Cottonopolis
£6.99
1840, Little Ireland, Manchester, Nellie Doyle’s father loses his job, risking eviction and starvation for the family. At the touring circus, Nellie befriends Chloe Valentine, a Black girl from the workhouse. Together with one of Nellie’s brothers, they seek the circus master, who grants them seven wishes, but each wish goes terribly awry.
They wish that a local bully will never box anyone again, then his hand is crushed in a factory machine. They wish to obtain the goods in the bakery, which results in the goods suddenly rotting before their eyes, confirming that the magic is real. They wish that a beloved horse will be freed from her cruel owner, that Nellie’s father will find a new job, that Chloe will find a family, and that a neighbour will find a new home.
Nellie begins developing feelings for Chloe, but can the girls shape their one’s own fate amidst the challenges of poverty and racism in 1840s Manchester.