Holidaying in France two years ago, voracious reader Juliette Tomlinson knew she could probably pen something ‘equally rubbishy, if not better’ than the book she had brought along with her. Consequently, in September 2024, this Newcastle University English graduate and mother-of-two, alongside a career in upmarket publishing, educational book sales and fiction translation, published her debut novel- ‘Longford, A Manchester Love Story’.
When two months later she was made redundant, Juliette focused her energies on promoting her book and writing ‘Sunnyside’, the second in her Manchester trilogy.
Altrincham-born Juliette lives in Stretford opposite Longford Park, the former home of Manchester’s Victorian philanthropist John Rylands and his Cuban third wife Enriqueta. John’s enterprises and acts of local, national and international generosity are thoroughly documented here and abroad. And since 1890, Enriqueta’s imposing Gothic-style John Rylands Library has stood proud in the city centre, in a fitting tribute to her late husband’s boundless charitable deeds.
However, about the private lives of the great man and his young wife, very little was known. Juliette felt compelled to rectify the matter. Her critically acclaimed novel ‘Longford’ honours ‘the greatest merchant prince the world had ever seen, whose life was given meaning and worth by the extraordinary woman who loved him.’ A mélange of historical facts and romantic fiction, ’Longford` will be followed in September by ‘Sunnyside’.
Juliette says, ‘I felt the Rylands’ relationship was an untold story. Yes, we had facts and figures about John, his business interests and accomplishments. However, there was nothing about Enriqueta nor about them as a couple and their life together. She had been John’s late second wife’s carer.
They wed in 1875. He was 74 and she was 32 years old. Despite the 42 years’ age gap, their union was happy and they adopted two children.’ She continues, ‘Longford today is still a very much-loved park and, funded by the National Lottery, many of the old buildings and gardens will be renovated. Living directly opposite Longford, I can easily access the specific atmosphere and spirit of the place. Its history is around me all the time it’s on my doorstep.’
Initially stimulated by curiosity, Juliette’s research for the book impacted her so profoundly that her interest in the Rylands couple and their home became ‘idées fixes‘.
She concludes, ‘This is a Northern story in a Northern setting and can stimulate local interest. Being a bit over-ambitious but honest, I do believe this story has ’legs’ and could easily be adapted for screen and stage. Period drama is presently very popular, perhaps as an escape from reality.
There’s a fascination for Victoriana which simultaneously offers nostalgia and ghoulishness. I’m being a bit ambitious, I know- but escaping into the world of Longford and hoping for its story to be spread is a dream which, for me, would be a lovely thing to happen.’
Longford – A Manchester love story by Juliette Tomlinson
£9.99 The Squeeze Press – Wooden Books: Amazon: Waterstones: WHSmith
By Fay Wertheimer
