Walking with the Ancestors - Hesba Stretton

A Prayer is Answered

Jessica's First Prayer originally appeared as a serialisation in the Sunday at Home journal in July 1866. After attracting scores of letters from captivated readers, the story was eventually published in book form and went on to become an international best seller, shifting at least 2 million copies by the time of Hesba Stretton's death in 1911. The story of a young girl's spiritual awakening, the novel became a template for Miss Stretton to write many similar stories while providing the inspiration for other writers' tales of destitute children finding salvation at the hands of generous benefactors. In this respect, she was highly influential in highlighting many real issues affecting the plight of children in late Victorian and Edwardian society and was later instrumental in urging the Rev Benjamin Waugh to establish the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.