2026 · Novel
The Bell Foundry
In a river town where the last bell foundry is about to close, a young caster is given one final commission: a bell that must ring for a wedding no one in the town wants to happen.
New release
The Bell Foundry
In a river town where the last bell foundry is about to close, a young caster is given one final commission: a bell that must ring for a wedding no one in the town wants to happen.
Novel · 368 pages · Published 5 March 2026
My books
4 books
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2023 · Novel
A Map of Quiet Places
A sound recordist sets out to find the quietest place left in England, and finds her estranged father there instead.
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2021 · Novel
Saltmarsh Hymns
A choir of fishermen’s widows, a flooded chapel and one long, disastrous rehearsal season.
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2019 · Debut novel
The Clockmaker’s Apprentice
Winner of a regional first-novel prize. A girl, a church clock and the summer it stopped.
Kind words
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“A novel that rings long after you close it. Thorne writes about craft with the authority of someone who has done it.”
The Northern Review on The Bell Foundry -
“Funny, exact and unexpectedly moving. I wanted to move to her fen and never leave.”
Mira Hollis author of The Salt Orchard -
“Thorne is the quiet master of the small-town novel. Every sentence has been weighed.”
Lamplight Quarterly on A Map of Quiet Places
Events
Readings, signings and workshops
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Book a place: In conversation: The Bell Foundry
In conversation: The Bell Foundry
Wren & Ash Books, York · 7 pm · Free, booking advised
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Details: Reading and signing
Reading and signing
Harbour Street Library, Whitby · 6:30 pm · Free
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Join the waitlist: Writing small towns: a workshop
Writing small towns: a workshop
Online · 10 am to 1 pm GMT · 12 places