven, over the space of time in a small village and then to the larger world. The setting is during the American Civil War, and the war had overarching effect in England.

    Song of the Shuttle reads like a slice of life in a small community. There are many characters, but they each have distinct personalities and some take the stage more than others. There are heroes and villains and the in-betweens.

    If you are looking for a modern Middlemarch, here you go. I am eager to read the second book and spend more time with these characters.
    One person found this helpful
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  • *TUDOR^QUEEN*
    3.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming historical saga of Lancashire mill town
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2019
    This book takes place in Lancashire, England during the American Civil War. Jessie Davenport lives on Weavers Row, overlooking the mill town of Gorbydale during the time when Queen Victoria was on the English throne. The town's livelihood is sustained by both the Endurance and Invincible mills. In fact, as the book begins, a spate of weddings are taking place during "Wakes week", a traditional holiday period when the mills are closed. Jessie's brother John is marrying Elsie, as the family joins the procession of townspeople to church alongside other nuptial couples. I quite enjoyed the quaint and simple nature of these weddings, where families would repair to their homes afterward for a lovingly prepared wedding feast.

    Like most of Gorbydale's residents, Jessie also works at the Invincible mill, where she is much valued as a skilled employee. She's also a beloved Sunday school teacher. However, when mom Nellie's health begins to fail, Jessie must give notice at the mill to tend to her needs. Yet another crisis is brewing: a "Cotton Famine" arises due to the American Civil War, where the south vows to sell "not one thread" to the English. Gradually the mills close down and everyone is out of work. Things get desperate, yet people still try and help one another in this caring and familial town. Jessie relies on the family garden plot for vegetables to bulk out soups, and her brother Arden travels to neighboring towns looking for work.

    Although Jessie is just a "mill girl", she finds herself in a love triangle between two ardent suitors from wealthy families in the mill business. Not only is Jessie a physically attractive girl, she possesses a natural inborn class, loving heart, and sensible nature. Following the death of her mother, Jessie is recruited to teach sewing classes to out of work mill girls in the stately Overdale home, owners of the Invincible Mill. Robert Overdale, the only child of the owner of the Invincible Mill, ships out to America on a dangerous mission to purchase cotton for the mill. When Robert doesn't return from a second mission, Jessie is asked to accompany Robert's cousin Honora to America to find him. By this time, Jessie's brother Arden found work in Liverpool on a steamship's boiler room. His mother's words haunted him: "If you can do anything to release them poor creatures from the whip and the irons, then I'm right proud of you." To that end, once in America Arden joined the Union Army to help fight to free the slaves.

    The story sails through New York, Washington D.C., Louisiana, Liverpool, and back to Lancashire, England. This is the first installment to a 3-book saga, which is a very promising beginning. Thank you to the publisher Sapere Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • sharon chapman
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book
    Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    would like to purchase the next books
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  • Wendy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book from start to finish. The storyline is fresh and easy to read. The characters are well formed and realistic and I want to know what happens to them all. Giving some insight into the history of the American Civil War gave a different twist to the story and highlighted how it effected the cotton industry at the time. This is a subject I have never considered to explore before so it proved very interesting. I cannot wait for Book 2 in the series, bring it on
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  • Ex Newportonian
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another Lancashire Story.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It took a while to sort out all the various family members but it was an interesting story line.
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  • snowdrop1941
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, Intriguing and Enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This was a gripping and gritty story of the people who lived in England and America, although it also had humour, love and loyalty. Those Lancashire workers who produced the woven cotton , were reliant on the raw cotton that was grown on plantations in the Southern States of America. The Civil War in America affected both countries. The characters leapt off the pages with a vibrancy that made them completely believable. I look forward to reading more books in this series of books.
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  • Mrs. S. Bridgen
    5.0 out of 5 stars The affect of the American civil war on the Lancashire Cotton Mills
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed the book and looking forward to Book 2. Very well written and researched. Looking forward to how the
    characters evolve. It is good to read about our local history and how it was affected by events across the world.
    Shirley
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