Slammerkin
by Emma Donoghue | Literature & Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 186049899x Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 186049899x Global Overview for this book
Registered by zimra of Napier, Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay New Zealand on 4/4/2011
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
Donoghue takes scraps of the intriguing true story of Mary Saunders, a servant girl who murdered her mistress in 1763, and fashions from them an intelligent and mesmerizing historical novel. Born to a mother who sews for pennies and a father who died in jail, 14-year-old Mary's hardened existence in London brings to mind the lives of Dickens's child characters. Mary has an eye for fine things and ambitions beyond her social station, and her desire for a shiny red ribbon leads her to sell the only thing she owns: her body. Turned out by her mother, Mary is taken in by a local prostitute, Doll Higgins; they live together in Rat's Castle in the seedy section of town. Doll teaches Mary the tricks of her trade and gives her all the gaudy dresses Mary once coveted. For a year, the term slammerkin meaning a loose gown or a loose woman becomes all too familiar to Mary, until she checks into a charity hospital and attempts to straighten out. Missing the "liberty" of her former life, she leaves the hospital only to encounter more trouble back on the streets. Fleeing to the country village of Monmouth, her parents' hometown, Mary finds Mrs. Jones, an old friend of her mother's, and obtains a maid's position in her household, but Mary can't shake her dark ambitions: she re-enters the flesh trade, bringing disaster upon herself. Readers may feel both sympathetic to and angry with Mary, who questions whether hers is the lot of all women, but whose anesthetized spirit leads to her rash action. Donoghue's characterizations are excellent, and her brutal imagery and attention to language capture the spirit of the time with vital precision. Agent, Caroline Davidson. (June)Forecast: The provocative jacket will catch readers' attention, but attentive handselling, perhaps helped by the author tour, will be required to distinguish this worthy historical novel from similar titles.
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Please take a moment to let us know you have the book - then everyone
who has had it previously will know where it is! Then post a review when you've
read it. It is yours to keep or pass on to someone else. The choice is
yours!
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Thank you.
Journal Entry 2 by zimra at Heavens Bakery Greenmeadows in Napier, Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay New Zealand on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Released 11 yrs ago (5/2/2012 UTC) at Heavens Bakery Greenmeadows in Napier, Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay New Zealand
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Along with another book, in a bookcrossing bag on the table/chairs outside.