About this book
Robert Hugh Benson's Come Rack! Come Rope! is a gripping historical novel set during the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics, when faith itself became a capital crime. In the rugged countryside of Derbyshire, two young lovers confront an impossible choice: abandon their hope of marriage and happiness, or witness the destruction of everything they hold sacred. As priests are hunted and harboring them means certain death, these protagonists must decide whether love of God transcends love of each other.
Written by the English priest and Catholic convert Benson nearly a decade after his own spiritual transformation, this novel draws inspiration from the real experiences of the recusant Fitzherbert family and Benson's pilgrimage to Padley, their historic home. The title itself echoes the defiant words of Saint Edmund Campion, who assured fellow Catholics after torture that he would reveal nothing, "come rack, come rope." While the hero and heroine are fictional creations, most characters and events are rooted in documented history, lending authentic weight to this tale of conscience and conviction.
This historical fiction masterpiece is ideal for readers drawn to stories of religious faith tested by extreme circumstances, romances where principle triumphs over passion, and richly researched period narratives that illuminate forgotten chapters of history. Come Rack! Come Rope! offers a profound meditation on martyrdom, loyalty, and the cost of remaining true to one's beliefs.
