Dreaming of America: A Journey of Betrayal (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780993353802)

Based on a true story.

Dreaming of America covers the lives of the Fielden family from 1900 to 1914 on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1905, Clara left her husband, Walter, in Accrington, Lancashire. She sailed off to Philadelphia in America with her lover, George, taking her 5 year old daughter with them. She left behind another seven children, aged 7 to 21.

Clara and George made themselves a new life over in America and, by 1914, another five of her children had made their way over there. They went to America for different reasons and not always because Clara was there. For some of them, it was very difficult for them to forgive her for what she had done. Of the two left behind, only one, May, kept in touch with her brothers and sisters. Clara and Walter's descendents are now scattered over various American states, Lancashire and Yorkshire in England and Australia. A lot of them are in touch with each other.

A story such as this raises a lot of questions. Why did she go? Did she ever regret it? How did Jenny cope with being an only child in a strange country? What happened to the family left behind? Censuses and ship's manifests are limited in the facts they can provide and the pictures they bring to mind lack the clear detail for us to try and understand.

Dreaming of America puts flesh on the dry bones provided by historical records. It becomes a story to read and enjoy, maybe even an explanation of those events over a hundred years ago.