Szczegóły książki
Format
Kindle
Strony
224
Język
Angielski
Opublikowany
Apr 13, 2013
Wydawca
Joan Taylor
Opis
Liz Baker finds a journal in the attic of her recently deceased father's house. Written in 1819-1820 by an ancestor, Lady Elizabeth Gresham, Liz discovers an empathy with her antecedent as she discovers similarities between their personalities and lives.
Elizabeth is married to Lord Edward Gresham; an imperious bully who treats his employees with cruel disdain. Due to her developing relationship with her husband's factory manager, Joseph Hartley, she discovers first hand just how appalling the working and housing conditions at the time are. She is dismayed and embarrassed to discover this greatly benefits Edward financially and means his employees starve in hovels and work long and gruelling hours in appalling conditions so she and Edward live in extreme comfort and beautiful surroundings. Elizabeth has a genuine, if naïve, concern for the underdog and becomes more and more involved with reactionaries when she and Edward move from their beautiful Lancastrian manor house to Moseley Street in Manchester.
Joseph and Elizabeth witness the Peterloo Massacre (Manchester 1819) which leads Joseph to become involved in the Cato Street Conspiracy (London 1820). Their exploits take them all to London, where Elizabeth discovers the work of Elizabeth Fry in Newgate jail and (without her husband's permission or knowledge) involves herself in improving prison conditions there. In the meantime, Joseph and his co conspirators are imprisoned in Newgate and on the day the ringleaders are publicly hanged, Elizabeth manages to orchestrate a daring escape for Joseph. He has to go into hiding then, leaving Elizabeth wondering if she will ever see him again.
Edward allows her to return to Lancashire where he promises to join her when he has investigated Joseph's disappearance, but – in the meantime – there is a terrible and tragic accident at his factory as a result of Edward ignoring the new laws in Peel's Factory Act. Lusting for his blood, his employers arrive at his country estate and beat him to death. The house is torched along with its contents and Elizabeth is spared her life, but nothing else.
In between the chapters of Elizabeth's narrative, Liz brings us back to the present as she and her husband struggle to rebuild their marriage after a terrifying rape destroys their relationship. In desperation she and her husband, Dave, seek the assistance of Relate, but just as they think they are succeeding, a dark secret comes to light and undoes all the good their counsellor has done for them. Then, Liz's rapist discovers where she lives and begins telephoning her.
Realising they need the help of the police, Liz and Dave make their way to the station, unaware he is following them – jealous rage making him intent on destroying them both.
Elizabeth is married to Lord Edward Gresham; an imperious bully who treats his employees with cruel disdain. Due to her developing relationship with her husband's factory manager, Joseph Hartley, she discovers first hand just how appalling the working and housing conditions at the time are. She is dismayed and embarrassed to discover this greatly benefits Edward financially and means his employees starve in hovels and work long and gruelling hours in appalling conditions so she and Edward live in extreme comfort and beautiful surroundings. Elizabeth has a genuine, if naïve, concern for the underdog and becomes more and more involved with reactionaries when she and Edward move from their beautiful Lancastrian manor house to Moseley Street in Manchester.
Joseph and Elizabeth witness the Peterloo Massacre (Manchester 1819) which leads Joseph to become involved in the Cato Street Conspiracy (London 1820). Their exploits take them all to London, where Elizabeth discovers the work of Elizabeth Fry in Newgate jail and (without her husband's permission or knowledge) involves herself in improving prison conditions there. In the meantime, Joseph and his co conspirators are imprisoned in Newgate and on the day the ringleaders are publicly hanged, Elizabeth manages to orchestrate a daring escape for Joseph. He has to go into hiding then, leaving Elizabeth wondering if she will ever see him again.
Edward allows her to return to Lancashire where he promises to join her when he has investigated Joseph's disappearance, but – in the meantime – there is a terrible and tragic accident at his factory as a result of Edward ignoring the new laws in Peel's Factory Act. Lusting for his blood, his employers arrive at his country estate and beat him to death. The house is torched along with its contents and Elizabeth is spared her life, but nothing else.
In between the chapters of Elizabeth's narrative, Liz brings us back to the present as she and her husband struggle to rebuild their marriage after a terrifying rape destroys their relationship. In desperation she and her husband, Dave, seek the assistance of Relate, but just as they think they are succeeding, a dark secret comes to light and undoes all the good their counsellor has done for them. Then, Liz's rapist discovers where she lives and begins telephoning her.
Realising they need the help of the police, Liz and Dave make their way to the station, unaware he is following them – jealous rage making him intent on destroying them both.
Gatunki
Romans