Crossing The Lines

Melvyn Bragg’s historical fiction, which vividly conveys the spirit of the mid-20th century and the profound social changes taking place at the time.

Set in Britain during the 1950s, Crossing The Lines follows the intertwined fates of people crossing boundaries in their lives. As a teenager in the small northern town of Wigton, Joe Richardson falls in love with Rachel, just when her life is about to be uprooted. While his parents, Sam and Ellen, face the frontiers of middle age, Joe finds himself drawn by the intoxicating world outside home, and is swept into situations that seem beyond his control.

"Two authors’ lives intersect in a strange and mysterious way... In this intriguing and unusual tale, a stunning departure from Gentill’s period mysteries (Give the Devil His Due, 2015, etc.), the question is not whodunit but who’s real and who’s a figment of someone’s vivid imagination."  -  Kirkus Reviews

Melvyn Bragg the cultural broadcaster and peer, was Booker Prize longlisted for the second time with A Son of War, the second volume in his The Soldier’s Return quartet. Alongside his career in television and radio, Bragg has been a prolific author, writing some 22 novels and 17 works of non-fiction. His high public profile has not always led him to receive proper - or fair - recognition for his novels.