Rose & Renzo

By: Carolyn O'Brien

Manchester, 1936

Fascism looms in Europe, and Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts are on the rise. Meanwhile, aspiring artist Rose is drawn to an unlikely stranger, unaware her future is about to be caught up in the growing storm.

Facing straitened circumstances, following the death of their clergyman father, two very different sisters move from Manchester’s leafy suburbs to the deprivation of Ancoats and its vibrant ‘Little Italy’: creative misfit, Rose and her much older sister, Ivy. Conservative in nature and fearful of Rose’s impulsiveness, Ivy seeks to control her, forcing her to postpone her place at the Manchester School of Art and to take a tedious office job.

Frustrated by this new life and desperate to pursue her passion, Rose encounters Renzo, a painter just arrived from Europe. Their instant connection and love of art leads to a swiftly deepening attraction. Yet as their feelings develop, Renzo’s past life in Mussolini’s Italy remains a mystery. As Blackshirts and anti-fascists clash across the city, freedom-loving Rose is drawn into the fight against fascism, even as she begins to wonder at Renzo’s secrecy. Ultimately, she’s compelled to face the devastating question: which side is he on?

©2026 Carolyn O'Brien (P)2026 W. F. Howes Ltd.