"A Lady in the Making", by Medini Summers

Set in the city of London in 1850–This tale is about a girl born into abject poverty in the Seven Dials and became a prostitute in order to survive. Aloise is not only clever but also resourceful, at great cost, by enlisting as emigrant on a ship bound for New Zealand she managed to create a niche for herself. This is her story….

Eloise is the narrator and tells her story in a Cockney slang, a language spoken at the times from those living in the slums of London. Reading a language I am not familiar with was slightly intimidating and I missed a lot by skipping through some of the passage, no way I wanted to be tied down to a dictionary. However, I understand this to be part of the character and of the time.

The plot is divided in three sections, each following Eloise’s journey. First part: her time on the dangerous and violent streets of the Seven Dials, the second part: finally free of the filth of London, Eloise tells how she spent her time during the crossing towards the New Colonies and finally the third part tells us how she managed to survive once she reached the shore. In whole her journey was interesting and it eventually pulled me in. What chaotic life she led with men using and abusing her… what a sad existence. She couldn’t even escape this in the new world….

Beautifully written in the first person, this historical fiction is an inspiring tale of survival.

“A Lady in the Making” was on my TBR for a very long time, today as I post my thoughts I see that it is no longer available at most big online stores. A shame.