The Mauricewood Devils

by Dorothy Alexander

The year is 1889. When a fire tears through the Mauricewood coal pit there is no escape. Of sixty-five men working, only two survive. Many of the bodies will not be recovered for months.

Martha and her sister have lived with their granny since their mother died, but she is not kind. The death of their father in the Disaster means an end to any chance of a better life. For Martha’s stepmother, Jess, the wait for a body to bury, and the struggle to deal with a loss that is both collective and private, is agonizing.

With many of the miners families left destitute, the women of Mauricewood undertake a campaign for compensation and justice against the criminally negligent pit owners.

Martha and Jess’s stories lie at the heart of this elegy to the closeknit communities of the pit villages in a gripping tribute to resilience and courage in the face of utter catastrophe, based on true events, original source material and Alexander’s own family history.

Genres: Historical Fiction

225 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2016

About the author

Dr. Dorothy Alexander is a writer and Creative Writing tutor with an interest in experimental poetry and fiction in English and Scots. She has a Masters in Creative Writing and a PhD from the University of Glasgow.

Alexander has had poetry published in various Scottish journals. In 2002, she won the MacAllan / Scotland on Sunday Short Story Competition for her short story How She Came to Write a Poem Called 'Apostrophe'. She lives in Galashiels.

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the Mauricewood mining disaster of 1889, this is the story of what happened as seen by the women who lost their men, most specifically Jess who lost her husband and 7yr old Martha, who lost her dad. Their narratives are interspersed with fifty word paragraphs of the facts from both historical and more contemporary accounts of the incident in which 63 men died.

While Jess narrates things as they are, Martha’s childish perspective allows us into her daydreams as she re-imagines ways in which she is able to save her Dad. She also dreams about meeting the Fairie Queen but instead meets a different Queen...

Excellent story-telling knits social history with Border folk-tales to produce an almost flawless read which, unusually, will appeal equally, to both male and female readers.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I moved to the Mauricewood area of Penicuik a couple of years ago so this book really interested me. It gives a great history of the Mauricewood mining disaster of 1889. The book centres around the female characters who have been left behind, in particular a little girl called Martha (based on the authors family).
I feel like the story could have been better written and found the layout of the book a little difficult to follow. Flitting between monologue, facts about the disaster and Martha's imagination. I can understand why the author has decided to do this, however, I feel the facts would have been better footnoted or referenced in the back of the book. It would have allowed the story to flow better (but that's just my opinion). Overall an interesting read and it has sparked an interest in the local history around me.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1889 a coal fire in Scotland took the lives of over 60 men. In Dorothy Alexander's debut novel, she tells the story of the daughter of one the men who died in the fire as well as his now widowed second wife. The story alternates between these two characters and we see how they each deal with the tragedy in their own way.

More information about the Mauricewood Colliery fire behind the link.

Official review here.

(This book was received from the publisher for review.)

[Heather Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic mixture of fiction and non fiction. Depicting a real event, largely forgotten, with creative flair. In 1889 a fire at the Mauricewood pit in Penicuik took the lives of 63 men; something that shouldn’t have happened had the escape hatch law been put into place by the pits owner. Beautifully written by a lovely Borders lady who has invested a part of her own family history in the telling of the lives of the key characters. Gives me goosebumps when I pass by the Beeslack area of Penicuik knowing now what happened all those years ago so far under the ground I’m literally on top off. Definitely recommend.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning read from start to finish. I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

(I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to review this book).

[Eileen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping novel set in the coalfields of East Lothian in the late 1800's.
An all too familiar story about a mining disaster and the aftermath.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Freight Books via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here

A heart-wrenching story inspired by the 1889 Mauricewood pit disaster in Penicuik, Scotland that resulted in the fatalities of sixty-three men. I found it so unexpectedly fascinating that I devoured this book in one sitting and shed quite a few tears. It's such a tragic story.

I love historical fiction that focuses on obscure events in history. I had never heard of the pit disaster in 1889 but this book breathed new life into that event. The story is told from two perspectives; that of Jess, the wife of one of the miners that was killed and his younger daughter, Martha. Jess's perspective was the most difficult to read as I just can't imagine what she went through not knowing how long her husband was trapped before he died. I was really intrigued by all of the details of what family life and working life was like for a miner in that time period. My heart wept for the injustices and the gross negligence that the owners of the Mauricewood coal pit were not held accountable for. Many fathers, husbands, sons, brothers and friends were lost that day and yet it briefly registered on the wider nation's conscience at the time.

Martha's narrative consists of the good memories she has of her dad as well as childish fantasies of rescuing him. It was heartbreaking to see just how resilient children are and how they have unique coping mechanisms. Working in a coal pit in this time period is a very cruel way for someone to earn a living and I was shocked by how the workers and their families were treated. Interspersed throughout the book there are extracts of factual reports from the time that show the official attitude to the disaster, further reinforcing the reality of the event to the reader.

Beautifully crafted, page-turning and captivating; I would highly recommend The Mauricewood Devils.

Disclaimer
I was given a free copy of the book by the publisher. I was not required to give a review. All opinions stated are my own.