One midsummer day in 1814, Tom, his sister Lucy and good friend Jos laze by a waterfall in the heart of the fells. Their rural way of life is disintegrating, and while they contemplate what lies ahead, Tom reads to them from a book of poems by William Wordsworth. Little do they realise the effect this will have on their futures.
On the cusp of adulthood, the injustices of life begin to surface and rifts appear in the relationship of the two young men. Tom is ordained as a priest and his story shifts to a dismal Lancashire mill town. Here he wrestles with his faith, and becomes a supporter of Chartism, at the time when the political movement is at the height of its influence and militancy.
Back in the dale, Jos struggles on as a hill farmer until he is apprehended for stealing a fleece from a neighbour, tried and transported to Australia. In a shocking turn of events, it is Tom’s evidence that seals his fate at the trial. On the convict ship, and in the inhospitable Australian Bush, he confronts the challenges of the New World. Finally, the demanding and emotional journeys taken by Tom and Jos, who loved the same woman and shared the same son, converge back in the wild and beautiful dale of their childhood...
Dramatic and moving, Beyond the Fells will particularly appeal to those interested in 19th century life and those searching for a story to lose oneself in.
