Like every book I've read by Lesley Pearse, I thoroughly enjoyed Charity. This book starts off telling a story of young girl called Charity. She is growing up in poverty with her two brothers and sister. Her mum isn't interested in the welfare of her kids and her dad is more interested in sexually abusing her. Charitys life takes a drastic turn when a fire breaks out in the family home leaving her mum and dad dead. Charity and her siblings are all put into foster care with a loving couple until arrangements can be made. it turns out a long lost uncle has guardianship over the kids and he tries to make Charity live in the big mansion to take care of him and her grandmother, but Charity wants more out of life and her foster parents help her find a live in job at a boys school. At 15 her uncle disowns her and makes her foster parents do the same.... Charity gets thrown into work and discovers how hard life can be when you have nothing and no one. She comes by pregnancy, adoption, prostitution all in order to get her life back on track and gain custody of her brother and sister. But in the mean time her brother is thrown into the army and becomes a rogue. This book covers everything from crime, murder, drugs busts, and a hostage situation. However, charity overcomes it all. she jumps every hurdle to get a happy ever after. I loved every page of this book. :-)
First things first. Sandhurst is mentioned! I always get a little thrill when places I've been to are mentioned in a book. And I live in Sandhurst so thats a bonus. Although when they say Sandhurst they mean the RMA but I've been in there to. Also another place thrill was Wellington College, my and my friends got kicked off the grounds once at about midnight. Aparently they don't like teenagers in their duckhouse. The second thing is an unforgivable error. I am a Disney geek. A big one. So when Charity goes on holiday to FLORIDA and vists DisneyLAND. I could only stare in horror! Who was checking this book!? They should be sacked! DisneyLAND is in California. Disney WORLD is in Florida. You may think I'm being petty but this annoyed me. Now for the book. This was an enjoyable family saga. Maybe a little to long, not as good as other books by her but I loved Charity. I didn't really feel her siblings were worth her love except maybe James. Lots of dramtic events to keep you pageturning. Would have liked to have known what happened to Daniel but I guess if Charity never finds out about him it would have been unfair for the reader to know. I'm glad Huge got the brush off at the end. I was worried because alot of the time female characters forgive nasty men and start again, not this time :)
This is my second Lesley Pearse book, the first I read was "secrets". This book was along the same lines, an absolute angel of a girl is mistreated by her family, her mom is depressed and she is out on her own too soon. She is molested by an older man (both books) This book was an easy fast read, dispite the over 600 pages. It would be a great book to take on vacation or to the beach. It was really enjoyable light reading. This book had some absolutely wonderful steamy scenes, moreso than in "secrets" I am a Lesley Pearse fan for life now, and can't wait to read another one of her books, even if the story is similar.
—Julielenore
oh meu deus. que final mais fofo
—Briana
I have mixed feelings about Lesley Pearse. I know her books are massively popular and she can tell a good story but there is something quite amateurish about her work. Charity tells the story of a girl whose parents die and she is separated from her brothers and sisters and goes to work at a boys school. Unwanted pregnancy, poverty and a rags to riches story ensues and it’s all very good but at the same time there is a sort of hollowness about the whole thing. I found it hard to empathise with Charity, despite all she goes through, she remains a bit of wimp and at times I wanted to slap her. Ms Pearse’s grammar also needs checking and I had to read some sentences several times to make sense of it. There is almost a feel that it hasn’t been edited. It’s also factually incorrect. At one point if says The Who were all the rage in January 1963 – on checking I discovered they hit the big time in 1965! The same thing happened with her book Georgia too, I spotted loads of errors.I would read another of her books, I don’t think I’d pay full price for it, but maybe in a charity shop. Good, but left a lot to be desired.
—Karen
