Carolyn O'Brien

Hello and thank you for visiting my author page.

I am the author of two historical novels,THE SONG OF PETERLOO and ROSE & RENZO, both of which are set in my hometown of Manchester.

My writing has a strong sense of the north-west of England and its radical political history. I am inspired by the struggle for freedom and equality and interested in how such stories of the past resonate with our own time.

Selected as a Pick of the Month by The Sunday Times, my latest novel ROSE & RENZO is a coming-of-age love story set in the Little Italy district of 1930s Manchester against the backdrop of fascism. Aspiring artist and creative misfit, Rose meets Renzo, a painter whose past in Mussolini’s Italy remains a mystery. Rose’s journey has been described as ‘a gorgeous, heady dive into one young woman’s artistic, political and romantic awakening.’ I really hope you will enjoy it!

If you want to discover more about my writing, you can follow me on Instagram @CarolynManc