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. 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 adds shades of colour to this 19th century story that you may not be expecting. There is a glossary at the end of the book to help if you can rise to the challenge. Here’s the book blurb: 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. 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. Give this book a chance and don’t feel daunted by the dialect! The dialect adds flavor and flair and it may be challenging but I don’t want to be spoon-fed a story. I haven’t read The Quarry Bank Runaways (Book 1 of the series) yet but Mules Masters and Mud can be read without having read the first book. This is what I expect from historical fiction: an authentic, realistic account of the time period with all the uncomfortabilities that go with it. What did I like about this book? Easy: its authenticity.
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