Dr. Ian F. Hancock
“Five Stars, A lovely book, evocative of an earlier time, a star in the emerging constellation of works by genuine Romani American authors.”
Dr. Thomas A. Acton professor emeritus of Romani Studies at The University Of Greenwich London UK
“Five stars, An excellent deeply felt evocation of family heritage”
Inspired by real people and events, set in 19th century New forest in the south of England, Brothers Of The Wind is filled with real English Romany voices, folklore, culture, language and romance.
England 1830, the Industrial Revolution has brought prosperity for many, but hardship for Adam Stanley, the Romany horse trader and bare-knuckle boxer. The campsites that his family have enjoyed for three centuries gradually disappear and new anti-vagrancy laws have further compounded the difficulty in leading a peaceful, Gypsy life.
A horse deal goes wrong, presenting Judge Horatio Kingsley with an opportunity to make an example of Adam and his brother Charles. Charles is sentenced to death, whilst Adam is imprisoned in the notorious Portsmouth prison hulks where his warders force him into brutal, relentless fights for their profit.
Fate takes pity on Adam as Judge Kingsley’s mission worker daughter fosters his sons. Her sense of equality and fairness inspires the boys to fight slavery and injustice on two continents in this sweeping, epic, heart-rending family saga.