“Their passionate longing for each other
aches with the pain of being young, and is far
sexier than a hundred novels about modern
teenagers.” Amanda Craig, The Times.
Set in 1662-67, these two books tell the love
story of William Heywood, son of a wealthy
Shropshire wool merchant, and Susanna Thorn, a
Quaker weaver’s daughter. Their story unfolds
against a background of religious persecution,
plague and fire, and moves between rural Shropshire
and the City of London.
The inspiration for these stories began years ago
when I first learned about the early Quakers and was
struck by their vitality, faith and courage in the
face of relentless persecution. They rejected the
formal structure of the established church, had no
priests, met in fields or barns or each others’
homes, and refused to pay church tithes. The state
passed laws that made their meetings illegal, and
sometimes whole communities would be thrown into
prison, leaving their children to keep the meetings
alive. I knew I had to write their story.
I began with fifteen-year-old Susanna, the eldest
child in a Quaker family, who sees a life of
struggle and persecution ahead of her and fears she
may not have the courage to endure it. But I was
also interested in Will, scholarly and thoughtful,
brought up an Anglican but drawn to the Quakers. I
decided to tell the story through both their voices,
and to have them fall in love.
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I started writing without knowing exactly how the
love story would develop, or what Will would decide
to do with his life. When I reached the end I knew I
had to write a sequel – and this new story took Will
and Susanna into London at the time of the Great
Plague and the Fire.
“This is powerful, restrained and
absorbing storytelling at its very best.”
Jack Ousbey, Carousel.
“Ann Turnbull writes with clarity and
power, drawing the reader into the inner turmoil
of credible characters.” Elaine Williams,
TES.
“Both No Shame, No Fear and Forged in the
Fire are written in plain, direct language that
is as honest and engaging as its characters.
Their passionate intelligence and moral
integrity will engage thoughtful readers of 12+
at a deep level.” Amanda Craig, The Times.
“Riveting in its dramatic historical
context...Forged in the Fire also contains the
timeless themes of love, jealousy, friendships
and marriage.” Marie-Louise Jensen,
Writeaway!
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