Published 16th May 2026 by Northodox Press.
From the cover of the book:
Manchester 1936
Fascism looms in Europe, and Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts are on the rise.
After the death of their father, two sisters arrive in Manchester's vibrant 'Little Italy': creative misfit, Rose, and her much older sister, Ivy. Fearing Rose's impulsiveness, Ivy seeks to control Rose, forcing her to give up her cherished place at art school.
Frustrated and desperate to pursue her passion, Rose meets Renzo, a painter arrived from Europe. Their connection is instant and powerful. Yet as their feelings deepen, Renzo's past in Mussolini's Italy remains a mystery.
As Blackshirts march across the city, Rose is drawn to the fight against fascism, even as she's compelled to face the devastating question: just which side is Renzo on?
***********
1936. After the death of their Reverend father, Rose and her much older sister Ivy move to the industrial centre of Ancoats, Manchester. Manchester's 'Little Italy' is a far cry from the quiet Cheshire countryside, but creative Rose is looking forward to attending the city's art school in the autumn, as her beloved late mother wished. Unfortunately, Ivy has other plans - seeking to control Rose's independent spirit, she forces her to give up her dream and take an office job at one of the city's mills.
Rose is desolate, and totally unsuited to office work. However, her heart lifts when she meets Italian artist Renzo, the nephew of their downstairs neighbour, kindly Zizi Lili. An instant connection sparks between them, and the seeds of romance begin to bloom. But the ugly rise of fascism on the international stage is infecting the city. Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts are determined to make Manchester a power base, and in 'Little Italy', where support for Mussolini and his cronies is openly spoken of, Mosley is finding sympathetic ears. Rose begins to wonder where Renzo's loyalties lie...
It makes my heart skip when I discover a novel that ticks every box on my literary want list, and Carolyn O'Brien has done just that with Rose and Renzo, a delicious love story set against the rise of fascism in the 1930s.
The story unfurls from the perspective of Rose, an artistically gifted twenty-year-old. For all her modern ideas, and fashionable shingled haircut, Rose still has a lot of growing up to do, particularly when it comes to the harsher side of life - and Ivy is determined that she should be shaken from her 'foolish' ways when she uproots them to live in Ancoats.
Surrounded by poverty, and the grime of the mills, Rose remains resolute that she will fulfil her dream of attending Manchester Art School, especially when she meets Renzo, who seems to understand her inner artistic soul like no one since her mother. Even though she rejects Ivy's dour outlook, Rose gradually finds her eyes being opened to the plight of those affected by the actions of Mosley and his British Union of Fascist thugs. With her political awakening, she begins to question what Renzo believes in.
As someone endlessly fascinated by the between-the-wars period, I am so impressed by how much Carolyn covers in these pages. She brings time and place alive in a fractured city reeling from financial pressures, capturing how and why Mosley's propaganda provoked hatred and violence in the wake of worrying developments in Italy and Germany - and how the political landscape changed as a result.
And, Carolyn does so much more! Her characters are wonderfully vivid, springing from the page in all their 1930s glory - you will find figures to love and hate amongst them - and the chemistry between Rose and Renzo is electric. She delves beautifully into messy family dynamics through the difficult relationship between Rose and Ivy - such a gulf between them, fuelled by jealousy and loss. She explores the life-shattering impact of war, and how this ripples through time; touches on fashion, changing social attitudes, the class divide, faith, and immigrant communities... not to mention, prejudice, human frailty, ignorance, legacy, and even desire. She also does a stellar job of shining a light on the connection between art and politics, especially when it comes to expressing ideas and emotion.
One of my favourite things about this novel is the spectacular way Carolyn floods the story with themes of freedom and resistance, making it a timely reflection on the present. If this does not send you down rabbit holes about the past, and set you pondering on how history repeats itself, I will eat my fedora.
What an utter joy this novel is. It is packed to the gills with cleverly wielded themes, oozes historical detail, and celebrates both love and art through Rose and Renzo's heart-wrenching romance. I adored it, inhaling it in a single sitting, and it is one of my favourite novels of 2026, by far.
Carolyn's previous novel, The Song of Peterloo, is now firmly in my sights, and I wait expectantly for her next book!
Rose and Renzo is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Northodox Press for sending me a review copy of this book.
About the author:
Carolyn O’Brien is a historical fiction writer from Manchester. Her writing has a strong sense of the north-west of England and its radical past, as illustrated in her first novel The Song of Peterloo and Rose & Renzo.
The Song of Peterloo was published in 2019 to coincide with the Peterloo Massacre bicentenary commemorations. It was well reviewed and continues to be used as a teaching resource in schools and adult learning programmes.
Carolyn loved writing from an early age and read English at Cambridge University before qualifying as a solicitor. Prior to publication of her first novel, Carolyn enjoyed several successes with short stories including the Rome Short Story competition which she won and a shortlisting for the Bridport Prize, as well as publication on-line and in numerous anthologies and magazines.
She continues to live near Manchester with her family.
Carolyn can be found on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads as @carolynmanc
Carolyn is represented at Jenny Brown Associates by Lisa Highton.
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