In Spite of All: A Novel

Two childhood friends. A nation in turmoil. And a love that defies everything society demands. Gabriel Harford and Hilary Unett grow up in an England roiling with political change, their friendship deepening into something far more complicated as they mature. But class and convention stand between them, and Hilary refuses to surrender her independence to a world that demands women be silent. When Gabriel's political ambitions and Hilary's own fight for autonomy collide, both must choose between duty and desire. Lyall's radical novel pulls no punches in its critique of Victorian gender expectations and class rigidity. A propulsive romance and a serious argument about who gets to live freely, told with passionate conviction.