With Faith Cook’s historical knowledge, any novel by her is going to be as nearly true as any novel can be. She writes ‘based on a period in English history between 1660 and 1688 known as ‘The Great Persecution’ – a time of relentless suffering for dissenters – the narrative focuses on a typical family living in Somerset during these years’ The tragedy of the times comes vividly to life in this story of families torn apart by civil war. Of a family’s compassion for a wounded soldier of the other side in the face of the death of their own son and the repercussions of that act in subsequent years. We follow the story of the remaining son Robert, as he leaves home to become apprenticed to a printer in London and becomes friendly with the printers young daughter Emma, not something that can be allowed. Robert moves on but this love story remains throughout the rest of the book against a background of faithful people suffering dreadfully from the persecution authorised by the king who had promised them freedom of worship. As Robert grows into a mature man, he returns to Somerset but all the while historical events such as the plague and the great fire of London impinge on his life, making this an absorbing read with heartrending detail.