Set in Manchester, England, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, this powerful novel recounts a working-class girl's attempts to escape the sickness, hunger, and poverty of her world. Mary Barton's pretty face and winning manners have drawn the romantic attentions of a factory owner's son, but accepting her wealthy suitor means rejecting her childhood sweetheart. The dilemma intensifies in the aftermath of a ruthless murder, when Mary is drawn into the violence of the class conflict and forced to reconsider her choices as she struggles to protect the people she loves.
