{"product_id":"fortunes-wheel-the-first-meonbridge-chronicle-9781916059825","title":"Fortune's Wheel: The First Meonbridge Chronicle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do you recover when half your neighbours are dead from history's cruellest plagu\u003c\/strong\u003ee?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJune 1349. In Meonbridge, a Hampshire manor, the Black Death has wiped out half its population, among them Alice atte Wode's husband and Eleanor Titherige's entire family. Even the manor's lord and his wife, Margaret de Bohun, have not escaped the horror.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow the plague is over, it's a struggle to return to normal life, with so much to do and so few left to do it. Tensions mount between the de Bohuns and their tenants, as the workers realise their scarceness means they can demand higher wages, dictate their own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the tensions deepen into violence and disorder, and the men - lord and villagers alike - seem unable to find any resolution, the women - Alice, Eleanor and Margaret - must step forward to end the conflict that is tearing Meonbridge apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eA thoroughly researched book, with care given to ensuring that the characters have 14th century attitudes and knowledge...gives a strong sense of the reality of the past\u003c\/em\u003e.\" Catherine Meyrick, author of \u003cem\u003eForsaking All Other\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you enjoy well-researched, immersive historical fiction, set in a turbulent and challenging time, with strong but credible female characters, you'll love \u003cem\u003eFortune's Wheel\u003c\/em\u003e, the first of the MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLES. Discover for yourself the compelling story of Meonbridge's survival.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHughes, Carolyn:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, as she wrote and edited material, some fascinating, some dull, for an array of different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers. Having written creatively for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest several years ago that writing historical fiction took centre stage, alongside gaining a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton. Fortune's Wheel is the first MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE.","brand":"Riverdown Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50528577126674,"sku":"9781916059825","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_aec5232c-1a69-41e3-8617-7cd509675334.jpg?v=1731331595","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/fortunes-wheel-the-first-meonbridge-chronicle-9781916059825","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}