Nobody's Girl (En Famille)

by Hector Malot

"Nobody's Girl" by Hector Malot is a novel published in 1893. Thirteen-year-old Perrine arrives in Paris with her ill mother, possessing almost nothing but a donkey and a cart. When her mother dies, Perrine becomes an orphan and journeys to Maraucourt to find her relatives. Hiding her true identity under a false name, she seeks work at the local factories owned by the wealthy Mr. Vulfran Paindavoine. As Perrine grows closer to this man, a secret connection between them waits to be revealed.