Ours, Yours and Mines

the long version

Ours, Yours and Mines*emphasized text* is a family saga set in the miners' rows of Ayrshire, Scotland in the mid-1800s to early 1900s. It is an historical fiction novel based on the McMurdo family across 50 years. It tells the story of the men who slaved away underground in coal mines facing daily dangers, and the women who worked hard, bearing and raising large families and praying that their men would return unharmed from the pits. The family suffered sickness, injury and death in overcrowded miners' housing. Tuberculosis in Scotland was rife at that time and the crowded living conditions spread the disease. It is the story of many families of the time, and an informative and entertaining look at the difficult times experienced by everone - especially the women.