Narrow Marsh

by A.R. Dance

AN EXCITING HISTORICAL SAGA SET IN NOTTINGHAM IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Nottingham, 1811 - a time of fear and hardship for the town’s framework knitters. With low wages and long working hours, desperate men turn to direct action. And when a man is killed, someone has to pay the ultimate price.

Young William Daniels witnesses the public execution, and from that day onwards he develops a burning desire for justice and freedom. But his chance encounter with the headstrong daughter of a wealthy factory owner sets in motion a tumultuous chain of events that will change his life forever.

Set in early 19th century Nottingham, in an era of bitter social unrest, Narrow Marsh is a dramatic story of life, love and hope.

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I was born in Nottingham in 1946 and spent most of my working life in the rail industry, from which I eventually retired in 2004, thus allowing me more time to devote to other interests. I have always had a passion for history, particularly the local history of Nottinghamshire, and this has greatly influenced my writing. My first book was a non-fiction local history book, The Chilwell Ghost – A New Investigation, first published in 1998, with reprints in 1999, 2000 and 2011.

Whilst researching my family history, I became fascinated by the reality of the lives of ordinary people living and working in the slums of early 19th century Nottingham, where many of my own ancestors worked as framework knitters. This gave me the inspiration for my first work of fiction, Narrow Marsh. Published in 2008, it was an instant hit, being a best-seller at Waterstones in Nottingham. It has since been reprinted twice. The sequel, Leen Times was published in 2011 and is proving just as popular.

I live in Chilwell with my wife, Carol, who is my fiercest critic, and, fortuitously, a most fastidious proof reader!

Reviews

[Jane Bunting · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved reading this book about Nottingham and the 1800s. the descriptions of the Narrow Marsh was thoughtfully written. it must have been an awful time to live! I live near the Nottingham canal and Erewash canal and am now going to look into the history of the canals. it was interesting ready about Wollaton park too, a park that I have been to countless times.
looking forward to reading more of the books.
it was interesting to learn that many people from Nottingham travelled to France when times were difficult in the Lace industry here and how they travelled to France!

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story of a young Nottingham man, trying to make a life and clear his own name after being accused of crimes he has not committed.

I loved reading about, and imagining, all the familiar places named in the book as they would have been in 1810's, and as I also have a strong ancestry of Nottingham lace makers and framework knitters, I could imagine them being the neighbours of William's family.

[Sarahb. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction, set in the early 1800's in Nottingham, UK. William Daniels is the son of a framework knitter growing up n the narrow Marsh section of town, which is not posh. Low wages and long hours continue to increase for the knitters and young William watches as his family struggles to make ends meet. He has a chance encounter with the lovely and rich young Abigail Brown and their paths continue to cross as they grow older. I can't wait to read the next one in this series, Leen Times.

[Dyanne Reinis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful way with words

I have lived in Nottingham since 1980, and seldom have I read such a masterpiece of fact intertwined with fiction. The plot has kept me on the edge of my seat, and because I know the area so well, I walked the area with the characters from my armchair. I cannot wait to see the delights , that the sequel has to offer.

[Jenny Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book due to having lived in Nottingham for two years and having an interest in its history. This is a nice enough book but I thought it was a little exaggerated and "amateur" in style and language, and more of a love story than historical fiction. I would read the sequel though.

[Kate Kells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about history but don’t normally go for historically based novels. This book quite surprised me as Nottingham is a very familiar place to me and it was fascinating to see places mentioned in the story. The story itself was quite gripping and most certainly had many twists and turns.

[Iain Foss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Thoroughly enjoyed this book about my home town. So interesting listening to stories about from the past of places you know and love especially in a book so well written and descriptive

[Asb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid story set in old Nottingham. Just enough detail to allow me to imagine walking the same routes or seeing the same sights. Nice historical details like Jeremiah Brandreth's rebellion, the riots in Manchester and The Cato Street conspiracy. All perfectly set up for a sequel - Leen Times. Well done A R Dance.

[Lynn P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved all the descriptions of my home town. I didn't realise it was going to be a love story and had quite a dramatic ending.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrow Marsh by A.R. Dance is a different type of historical fiction than I usually read. I typically don’t read about the “common” man—my normal fare for novels set in England are about a royal personality—so when the opportunity arose to review a book about a man growing up in Nottingham of 1811, I decided to take a chance. The wages were low & the hours were long. Workers had very little rights, and while some were willing to live this way, that is not true for William Daniels, the main character.

In my opinion, the plot is where Dance excelled in this novel. The tension between the upper and lower classes is what kept the story rolling, as well as the forbidden relationship between William and a certain young lady. I also appreciated that although this was a time period that I have read little about, nothing was confusing or misleading. It was a very light read, but at the same time, very informative.

My one qualm about the novel was that I didn’t always feel what the characters were feeling. I knew that William was in love, but I didn’t always feel it. At times there was a bit more telling than showing. I feel like some of that just has to happen in historical fiction, otherwise the book would be forever long, but it was something that I noticed while reading.

Narrow Marsh was a nice departure from some of the romance-heavy historical novels out there. This one is definitely not focused on the romance, and, overall, it was refreshing for that very reason.

3.5 stars

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with the main characters, the rich, but compassionate Abigail Brown and her soul mate, the handsome and smart, but extremely poor, William Daniels. Nineteenth Century Nottingham, England pops off the page with all of its Dickensian poverty. In fact, many of the people in the novel came to life with their attitudes, actions, and physical realities and the dialogue flowed in an easy manner. The author was true to history and social classes and explored different jobs that were available at the time, giving the reader a sense of really being there. The novel is well-developed, covering 1811-1821, and there seems to be plenty of twists and turns that create suspense.
There was lots of detail when it came to the food that was eaten and clothing that was worn by both the poor class and the rich. The meager food of the poor, washed down by cheap ale and the over-flowing tables filled with exotic extras of the rich provided a stark contrast between classes. Dance described transportation by road and when the characters walked twenty or thirty miles and more in shoes that seemed inadequate, blisters could be imagined, but even the rich had to suffer the stage-coach on rutted roadways.
I guess my only regret is that the love story came to an unsure end with a different scale of justice for the rich, because there is a huge shadow looming over their happiness, as well as a family secret untold. It is almost like insurance that readers that are hooked will buy Dance’s next novel Leen Times that continues where Narrow Marsh ends.

[Wendy Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this isn't the most amazing of stories in terms of plot, anyone who comes from Nottingham will probably find the setting of the story very interesting. Set in the early 1800s it focuses on life in the hosiery/knitting, mining, and canal industries and gives a fascinating insight into what life must have been like for the poorer section of society living in Nottingham and other UK cities at the time.

[Gina G · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a proud Nottinghamshire resident I have read a lot of non fiction books relating to the county but this was the first real fiction book I read that was based in nottingham. All the characters are well described as are the locations. Looking forward to continuing the story with leen times which I got for christmas.

[Sally Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in early 19th century Nottingham this novel follows the life of William Daniels, a young frame knitter's son. Poverty, social unrest, romance and adventure all shape the path of William's life into adulthood. A very very readable novel which illustrates the contrasts between the classes and William's efforts to escape the slums of Narrow Marsh

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that Narrow Marsh has been honored with a 2012 B.R.A.G.Medallion - this tells a reader that this book is well worth your time and money!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read a book about Nottingham