Rape of the Rose - Softcover

Once past the lurid title, devotees of historical fiction will discover a novel worthy of comparison with Hughes's previous work, The Antique Collector . Set in northern England early in the Industrial Revolution, this is an account of the Luddite movement--the revolt of textile workers who lost their jobs due to factory mechanization. Loosely organized and with no clear agenda save the destruction of the machinery that had replaced them, they terrorized factory owners via swift and deadly raids. Mor Greave--weaver, teacher, musician and nature lover--lives in the village of Lady Well; as an educated man, he is prevailed upon to write inflammatory pamphlets for the Luddites. His wife and two sons work at the local factory, enduring the brutal conditions there, which have already killed one Graeve child and crippled another. Forced to leave Lady Mill as the Redcoats become suspicious of his activities, Greaves sets out ostensibly in search of his younger son, who has run away from the horrors of the mill. His search leads him into a world of debauchery and intrigue and almost costs him his life, and his love for a feisty prostitute creates complications that reverberate by book's end. This gripping tale of politics, love and loss is made vivid by Hughes's almost Dickensian descriptions of the suffering of poor people, especially children. Since the narrative ends with unanswered questions about the protagonists' fates, readers will hope for a sequel.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

English author Hughes personalizes the turbulence of the 19th-century Luddite movement in his fictional account of the experiences of Mor Greave, a Yorkshire weaver and schoolmaster. Reluctantly drawn into the fight to redress loom owners' harsh treatment of workers, Greave flees an aborted attack on a mill and is rescued by a prostitute named Mary. She introduces him to a world of intrigue, sensuality, and violence that also contains love. Hughes's re-creation of England in 1812 vividly depicts the desperation of child workers, the debauchery of the rich, and the messianic dreams of the poor. Tangled loyalties drive the protagonists and the plot in a multilayered narrative that disappoints only in the final pages, when it becomes apparent that the fate of a host of minor and major characters will remain unresolved. The story cries out for a sequel. Recommended for general collections.
- Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.