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Self Published
December 2013
On Sale: December 6, 2013
Featuring: Henry Wakefield; Sarah
401 pages
ISBN: 1925029611
EAN: 9781925029611
Kindle: B00H52SEEK
e-Book
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Historical | Fiction
Handloom weaver Henry Wakefield, his wife Sarah and their
five children live in abject poverty in northern England
in
the early 19th century. He hates the new factories and
won’t
let his family work in them. He clashes with Sarah, a
factory agent, a local priest and reformers, and son
Albert
runs away. They move to Manchester and are even worse off,
living in a cellar in a terrace and have another little
mouth to feed. Henry’s passion for money overrides his hatred of
factories
and he starts one of his own, but it is beset with
problems.
The Wakefields, or rather Henry eventually becomes quite
wealthy, and this has a devastating effect on the family.
Albert is caught stealing and is transported to New South
Wales. Her baby’s death, Albert’s unknown fate and society
parties become too much for Sarah, who hears voices and is
taken to the lunatic asylum. Son Benjamin falls in love
with
an orphan girl and they have a baby. Henry is furious. Family members have had enough. Sarah, who got out of the
asylum, and Albert, who returned to England unbeknown to
Henry, plan a fiery night at Henry’s factory. But he keeps
his money there and goes inside to retrieve it. Albert
tries
to rescue him. UK literary agent The Susijn Agency compared it to John
Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, “but with the poor family
finding its wealth. The location of Manchester during the
industrial revolution dictates the action excellently and
I
can see why readers could not put it down.” See Preface
for
more comments by agencies and readers.
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