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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, discover the grit, ambition, and betrayal of 19th-century Birmingham in Sara Fox’s gripping debut historical saga, A Legacy Forged.
A gripping new historical saga rooted in real family history has captured the attention of readers, as debut author Sara Fox launches A Legacy Forged—a powerful, Peaky Blinders–esque tale of survival, ambition, and ultimate betrayal in the race to build the modern city of Birmingham.
From Shropshire to the Workshop of the World
Set against the smoke, steel, and shadowy undercurrents of 19th-century Birmingham, the novel begins in Shropshire in 1822. Ten-year-old Matthew Seller flees the violent rage of his drunken father, guided only by the cold, silver light of the “Hunger Moon” and a burning ambition for change. He walks headfirst into a city on the brink of explosive transformation, navigating a world of poverty in back-to-back houses where families live top-to-tail and every shared courtyard acts as a hive of industry and struggle.
As Birmingham rises to become the “Workshop of the World,” Matthew works his way up from a humble apprentice to a master toolmaker, determined to replace his father’s legacy of rage with one of honesty and integrity. Alongside the kindness of a found family and a passion for engineering, he builds a life and a business from nothing.
Rivalries, Dynasties, and Industrial Realities
However, this is no simple rags-to-riches tale. As the Seller dynasty grows, a rival family takes notice. The MacCarthy cousins are businessmen of a particular kind—men who have engineered the ruin of families like the Sellers before, bought the wreckage for nothing, and walked away rich. In Matthew’s final years, their attention turns to everything he has built. Matthew Seller forged his legacy against every obstacle, but whether his descendants can hold it remains another story.
The novel captures a city in motion through the clanging factories, expanding canal networks, and early railways. The intertwined lives of the Seller family and the Irish immigrant Cahills reflect the real communities that shaped Birmingham’s identity. Against the backdrop of seismic historical events like the Crimean War, women’s suffrage, and the Irish fight for independence, the narrative explores timeless themes of trust, power, and the cost of success, raising a question that echoes through generations: how far would you go to secure your legacy, and what are you willing to sacrifice along the way?
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A Love Letter to Birmingham
Inspired by true ancestral stories and meticulously researched across diverse areas like industrial history, traditional herbs, and metalwork, Fox delivers a saga that blends the grit of Birmingham’s past with the emotional weight of family loyalty. Writing the novel transformed into a love letter to the city, its history, its people, and its unbreakable spirit, celebrating the family businesses that made it great.
A Legacy Forged serves as the first installment in a sweeping trilogy charting the rise and potential fall of a dynasty built on ambition, integrity, and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Ken Follett, Catherine Cookson, and Kristin Hannah, the debut novel stands as a powerful and moving tribute to the working-class heroes who built a nation from the ground up.
Sara Fox
Sara Fox is a Birmingham-based debut novelist drawing on her own family’s history to bring the past vividly to life. Her writing career began with a promise to her late parents to write the story of their 200-year-old Birmingham-based family business. Her ability to listen, curate, and heal the many stories passed down through generations made her the perfect conduit for creating a fictional retelling of this unique and powerful family saga. When not writing, Fox relishes a quiet life with her husband, punctuated by the antics of their crazy Border Collie and as dictated by their sassy cat.
Find more from Sara Fox now:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4w1PD1h
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4v68UOX
Buy Signed Copies Website: https://www.sarafoxauthor.com/category/all-products
Reviews: Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250696946-a-legacy-forged
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