O' is for Orphan and Optimist

Growing up in the 40s and 50s, Charlotte is surrounded by the secrecy of her birth. Orphaned at four years old after the death of her father and unaware of both her mother and her mothers family, she is under the care of the God-fearing Miss Henrietta Prior when she meets Ralph Fielding. Two years later she quits her job in nursing, marries Ralph and moves abroad against the advice of Miss Prior. Charlotte blossoms during the next three years with Ralph and their two children, but her hard earned triumphs are cruelly shattered by Ralphs unexpected and unwelcome departure, made with a cold calculating precision, some years later. As a result, she is left to dig deep into her resources and begins to write a book as one of the ways to support her family. In her vulnerable state, Charlotte falls for Tom Wilder, a plausible but married man. Their affair is long and turbulent and eventually ends painfully before another tragedy strikes, leaving her with more heartache and the impossible notion that happier times could lie ahead. She resolves to look for her lost family after receiving a letter that leads her to America, where she makes an extraordinary discovery. Will she finally find fulfilment? A story of courage, optimism and human frailty, O is for Orphan and Optimist is a fictional biography that will appeal to readers who enjoy more than a hint of truth in their stories.