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Anna Jacobs
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Salem Street Hardcover – January 1, 1995

by Anna Jacobs (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,139 ratings
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Struggling to escape the oppression of Salem Street in nineteenth-century Lancashire, England, Annie is banished from home by her jealous stepmother but is forced to return to find work after a brutal rape leaves her pregnant and alone
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Gibson Family
  2. Print length
    486 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    St Martins Pr
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1995
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0312118848
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0312118846
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Salem Street is just a step above the worst slums of Bilsden, England. In Jacobs' novel, Annie Gibson is born in 1820 on Salem Street to a pair of millworkers, ecstatic at the birth of their daughter and their move up in the world. Jacobs traces Annie's heartening story from her impoverished childhood through her departure from Salem Street to fulfill her dreams of opening a dressmaker's salon for the gentry. Along the way, many births, deaths, and crises slow her ambitious journey out of poverty. Classic historical fiction with a charming heroine who eschews love in her quest for success. Denise Perry Donavin

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St Martins Pr (January 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 486 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312118848
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312118846
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,139 ratings

About the author

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Anna Jacobs

Anna Jacobs

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Anna Jacobs grew up in Lancashire and emigrated to Australia, but still visits the UK regularly to see her family and do research, something she loves. She is addicted to writing and she figures she'll have to live to be 120 at least to tell all the stories that keep popping up in her imagination and nagging her to write them down. She's also addicted to her own hero, to whom she's been happily married for many years.

Anna also writes fantasy novels as Shannah Jay.

To contact Anna or to find out more about her books, look at her website www.annajacobs.com or visit her Facebook page www.facebook.com/Anna.Jacobs.Books.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
4,139 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Celtic Myth
5.0 out of 5 stars A must. This author well-deserves her excellent reputation.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017
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Anna Jacobs' stories are impossible to put down once you start reading them. In this book, she begins the saga of the Gibson family and their lives in a neighbourhood, which is little more than a slum, but still better than one that is even lower on the scale. The family members have their own problems, but all are struggling to survive poverty and the harsh economic conditions of their time. Of them, Annie, the eldest daughter is the one who holds the family together and has the drive and ambition to get out of these conditions, but she, too, faces very difficult times. The story was so well-written and the characters so interesting that when I'd finished it, I promptly bought all the rest in the series. Although I have several still to read, none so far has disappointed.
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Donald
4.0 out of 5 stars Salem Street
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2012
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Anna jacobs is a fantastic Author who keeps us readers wondering what will happen in the lives of the many characters in the book.It gives the reader a realistic look back at past years about the struggle from rags to riches with a happy ending.
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CalgaryYYC
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book, first in a 5 book series
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2012
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Already many good reviews here - this is a great series. Amazon seems to be challenged when it comes to identifying books in a series, sometimes, so I am listing them:

This series consists of:

Salem Street - book 1 of the Gibson Family Saga series

High Street - book 2 -  High Street (Salem Street)

Ridge Hill - book 3 -  Ridge Hill (Gibson Family Saga 3)

Hallam Square - book 4 -  Hallam Square

Spinners Lake - book 5 -  Spinners Lake (Gibson Family Saga 5)
11 people found this helpful
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Don McGrory
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book from this Author.
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2015
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If you enjoy Anna Jacobs' books then I think you will thoroughly enjoy this one. I already have the 2nd book opened ready to read.
3 people found this helpful
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Jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016
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Fantastic book
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Ruth
4.0 out of 5 stars Book review (ish)
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
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A very good read
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Sheila Deeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative, honest, and enthralling
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
Evoking the language, location and people of Lancashire, Anna Jacobs’ Salem Street takes readers to a time when mills were opening, cheap lodging was proliferating across once green valleys providing homes for workers, and a woman’s place was to bear children. Having grown up around Lancashire accents, I particularly appreciated how quickly I heard the voices of my youth in the dialog—easy to read and understand, yet beautifully portraying accent and dialect. The author spares no feelings with her depiction of difficult lives, the divide between rich and poor, and the ease with which a man can get away with cruelty. But this isn’t a story of bad men and good women. Women have a cruelty all their own, and both men and women can work for good or for evil. The Methodist church begins to make inroads in a mill town. A trained doctor begins to make a difference in the health of a neighborhood. And the divide between North and South is already beginning to take effect.

With pleasing characters, a strong female protagonist, and well-researched, convincing history, this novel is first in a series, a thoroughly enjoyable and enthralling tale on its own, and a great introduction the author, the area, and the lives of mill workers and women at home or in service.

Disclosure: I borrowed it from my Mum
One person found this helpful
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Bookappraisal
5.0 out of 5 stars A series to remember
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2017
As always with Anna Jacobs books they are so well researched and beautifully written. The Gibson Family Saga was superb. Anna’s characters are not only loveable but very believable and realistic. She weaves wonderful stories and this series is no exception. I have read the whole series twice and am certain that I will revisit it again and again.

Annie is the woman the many of us would aspire to be if we had the courage. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to bring out the person we were longing to be. She has a deep love of family and friends and brings them on her journey.

Would recommend this series to all. Great read.
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Top reviews from other countries

Joan van den Bos
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best book I have ever read.
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2022
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Just a good read over Xmas.
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Mr T. Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2024
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I am looking forward to reading the whole series when I get them.
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K S Renuka
5.0 out of 5 stars Live Anna's books
Reviewed in India on October 25, 2019
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There is nothing to dislike. Once you take the book I wish it never ends. My goodness..such capturing novelist. Yes she is
One person found this helpful
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max
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and well written
Reviewed in France on January 5, 2019
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I enjoyed this easy to read and well written story . There are lots of ups and downs which keep you interested and I am looking forward to starting book 2 tonight.
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Wendy Honnor
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh you will love this book!
Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2019
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What a wonderful story of real life and one child’s amazing transformation over years from rags to riches as a young woman through hard work and the kindness of others along the way. Everybody should read this inspiring book!
One person found this helpful
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