Liza

The years is 1907. After being unjustly sacked as a lady's maid to an English family in Germany, Liza returns to Britain penniless, without a job or any hope of a reference. Aboard the SS Florence Grey she meets spoilt, rich Cecily Spencer who, keen to seek adventure in London, persuades Liza to switch identities for a month. In order to support her family, Liza agrees. And, trading her rags for riches, she moves in with Cecily's guardian William and encounters life in the mansion from the other side of the servant's quarters. As a member of the Spencer family, Liza is exposed to old rivalries and feuds which go back for generations. She has to learn how to live above stairs, whilst unknowingly falling in love, and quickly she is torn apart by conflicting loyalties. Can she make it through unscathed or without being unmasked? Or will she lose everything she has dreamed of if the man she loves finds out who she really is? Set in Sunderland at the turn of the century, Liza is a riveting tale of family secrets, love and romance, giving a wonderful portrait of the era and the hardships facing those living both upstairs and downstairs. Praise for Irene Carr: 'Tough . . . gutsy . . . brimming with emotion . . . a cracking yarn - all that a good North East saga should be' - Sunderland Echo 'In the bestselling tradition of Catherine Cookson' - Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 'Catherine Cookson-readalike . . . a delight' - Colchester Evening Gazette 'This novel has the clear ring of authenticity . . . the depth of the setting gives it its richness' - Northern Echo 'Cookson fans will lap up this entralling turn-of-the-century saga' - Hartlepool Mail 'Sheer descriptive talent shines through here . . . gritty . . . powerful stuff' - Dorset Evening Echo Irene Carr was born and brought up on the river in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, in the 1930s. Her father and brother worked in shipyards in the North East and her mother was a Sunderland barmaid. She has written five previous novels: 'Katy's Men', 'Mary's Child', 'Chrissie's Children', 'Lovers Meeting' and 'Love Child'. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.