The Freedom Tree

London: Abacus / Little Brown & Co, 1997 Book. Fine. Original Wraps.. Uncorrected Proof. "An uncorrected proof copy from Abacus" In the Summer of 1874, Matthew Lidgard travels to the busy port of Whitby seeking work on the treacherous trawler fleets. His father was killed while working for Henry Mundol, a notorious fleet owner, and in the search for answers Matthew secures a berth aboard 'Happy Jack,' one of Mundol's smacks.Within days, consumed by fever, a hellish workload and the folly wreaked by the intoxicated skipper, Matthew is forced to jump ship at Grimsby. He is rescued and escapes across the Humber to Spurn, where he finds a strange and turbulent community that gives sanctuary to men on the run from Mundol's corrupt practices. Struggling against a sense that he is cursed, Matthew cannot help being moved by the tale of a family tragedy related by Nathan Anstey, the group's embittered leader, and by the dreams of liberty Nathan's beautiful sister Elizabeth invests in the branches of the 'Freedom Tree.' Finding courage in love, Matthew becomes a source of hope for the community, transforming dreams of revenge into a desperate search for freedom..