William Prichard & Co: A Novella-in-Flash

by Diane Simmons, LeAnne Hunt (Editor)

Another masterly novella-in-flash from Diane Simmons, William Prichard & Co is a quiet tale of the 65 years of one family's perambulator business. In just 33 short but satisfying episodes, Simmons manages to portray an entire historical saga. By letting us into the inner life of each character while also showing them through the eyes of others, she builds a fully rounded picture of each family member, and, by the time we reach the moving last line, we are sorry to have to let them go. William Prichard & Co tells a deceptively simple story that plumbs surprising emotional depths.
~Fiona J Mackintosh, author of ‘The Yet Unknowing World’

Diane Simmons is such an excellent author of historical fiction. You know you’re reading something that has been meticulously researched, but that research never shows up in info-dumps and is instead filtered through the examined lives of the Prichard family. This novella holds up a mirror to society and the changes in attitudes, industrial practices and politics as one family moves through the end of the 19th century into the 20th. There is humour, there is romance, there is emancipation, but most of all, there is an engrossing story of family dynamics that draws the reader in and makes us root for our favourites. This is historical fiction at its best.
~Karen Jones, author of ‘Burn It All Down’

Diane Simmons has done it again! Back with her latest novella-in-flash, Diane presents us thirty-three glimpses into the lives of three generations connected to a perambulator factory. The novella starts with the establishment of the business in 1886 and traces the family members' highs and lows for the 65-year span of the business, with everything from class, empire, women's suffrage, mass production, and the changing role of women in the workplace swirling around in the background. With the focus on the individual, human stories at the centre of the story, Diane paints a compelling picture of their celebrations and struggles through keen observation and compelling storytelling. 'William Prichard & Co' is everything we've come to expect from Diane's writing: well-researched, sharply written, and full of heart.
~ Ingrid Jendrzejewski, Co-Director of National Flash Fiction Day

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2024

About the author

DIANE SIMMONS is a British author who lives in the west country. She is a co-director of National Flash Fiction Day and a former director of the UK Flash Fiction Festival. She has been a reader for the international Bath Short Story Award and a judge for several flash competitions, including Flash 500, New Zealand’s Micro Madness, NFFD Micro Fiction Competition, and many Flash Fiction Festival competitions. Widely published and anthologised, she has been placed in numerous short story and flash competitions. She is the author of four novellas-in-flash: 'Finding a Way', (Ad Hoc Fiction), 'An Inheritance' (V. Press), 'A Tricky Dance' (Alien Buddha Press) & 'William Prichard & Co' (Arroyo Seco Press). All her novellas are available from Amazon or from her website: www.dianesimmons.co.uk

Reviews

[Michael Loveday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this - Diane Simmons's writing style is immediately recognisable and makes for a very entertaining and engaging experience for the reader. She is developing a real specialism as a writer of historical novellas-in-flash.

[Jillian Tempo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to take my time over Diane’s flash novellas, savouring the nuances and emotion in each story. With William Prichard and Co, I just couldn’t go slowly, I was so keen to find out what happened to the richly-drawn characters.
It’s the story of a business, but really of a family, but actually a social history so deftly handled.
There’s prejudice and discrimination, family dynamics and the emigration of a beloved son. So much of its time but also so current.
I loved it and I’m still thinking about the family long after I finished reading the book.

[Linda Bayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars = Diane Simmons knocks it out of the park yet again!

I read the first two pieces in this novella-in-flash before bed last night, and the rest of it this morning over a couple of hours while I drank my coffee. This is the third novella-in-flash of Diane's that I've read, and I just love her writing.

This story is framed inside the life span of a perambulator factory - which on the surface seems like a pretty dull idea, doesn't it? No, it is not! Because during the sixty-five years of the factory's existence, we also get to see the lives of the people who own and run it and the changes running through British society over that time period. I really cared about the characters, especially Hugh and Agnes, the factory owner's son and daughter-in-law, and smiled at their triumphs. And I tended to frown at the characters who were against them.

It was well worth the time I took away from my own writing to read this book! Highly recommended.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was engrossed in this family portrait centred around a perambulator factory from the first page. Having read all of Diane Simmons’s previous novellas, it never ceases to amaze me how much she packs into a handful of short stories.

Set against a backdrop of societal and political reform across three generations we witness romance, emancipation and changes in legislation to help the working poor. The shifting family dynamics of the Prichard family and their business fascinated me and I found myself cheering out loud for the underdogs!

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a clever book using the background of a pram factory to present characters from a family’s history. Their lives and characters came to life in the setting. The details were interesting and artfully woven into the story.

[Susan Borgersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story, what a ride, each flash unfolding chapters in known and lesser known history. And the not so humble pram being the protagonist for this reader. It is a journey filled with strong and beautifully flawed characters, and layered beneath, whether unwittingly or not, you could feel generations of those lucky, lucky mothers and nannies, who were blessed to ‘drive’ them, and those babes who ‘rode’ them. It brought back my own memories of our family’s blue Silver Cross. Coach built, gleaming chrome, well sprung. Sadly no umbrella holder though! I have distinct memories of the pram getting it’s coachwork and chrome polished - all these memories stirred by this superb book. So thank you Diane, I bloody loved it too!

[Bronwen Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

To write a historical novel, or novella in this case, that rings true, is such an achievement. This is a marvellously enjoyable read, which takes in social history, women's rights and human relationships, all told through the lens of a pram factory. What a brilliant idea, and so beautifully exectuted.

[Joanna Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It requires meticulous attention to detail to cover decades of family history within a single novella and produce a story as memorable and captivating as this. With immaculate writing and careful use of historical facts, Diane Simmons proves it is possible.

Each standalone flash piece is beautifully crafted and they work together with great effect, advancing the plot and developing the characters. As well as providing the perfect backdrop for the story, the pram factory setting comes to life as a fascinating character in itself.

A truly delightful read and highly recommended.