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Rebecca Bryn
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Break It Down: Prequel - The Luddite rebellion (Wales Rising Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Rebecca Bryn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

Prequel to the Wales Rising series. Evan and his parents endure the dangers of work in a slate quarry in Wales, while Elen’s family ekes out a meagre living spinning and cloth finishing in rural Yorkshire. When their lives and livelihoods are threatened, desperation forces them to seek work in northern England’s new industrial heartland. Will their hopes of a better life turn into a nightmare?

Machines take the place of skilled men, and in the woollen mills of Wakefield, Evan and Elen are cruelly exploited as cheap child labour. War with France, recession, mass unemployment, and poor harvests bring the north of England to the brink of starvation.

As Evan and Elen’s love deepens, the textile workers’ only option is to rebel against the harsh mill owners and an uncaring government or starve. Rebellion led by ‘General Ludd’ grows stronger and more violent as they break the machines and attack the mills that are taking their jobs. Will their actions lead to salvation or a tragic end?

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Wales Rising
  2. Print length
    297 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    May 17, 2024
  6. File size
    3.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'I imagine that writing a prequel is one of the most difficult things an author can attempt. For a sequel you simply ask the question "what could happen to these characters next?". Their responses to whatever events take place in their subsequent lives is shaped by what happened to them in the first novel. For a prequel you have to ask the much more difficult questions "how did they arrive at the situation I put them in" and "what events in their past made them behave they way they did?"
For a writer of historical fiction that draws heavily on real events there is the additional question "what real event might they have witnessed?"

Rebecca Bryn began her series with the Merthyr riots - the conflict between workers and the owners of iron works in the valleys of South Wales. For her sequel she tackled the later rebellion staged by farmers whose ability to get their produce to market was impede by the erection of toll barriers on all of the routes leading to the market towns. Through both she has the Methodist minister Evan Rees and his family supporting the communities in their fight for justice against unfair treatment by those in power.

Now, in the prequel, we discover the nine year old Evan working with his father in a slate quarry in North Wales. It is an arduous and dangerous environment which Bryn brings brilliantly to life. Simultaneously his future wife, Elen, is with her parents and siblings living and working in Wakefield where the textile trade in being turned upside down by the introduction of machines. The story of how these two families come together and love blossoms between Evan and Elen against the backdrop of the battles between Luddites and the factory owners forms the substance of Bryn's latest blockbuster.

Everything that readers have come to expect from this author is here: conflict between child and parent, the brutal treatment of children, especially girls, by men with power, acts of great courage alongside trust betrayed. Evan's development as a charismatic preacher from a young age is especially well realised and Elen's encounters with the dangers posed by a certain kind of adult male will move you to tears or anger - in my case both.

This is, truly, another Rebecca Bryn masterpiece: a very human story with plenty of insights into the less savoury aspects of British history. How often we casually use words like "Luddite" in describing those who are resistant to change, especially technological change. This book is a reminder of the suffering behind the rebellion of the original Luddites and a timely warning for those who lack sympathy for people who fear the changes being wrought by AI.' - Frank Parker, author of Strongbow's Wife

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D31Z3FR6
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Wales Rising
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

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Rebecca Bryn

Rebecca Bryn

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Rebecca lives near Britain's smallest city, St Davids, in the far west of Wales. Surrounded by stunning coastal and moorland scenery, she also loves to paint. She inherited her love of stories from her grandfather, who told stories with his hands: stories with colourful characters and unexpected endings. Her fascination with what makes people who they are, and the belief that life is many shades of grey, informs her writing. A Native American Indian proverb reads, 'Don't judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.' Rebecca has based her life on this tenet: it is certainly core to her writing. 'We may not condone what a person does, but sometimes we can understand and maybe come to forgive.' In 2019, she won the IAN Fiction Book of the Year prize, the IAN Outstanding Historical Fiction prize, and the Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Historical era/event Fiction.

Her books have been awarded Readers' Favorite 5-star reviews.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • reader2010
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quite well done
    Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is a grand beginning to a series I have truly enjoyed. It is as relevant to slide today as possible I would encourage others to read the series and keep in mind these are characters but the situations are true to life at the times,
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  • Tom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Times ... Tough People
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2024
    Once again, this skilled author transports the reader back to a period that we should all be grateful to only read about. In modern society, we generally have the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, but in the 1800s, the distinction was clearer. A small percentage lived comfortably, and the remainder were a population of slaves … paid a paltry wage to work every waking hour from a young age.
    Fighters born of a belligerent character do not have the depth of understanding or inner strength of rebels who have been developed by circumstances. In this incredible story, we discover the horror of life without a future, where men, women and children are pushed toward and beyond their limits. Poverty, starvation, sickness, prostitution, violence, sexual abuse, death and public execution all feature in a story that brings the period alive. Interspersed with the negativity of daily life we learn of friendship, love, devotion, respect, courage, and terrible sacrifices made by ordinary folk.
    The imagery, characterisation, and dialogue are of the usual high standard expected of this author. The book provides a superb insight into the characters and situations we learn more about in the other two parts of the trilogy. I thoroughly recommend this and all of the author’s other titles.
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  • Sarah Stuart - Readers' Favorite Reviewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced. Gripping. Incredible!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2024
    I pre-ordered the prequel to Rebecca Bryn’s Wales Rising series the moment it appeared on Amazon, curious to know how Evan, son of a Welsh miner, became a Methodist minister. Where he met Elen, the love of his life, and how she became a midwife. This is their story, but so much more.

    Two families risk their lives to live – to put food on the table. Opposing them is a king who believes in his divine right to rule, and the rich who value wealth over humanity. The sheer breadth of Break It Down digs deep into the human psyche.
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Callianne
    5.0 out of 5 stars The True Story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The Industrial Revolution was a good thing that changed people’s lives for the better, or so we were taught in school. Nobody explained it was the wealthy whose lives were enhanced. In Break It Down, Rebecca Bryn paints a different picture. Machines that replaced dozens of workers left thousands without jobs. Those that found them, endured such appalling conditions they turned to theft, prostitution, and violence.

    The horror is made real, and bearable, because it’s also a love story. Evan, son of a Welsh miner who grew up to be the minister introduced in Give Us This Day, and his wife-to-be, Elen.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT
    Reviewed in Australia on October 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Once again Rebecca Bryn has shown her ability for her brilliant writing- she never fails to give her all.
    Well researched, and true to form ,Rebecca writes from the heart and out emerges a powerful story of time gone by, but still lives on with deep sorrow, love, strong bond's, and most of all, the strength to make better for others, less hardship they indured.
    A highly recommended read... Frances.
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  • Sarah Stuart - Readers' Favorite Reviewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced, gripping, incredible!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I pre-ordered the prequel to Rebecca Bryn’s Wales Rising series the moment it appeared on Amazon, curious to know how Evan, son of a Welsh miner, became a Methodist minister. Where he met Elen, the love of his life, and how she became a midwife. This is their story, but so much more.

    Two families risk their lives to live – to put food on the table. Opposing them is a king who believes in his divine right to rule, and the rich who value wealth over humanity. The sheer breadth of Break It Down digs deep into the human psyche.
    Report

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