The Periwinkle Wreath

Following on from the events in the award-winning novel Beyond the Fells, The Periwinkle Wreath tells the story of self-educated Louisa whose life is thrown into turmoil when she finds herself pregnant and alone on a remote track in Westmorland in the early 19th century. A chance meeting with a Good Samaritan enables her to escape her isolated community and head for London where her daughter is admitted to the care of the Foundling Hospital. Struggling with the gender and class wars of the period Louisa’s life takes a turn for the better when she finds employment in a coffeehouse which proves to be a haven for radicals. Politics and love intervene as she discovers fulfilment fighting for emancipation with the Chartist movement; but her overwhelming desire is to be reunited with her daughter. Will Louisa find a way to see her child again and can she fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher?  The Periwinkle Wreath is a complex, poignant and engaging story that follows a path shared by many rural families in the early 1800’s.