When We Meet Again
Book Feature - When We Meet Again by Caroline Beecham
HBL Note: Attention fans of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Little Paris Bookshop! I have a new book for you you to check out. Let me draw your attention to When We Meet Again by Caroline Beecham which was inspired by the history of book publishing (which I know literally nothing about and I’m now immensely curious) and baby farming (which I just googled because it sounded insane.) Here’s what I found out about baby farming: apparently it was the practice of accepting custody of a child in exchange for payment in the Victorian era. Often mothers would put their babies “out to nurse” (as it is called) if the baby was illegitimate or she couldn’t care for the child for other reasons. It is somewhat like fostering or adopting today but with some negative connotations and less oversight. Anyway, if just the description got me to google two different things then imagine how fascinating the book as a whole will be! Scroll down to read more about WHEN WE MEET AGAIN by Caroline Beecham.
Book Feature - When We Meet Again by Caroline Beecham
From the publisher:
London, 1943: War and dwindling resources have taken their toll on the book publishing industry, but Alice Cotton, a young editor at Partridge Press, has seen her star begin to rise. She has a knack for creating new books to distract readers from the grim realities of the war. And the demand for books is greater than ever, both on the battlefield and on the home front. But just as her hard work seems poised to pay off, Alice unexpectedly falls pregnant.
Facing the stigma of being an unwed mother, Alice flees to a small town to give birth to her child, Eadie, whom her family has promised to help raise. Instead, her mother sells the newborn to "baby farmers" who plan to give the child up for a private adoption. Alice begins her desperate hunt to find the daughter she never planned for but suddenly deeply loves.
Alice's story intertwines with that of Theo Bloom, an American editor tasked with helping Partridge Press overcome the publishing obstacles of the war. Theo and Alice are quickly drawn to each other during their darkest hours, bound by hope, love, secrets, and the belief that books have the power to change lives.
