CAN'T-WAIT WEDNESDAY: I Can't Wait for The Song of Peterloo by Carolyn O'Brien and Blood is on the Grass by John Bleasdale

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

For this meme, I usually post about books that have not yet been released, but today I've decided to focus on two books published this month, The Song of Peterloo by Carolyn O'Brien and Blood is on the Grass by John Bleasdale.

Both these books cover an infamous event that occurred in Manchester on 16th August, 1819, the Peterloo Massacre. Over 60,000 people had gathered to hear speakers at a political rally calling for parliamentary reform. When ordered to disperse the crowd, the cavalry, with sabres drawn, charged into the them. In the ensuing panic, 15 people were killed and between 400 and 500 were injured.

I can't wait to read these books because of my interest in the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath

The Song of Peterloo by Carolyn O'Brien

Synopsis

Manchester 1819: Prices are high and wages are low, but as the poor become poorer, the rich are alarmed by their calls for reform.

Mill-worker Nancy Kay struggles to support her ailing mother and sensitive son. Desperate to provide for them, she is inspired to join the growing agitation. But, as she risks everything to attend a great assembly on St Peter’s Field, Nancy is unaware the day will go down in history, not as a triumph but as tragedy; the Peterloo massacre.

This is one woman’s story of belief in change, pieced together by her family and friends and the two men who share her momentous summer. A story of hope, and sacrifice, and above all, courage.

Release Date: August 1st 2019
Format: Print and ebook
Publisher: Legend Press
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blood is on the Grass by John Bleasdale

Synopsis

16th August 1819: a peaceful demonstration in Manchester was attacked by armed cavalry and the local militia, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. This appalling event became known as the Peterloo massacre and it would change our political landscape forever.

Having fought and bled for Wellington in Belgium, Silas Paterson finds himself on the street. Traumatised by his war time experience, he slides into a life of alcoholism and beggary. Rescued by an old comrade, Silas finds work as a weaver in Oldham, but as his interest in the nascent working class movement begins, have his motives changed or is he still a loyal subject of the crown?

With hope in her heart, Annie Fildes and her husband move to the new town of Manchester to escape the poverty of the village. Here, however, she will be caught in an industrial machine that grinds down her fresh, bold spirit. Will she succeed in making a life for herself or will she become one more statistic in a savage market place?

From the killing fields of Waterloo to the dark heart of the industrial revolution, Blood is on the Grass is an astonishing debut novel that recounts the events leading up to the massacre and the thrilling story of individuals caught in a turbulent and revolutionary period of history.

Release Date: August 16th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Genre: Historical Fiction