Lissadell House, Sligo, 1913
Lily and her friend Nellie are young housemaids in service in the Big
House - they work for Lady Mary and Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth at Lissadell.
As well as her housework and duties, Lily helps out in the local school
of needlework - she hopes it might be a step on the way to her dream of
being a teacher.
Though they work hard, there's lots of fun to be had at Lissadell - like
friendship, fun and madcap bicycle rides with Sir Josslyn's niece Maeve,
daughter of the famous Republican, Constance Markievicz.
Before Nellie came to Lissadell, she had a hard life in the workhouse,
where she was separated from her family. So when Lily and Maeve manage
to track down Nellie's long lost sister, Johanna, and fix it so she
comes to Lissadell as Lady Mary's maid Nellie is overjoyed. But when a
valuable locket goes missing, Johanna is the chief suspect; should Lily
take the blame, so that the sisters can stay together?
Judi Curtin has crafted a strong representation of the historical time
period, including an appearance by and mentions of Constance Markievicz,
and also featuring subjects that Lily reads in the newspaper and letters
she gets from her friend who's gone to work in America. Lily Steps Up
is a warm, engaging story of friendship set in the changing world of
early 20th century Ireland.