The research has clearly been intense but is handled lightly throughout. This is a simply-written, well-paced novel, with a style that draws the reader in. The burning of Paris may be an act of terror: if Zéphyrine was involved, can Anatole still love her? The main protagonists are faced with decisions of moral ambivalence relevant today. Political ideas and agency are broached themes of personal, class and gender liberation are all developed in an incident-packed plot. This is a brilliant milieu for such a story, at a time and place that feel familiar – through stories of the French Revolution and Les Misérables – but which are both distinct and novel. In a maelstrom of conflicting beliefs, is their love strong enough to survive war, betrayal and exile? The ending is hopeful but tantalisingly inconclusive. Worlds clash, and both must learn from the other. Set in 1871, at the time of the revolutionary commune of Paris, this proves an arresting setting for a romance between Anatole, a young violinist making his way in the theatre, and the newly bereaved Zéphyrine, an impoverished, fiery rebel. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.Following on from Lydia Syson’s award-winning debut, A World Between Us, and her second novel, That Burning Summer, comes another story of war-crossed young lovers.

Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft stories told with LEGO bricks books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readerspicture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. She lives in London, England, with her partner and four children. A frequent contributor to The History Girls blog, she is also a member of the Scattered Author’s Society, the Society of Authors, the Historical Writers Association, and Children’s Writers and Illustrators in South London. She is a fifth-generation North Londoner who started her career as a BBC World Service radio producer. Lydia Syson is the author of A World Between Us and Liberty’s Fire.

Liberty's Fire by Lydia Syson