Devil Water (Rediscovered Classics)

This fiercely beautiful novel tells the true story of Charles Radcliff, a Catholic nobleman who joined the short-lived Jacobite rebellion of 1715, and of his daughter, Jenny, by a secret marriage. Set in the wilds of Northumbria, teeming London, and colonial Virginia—where Jenny eventually settled on the estate of the famous William Byrd of Westover—Jenny’s story reveals one young woman’s loyalty, passion, and courage as she struggles between living in the Old World and the New. This vividly powerful novel, like its predecessor The Winthrop Woman , combines thoroughly documented history with superb storytelling. DEVIL WATER is the true story of Charles Radcliffe, who escaped from Newgate prison in 1715 after his brother's execution, and of his daughter Jenny. Jenny was the child of a secret marriage; father and daughter share a strong and abiding affection. When Jenny immigrates to America, she and her father suffer years of separation. The themes of this book are loyalty and courage. Like all of Seton's books, this one combines thoroughly documented history with superb storytelling. The true story of Charles Radcliff, a Catholic nobleman who joined the short-lived Jacobite rebellion of 1715, and of his daughter, Jenny, by a secret marriage. Set in the wilds of Northumbria, teeming London, and colonial Virginia, Jenny's loyalty, passion, and courage as she struggles between living in the Old World and the New are revealed 'To read Seton is to enter into another time with such conviction that it seems as real as the present' - Philippa Gregory