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Mules; Masters & Mud
WARNING! This book may contain NUTS! (Non-Uniform Text Speech)
In other words speech in what some have called "Olde English Vernacular". It is spoken by characters in the book from the North, the Midlands and the South of England. There is a glossary at the end of the book to help if you can rise to the challenge. It adds shades of colour to this 19th century story that you may not be expecting.
When Mrs Alexander wrote about “the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate” and declared that “God made them, high or lowly, and order’d their estate” in the ever popular hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful, she was probably reflecting one of the mores of the times. It would fit in well with prejudices and beliefs of the middle and upper classes that paternalism had indeed been intended by God, thus laws protecting the workers in their fields, mills and factories were not necessary. In the words of Browning so long as “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world!”
The continuing story of the Quarry Bank Runaways is about what happened to two cotton apprentices over three decades during the Industrial Revolution; first as qualified young men with hopes and later when they are full grown. By the start of the Victorian period the fates and their ambitions would have collided. Serious events and incidents, both personal and national, were about to impinge upon the lives of Thomas Priestley and Joseph Sefton, who had earlier run away from their apprentice master, Samuel Greg. What would cause a qualified mule spinner to give up his comparatively safe job and risk failure, ridicule or destitution? Ambitious and determined working class individuals like Tommy and Joe had to carefully step through a pathway involving love, loyalty and legal persecution and prejudice, from within the social hierarchy of the times.
In other words speech in what some have called "Olde English Vernacular". It is spoken by characters in the book from the North, the Midlands and the South of England. There is a glossary at the end of the book to help if you can rise to the challenge. It adds shades of colour to this 19th century story that you may not be expecting.
When Mrs Alexander wrote about “the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate” and declared that “God made them, high or lowly, and order’d their estate” in the ever popular hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful, she was probably reflecting one of the mores of the times. It would fit in well with prejudices and beliefs of the middle and upper classes that paternalism had indeed been intended by God, thus laws protecting the workers in their fields, mills and factories were not necessary. In the words of Browning so long as “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world!”
The continuing story of the Quarry Bank Runaways is about what happened to two cotton apprentices over three decades during the Industrial Revolution; first as qualified young men with hopes and later when they are full grown. By the start of the Victorian period the fates and their ambitions would have collided. Serious events and incidents, both personal and national, were about to impinge upon the lives of Thomas Priestley and Joseph Sefton, who had earlier run away from their apprentice master, Samuel Greg. What would cause a qualified mule spinner to give up his comparatively safe job and risk failure, ridicule or destitution? Ambitious and determined working class individuals like Tommy and Joe had to carefully step through a pathway involving love, loyalty and legal persecution and prejudice, from within the social hierarchy of the times.
217 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2018
7 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
G.J. Griffiths
13 books88 followersG.J. Griffiths is a retired science teacher with some early working experience of the photographic industry. Born in the UK he enjoys reading most genres of fiction such as sci-fi, crime/detective thrillers, historical and wildlife stories. Non-fiction reading mainly includes scientific or historical books. Walking in the English, Scottish or Welsh countryside with binoculars ready for bird-watching or other wildlife is a particular pleasure.
His first novel was Fallen Hero and the So What! series of three books followed. All three are focussed on the fictitious Birch Green High School. More recent works include poetry: Dizzyrambic Imaginings, two illustrated children’s sci-fi stories about ant-size aliens and historical novels based upon real characters from the Industrial Revolution period: The Quarry Bank Tales., Mules; Masters & Mud, The Mule Spinners' Daughters.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
His first novel was Fallen Hero and the So What! series of three books followed. All three are focussed on the fictitious Birch Green High School. More recent works include poetry: Dizzyrambic Imaginings, two illustrated children’s sci-fi stories about ant-size aliens and historical novels based upon real characters from the Industrial Revolution period: The Quarry Bank Tales., Mules; Masters & Mud, The Mule Spinners' Daughters.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 2, 2018
2.5 stars.
I’m afraid to say I found this book hard to get through. Perhaps I just couldn’t embrace the style of writing.
A lot of it seemed historically accurate and the language and accents do appear to have been thoroughly researched, but the dialogue was immersion breaking and I had to continually re-read to make sense of it. The glossary at the end of the book was very helpful, but time consuming to keep scrolling to the back of the book to check words. Luckily, I checked to see if the glossary was there, but other readers may not, so it probably would’ve been best to have it at the start of the novel instead.
There’s a good story buried in here though, and the front cover and Mud-Lark illustration are beautiful. The title of the book is also memorable and intriguing. I did find it interesting learning about the cotton industry and many other details about the time period, but I wished the author spent a little more time fleshing out the characters so the readers would be able to make more of a connection with them.
I’m afraid to say I found this book hard to get through. Perhaps I just couldn’t embrace the style of writing.
A lot of it seemed historically accurate and the language and accents do appear to have been thoroughly researched, but the dialogue was immersion breaking and I had to continually re-read to make sense of it. The glossary at the end of the book was very helpful, but time consuming to keep scrolling to the back of the book to check words. Luckily, I checked to see if the glossary was there, but other readers may not, so it probably would’ve been best to have it at the start of the novel instead.
There’s a good story buried in here though, and the front cover and Mud-Lark illustration are beautiful. The title of the book is also memorable and intriguing. I did find it interesting learning about the cotton industry and many other details about the time period, but I wished the author spent a little more time fleshing out the characters so the readers would be able to make more of a connection with them.
December 21, 2018
Mules, Masters, & Mud covers a time period and place where I had very little background knowledge ahead of time. The author did a great job in describing the conditions of the cotton mill, the struggle of the families to survive and improve their situations, and the personalities involved in the story. Despite the hardships, Joseph and Thomas offer hope and work to pull themselves up from their straits.
I enjoyed the subplots and characters, especially the Luddites and their interaction with the other groups. The social commentary was extensive, but didn’t come across as burdensome or excessively preachy. The gritty, realistic scenes and ugly details worked perfectly in this environment, and made it more vivid and poignant. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the time period or story.
I enjoyed the subplots and characters, especially the Luddites and their interaction with the other groups. The social commentary was extensive, but didn’t come across as burdensome or excessively preachy. The gritty, realistic scenes and ugly details worked perfectly in this environment, and made it more vivid and poignant. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the time period or story.
May 4, 2018
Griffiths' story follows two slave-like cotton apprentices and their trials and tribulations at the heart of the industrial revolution. They love, they work hard for pretty much pittance, and its the story of struggling people trying to make the best life they could in their harrowing conditions.
Pros: Griffiths well-researched writing ensured that every page of this book was like a time machine. After reading this book, you now know the inner workings of the cotton industry, life during that century, the way they spoke, how the air smelled, how much things cost, what the dreams and ambitions of people during that time period was. I mean every sordid detail was thought out. The amount of research and historical accuracy is mind-numbing. A definite achievement.
Cons: There were parts of me that were reading this book, nervous i'd have a test like I did when I was in middle school with assigned readings. The story was more focused on the historical accuracy, as opposed to creating complex characters that you could assimilate to or feel for. I read to the end to learn more about the history, not so much to know about what happened to the protagonist. The language was also hard to grasp, and I know it was to be exactly as the time period, but as a grown educated woman I had to reread several times to understand what the characters were saying, I can't imagine this being an easy read for a young adult.
I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. You will truly immerse yourself in this time period, and escape the tiny hindrances of your own life when you learn of their misery.
Pros: Griffiths well-researched writing ensured that every page of this book was like a time machine. After reading this book, you now know the inner workings of the cotton industry, life during that century, the way they spoke, how the air smelled, how much things cost, what the dreams and ambitions of people during that time period was. I mean every sordid detail was thought out. The amount of research and historical accuracy is mind-numbing. A definite achievement.
Cons: There were parts of me that were reading this book, nervous i'd have a test like I did when I was in middle school with assigned readings. The story was more focused on the historical accuracy, as opposed to creating complex characters that you could assimilate to or feel for. I read to the end to learn more about the history, not so much to know about what happened to the protagonist. The language was also hard to grasp, and I know it was to be exactly as the time period, but as a grown educated woman I had to reread several times to understand what the characters were saying, I can't imagine this being an easy read for a young adult.
I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. You will truly immerse yourself in this time period, and escape the tiny hindrances of your own life when you learn of their misery.
October 6, 2018
Mules, Masters & Mud is a well researched historical novel about two young men, Joseph Sefton and Thomas Priestley, who start off life as indentured child workers in a cotton mill. The boys are both determined to make the best of their opportunities at the cotton mill and uplift their economic positions so that they can eventually get their mothers and siblings out of the workhouse and be reunited as families.
Although the book is realistic about the hardships faced by the working classes during the industrial revolution, I found the story to be quite uplifting as Joseph and Thomas worked hard to achieve their chosen goals in life. Their devotion to their mothers and siblings helps keep them focused and they are eventually able to return to London and find some of their relatives. Of course, life happens while the best of us make plans, and not everything goes well for the two friends. Joseph’s brother, Daniel, is found guilty of murder and deported to Australia and this is quite a blow to Joseph and Thomas who both feel guilty for not finding Daniel and intervening earlier in his life.
Joseph turns his hand to the life of a farmer and learns to look after horses and cows and how to till and plant the earth. Thomas stays in the cotton mills and builds up his own independent business. Both men find ways to adapt to challenges placed along the paths of their lives.
The book explores a lot of interesting history relating to period, in particular, the role of the Luddites in improving the lot of the working people and the adversity this movement faced from the wealthy classes. Due to the nature of the book, there are some sad and depressing parts of the story as illnesses and bacterial infections were rife during this time and employees had no rights. The book pulls no punches in these areas and also touches on the rampant illness caused by the squalid lives of the workers in the back-to-back accommodation in Manchester and other industrial cities at that time.
I found this book to be a very interesting read although the extensive use of the dialects of the time made some of the reading a bit of an effort.
Although the book is realistic about the hardships faced by the working classes during the industrial revolution, I found the story to be quite uplifting as Joseph and Thomas worked hard to achieve their chosen goals in life. Their devotion to their mothers and siblings helps keep them focused and they are eventually able to return to London and find some of their relatives. Of course, life happens while the best of us make plans, and not everything goes well for the two friends. Joseph’s brother, Daniel, is found guilty of murder and deported to Australia and this is quite a blow to Joseph and Thomas who both feel guilty for not finding Daniel and intervening earlier in his life.
Joseph turns his hand to the life of a farmer and learns to look after horses and cows and how to till and plant the earth. Thomas stays in the cotton mills and builds up his own independent business. Both men find ways to adapt to challenges placed along the paths of their lives.
The book explores a lot of interesting history relating to period, in particular, the role of the Luddites in improving the lot of the working people and the adversity this movement faced from the wealthy classes. Due to the nature of the book, there are some sad and depressing parts of the story as illnesses and bacterial infections were rife during this time and employees had no rights. The book pulls no punches in these areas and also touches on the rampant illness caused by the squalid lives of the workers in the back-to-back accommodation in Manchester and other industrial cities at that time.
I found this book to be a very interesting read although the extensive use of the dialects of the time made some of the reading a bit of an effort.
October 15, 2018
This is what I expect from historical fiction: an authentic, realistic account of the time period with all the uncomfortabilities that go with it. I haven't read The Quarry Bank Runaways yet but this novel can be read without having read the first book. The dialect adds flavor and flair and it may be challenging but I don't want to be spoon-fed a story. I feel this is a very loving tribute to those western European workers of the 19th century that fought to make our western 20th century factories safer and somewhat human to work in. Highly recommended.
October 13, 2018
I enjoyed this well-written 19th century novel about what happens to two cotton apprentices, Tommy and Joseph, over three decades during the industrial revolution. From the beginning of the story I was drawn to the two characters and their lives full of hardships. Their courage, ambition, love of family and sense of justice, so well portrayed by the author, made this book well worth reading.
December 29, 2018
This book continues the saga of two apprentices introduced in The Quarry Bank Runaways which I read and reviewed in the spring of this year (2018). In that book they were on a quest to find their relatives in London, having been taken years before from an East End workhouse to the Quarry Bank Mill operated by the Greg family (and now a museum of the Industrial Revolution) in Styal, Cheshire. Now both have completed their apprenticeship and set out once again on the search for their London based relatives. But the book covers several decades in their respective adult lives during which one becomes a farmer and the other a shop keeper.
Real historical figures, like the Greg daughter who married the mayor of Liverpool and in whose name the Elizabeth S Rathbone Trust was established, and events such as the infamous Peterloo Massacre are woven into the story of ordinary hard working people struggling to survive in a rapidly changing and often hostile world.
I am not sure who Mr Griffiths's target audience is, but the language and the lessons are well suited to a young audience. Those lessons are more than mere history lessons. They tell of the solid values of hard work and thrift that underpin the social history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that we sometimes seem to be losing sight of. I can well imagine that there are those, especially on the political left, who will view this as a rather santised version of history, paying homage, as it does, to those values and too little attention to the achievements of organised labour.
What it seeks to demonstrate is that not all capitalists are bad people and that it is possible for men and women to make a success of lives that begin with the most unpromising of beginnings. All it takes is love, compassion and hard work.
There is room at the end for the saga to be continued into a third volume and I hope Mr Griffiths intends to do that. I certainly look forward to reading it.
Real historical figures, like the Greg daughter who married the mayor of Liverpool and in whose name the Elizabeth S Rathbone Trust was established, and events such as the infamous Peterloo Massacre are woven into the story of ordinary hard working people struggling to survive in a rapidly changing and often hostile world.
I am not sure who Mr Griffiths's target audience is, but the language and the lessons are well suited to a young audience. Those lessons are more than mere history lessons. They tell of the solid values of hard work and thrift that underpin the social history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that we sometimes seem to be losing sight of. I can well imagine that there are those, especially on the political left, who will view this as a rather santised version of history, paying homage, as it does, to those values and too little attention to the achievements of organised labour.
What it seeks to demonstrate is that not all capitalists are bad people and that it is possible for men and women to make a success of lives that begin with the most unpromising of beginnings. All it takes is love, compassion and hard work.
There is room at the end for the saga to be continued into a third volume and I hope Mr Griffiths intends to do that. I certainly look forward to reading it.
August 12, 2018
Legacy – ‘…a bit of ’ope for the future’
The boyhood journey of Thomas Priestly and Joseph Sefton in Book 1: The Quarry Bank Runaways, transitions to their adult lives in Book 2: Mules; Masters & Mud. Though still concerned with their family origins, they are now also seeking to create their own families—their own legacies.
I adore the rich, evocative regional dialects and brogue in this novel. Kudos to Griffiths for retaining the authenticity he so vividly captured in the first book. (Tip: When in doubt, sound it out; this was my English Lit professor’s sage advice.)
Heartstrings are tugged and plucked—both good and bad. There are many subject matters that may boil the blood, depending on reader-sensibilities. Specifically, views on: politics (reform and resistance); gender (male/female roles); social class (poor/aristocracy); child labor (bleak descriptions of the brutality of cotton-mill labor conditions). But also keep in mind the historical timeline and significance of this story; in other words, grit your teeth and understand that this was the way of things. The historical reality was ugly, and pretending it never happened doesn’t mean it never did. We’ve come a long way since the early 1800s, but we’ve only painted over those ugly parts and therefore still have far to go before we can truly claim ourselves as civilized beings who look out for the welfare of all.
Poverty sucks! Ever since money was invented—all the way back to when ‘trinkets’ were currency—those who have more of it have a better go at life. Not only that, it appears the main reason they have more is because of those who have very little. Yes, there are exceptions, but these are few… sort of like the dollars in a poor person’s wallet. Still, a few dollars in a poor wallet is better than the cobwebs in an unemployed one. It’s the system and the inherited cycle, and both are difficult, if not impossible, to break free of.
Legacy: “…sounds like the top an’ bottom of it”. The future’s legacy; it’s our duty—our own inherited legacy, be it poor or wealthy—to bequeath a principle of integrity and seed ‘hopes for a better future’.
Attached as I was to the boyhood adventures of the first book, The Quarry Bank Runaways: The Journey to London of Thomas Priestly and Joseph Sefton in 1806, I thoroughly enjoyed the coming-of-age characterization in its continuation: Mules; Masters & Mud. I look forward to one more continuation—which I hope is full of the historical reality G. J. Griffiths so accurately captures while also weaving in an imaginary tale.
The boyhood journey of Thomas Priestly and Joseph Sefton in Book 1: The Quarry Bank Runaways, transitions to their adult lives in Book 2: Mules; Masters & Mud. Though still concerned with their family origins, they are now also seeking to create their own families—their own legacies.
I adore the rich, evocative regional dialects and brogue in this novel. Kudos to Griffiths for retaining the authenticity he so vividly captured in the first book. (Tip: When in doubt, sound it out; this was my English Lit professor’s sage advice.)
Heartstrings are tugged and plucked—both good and bad. There are many subject matters that may boil the blood, depending on reader-sensibilities. Specifically, views on: politics (reform and resistance); gender (male/female roles); social class (poor/aristocracy); child labor (bleak descriptions of the brutality of cotton-mill labor conditions). But also keep in mind the historical timeline and significance of this story; in other words, grit your teeth and understand that this was the way of things. The historical reality was ugly, and pretending it never happened doesn’t mean it never did. We’ve come a long way since the early 1800s, but we’ve only painted over those ugly parts and therefore still have far to go before we can truly claim ourselves as civilized beings who look out for the welfare of all.
Poverty sucks! Ever since money was invented—all the way back to when ‘trinkets’ were currency—those who have more of it have a better go at life. Not only that, it appears the main reason they have more is because of those who have very little. Yes, there are exceptions, but these are few… sort of like the dollars in a poor person’s wallet. Still, a few dollars in a poor wallet is better than the cobwebs in an unemployed one. It’s the system and the inherited cycle, and both are difficult, if not impossible, to break free of.
Legacy: “…sounds like the top an’ bottom of it”. The future’s legacy; it’s our duty—our own inherited legacy, be it poor or wealthy—to bequeath a principle of integrity and seed ‘hopes for a better future’.
Attached as I was to the boyhood adventures of the first book, The Quarry Bank Runaways: The Journey to London of Thomas Priestly and Joseph Sefton in 1806, I thoroughly enjoyed the coming-of-age characterization in its continuation: Mules; Masters & Mud. I look forward to one more continuation—which I hope is full of the historical reality G. J. Griffiths so accurately captures while also weaving in an imaginary tale.
October 6, 2018
Mules, Masters & Mud is a well researched historical novel about two young men, Joseph Sefton and Thomas Priestley, who start off life as indentured child workers in a cotton mill. The boys are both determined to make the best of their opportunities at the cotton mill and uplift their economic positions so that they can eventually get their mothers and siblings out of the workhouse and be reunited as families.
Although the book is realistic about the hardships faced by the working classes during the industrial revolution, I found the story to be quite uplifting as Joseph and Thomas worked hard to achieve their chosen goals in life. Their devotion to their mothers and siblings helps keep them focused and they are eventually able to return to London and find some of their relatives. Of course, life happens while the best of us make plans, and not everything goes well for the two friends. Joseph’s brother, Daniel, is found guilty of murder and deported to Australia and this is quite a blow to Joseph and Thomas who both feel guilty for not finding Daniel and intervening earlier in his life.
Joseph turns his hand to the life of a farmer and learns to look after horses and cows and how to till and plant the earth. Thomas stays in the cotton mills and builds up his own independent business. Both men find ways to adapt to challenges placed along the paths of their lives.
The book explores a lot of interesting history relating to period, in particular, the role of the Luddites in improving the lot of the working people and the adversity this movement faced from the wealthy classes. Due to the nature of the book, there are some sad and depressing parts of the story as illnesses and bacterial infections were rife during this time and employees had no rights. The book pulls no punches in these areas and also touches on the rampant illness caused by the squalid lives of the workers in the back-to-back accommodation in Manchester and other industrial cities at that time.
I found this book to be a very interesting read although the extensive use of the dialects of the time made some of the reading a bit of an effort.
Although the book is realistic about the hardships faced by the working classes during the industrial revolution, I found the story to be quite uplifting as Joseph and Thomas worked hard to achieve their chosen goals in life. Their devotion to their mothers and siblings helps keep them focused and they are eventually able to return to London and find some of their relatives. Of course, life happens while the best of us make plans, and not everything goes well for the two friends. Joseph’s brother, Daniel, is found guilty of murder and deported to Australia and this is quite a blow to Joseph and Thomas who both feel guilty for not finding Daniel and intervening earlier in his life.
Joseph turns his hand to the life of a farmer and learns to look after horses and cows and how to till and plant the earth. Thomas stays in the cotton mills and builds up his own independent business. Both men find ways to adapt to challenges placed along the paths of their lives.
The book explores a lot of interesting history relating to period, in particular, the role of the Luddites in improving the lot of the working people and the adversity this movement faced from the wealthy classes. Due to the nature of the book, there are some sad and depressing parts of the story as illnesses and bacterial infections were rife during this time and employees had no rights. The book pulls no punches in these areas and also touches on the rampant illness caused by the squalid lives of the workers in the back-to-back accommodation in Manchester and other industrial cities at that time.
I found this book to be a very interesting read although the extensive use of the dialects of the time made some of the reading a bit of an effort.
April 27, 2018
This is a historical fiction that shows how miserable life was over 100 years ago. Experts say we'd have a hard time understanding people who spoke English just 100 years ago and I agree.
I applaud the author on what must've been hundreds of hours of research to make sure everything was historically accurate and the language and accents were precise. But it was just too hard to follow, I was tripping on every paragraph. What should've been an slip into the story to let it wash me away became a battering on a beachhead filled with rocks. The story follows, well too many people really. We get a glimpse of two boys who were sold into labor, but paid so I guess that made them indentured servants. Well one comes home to court this girl that I get the impression he had only met a few times, but fell madly in love with. Then the story goes to his friend, then brothers, and sisters, and a lot of people and I never connected with any of them. Well the story essentially progresses quite linearly to the first characters demise and those it effected. We see an entire lifetime for these people trying to make a life in these miserable conditions. It's bleak and I can appreciate that if I felt anything for these characters. It seemed like this was more of a showcase for a compelling history than an entertaining read. Maybe when the hard to understand language in this book was more easily understood this story would be gripping.
I also commend the author for not choosing the first person view. That seems to be the go to for YA fiction, but to do it you have to make it extra compelling. That being said I do not see this as a YA fiction. There is no wonder, no hope, even in dystopian YA there is something to make the target audience interested. I would say this is more suited for adults that like a clinical glimpse into history.
I see this is a sequel and maybe the author just wanted to reward the readers of the first book with a 'this is what happened to them' follow up, but as a stand alone it doesn't work.
I applaud the author on what must've been hundreds of hours of research to make sure everything was historically accurate and the language and accents were precise. But it was just too hard to follow, I was tripping on every paragraph. What should've been an slip into the story to let it wash me away became a battering on a beachhead filled with rocks. The story follows, well too many people really. We get a glimpse of two boys who were sold into labor, but paid so I guess that made them indentured servants. Well one comes home to court this girl that I get the impression he had only met a few times, but fell madly in love with. Then the story goes to his friend, then brothers, and sisters, and a lot of people and I never connected with any of them. Well the story essentially progresses quite linearly to the first characters demise and those it effected. We see an entire lifetime for these people trying to make a life in these miserable conditions. It's bleak and I can appreciate that if I felt anything for these characters. It seemed like this was more of a showcase for a compelling history than an entertaining read. Maybe when the hard to understand language in this book was more easily understood this story would be gripping.
I also commend the author for not choosing the first person view. That seems to be the go to for YA fiction, but to do it you have to make it extra compelling. That being said I do not see this as a YA fiction. There is no wonder, no hope, even in dystopian YA there is something to make the target audience interested. I would say this is more suited for adults that like a clinical glimpse into history.
I see this is a sequel and maybe the author just wanted to reward the readers of the first book with a 'this is what happened to them' follow up, but as a stand alone it doesn't work.
December 29, 2018
This is a great continuation of the story begun in 'The Quarry Bank Runaways' and gives us a wonderful insight into life during the period of time known as the Industrial Revolution in Midlands UK during the 1800's.
The author has taken facts and woven them into a truly believable tale of the two youngsters from the first book, now grown into adulthood and beyond, covering their family life and how they both shaped their future and that of their descendants.
In this book the characters are all very well expanded and remain solid and rounded within the framework of the story. The author weaves the facts of the people and the time into a very creditable novel that has been extremely well researched which shows in the powerful narrative. It would perhaps be interesting to add in family trees for the major characters like the boys and the mill owners they had dealings with such as the Gregg family, particularly around the time each book is set.
The issue of the vernacular does need some addressing though - for me, personally, it fits well with the story and needs little, if any, explaining given I come from an area where the dialect has its own peculiarities and am now resident in the areas where the story is set. There are many readers, however, that are very unfamiliar with any of the dialects here in the UK and struggle with the story because of its extensive use in the book. I am unsure of how to address this issue totally successfully in this instance as it did enhance the story for me. The glossary is extensive and very helpful to a reader but cumbersome to use in e-format.
All in all I would recommend this book, especially to anyone who likes a historical connection in a story
The author has taken facts and woven them into a truly believable tale of the two youngsters from the first book, now grown into adulthood and beyond, covering their family life and how they both shaped their future and that of their descendants.
In this book the characters are all very well expanded and remain solid and rounded within the framework of the story. The author weaves the facts of the people and the time into a very creditable novel that has been extremely well researched which shows in the powerful narrative. It would perhaps be interesting to add in family trees for the major characters like the boys and the mill owners they had dealings with such as the Gregg family, particularly around the time each book is set.
The issue of the vernacular does need some addressing though - for me, personally, it fits well with the story and needs little, if any, explaining given I come from an area where the dialect has its own peculiarities and am now resident in the areas where the story is set. There are many readers, however, that are very unfamiliar with any of the dialects here in the UK and struggle with the story because of its extensive use in the book. I am unsure of how to address this issue totally successfully in this instance as it did enhance the story for me. The glossary is extensive and very helpful to a reader but cumbersome to use in e-format.
All in all I would recommend this book, especially to anyone who likes a historical connection in a story
August 15, 2018
If you enjoy your history in a fictional setting of great authenticity showing the author's enormous propensity for research then you will enjoy this book.
This is a sequel to The Quarry Bank Runaways but also works well as a stand alone novel.
Mules; Masters and Mud is based upon the trials and tribulations of real characters from the Industrial Revolution period. Misfortunes there are many as was so true of the working class struggles at this time but there are also many uplifting moments.
The narration and the dialects used are genuine for the area and the period and only serve to add to the reader's experience.
I am sure that this would prove to be an excellent addition to the study of this time and teachers would do well to recommend it if it is pertinent to their course.
I see a previous reviewer mentioned that this novel is classified as YA, although I have seen no mention of it being so, and it does sadden me to say that I agree that I cannot see any young person I know picking up a book of this ilk purely for pleasure, so if it is so then it needs to be reclassified. However, please do not allow the vagaries of the younger generation put you off trying it for yourself, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
This is a sequel to The Quarry Bank Runaways but also works well as a stand alone novel.
Mules; Masters and Mud is based upon the trials and tribulations of real characters from the Industrial Revolution period. Misfortunes there are many as was so true of the working class struggles at this time but there are also many uplifting moments.
The narration and the dialects used are genuine for the area and the period and only serve to add to the reader's experience.
I am sure that this would prove to be an excellent addition to the study of this time and teachers would do well to recommend it if it is pertinent to their course.
I see a previous reviewer mentioned that this novel is classified as YA, although I have seen no mention of it being so, and it does sadden me to say that I agree that I cannot see any young person I know picking up a book of this ilk purely for pleasure, so if it is so then it needs to be reclassified. However, please do not allow the vagaries of the younger generation put you off trying it for yourself, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
October 30, 2018
If you like Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White and Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, you would enjoy this story of social injustices and the people who rose above all that society did to beat them down. The pacing matches the old masters. The memorable characters and heartbreaking lives they endured gives the modern reader a greater appreciation of how much things have improved for the poor in industrialized countries.
Child labor laws, women's rights, and property rights have all vastly improved thanks to writers like Collins and Dickens who brought such conditions to public attention. Likewise, this novel reveals the struggles of the poor in England before laws were changed.
The diction of the poor is expressed with approximations of sound as explained in the Glossary at the end of the book. Another, for example, is spelled anuvver. Right is spelled reet. This takes a bit of work for the reader, but the story is compelling and emotionally charged.
Child labor laws, women's rights, and property rights have all vastly improved thanks to writers like Collins and Dickens who brought such conditions to public attention. Likewise, this novel reveals the struggles of the poor in England before laws were changed.
The diction of the poor is expressed with approximations of sound as explained in the Glossary at the end of the book. Another, for example, is spelled anuvver. Right is spelled reet. This takes a bit of work for the reader, but the story is compelling and emotionally charged.
October 8, 2018
If you are reading "Mules; Masters and Mud" before reading "The Quarry Bank Runaways", then you will be lost. In order to fully appreciate this book, you need to have read the first book. "Mules" is a great continuation of the "Runaways" story.
G.J. Griffiths does another wonderful job of providing accurate historical facts and interweaving them with his imagination to create a great piece of historical fiction. He tries to stay as accurate as possible to the history behind the story, and even goes as far as keeping the characters' dialect historically accurate for that time period. Some readers may have trouble deciphering the dialect, but he does provide a glossary of terms at the end of the book as a guide.
Other than that, I think this is a good read. It is a great companion book for the first book "The Quarry Bank Runaways".
G.J. Griffiths does another wonderful job of providing accurate historical facts and interweaving them with his imagination to create a great piece of historical fiction. He tries to stay as accurate as possible to the history behind the story, and even goes as far as keeping the characters' dialect historically accurate for that time period. Some readers may have trouble deciphering the dialect, but he does provide a glossary of terms at the end of the book as a guide.
Other than that, I think this is a good read. It is a great companion book for the first book "The Quarry Bank Runaways".
March 13, 2019
This book is heart wrenching, emotional and, vividly displays a sad, dark history of child labor exploitation. During the Industrial Revolution children throughout England were forced to work in workhouses and “apprenticeships” to pay off their family’s debts, and age did not matter. Griffiths paints a historically accurate picture of the bleakness, the poverty, and the desperation of the era.
In book one Tom and Joe run away from the mill where both have contracted mill-lung, where the cotton fibers are inhaled and causes bronchial issues. These two young men, despite their class, lack of education, money and social connections are determined to improve their fortunes.
Families are torn apart and love ones are lost due to debt, workhouses, and apprenticeships. However, Tom and Joe keep trying to succeed, and these two young men are to be admired for no other reason than just their true grit.
However, it must be noted that Griffiths does a marvelous job of laying out the landscape of England at the time, he even seems to capture the dreariness of the weather, and the continuous smoke generated due to automation. He also brilliantly displays the “dog eat dog” mentality of society. The rich get richer, and the poor get nothing. The poor are reduced to being crabs in a barrel trying to pull each other down or trying to scam each other like the Grimbles. Fortunately, there are a few bright lights of humanity that shine through brightly like Mrs. Milner and Rachel.
Although a work of fiction, please do not mistake anything in this book as being an exaggeration on events that may have happened to children during 19th Century England, for the truth of the author’s testimony, one only needs to look to the powerhouse of 19th Century British Literature, Charles Dickens. The master storyteller as a child, Dickens worked as an apprentice in a bootblack factory to pay off his family’s debts.
The book is well written; the characters can stand on their own and are engaging. This book is many things, but primarily it’s a coming of age story about the bonds of friendship. It’s also a clear political commentary by the author on the mistreatment of children, and the inequality of the class system in the 19th Century.
The story is written in old English vernacular, and some may have an issue with it. Fortunately, it didn’t particularly bother me. However, I do see how it can be a distraction to some.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re looking for a happy ending, this is not your book, and you may want to get yourself a hankie for the very end. I know I was a little teary.
In book one Tom and Joe run away from the mill where both have contracted mill-lung, where the cotton fibers are inhaled and causes bronchial issues. These two young men, despite their class, lack of education, money and social connections are determined to improve their fortunes.
Families are torn apart and love ones are lost due to debt, workhouses, and apprenticeships. However, Tom and Joe keep trying to succeed, and these two young men are to be admired for no other reason than just their true grit.
However, it must be noted that Griffiths does a marvelous job of laying out the landscape of England at the time, he even seems to capture the dreariness of the weather, and the continuous smoke generated due to automation. He also brilliantly displays the “dog eat dog” mentality of society. The rich get richer, and the poor get nothing. The poor are reduced to being crabs in a barrel trying to pull each other down or trying to scam each other like the Grimbles. Fortunately, there are a few bright lights of humanity that shine through brightly like Mrs. Milner and Rachel.
Although a work of fiction, please do not mistake anything in this book as being an exaggeration on events that may have happened to children during 19th Century England, for the truth of the author’s testimony, one only needs to look to the powerhouse of 19th Century British Literature, Charles Dickens. The master storyteller as a child, Dickens worked as an apprentice in a bootblack factory to pay off his family’s debts.
The book is well written; the characters can stand on their own and are engaging. This book is many things, but primarily it’s a coming of age story about the bonds of friendship. It’s also a clear political commentary by the author on the mistreatment of children, and the inequality of the class system in the 19th Century.
The story is written in old English vernacular, and some may have an issue with it. Fortunately, it didn’t particularly bother me. However, I do see how it can be a distraction to some.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re looking for a happy ending, this is not your book, and you may want to get yourself a hankie for the very end. I know I was a little teary.
June 28, 2019
This is the second book in a history of two boys living in working class England during the 19th century. It follows the paths the two boys take as they build lives and families in the face of obstacles and adverse circumstances. The flavor is Dickensian, and I mean that in a good way, addressing detail and bringing the past sharply into focus. Griffiths clearly has a passion for history and for research; for the most part it is woven smoothly into the narrative, although at times it is a bit heavy. The use of period language is somewhat overdone, not obstructively so, but that’s a personal opinion. The characters themselves, particularly the secondary characters, are not as well created. They all have similar names – Ellie, Mollie, Sally, for example. That certainly could have benefitted from a little of Dicken’s sharp craziness. They also all have similar personas – they need little tics and habits to distinguish them. The biggest flaw is lack of story, that is, the lack of overarching goal. This was s a series of anecdotes that started at the beginning and arrived at the end, then ended. A story is a journey through the woods to a waterfall, an anecdote is a rainy afternoon by the fire listening to grandpa talk about what life was like many years ago. Both are great in their own way, but don’t confuse the one for the other.
March 16, 2019
Griffiths’ writing talents shine through in Mules, Masters, and Mud. Having read its predecessor, The Quarry Bank Runaways, I was eager to rejoin Thomas Priestley and Joseph Sefton to find out more about their lives and families. The book reads like a classic but with the pace of a modern novel. Griffiths opens the reader to the lives and struggles of the characters as they navigate life in England in the early 1800s.
Griffiths draws us onto a world that feels both historic and immediately palpable through the brilliant use of dialogue. We share in Tommy and Joseph's joys and sorrows, triumphs and hardships. We laugh along with them in their happy times with their wives and children, and we are frustrated with the obstacles that society and life throw in their paths.
This is a must read for all lovers of historical fiction and those who enjoy classic novels.
Griffiths draws us onto a world that feels both historic and immediately palpable through the brilliant use of dialogue. We share in Tommy and Joseph's joys and sorrows, triumphs and hardships. We laugh along with them in their happy times with their wives and children, and we are frustrated with the obstacles that society and life throw in their paths.
This is a must read for all lovers of historical fiction and those who enjoy classic novels.
December 20, 2023
This is the third book by this author that I’ve read. The author has set all three books in the Industrial Revolution, and I've really enjoyed reading all of them. Each of them talks about different aspects of the social conditions of the time.
In this one, he talks about children being sent up chimneys to sweep them (and the risk of getting trapped, something I hadn't considered). It also covered cotton lung, where cotton mill workers breathed in the cotton dust, clogging their lungs and eventually killing them. As an Australian, I also found it interesting to hear about someone who had been transported to Australia, with all the horrors that entailed.
It might sound as though it’s just a treatise on social conditions, but the author skilfully weaves all of this into the story of two families. And the story was definitely worth reading, just like the earlier ones in this series.
For anyone who enjoys historical novels, this is a must read.
In this one, he talks about children being sent up chimneys to sweep them (and the risk of getting trapped, something I hadn't considered). It also covered cotton lung, where cotton mill workers breathed in the cotton dust, clogging their lungs and eventually killing them. As an Australian, I also found it interesting to hear about someone who had been transported to Australia, with all the horrors that entailed.
It might sound as though it’s just a treatise on social conditions, but the author skilfully weaves all of this into the story of two families. And the story was definitely worth reading, just like the earlier ones in this series.
For anyone who enjoys historical novels, this is a must read.
June 1, 2024
It was like reading a Modern Work of Dickens.
G.J. Griffiths's Mules; Masters & Mud: The Continuing Story of The Quarry Bank Runaways is a masterly done tale of two best friends Thomas and Joseph who worked hard to raise families and overcome adversity during the early industrial age of Great Britain. After a slow start, the book becomes reminiscent of the works of Dickens like Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickelby. Like Griffiths, Dickens wrote of the realism of the harsh conditions encountered by the poor and working classes who labored with no rights to better conditions and the ability to organize. Griffith captures the history well and is authentic with the dialog as he captures the dialect of the period. For those who like family epic sagas with a history education, this book will ably fill those needs.
G.J. Griffiths's Mules; Masters & Mud: The Continuing Story of The Quarry Bank Runaways is a masterly done tale of two best friends Thomas and Joseph who worked hard to raise families and overcome adversity during the early industrial age of Great Britain. After a slow start, the book becomes reminiscent of the works of Dickens like Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickelby. Like Griffiths, Dickens wrote of the realism of the harsh conditions encountered by the poor and working classes who labored with no rights to better conditions and the ability to organize. Griffith captures the history well and is authentic with the dialog as he captures the dialect of the period. For those who like family epic sagas with a history education, this book will ably fill those needs.
July 28, 2019
MULES; MASTERS & MUD, by G.J. Griffiths, is the sequel to his book THE QUARRY BANK RUNAWAYS. In it, Joseph Sefton is desperately tying to extract himself from the cotton mill he's indentured to and buy into a farm owned by the elderly widow Marion Milner, all the while trying to become engaged to Ellie Brightwell. Meanwhile, Joseph's best friend Thomas Priestley, also indentured to the cotton mill, desperately searches for his and Joseph's younger siblings.
The dialog from 1806 takes a little getting used to, but the glossary in the back of the book is helpful. Obviously well researched, it's an interesting look at the hard times of pre-Industrial Revolution England during the last half of King George III's reign.
The dialog from 1806 takes a little getting used to, but the glossary in the back of the book is helpful. Obviously well researched, it's an interesting look at the hard times of pre-Industrial Revolution England during the last half of King George III's reign.
March 22, 2019
Things are looking up for Joseph and Tommy.
After years of hard work during the English industrial revolution, it's time to make their dreams come true.
Joseph is cashing in his savings for a farm with his new bride, and Tommy now has his own team at the cotton mill.
But life in “ye olde England" was far from easy.
Follow their adventures, from happy to heart-wrenching, in this beautiful tale of two friends finding their own feet.
Get your copy today!
After years of hard work during the English industrial revolution, it's time to make their dreams come true.
Joseph is cashing in his savings for a farm with his new bride, and Tommy now has his own team at the cotton mill.
But life in “ye olde England" was far from easy.
Follow their adventures, from happy to heart-wrenching, in this beautiful tale of two friends finding their own feet.
Get your copy today!
May 27, 2019
Lovers of stories that are based on accurate historical accounts will enjoy this story of two friends trying to make better life for themselves and to gather their lost family members back together and out of poverty.
April 26, 2018
2.5 stars
I'm sorry to give this such a low rating, however I really did find this a very challenging read about a coming of age drama of two boys, Thomas Priestley and Joseph Sefton. Whilst I give the author kudos for researching the historical aspect of cotton apprentices during the Industrial revolution in 1806, this book does not capture imagination and reel you in, which is what you need a story to do. This is also labelled as a YA book, and therefore needs to appeal to a teen audience, which it would do if it could capture imagination. However, the author focuses too much on creating the old English dialect of the time, which is just unreadable in parts as I tried to work out what the characters were saying, and it becomes so tiresome that I ended up focusing more on what was being said than the storyline. There is also too much telling and explanation, with a lack of real emotion and drama, which the author could have created more in the beginning, rather than over explaining the story. I have a teenager who is a real bookworm, studying philosophy and English Lit, and they tried to read it, but said they found it boring and hard to read, because of this endless old English dialect.
I wonder if the author did any research by giving the book out to teenager beta readers to get their feedback which is so important with any book. I feel therefore it would do better targeted to history buffs who love the early 19th century, or maybe even schools where they could discuss the history of that time. It seems more of an educational read to me than an entertaining one - and it could have easily have been both.
I'm sorry to give this such a low rating, however I really did find this a very challenging read about a coming of age drama of two boys, Thomas Priestley and Joseph Sefton. Whilst I give the author kudos for researching the historical aspect of cotton apprentices during the Industrial revolution in 1806, this book does not capture imagination and reel you in, which is what you need a story to do. This is also labelled as a YA book, and therefore needs to appeal to a teen audience, which it would do if it could capture imagination. However, the author focuses too much on creating the old English dialect of the time, which is just unreadable in parts as I tried to work out what the characters were saying, and it becomes so tiresome that I ended up focusing more on what was being said than the storyline. There is also too much telling and explanation, with a lack of real emotion and drama, which the author could have created more in the beginning, rather than over explaining the story. I have a teenager who is a real bookworm, studying philosophy and English Lit, and they tried to read it, but said they found it boring and hard to read, because of this endless old English dialect.
I wonder if the author did any research by giving the book out to teenager beta readers to get their feedback which is so important with any book. I feel therefore it would do better targeted to history buffs who love the early 19th century, or maybe even schools where they could discuss the history of that time. It seems more of an educational read to me than an entertaining one - and it could have easily have been both.
October 5, 2020
I can tell that a lot of research and work has gone into the story and characters, as with the other book by this author that I read. He obviously feels strongly about the time period and socio-cultural landscape in which he sets his books, but the way in which the story is written makes it difficult for me to feel the same. If you are a fan of historical fiction of the industrial revolution you still may find it difficult to get around the use of dialect throughout the book and the author’s love of passive voice. I feel like this book is written more for the author himself than for readers, as it’s not particularly easy to read for a mass, or even niche, market. The story and characters themselves are fine, but the execution falls short and I couldn’t engage with this book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t enjoy it.
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