Rochdale, Lancashire, England, 1885.
Martha Anne Ashworth is in trouble in school, once again. The precocious and gifted 10 year old daughter of mill owner John Ashworth has, for the umpteenth time, tried school and parental patience and now legal authority with her quick wit, sharp tongue, impudent defiance, and certain determined independence. With her mother dying, and her father drowning his woes in whisky, young Martha Anne’s wildness leads to her eventual arrest as an Incorrigible Rogue; all seems to be spiraling out of control until an uncanny friendship with the village wise woman, Betty Nuppy, helps guide Martha Anne on a path to salvation, if not, at least, redemption.
Cynn Chadwick is an American novelist, and author of eight novels including The Cat Rising Series, Angels & Manners, and Things That Women Do. Her books have been nominated for the Lambda, Stonewall, and Bywater Prizes in fiction. She holds an MFA from Goddard College, and is a retired senior lecturer of Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains where she writes and paints and adores her beloved Springer Spaniel Andy. The Incorrigible Rogue is her first work of historical fiction.