A ‘magical, haunting’ (Philippa Gregory) novel of a tragic love affair in a threatened world

In 1649, Jan Brunt, a Dutchman, arrives in England to work on draining and developing the Great Level, an expanse of marsh in the heart of the fen country. It is here he meets Eliza, whose love overturns his ordered vision and whose act of resistance forces him to see the world differently.

Jan flees to the New World, where the spirit of avarice is raging and his skills as an engineer are prized. Then one spring morning a boy delivers a note that prompts him to remember the fens, and confront all that was lost there.

‘The most beautiful historical novel you’ll read all year... Extraordinary’
Simon Schama

‘Richly involving... The story of a strange and passionate relationship’
Guardian

‘If you want to be utterly transported to another time, another place, read The Great Level. A haunting depiction of love and difference’
Amanda Vickery