Allen Raine was one of the most popular authors of the turn of the century with her books selling over a million copies in Britain alone Queen of the Rushes first published in 1906 and then by Honno in 1998 has been out of print but now Allen Raines powerful and accomplished novel can be enjoyed again Set in a seaside village in West Wales at the time of the 1904 Revival the novel relates the enthralling tale of the lives and complex loves of Gildas Nancy Gwenifer and Captain Jack Eminently readable and with touches of humour this is nevertheless a serious attempt one of the first in English to map out a distinctively Welsh literary landscapeKatie Gramichs fascinating introduction situates Allen Raines last novel against its literary background and points to its significance in the AngloWelsh tradition and in Welsh Womens writing