Alethea Hawthorne will not allow Measham Hall to fall into the hands of lesser men...
1665. It is five years since King Charles II returned from exile,the scars of the English Civil Wars are yet to heal and now the Great Plague engulfs the land. Alethea Hawthorne is safe inside the walls of the Calverton household as a lady's companion waiting in anticipation of the day she can return to her ancestral home of Measham Hall.
But when Alethea suddenly finds herself cast out on the plague-ridden streets of London,a longroad to Derbyshire lies ahead. Militias have closed their boroughs off to outsiders for fear of contamination.
Fortune smiles on her when Jack appears,an unlikely travelling companion who helps this determined girl to navigate a perilous newworld of religious dissenters,charlatans and a pestilence that afflicts peasants and lords alike.
The Master of Measham Hall is the first book in a page-turning historical series. In lyrical prose,Anna Abney portrays the religious divides at the heart of Restoration England in a timeless novel about survival,love,and family loyalty.
Publisher: Duckworth BooksISBN: 9780715654507Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'It's rare for a historical novel to feel so timely'
'Exciting and immersive. It took me straight into the heart of Restoration England in all its rich and vivid detail. I was gripped! Such beautiful writing too - Anna is a stunning new talent'
'Impeccably researched and wonderfully atmospheric,with a heroine you can't help rooting for'
'A thoroughly engaging romp... By turns entertaining,surprising and thought-provoking,this is an impressive debut'
'A gripping depiction of what people will do to survive,the long-held beliefs and scruples questioned and cast aside as well as the unexpected kindnesses and unusual alliances made. In elegant prose,this enthralling novel puts a human face to the trials,terrors and enduring hopes of the plague years'
'A thrilling and original tale of reinvention! Death in a time of plague is expected. What happens to Abney's heroine Alethea is not. TheMaster of Measham Hall is a vivid and extraordinary journey of survival,and ultimately an exploration of what we gain and what we lose as we pass through this world.'
'A powerful and engaging story,full of good characters,satisfying plot turns,and excellent scene-setting. With all the details and insights on offer,it feels like a rich and rewarding panorama of English culture in the 1660s.The transformation of Alethea was wonderful to read,and genuinely gripping.'
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