Forged in the Fire

Synopsis

Grade 7 Up—This powerful novel continues the 17th-century love story about young Quakers begun in No Shame, No Fear (Candlewick, 2004). Susanna spends three years in apprenticeship at Mary Faulkner's printing shop while Will travels to London with Nat, seeking gainful employment and enough stability to marry his sweetheart. But life is difficult: the plague is taking a fierce toll on Londoners, and the authorities are cracking down on Quaker meetings. Turnbull has created an even deeper work in Forged in the Fire, full of tension on a multiplicity of levels. The overwhelming losses of life and livelihood associated with the plague are realistically portrayed. The London Fire of 1666 is vivid and devastating, yet hope literally arises from its ashes. More than just a love story, this tale is historical fiction at its best, full of details and characters who make the past breathe. One can only hope that Turnbull has plans to pursue the carefully chosen ending into another tale of Quaker England.—Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN

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