{"product_id":"given-lives-9780620953320","title":"Given Lives","description":"\u003cp\u003eSEPTEMBER 1665.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlague ravages the English capital, London.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThousands are left dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the Derbyshire village of Eyam, 160 miles north of the London tragedies, Kitty Allenby is settling into country life. Encouraged by her Aunt Anne and Uncle Robert, she is excited for the year ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is until a stranger arrives from London, bringing a parcel of cloth for the local tailor - cloth infested with plague-carrying fleas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithin weeks, Eyam is under siege.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy spring 1666, drastic action is needed to contain the spread of disease. What can be done?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Reverend William Mompesson thinks he knows. For his plan to succeed, Mompesson will need the co-operation of the whole community, including his predecessor and rival, Thomas Stanley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWill the two men be able to put aside the deep mistrust of one another for the sake of the people they are called to serve? How will the doomed villagers respond?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd what of Kitty? Can she learn to love a community not her own, perhaps paying the ultimate price alongside strangers she barely knows?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on true events, Given Lives is a story of bravery and sacrifice, of love that laid itself down for the sake of others. It is a whisper through time to each of us confronted by a modern plague, the global Covid 19 pandemic. Will we attune our ears and listen? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'My great aunt (nine times over) and ancestor, Margaret Blackwell, is part of this wonderful novel and, as a family survivor of this dreadful plague, I felt privileged to be asked to read Anna's novel.\u003cbr\u003eThe story unfolds as Kitty comes to Eyam to celebrate the annual Wakes Week and becomes isolated with the villagers as they try to contain the disease. It captures the real depth of sacrificial love, care and compassion and their heroism during the plague outbreak in 1665-66. The trust and hope the families had in God to bring them through this tragic time is a real testament to their fortitude, as Kitty constantly, with her family, looks forward to a brighter and happier future.\u003cbr\u003eIt's a great read. and my thanks to Anna for her factual insight and passion for our history.' -- Joan Plant, Descendant of a Plague Survivor\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Anna Jensen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50389944303890,"sku":"9780620953320","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f52005ba-9f03-41dd-8e44-d1a4cc514572.jpg?v=1728934066","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/given-lives-9780620953320","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}