The Rape of the Rose

Once past the lurid title, devotees of historical fiction will discover a novel worthy of comparison with Hughes's previous work, The Antique Collector . Set in northern England early in the Industrial Revolution, this is an account of the Luddite movement--the revolt of textile workers who lost their jobs due to factory mechanization. Loosely organized and with no clear agenda save the destruction of the machinery that had replaced them, they terrorized factory owners via swift and deadly raids. Mor Greave--weaver, teacher, musician and nature lover--lives in the village of Lady Well; as an educated man, he is prevailed upon to write inflammatory pamphlets for the Luddites. His wife and two sons work at the local factory, enduring the brutal conditions there, which have already killed one Graeve child and crippled another. Forced to leave Lady Mill as the Redcoats become suspicious of his activities, Greaves sets out ostensibly in search of his younger son, who has run away from the horrors of the mill. His search leads him into a world of debauchery and intrigue and almost costs him his life, and his love for a feisty prostitute creates complications that reverberate by book's end. This gripping tale of politics, love and loss is made vivid by Hughes's almost Dickensian descriptions of the suffering of poor people, especially children. Since the narrative ends with unanswered questions about the protagonists' fates, readers will hope for a sequel. (Mar.)