Yes you can read this as a romance but it's also wonderful historical fiction. I learned a great deal I did not know about Wales in the early 1800s. A very good read.

A saga about love over generations. historical romancing and everything you want in an easy book. A very good book by a new author for me. I really recommend reading this book.

It's the early 19th century in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and Mary and William are left to fend for themselves after a barn fire and their father's untimely death leaves them with a farm they cannot manage and few prospects. Mary takes work at a law firm and as a day companion to one of the lawyer's wives, but she worries about putting food on the table and keeping their heavily mortgaged roof over their heads. Despite Mary's wishes, William joins the "Rebecca-ites", a group of rebellious Welsh tenant farmers who took part in the "Rebecca riots" (a Biblical reference) to protest road tolls enacted by primarily British landowners. Dressing up as women to protect their identities, the rebels damage property, menace townsfolk, and work behind the scenes to change laws.

Although this is a glimpse into a geographical region and historical period that I've rarely read about, I found the narrative weighty, dull, and predictable; more of a historical account than historical fiction. Unless you have a great interest in Welsh history, there is little that feels very compelling here.

Rebecca's Children, by Kate Dunn, introduced me to an entire chapter of life in Wales that I was previously unaware of. Dunn is a fantastic storyteller. She interweaves the tale of her protagonist, Mary, with the facts of the Welsh Rebecca Riots of the nineteenth century. Dunn cleverly tells us the main story in the form of a flashback. This helps to shield our hearts from despair and grief since we know who is alive to tell the tale. This was a hard time in a hard land where death was frequent.

Through Mary's eyes we witness the events that lead up to the riots: failed crops, a divided class system, unfair taxation, dire poverty, starvation and workhouses. While all these negative events were swirling around Mary she is a character who endures nothing but misfortune – the loss of her family's farm, the swindling of her father, the loss of her parents, the prejudice against women in the workplace, sexual harassment, the maiming of her brother, loss of her beloved, as well as numerous rapes.

Dunn has done her research in preparation for writing this book. Her descriptions of Rebecca's Children from their inspiration from Genesis 24:60, their leaderless uprising, dressing in white petticoats with blackened faces, their mandate to avoid violence, their infiltration by criminals and the the increased troop levels required to shut them down are all documented in her accurate portrayal.

Her character development along with her descriptive passages showcase Dunn's excellent writing skills. The reader believes they understand exactly what makes each of the characters tick and have a clear picture, in their mind's eye, of both the Welsh towns and countryside during the 1840s.

I recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would give this book two and a half stars, but rounded up to three.
The book started out good, a wonderful story for a book. For me it fell short. There's a ton of characters in it, kind of hard to keep up with so many. Then it went in so many different directions that I was lost a couple of times. However, I think a lot of people will enjoy this book.
I received a galley from Netgalley. As always, thank you,Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

Good read. With a good inlook into that period. I found the story easy to read and follow. I did find my attention drifting but that may be due to my lack of reading stories from this era and area

Thank you for allowing me to read.

what an amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end
I loved the authors style of writing and will be looking for other books by this author.
I would recommend this book to friends and family

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Brother and sister, Mary and William, are forced to sell their land and have barely enough to survive. William becomes involved with the Rebecca-ites, a shadowy group of nationalists pitted against the English landowners whose tolls have bankrupted so many Welshman.

It was interesting to learn about this faction in history. But I was never invested in the characters and felt less than interested in the book.

3☆

This book captured me from page one, as it was brilliantly written and had a great storyline. I cannot wait to read more by this author.