The Rebel Daughter

'Superbly researched and vividly told' Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

'Affecting, action-packed' Carolyn Kirby

'This is neither men's history nor women's history. It is good, gripping history, sharply and immediately told... A real treat' Aspects of History

A country torn apart by war. A woman fighting for her future...

Ely, 1643. England is convulsed by Civil War, setting King against Parliament and neighbour against neighbour. As the turmoil reaches her family home in Ely, 19-year-old Bridget Cromwell finds herself at the heart of the conflict.

With her father's star on the rise as a cavalry commander for the rebellious Parliament, Bridget has her own ambitions for a life beyond marriage and motherhood. And as fractures appear in her own family with the wilful, beautiful younger sister Betty, Bridget faces a choice: to follow her heart, or to marry for power and influence, and fight for a revolution that will change history...

A gripping evocation of the Civil War, and the hidden stories of women at the heart of power... Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Anne O'Brien

***

Praise for The Rebel Daughter

'A dramatic story of love, loss and duty, set against the backdrop of the turmoil of the Civil Wars' Linda Porter

'Miranda Malins is a real and fresh new talent. This is beautifully written, exciting fiction.' Suzannah Lipscomb

'Such familiar historical characters brought so colourfully and convincingly to new life; and the writing itself is of the finest' Ronald Hutton

'This affecting, action-packed novel brings a momentous but often overlooked period of history vividly to life' Carolyn Kirby

'Brilliantly captures ... a nuanced picture of a divided world' Leonora Nattrass

'Utterly convincing' S.G. Maclean

'Beautifully articulated ... a joy to read!' Michael Scott

Praise for The Puritan Princess

'There is much to enjoy in this evocation of a family whose lives are so upended by the convulsions of history' Antonia Senior, The Times

'Totally gripping... grab it now. There's a new Cromwell on the shelves!' Minoo Dinshaw, author of Outlandish Knight

'The Puritan Princess is a genuinely moving portrait of the tragedy of the Cromwells at the height of their power, and Miranda Malins handles the tumultuous drama of the last days of the Protectorate with incredible aplomb' S G MacLean, author of the Damian Seeker series

'A beautifully written and captivating true story of personal love and loss enacted against t

“There is much to enjoy in this evocation of a family whose lives are so upended by the convulsions of history - The TimesA genuinely moving portrait of the tragedy of the Cromwells at the height of their power, and Miranda Malins handles the tumultuous drama of the last days of the Protectorate with incredible aplombA beautifully written and captivating true story of personal love and loss enacted against the backdrop of an England dominated by Frances' father, Oliver Cromwell. Deeply knowledgeable about the politics and desires and ideals of the time, Malins nevertheless inhabits her characters and brings them convincingly to lifeThe extraordinary, revealing and moving relationship between Oliver Cromwell and his daughter Frances is brought to vivid life in this masterly historical novel”

Here is another superbly researched and vividly told novel about the gifted and spirited women of Oliver Cromwell's family; full of insight, detail and imaginative richness. It will be warmly welcomed, and will certainly kindle hopes for more historical fiction of this quality from Miranda Malins. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
I cannot imagine a novel that would take me closer to the heart of Cromwell's world. In Bridget Cromwell, Miranda Malins has given us an utterly convincing flesh and blood heroine, who takes us by the hand and forces us to look unflinchingly at the men and the women, the blood and the dirt, the love and the loss of the most astonishing period in English history. S.G. Maclean, author of the Damian Seeker series
The Rebel Daughter in Miranda Malins' assured second novel is Bridget, Oliver Cromwell's eldest daughter whose story brings a wholly female perspective to the bloody turmoil of England's Civil War. 'Biddy' makes an engaging companion as she leads us, clear-eyed, through the complexities and horrors of the conflict; the battles and sieges, political ferment, the beheading of the king and Cromwell's part in ruthless massacres in Ireland. Through the twisting upheavals of rebellion and interregnum, her focus is always on the welfare of her family but she yearns to play a role, like the men around her, in shaping a better future for her country. This affecting, action-packed novel brings a momentous but often overlooked period of history vividly to life. Carolyn Kirby, author of The Conviction of Cora Burns and When We Fall
Miranda Malins goes from strength to strength with her second novel The Rebel Daughter. Oliver Cromwell's oldest daughter, Bridget, narrates her family's rise to power during the English Civil War alongside her own love story and developing personal ambitions. Malins brilliantly captures the collision of Bridget's idealism with the brute reality of faction and political jealousies, while Bridget's increasing Puritan radicalism sets her at odds with those in her family and elsewhere who seek some kind of accommodation with the past. Bridget and Henry Ireton leap breathing from the page in a nuanced picture of a divided world. Leonora Nattrass, author of Black Drop
It is wonderful to see such familiar historical characters brought so colourfully and convincingly to new life; and the writing itself is of the finest - skilful and vivid - literary standard. Professor Ronald Hutton, author of The Making of Oliver Cromwell
Dazzling - a brilliant, warts-and-all debut novel Lancashire Post
Incredibly rich in historical detail, bringing to life England's most turbulent years through the eyes of a woman at the heart of it. Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man
A gripping evocation of the English Civil War through a young woman's eyes The People's Friend Online
This is neither men's history nor women's history. It is good, gripping history, sharply and immediately told... A real treat Aspects of History

Miranda is a writer and historian specialising in the history of Oliver Cromwell, his family and the politics of the Interregnum period following the Civil Wars. She studied at Cambridge University, leaving with a PhD, and continues to speak at conferences and publish journal articles and book reviews. She is also a Trustee of the Cromwell Association. Alongside this, Miranda works as a commercial solicitor in the City and began writing historical novels on maternity leave. She lives in Hampshire with her husband, young son and cat Keats. Her debut novel, The Puritan Princess, will be published in 2020.

'Superbly researched and vividly told' Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury 'Affecting, action-packed' Carolyn Kirby 'This is neither men's history nor women's history. It is good, gripping history, sharply and immediately told... A real treat' Aspects of History A country torn apart by war. A woman fighting for her future... Ely, 1643. England is convulsed by Civil War, setting King against Parliament and neighbour against neighbour. As the turmoil reaches her family home in Ely, 19-year-old Bridget Cromwell finds herself at the heart of the conflict. With her father's star on the rise as a cavalry commander for the rebellious Parliament, Bridget has her own ambitions for a life beyond marriage and motherhood. And as fractures appear in her own family with the wilful, beautiful younger sister Betty, Bridget faces a choice: to follow her heart, or to marry for power and influence, and fight for a revolution that will change history... A gripping evocation of the Civil War, and the hidden stories of women at the heart of power... Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Anne O'Brien *** Praise for The Rebel Daughter 'A dramatic story of love, loss and duty, set against the backdrop of the turmoil of the Civil Wars' Linda Porter 'Miranda Malins is a real and fresh new talent. This is beautifully written, exciting fiction.' Suzannah Lipscomb 'Such familiar historical characters brought so colourfully and convincingly to new life; and the writing itself is of the finest' Ronald Hutton 'This affecting, action-packed novel brings a momentous but often overlooked period of history vividly to life' Carolyn Kirby 'Brilliantly captures ... a nuanced picture of a divided world' Leonora Nattrass 'Utterly convincing' S.G. Maclean 'Beautifully articulated ... a joy to read!' Michael Scott Praise for The Puritan Princess 'There is much to enjoy in this evocation of a family whose lives are so upended by the convulsions of history' Antonia Senior, The Times 'Totally gripping... grab it now. There's a new Cromwell on the shelves!' Minoo Dinshaw, author of Outlandish Knight 'The Puritan Princess is a genuinely moving portrait of the tragedy of the Cromwells at the height of their power, and Miranda Malins handles the tumultuous drama of the last days of the Protectorate with incredible aplomb' S G MacLean, author of the Damian Seeker series 'A beautifully written and captivating true story of personal love and loss enacted against t

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