Edwin and Lionel: A Tale of St Adnams

On the Isle of Man, where gulls wheel over the harbour and the sea presses at every door, stands St Adnams School. Its blackboards, hymn books, and the strict master Mr. Kelly shape the boys who pass through—but it is the smaller moments, whispered in class or shared on the harbour road, that make the truer lessons.

Edwin and Lionel find each other among the benches, ink-stained fingers and blotched pages: two boys discovering the weight of words, the rhythm of psalms, the mischief of marbles, and the first stirrings of something they can scarcely name. Together they learn that courage is not only in standing before the master’s boots, but also in holding fast to a friend.

Full of slate-scratch sums, sea-winds, playground duels, and psalms that will not end, Edwin and Lionel: A Tale of St Adnams draws readers into the noisy, comical world of a Victorian school. At its heart is the bond between two boys, shaping their days with courage, mischief, and quiet devotion.