The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer

Like her mother before her, Susan Rose becomes a wet nurse to earn a living. She finds that the work is easier than being a maid or cook in the homes of the wealthy because you live upstairs with the family so you can feed the baby. But the job carries the uncertainty of being let go at the whim of the baby's mother when she decides to wean. Life is also hard and takes unexpected turns for Susan because she's a single lower class woman in Victorian times. When she has a baby out of wedlock, Susan must be crafty in order to be reunited with him after he's taken away from her. As a plucky, strong, robust, yet sometimes trampy main character, Susan comes alive on the page. I enjoyed this short novel that highlights a woman's profession at a particular time in English history. Not a great cover, though...