A quietly powerful tale of faith and resilience.

Historical fiction fans will find much to enjoy in Rosemary Sturge’s fifth novel, Clouds over Bowland.

Set in Lancashire towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Sturge introduces Huw Armstrong, a conflicted young Scottish land agent, whose ‘disablement’ spares him from conscription, and Dorcas Hutton, a Quaker farmer’s daughter with a dawning awareness of the social and industrial changes re-shaping her world.

It is these two distinct, alternating voices that narrate the events of one agrarian year in a beautifully rendered fictitious dale, where the outside world encroaches upon an otherwise remote, largely Quaker community. Each traces a tightly controlled emotional arc, with both characters harbouring private shame. At the heart of the novel lies a restrained romance.

Sturge’s extensive historical research is seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story. From the craft of dry stone walling to the treatment of prisoners of war and the daily rhythms of Quaker life, historical details enrich the story without overwhelming it.

A substantial cast is introduced from an early stage in the novel, with a helpful list of characters at the front, which gradually merge into a convincing community that is both fractious and closely interdependent. The author has a particularly well-tuned ear for historically accurate dialect, with which she vividly evokes both the era and the North of England location.

Elegantly written, and gently infused with humour, Clouds over Bowland tends towards literary fiction, being Hardy-esque without the tragedy. It calls to mind Pulitzer prize-winner Geraldine Brooks’ novel Year of Wonders, which explores isolation, faith and female resilience.

It was a privilege to receive the first advance reader copy, from Cadence Publishing’s new Historical Fiction imprint.