Barnaby Rudge (version 2)

Step into the turbulent world of 18th-century London with Charles Dickens historical novel, Barnaby Rudge. Set against the backdrop of the infamous Gordon riots of 1780, the story unfolds in 1775 as Barnaby, his mother, and their talking raven Grip flee from a blackmailer, seeking refuge. Meanwhile, Joe Willet is forced to abandon his home and the woman he adores to escape his fathers wrath. As the years pass, these characters, along with a host of others whose lives intertwine, find themselves swept up in the chaos of a violent Protestant uprising led by Sir George Gordon. With a mob swelling to an astonishing 100,000, danger lurks at every corner. Dickens masterfully intertwines the fates of his endearing and nefarious characters, illuminating how the riots irrevocably alter their lives. Interestingly, the raven Grip is believed to have inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic poem, “The Raven.” (Summary by Mil Nicholson)