A Conflict Of Class, by Joanna Joslin, AuthorHouse UK Ltd There are times when all you want is to curl up on the sofa, with a mug of steaming tea and a good read.

At such times you could do worse than A Conflict Of Class, the debut novel by Bradford-born teacher Joanna Joslin.

Set in Bradford, renamed ‘Beckston’, it’s a gripping romantic saga about a family touched by wealth and poverty. Joanna, whose grandfather was an overlooker in a Bradford mill from the 1920s to the 1950s, was driven by an interest in family and social history.

The back-to-back featured in the early chapters is based on the house where her late mother was born, in Gathorne Street, Great Horton. It was one of four Victorian houses pulled down and rebuilt in the grounds of the Industrial Museum in Eccleshill, showcasing periods of 20th century history.

“I have taken stories and anecdotes from my parents and grandparents and woven them into this novel,” says Joanna, who lives in North Yorkshire.

At the centre of the story is Helen Siddall, an orphan girl who, unaware that her maternal family is one of the wealthiest in the North, is brought up in her paternal aunt’s working-class home, struggling against the bitter resentment of her younger cousin, Harry.

The book follows Helen’s upbringing in a mill community, her blossoming friendship with schoolfriend Diana, and her growing attraction to her older cousin, Thomas. Frequent references to Helen’s maternal family background whet the reader’s appetite for intrigue.

Events conspire against Helen when Harry sets out to destroy her relationship with Thomas, and secrets from her family history emerge, leading to intriguing twists in the plot spanning nearly three decades between the end of the First and Second World Wars.

When Helen starts work at a clothing manufacturer in Beckston, she catches the eye of owner’s son Denis Tetlow, a no-good playboy with dishonourable intentions. Events take a dark twist when she is raped and falls pregnant, leading her to marry Denis and join a different social class.

Life changes forever and Helen goes on to develop the Tetlow family clothing business, with Diana’s help, into a prosperous fashion house.

With family secrets bubbling at the surface, there are revelations, confrontations, affairs, deals and tragedies, all knitted together by passion, friendship and love, keeping the reader gripped. With echoes of Catherine Cookson novels and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman Of Substance, this is an enjoyable page-turner setting a vivid scene of northern life and class conflict during the eventful period from 1919 to 1947.

I found myself tutting at spelling errors – ‘Adolph’ Hitler – and misplaced apostrophes – “I don’t suppose the Tetlow’s expected damaged goods for their money” – and I wasn’t keen on the odd page layout, leaving gaps between paragraphs.

But overall I enjoyed this book. Joanna is a gifted storyteller, whose well-rounded characters leap off the page. A pleasing blend of romance, action and poignancy is woven throughout.

Well recommended for curling up on the sofa with.