The Life and Adventures of Michael Armstrong: The Factory Boy by Frances Milton TrollopeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this book shortly after reading about Robert Blincoe, the Real Oliver Twist, by John Waller, (https://www.gjgriffithswriter.com/aut...) which I also gave 5 stars. The story of Michael Armstrong is as gripping as any thriller story you may come across and as interesting and intriguing as any book by Dickens or Gaskell about 19th century life for child apprentices in mills or factories. To begin with I was not aware of the works of Frances Trollope and it is a great discovery. Her writing is as incisive, detailed and poignant as any of my favourite writers of those times, including the two authors above as well as George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. What a pity Frances Trollope is no longer in print!
There is an excellent start to the book which allows the reader to become well acquainted with the characters and later events that befall the central character, Michael Armstrong. The steady build up to the dramatic ending is full of incident that informed and pulled me in and had me rooting for all the cotton apprentices who had to endure the evil practices forced upon them by such heartless employers as Sir Matthew in the story.
I highly recommend this book to fans of any of the authors mentioned above.
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