Petals in the Ashes
By Mary Hooper
2004
First Published
3.90
Average Rating
200
Number of Pages
Part of Series
This gripping account of London's Great Fire of 1666 is a worthy companion to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum . Only one year after the city suffered such terrible losses during the Plague, London is recovering and Hannah convinces her parents that, with her younger sister Anne's help, she can return to the city and manage the sweetmeats shop on her own. The girls are thrilled to be back in London, and Hannah even finds her old beau, Tom, alive and well and working for a magician. But her newfound happiness is short-lived as fires begin to spring up around the city and quickly move closer to their shop. Finally, Hannah and Anne are forced to abandon their home to save their lives. When the fires have abated, the girls return to find their shop in ruins. They also find Tom, beaten and injured after being chased by a mob that blamed the magician for starting the fire. Despite their losses, Hannah is sure that one day she will rebuild her shop and once again trade under the sign of the sugared plum.
Avg Rating
3.90
Number of Ratings
1,630
5 STARS
28%
4 STARS
41%
3 STARS
25%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Mary Hooper
Author · 25 books
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. British children's and young adult author Mary Hooper was born in 1944, in Barnes, then in Surrey, nowadays in South West London. She left school at fifteen, and went to work as a window dresser, and then as a secretary. She eventually returned to school, as an adult student, earning a degree in English from Reading University. Hooper began her writing career with short stories, publishing in women's and teen magazines. Her first book, Jodie, was published in 1978. She is married, has two children, and one grandchild, and lives in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire.
