A Lesson Learned: The new heartwarming novel from Sunday Times

Nuneaton, 1850

Growing up on a canal boat has meant life for young Saffie Doyle has been hard. Her mother, Olivia, was cast out by her well-to-do family when she fell in love with Saffie’s father, a lowly boatman named Reuben. But as the years have passed, Reuben has become a bitter and cruel drunk, forced to work for the local crook, Seth Black, to keep their family afloat.

Saffie always dreamed of becoming a teacher, despite her father’s insistence that she had no need to read and write. Keen to nurture her ambitions, Olivia hoped to introduce Saffie to a childhood friend – the kindly and wealthy Marcus – who runs a free school for the local children, but when Olivia falls ill, she’s unable to.

One night, Saffie’s 17-year-old brother and her father go out on a job with Seth Black and never return home. Saffie is forced to place her dreams on hold as she steps up to look after her family.

With her younger siblings relying on her, will Saffie ever be able to live the life she hopes for?

Rosie Goodwin is the four-million-copy bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels. She is the first author in the world to be allowed to follow three of Catherine Cookson’s trilogies with her own sequels. Having worked in the social services sector for many years, then fostered a number of children, she is now a full-time novelist. She is one of the top 50 most borrowed authors from UK libraries and has sold over four million copies across her career. Rosie lives in Nuneaton, the setting for many of her books, with her husband and their beloved dogs.