Blog Tour: Clarionettes – Ruth Enright

When mill owner’s daughter, Ellen Rastrick, dares to borrow her brother’s bicycle to join the Clarion Cycling Club in secret, she discovers an exciting new world. It is 1896 in the industrial town of Halifax, West Yorkshire. Ellen’s fellow Clarionettes are young men and women from all walks of life, liberated by the movement to mix socially for the first time.

Naïve or worldly, rich or poor, they all seek freedom, happiness and love. But they soon discover that these can mean very different things to one another. Dynamic relationships and a single drastic act create an unstoppable momentum in the lives of those both inside and outside their group.

They meet as rebels, workers and artists, full of their own hopes and dreams. They become conflicted allies, enjoying new times as friends and lovers while braving danger, risk, heartbreak and loss. Together, they find futures they could never have imagined.

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Ruth Enright is from Halifax, West Yorkshire.  She enjoys holidays in Whitby, Scarborough and the surrounding area; with  Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby being the inspiration for her debut novel ‘Seahaven.’  Her second book, ‘Button Box’ is for children and young adults. A young girl finds herself living in two worlds – the modern day and a dangerous Victorian past in 1850s London.

Ruth studied English Language and Literature at Reading University and has always had the ambition to write herself. She lives in Manchester with her family and works for local government, where she has held a number of posts. She  is now an Information Governance Officer. Ruth came to Manchester as a graduate trainee in Librarianship with Manchester Polytechnic before changing career paths and training for a certificate in teaching lipreading to adults with acquired deafness in Adult Education. Ruth then had her daughter and later became a local government officer.

Ruth has always kept on writing and started a blog a few years ago for her poems, stories and other items.  Encouraged by readers, she has recently succeeded in having five short stories published by ‘Yours Fiction’ special short story quarterly magazine.

Ruth loves to read and enjoys writing in both historic and modern settings, experimenting with different genres. Ideas for her writing come from many sources, for instance the name of Robin’s uncle Jorfant in ‘Seahaven’ came from researching her partner’s family tree!

Ruth lives with her partner Jack, and a cat called Margot. Ruth is delighted to be a published author and is looking forward very much to writing more novels.

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My thoughts: set at a time of great social change, this is an interesting read about class, love and improving the lives of ordinary people. The Clarionettes are a cycling club with a difference – whether from the mill owners side of society or the mill workers, they are united in wanting social change and improved conditions for all. The Clarion is a newspaper promoting these ideas, and the group meet to discuss their plans.

However some take direct action too far and put people’s livelihoods at risk. It’s one thing to push for change, another to force matters with arson.

Amidst the intrigue and exploration of the moors, there is time for romance, as several couples meet and fall in love. Ellen and Peter cross the social divide. Her father owns a factory, he works in one. Can they overcome the mores of the time and stay together?

There are other storyline that intertwine with theirs, that of Jane, the vicar’s daughter, in love with a rake, who doesn’t agree with his free love ideals and loses her heart. Ellen’s brother and sister both find themselves in somewhat unusual marriages, radically different to what they imagined, but somehow make it work.

Each member of the club gets a story, as the new century rolls on and change is coming. Ellen’s sister-in-law is involved in the work of the suffragettes of Manchester, who pushed for the women’s right to vote, and as the book reaches its conclusion, change is not only in the air but taking place within the mills and factories of the Yorkshire moors and in the homes around them too.

An interesting and enjoyable read, full of historical references and lively characters.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.