"Strangers might remember a trip to Monmouth to see a girl hang, but who would spare a thought for the whos and hows and whys?" Mary Saunders asks herself on the way to the scaffold. Emma Donoghue has taken the scant facts of Mary's short life in the 1760s and given her heart, flesh, guts and humour in this fine tale. Mary, at 13, seduced by an impulse for a coloured ribbon, and dreams of silks and sashes--as well as longings to better herself--becomes a slammerkin, a loose woman, in the roil of Hogarthian London. Her friend and mentor into the world of tricks is Doll who knows every inch of the city's high and low life. When Mary finds her dead, she flees to Monmouth and tries to reinvent herself as a servant girl. But the chafes of servitude and of "knowing her place" lead to a double life, a brutal murder, and her end at 16.

No rags to riches tale here, but nor does the author allow the brutal circumstances of Mary's life to swamp her colourful and richly textured narrative. Mary is full of spark and cheek; her eye is sharp to the hypocrisies of privilege and religion, her speech deliciously expresses her disdain for her "betters". Only occasionally does the narrative slip into too much telling at the expense of showing, and thus loses some of its emotional impact and pace.

That said, Emma Donoghue's gifts as a storyteller are considerable: her unsparing accounts of small and large events, a wealth of detail and a wonderfully rich and fluent language makes this a vivid and moving slice from the underbelly of 18th-century life.--Ruth Petrie "Strangers might remember a trip to Monmouth to see a girl hang, but who would spare a thought for the whos and hows and whys?" Mary Saunders asks herself on the way to the scaffold. Emma Donoghue has taken the scant facts of Mary's short life in the 1760s and given her heart, flesh, guts and humour in this fine tale. Mary, at 13, seduced by an impulse for a coloured ribbon, and dreams of silks and sashes--as well as longings to better herself--becomes a slammerkin, a loose woman, in the roil of Hogarthian London. Her friend and mentor into the world of tricks is Doll who knows every inch of the city's high and low life. When Mary finds her dead, she flees to Monmouth and tries to reinvent herself as a servant girl. But the chafes of servitude and of "knowing her place" lead to a double life, a brutal murder, and her end at 16.

No rags to riches tale here, but nor does the author allow the brutal circumstances of Mary's life to swamp her colourful and richly textured narrative. Mary is full of spark and cheek; her eye is sharp to the hypocrisies of privilege and religion, her speech deliciously expresses her disdain for her "betters". Only occasionally does the narrative slip into too much telling at the expense of showing, and thus loses some of its emotional impact and pace.

That said, Emma Donoghue's gifts as a storyteller are considerable: her unsparing accounts of small and large events, a wealth of detail and a wonderfully rich and fluent language makes this a vivid and moving slice from the underbelly of 18th-century life.--Ruth Petrie

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.


paper thin plot , 29 Dec 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this and was hugely disappointed: the plot (is there a plot?) is minimal and the characters go nowhere. This read to me like a series of creative writing assignments: 'create an intriguing main charcter', 'describe an interesting though unattractive man' etc. As sketches they work but then nothing happens to them. This is a writer who can write - but on the evidence of this book she can't create a story that has any kind of narrative drive or interest. I abandoned this book out of pure frustration about 100 pages in as life's just to short...

Very disappointing, 07 May 2007
Having enjoyed Slammerkin, I couldn't wait for this book but was sorely disappointed.
At page 297 I wondered why we were still setting the scene instead of getting into the plot....fact is there is very little story here.
Hard to finish and one has to wonder why the editor didn't take a more hands on approach.
Plot too thin, book to long....life is to short to read this book!

Historical with bite, 05 May 2007
A perfect antitode to the flood of Regency romances currently packing out bookshops. Emma Donoghue, like Melanie Gifford and, to an extent, Sarah Waters, is not afraid to endow her protaginists with seriously unlikeable characteristics. This gives the novel a hard, realisitc edge not found amidst the dashing heroes and simpering heroines of said Regency efforts. A historical with bite, 'Life Mask' has much to offer male and female readers alike.

A rediscovery of the 18th-century, 04 Jan 2007
I have to admit that, with the exception of joyfully breezing through Jane Austen, I generally find 18th-century novels hardgoing. However, Emma Donoghue has succeeded in writing a convincing 18th-century novel while maintaining a deftness of touch to engage the 21st-century reader.

While by no means simple, the plot narrative is striking in its clarity to ensure that a deep understanding of 18th-century politics is not a pre-requisite. It educates and informs without obstructing the story, and I felt more than a little smug after reading it that I could excuse the hours I spent immersed in the book has left me with an improved education.

Donoghue should be particularly congratulated also for her excellence in drawing the frisson between Derby and Eliza, especially in the opening chapters. Even in the comparatively loose society we inhabit today, one is all more than aware of the awkwardness that is caused by a mis-judged move for romance, especially in a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. The scenes such as Mrs. Dramer's dinner following a first move by Derby felt deliciously voyeuristic as I could feel and see the atmosphere caused by his discomfort.

The characterisation is underpinned by a cynical sense of humour about class and appearances that are as true today as they were 200+ years ago. Donoghue at times seems to judge her characters from 21st-century standards of what is hypocrisy and hence the line between pastiche and parody sometimes appears to come into view. Regardless of this, it is the best book I have read so far in 2007 out of a total of two and will remain at the top of my favourites list for some time.


Living in interesting times, 02 Aug 2006
There's a missing period of English history for those of us who studied in English schools; we learned lots about Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but even when reading Jane Austen, few of us were told exactly why all those soldiers were all over the country attending balls and breaking hearts. The late 18th century was a fascinating, turbulent, idealistic time; the recent BBC series calling it 'The Century that Made us' got it about right with Enlightenment ideas resonating down to today. Emma Donoghue's novel captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, uncovering 'the World' for us through the eyes of three real people, the sculptor Anne Damer, Lord Grey and the actress Eliza Farren. You'll learn about Whig politics, the French Revolution, 18th century theatre in London and much more. You may, like me, also find yourself deeply involved in and moved by the lives of these three and others in the book. A particular triumph is her characterisation of the novelist & belles-lettres writer Horace Walpole. If this is not yet set for the BBC's costume drama department, it should be snapped up at once!

This book only fails to get five stars because my benchmark for historical fiction will always be Jeanette Winterson and/or Dorothy Dunnett....

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.


paper thin plot , 29 Dec 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this and was hugely disappointed: the plot (is there a plot?) is minimal and the characters go nowhere. This read to me like a series of creative writing assignments: 'create an intriguing main charcter', 'describe an interesting though unattractive man' etc. As sketches they work but then nothing happens to them. This is a writer who can write - but on the evidence of this book she can't create a story that has any kind of narrative drive or interest. I abandoned this book out of pure frustration about 100 pages in as life's just to short...

Very disappointing, 07 May 2007
Having enjoyed Slammerkin, I couldn't wait for this book but was sorely disappointed.
At page 297 I wondered why we were still setting the scene instead of getting into the plot....fact is there is very little story here.
Hard to finish and one has to wonder why the editor didn't take a more hands on approach.
Plot too thin, book to long....life is to short to read this book!

Historical with bite, 05 May 2007
A perfect antitode to the flood of Regency romances currently packing out bookshops. Emma Donoghue, like Melanie Gifford and, to an extent, Sarah Waters, is not afraid to endow her protaginists with seriously unlikeable characteristics. This gives the novel a hard, realisitc edge not found amidst the dashing heroes and simpering heroines of said Regency efforts. A historical with bite, 'Life Mask' has much to offer male and female readers alike.

A rediscovery of the 18th-century, 04 Jan 2007
I have to admit that, with the exception of joyfully breezing through Jane Austen, I generally find 18th-century novels hardgoing. However, Emma Donoghue has succeeded in writing a convincing 18th-century novel while maintaining a deftness of touch to engage the 21st-century reader.

While by no means simple, the plot narrative is striking in its clarity to ensure that a deep understanding of 18th-century politics is not a pre-requisite. It educates and informs without obstructing the story, and I felt more than a little smug after reading it that I could excuse the hours I spent immersed in the book has left me with an improved education.

Donoghue should be particularly congratulated also for her excellence in drawing the frisson between Derby and Eliza, especially in the opening chapters. Even in the comparatively loose society we inhabit today, one is all more than aware of the awkwardness that is caused by a mis-judged move for romance, especially in a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. The scenes such as Mrs. Dramer's dinner following a first move by Derby felt deliciously voyeuristic as I could feel and see the atmosphere caused by his discomfort.

The characterisation is underpinned by a cynical sense of humour about class and appearances that are as true today as they were 200+ years ago. Donoghue at times seems to judge her characters from 21st-century standards of what is hypocrisy and hence the line between pastiche and parody sometimes appears to come into view. Regardless of this, it is the best book I have read so far in 2007 out of a total of two and will remain at the top of my favourites list for some time.


Living in interesting times, 02 Aug 2006
There's a missing period of English history for those of us who studied in English schools; we learned lots about Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but even when reading Jane Austen, few of us were told exactly why all those soldiers were all over the country attending balls and breaking hearts. The late 18th century was a fascinating, turbulent, idealistic time; the recent BBC series calling it 'The Century that Made us' got it about right with Enlightenment ideas resonating down to today. Emma Donoghue's novel captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, uncovering 'the World' for us through the eyes of three real people, the sculptor Anne Damer, Lord Grey and the actress Eliza Farren. You'll learn about Whig politics, the French Revolution, 18th century theatre in London and much more. You may, like me, also find yourself deeply involved in and moved by the lives of these three and others in the book. A particular triumph is her characterisation of the novelist & belles-lettres writer Horace Walpole. If this is not yet set for the BBC's costume drama department, it should be snapped up at once!

This book only fails to get five stars because my benchmark for historical fiction will always be Jeanette Winterson and/or Dorothy Dunnett....

Vignettes from diverse lives..., 20 Nov 2005
Emma Donoghue's gift, as showcased so brilliantly in Slammerkin, lies in bringing the long-dead to life; people about whom we know nothing apart from a few sentences which may or may not be apocryphal. In The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits, she presents us with brief glimpses into a selection of unusual lives and circumstances from history's footnotes.

Why would someone stage a delivery of dead rabbits, and (dear God) how would they do it? What about the people born with unusual physical conditions who were displayed as oddities? How did women who sought medical help for a variety of ills end up being put through clitoridectomy in the name of 'medicine'?

Fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes agonisingly moving, this is an unusual and compelling anthology.

Great start..., 01 May 2005
The title story is excellent; well written, amusing, and utterly engaging but the shorts after that range from mildly interesting to fairly dull. I really wanted to enjoy this work as it had such promise to be interesting...it wasn't. I have given it 3 stars solely based on the title story. I think it should have been an interesting exercise on the author's part rather than be shared with the reading public.

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.


paper thin plot , 29 Dec 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this and was hugely disappointed: the plot (is there a plot?) is minimal and the characters go nowhere. This read to me like a series of creative writing assignments: 'create an intriguing main charcter', 'describe an interesting though unattractive man' etc. As sketches they work but then nothing happens to them. This is a writer who can write - but on the evidence of this book she can't create a story that has any kind of narrative drive or interest. I abandoned this book out of pure frustration about 100 pages in as life's just to short...

Very disappointing, 07 May 2007
Having enjoyed Slammerkin, I couldn't wait for this book but was sorely disappointed.
At page 297 I wondered why we were still setting the scene instead of getting into the plot....fact is there is very little story here.
Hard to finish and one has to wonder why the editor didn't take a more hands on approach.
Plot too thin, book to long....life is to short to read this book!

Historical with bite, 05 May 2007
A perfect antitode to the flood of Regency romances currently packing out bookshops. Emma Donoghue, like Melanie Gifford and, to an extent, Sarah Waters, is not afraid to endow her protaginists with seriously unlikeable characteristics. This gives the novel a hard, realisitc edge not found amidst the dashing heroes and simpering heroines of said Regency efforts. A historical with bite, 'Life Mask' has much to offer male and female readers alike.

A rediscovery of the 18th-century, 04 Jan 2007
I have to admit that, with the exception of joyfully breezing through Jane Austen, I generally find 18th-century novels hardgoing. However, Emma Donoghue has succeeded in writing a convincing 18th-century novel while maintaining a deftness of touch to engage the 21st-century reader.

While by no means simple, the plot narrative is striking in its clarity to ensure that a deep understanding of 18th-century politics is not a pre-requisite. It educates and informs without obstructing the story, and I felt more than a little smug after reading it that I could excuse the hours I spent immersed in the book has left me with an improved education.

Donoghue should be particularly congratulated also for her excellence in drawing the frisson between Derby and Eliza, especially in the opening chapters. Even in the comparatively loose society we inhabit today, one is all more than aware of the awkwardness that is caused by a mis-judged move for romance, especially in a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. The scenes such as Mrs. Dramer's dinner following a first move by Derby felt deliciously voyeuristic as I could feel and see the atmosphere caused by his discomfort.

The characterisation is underpinned by a cynical sense of humour about class and appearances that are as true today as they were 200+ years ago. Donoghue at times seems to judge her characters from 21st-century standards of what is hypocrisy and hence the line between pastiche and parody sometimes appears to come into view. Regardless of this, it is the best book I have read so far in 2007 out of a total of two and will remain at the top of my favourites list for some time.


Living in interesting times, 02 Aug 2006
There's a missing period of English history for those of us who studied in English schools; we learned lots about Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but even when reading Jane Austen, few of us were told exactly why all those soldiers were all over the country attending balls and breaking hearts. The late 18th century was a fascinating, turbulent, idealistic time; the recent BBC series calling it 'The Century that Made us' got it about right with Enlightenment ideas resonating down to today. Emma Donoghue's novel captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, uncovering 'the World' for us through the eyes of three real people, the sculptor Anne Damer, Lord Grey and the actress Eliza Farren. You'll learn about Whig politics, the French Revolution, 18th century theatre in London and much more. You may, like me, also find yourself deeply involved in and moved by the lives of these three and others in the book. A particular triumph is her characterisation of the novelist & belles-lettres writer Horace Walpole. If this is not yet set for the BBC's costume drama department, it should be snapped up at once!

This book only fails to get five stars because my benchmark for historical fiction will always be Jeanette Winterson and/or Dorothy Dunnett....

Vignettes from diverse lives..., 20 Nov 2005
Emma Donoghue's gift, as showcased so brilliantly in Slammerkin, lies in bringing the long-dead to life; people about whom we know nothing apart from a few sentences which may or may not be apocryphal. In The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits, she presents us with brief glimpses into a selection of unusual lives and circumstances from history's footnotes.

Why would someone stage a delivery of dead rabbits, and (dear God) how would they do it? What about the people born with unusual physical conditions who were displayed as oddities? How did women who sought medical help for a variety of ills end up being put through clitoridectomy in the name of 'medicine'?

Fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes agonisingly moving, this is an unusual and compelling anthology.

Great start..., 01 May 2005
The title story is excellent; well written, amusing, and utterly engaging but the shorts after that range from mildly interesting to fairly dull. I really wanted to enjoy this work as it had such promise to be interesting...it wasn't. I have given it 3 stars solely based on the title story. I think it should have been an interesting exercise on the author's part rather than be shared with the reading public.

Fascinating intro to two little known victorian writers, 18 May 2002
This is a fascinating if brief biography of two victorian women, Katherine Bradley and her neice Edith Cooper. By their own description "poets and lovers" these ladies wrote together, ultimately under the combined pseudonym of Michael Field, assuming a male persona in order to avoid the gender prejudices of their day. The book draws heavily on the amazing and prolific journals they left behind them accounting their unique life together, circle of artistic friends, literary legacy and deep devotion for each other. This is a captivating read about two writers who despite leaving a swathe of poems and plays, have now been largely and unfairly forgotten. This slim volume has been expertly pared down to conform to the "Outline" publication's edict but still captivates and leaves you intrigued to learn more about them and their works.
I would recommend this to any fan of the author, Emma Donoghue, and to anybody with an interest in people who resolutely live their own lives and remain true to themselves. The only disappointment is that no-one has yet compiled the in depth study of these ladies that they so richly deserve.

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.


paper thin plot , 29 Dec 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this and was hugely disappointed: the plot (is there a plot?) is minimal and the characters go nowhere. This read to me like a series of creative writing assignments: 'create an intriguing main charcter', 'describe an interesting though unattractive man' etc. As sketches they work but then nothing happens to them. This is a writer who can write - but on the evidence of this book she can't create a story that has any kind of narrative drive or interest. I abandoned this book out of pure frustration about 100 pages in as life's just to short...

Very disappointing, 07 May 2007
Having enjoyed Slammerkin, I couldn't wait for this book but was sorely disappointed.
At page 297 I wondered why we were still setting the scene instead of getting into the plot....fact is there is very little story here.
Hard to finish and one has to wonder why the editor didn't take a more hands on approach.
Plot too thin, book to long....life is to short to read this book!

Historical with bite, 05 May 2007
A perfect antitode to the flood of Regency romances currently packing out bookshops. Emma Donoghue, like Melanie Gifford and, to an extent, Sarah Waters, is not afraid to endow her protaginists with seriously unlikeable characteristics. This gives the novel a hard, realisitc edge not found amidst the dashing heroes and simpering heroines of said Regency efforts. A historical with bite, 'Life Mask' has much to offer male and female readers alike.

A rediscovery of the 18th-century, 04 Jan 2007
I have to admit that, with the exception of joyfully breezing through Jane Austen, I generally find 18th-century novels hardgoing. However, Emma Donoghue has succeeded in writing a convincing 18th-century novel while maintaining a deftness of touch to engage the 21st-century reader.

While by no means simple, the plot narrative is striking in its clarity to ensure that a deep understanding of 18th-century politics is not a pre-requisite. It educates and informs without obstructing the story, and I felt more than a little smug after reading it that I could excuse the hours I spent immersed in the book has left me with an improved education.

Donoghue should be particularly congratulated also for her excellence in drawing the frisson between Derby and Eliza, especially in the opening chapters. Even in the comparatively loose society we inhabit today, one is all more than aware of the awkwardness that is caused by a mis-judged move for romance, especially in a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. The scenes such as Mrs. Dramer's dinner following a first move by Derby felt deliciously voyeuristic as I could feel and see the atmosphere caused by his discomfort.

The characterisation is underpinned by a cynical sense of humour about class and appearances that are as true today as they were 200+ years ago. Donoghue at times seems to judge her characters from 21st-century standards of what is hypocrisy and hence the line between pastiche and parody sometimes appears to come into view. Regardless of this, it is the best book I have read so far in 2007 out of a total of two and will remain at the top of my favourites list for some time.


Living in interesting times, 02 Aug 2006
There's a missing period of English history for those of us who studied in English schools; we learned lots about Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but even when reading Jane Austen, few of us were told exactly why all those soldiers were all over the country attending balls and breaking hearts. The late 18th century was a fascinating, turbulent, idealistic time; the recent BBC series calling it 'The Century that Made us' got it about right with Enlightenment ideas resonating down to today. Emma Donoghue's novel captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, uncovering 'the World' for us through the eyes of three real people, the sculptor Anne Damer, Lord Grey and the actress Eliza Farren. You'll learn about Whig politics, the French Revolution, 18th century theatre in London and much more. You may, like me, also find yourself deeply involved in and moved by the lives of these three and others in the book. A particular triumph is her characterisation of the novelist & belles-lettres writer Horace Walpole. If this is not yet set for the BBC's costume drama department, it should be snapped up at once!

This book only fails to get five stars because my benchmark for historical fiction will always be Jeanette Winterson and/or Dorothy Dunnett....

Vignettes from diverse lives..., 20 Nov 2005
Emma Donoghue's gift, as showcased so brilliantly in Slammerkin, lies in bringing the long-dead to life; people about whom we know nothing apart from a few sentences which may or may not be apocryphal. In The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits, she presents us with brief glimpses into a selection of unusual lives and circumstances from history's footnotes.

Why would someone stage a delivery of dead rabbits, and (dear God) how would they do it? What about the people born with unusual physical conditions who were displayed as oddities? How did women who sought medical help for a variety of ills end up being put through clitoridectomy in the name of 'medicine'?

Fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes agonisingly moving, this is an unusual and compelling anthology.

Great start..., 01 May 2005
The title story is excellent; well written, amusing, and utterly engaging but the shorts after that range from mildly interesting to fairly dull. I really wanted to enjoy this work as it had such promise to be interesting...it wasn't. I have given it 3 stars solely based on the title story. I think it should have been an interesting exercise on the author's part rather than be shared with the reading public.

Fascinating intro to two little known victorian writers, 18 May 2002
This is a fascinating if brief biography of two victorian women, Katherine Bradley and her neice Edith Cooper. By their own description "poets and lovers" these ladies wrote together, ultimately under the combined pseudonym of Michael Field, assuming a male persona in order to avoid the gender prejudices of their day. The book draws heavily on the amazing and prolific journals they left behind them accounting their unique life together, circle of artistic friends, literary legacy and deep devotion for each other. This is a captivating read about two writers who despite leaving a swathe of poems and plays, have now been largely and unfairly forgotten. This slim volume has been expertly pared down to conform to the "Outline" publication's edict but still captivates and leaves you intrigued to learn more about them and their works.
I would recommend this to any fan of the author, Emma Donoghue, and to anybody with an interest in people who resolutely live their own lives and remain true to themselves. The only disappointment is that no-one has yet compiled the in depth study of these ladies that they so richly deserve.

Lesbianism hardly a recent invention, Donoghue proves, 26 Nov 1999
Emma Donoghue's first book is, as the title suggests, an account of relationships between women in the 18-19th centuries that went beyond what's known as "romantic friendship". As such, it's a racier counterpart to Lillian Faderman's "Surpassing the Love of Men". Donoghue is keen to prove that, just because lesbian sex was seldom mentioned, doesn't mean that it didn't go on; she's restoring sexuality and desire to the already large history of women's friendships. It's sadly ironic, but not very surprising, that in her discussion of the representation of lesbians in literature, a great number of the extracts are by men (a typical one being some episodes of digital gratification in Cleland's "Fanny Hill"); needless to say, in texts by men, the lesbians generally come off (as it were) badly. A vital text for anyone interested in lesbian history, it's also of interest to anyone who enjoys Donoghue's fiction, though casual readers may be surprised by the tone; dense, detailed, terse and often drily funny (few other scholarly works have paid such close attention to the dildo), it's a more immediately demanding book than her colloquial and accessible novels.

Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list, 12 Apr 2008
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders, a young girl from London who ends up on the streets after getting pregnant as the result of being raped. Young and naive, Mary wanders the streets, wondering what to do next. She is eventually found by Doll Higgins, a streetwalker. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Mary moves in with Doll and learns about her lifestyle, which at first disgusts her. She soon realises, however, that as she currently has nothing and is living off Doll's kindness, she must do something. So she bites the bullet and descends into prostitution, saving up enough money for a back street abortion. Now free of the worry of having a baby, Mary throws herself wholeheartedly into the life of being a 'stroller' and taking 'cullies' up back alleys. She embraces the freedom and easy money of selling her body and can't ever see herself doing anything else.

However, Mary's life, never straightforward, becomes more complicated. After an illness, she goes into a home for disadvantaged women, leaving Doll on the outside. She tells herself that as soon as she's better, she'll leave an go back to her friend immediately, which she does. Only things have changed. Poor Doll has perished and lies frozen with cold in the alley by their lodgings. Alone again, Mary retrieves her belongings from their room, disturbing the landlady in the process. Accused of theft Mary runs, chased by the infamous Caesar; a huge black man famed from his knife and the unspeakable things he's done with it.

Knowing she'll never be safe in London again, Mary boards a carriage bound for Monmouth, her mother and father's hometown, hoping to find an old friend of her mother's and be taken in. Mary now believes she is leaving her old life behind her, but it seems unwilling to let go that easily...

This book is truly exceptional. You truly feel for Mary's plight, as in her youth she doesn't really know what's happening. But a few months on the street and she's a hardened whore, caring about nothing except ale, clothes and her best friend Doll. The two are a force to be reckoned with and care about each other deeply. Just as you think Mary has found her feet, albeit in the trade of prostitution, everything is whipped away from her once more. You begin to wonder where Mary's tale will end. Will she get her happy ever after, or will she continue to run from her problems? You simply have to read this book to find out. It's excellent - the characters are many, but all excellently portrayed, and the settings give a real feel for what things were like in the 18th century. Gripping and breathtaking with laugh out loud moments, I'd recommend this to any book lover.

Good, 21 Mar 2007
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. I thought the story was great and the characters very realistic. The story follows one main character and her fight to break away from her social boundaries and try and better herself. Like any story, the road travelled is not always a smooth one...A good story with strong believable characters.

Clunky but compelling, 26 Feb 2007
I like a novel where the heroine has a thick dark streak running through her (see The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford) and they don't come much darker than the protagonist of this thought-provoking adventure. Mary Saunders defies almost every attempt by the reader to like or sympathise with her. Despite an occasionally clumsy narrative the tale of her descent into prostitution and murder is too compelling to abandon. Interesting ideas are touched upon but not developed, which leaves the novel seemingly incomplete. However there's no escaping the shocking, though inevitable, conclusion.

slammerkin, 21 Sep 2005
I found that Donoghue chose an interesting subject,time period and that most of the characters offered some kind of insight into the corruptness of the age in which the text is set. However, much as i thought that the text is very atmospheric, much as i enjoyed the discriptive narrative of the dank and dirt of London life at that time; much as i appreciated the honesty of the rape and further life of the prostitute, i am unable to say that i appreciated this book wholeheartedly.
i found the characters too one dimensional, i found that some of the dialogue very implausable, as were some of the characters. Mostly, i felt disappointed by this work;which is a shame. As i think that the subject matter is perfect for a wonderful peice of literature illuminating the plight of the poor working class focusing on the plight of the prostitute.
I would have liked to have seen the characters expanded. I would have like to have Mary Saunders obsession with clothes and material more thorally explored. She went from being resentful of her mothers trade of a seamstress, to then murdering for a nice dress, where and how did this trasition occur? I think that the corrupting influence of Dolly was very one dimensional. the ambiguity of Dollys' character in terms of her own background could have been explored more indepthly.
however in view of all the above, i would reccommend this book as it is refreshing to see subjects that it deals with treated as well as she does. Donoghue is able to capture the lack of social consciousness of the time, and the lack of self worth endured by many people of the underclass. Prostitutes are blase and retisent in their profession, unable to see a way out. Often living a pitiful existence that ended in early death.

I loved it!, 29 Sep 2004
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).

Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.

A definite must-read.

Stunning, beautifully written novel, 25 Sep 2008
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.


paper thin plot , 29 Dec 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this and was hugely disappointed: the plot (is there a plot?) is minimal and the characters go nowhere. This read to me like a series of creative writing assignments: 'create an intriguing main charcter', 'describe an interesting though unattractive man' etc. As sketches they work but then nothing happens to them. This is a writer who can write - but on the evidence of this book she can't create a story that has any kind of narrative drive or interest. I abandoned this book out of pure frustration about 100 pages in as life's just to short...

Very disappointing, 07 May 2007
Having enjoyed Slammerkin, I couldn't wait for this book but was sorely disappointed.
At page 297 I wondered why we were still setting the scene instead of getting into the plot....fact is there is very little story here.
Hard to finish and one has to wonder why the editor didn't take a more hands on approach.
Plot too thin, book to long....life is to short to read this book!

Historical with bite, 05 May 2007
A perfect antitode to the flood of Regency romances currently packing out bookshops. Emma Donoghue, like Melanie Gifford and, to an extent, Sarah Waters, is not afraid to endow her protaginists with seriously unlikeable characteristics. This gives the novel a hard, realisitc edge not found amidst the dashing heroes and simpering heroines of said Regency efforts. A historical with bite, 'Life Mask' has much to offer male and female readers alike.

A rediscovery of the 18th-century, 04 Jan 2007
I have to admit that, with the exception of joyfully breezing through Jane Austen, I generally find 18th-century novels hardgoing. However, Emma Donoghue has succeeded in writing a convincing 18th-century novel while maintaining a deftness of touch to engage the 21st-century reader.

While by no means simple, the plot narrative is striking in its clarity to ensure that a deep understanding of 18th-century politics is not a pre-requisite. It educates and informs without obstructing the story, and I felt more than a little smug after reading it that I could excuse the hours I spent immersed in the book has left me with an improved education.

Donoghue should be particularly congratulated also for her excellence in drawing the frisson between Derby and Eliza, especially in the opening chapters. Even in the comparatively loose society we inhabit today, one is all more than aware of the awkwardness that is caused by a mis-judged move for romance, especially in a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. The scenes such as Mrs. Dramer's dinner following a first move by Derby felt deliciously voyeuristic as I could feel and see the atmosphere caused by his discomfort.

The characterisation is underpinned by a cynical sense of humour about class and appearances that are as true today as they were 200+ years ago. Donoghue at times seems to judge her characters from 21st-century standards of what is hypocrisy and hence the line between pastiche and parody sometimes appears to come into view. Regardless of this, it is the best book I have read so far in 2007 out of a total of two and will remain at the top of my favourites list for some time.


Living in interesting times, 02 Aug 2006
There's a missing period of English history for those of us who studied in English schools; we learned lots about Nazi Germany and the Tudors, but even when reading Jane Austen, few of us were told exactly why all those soldiers were all over the country attending balls and breaking hearts. The late 18th century was a fascinating, turbulent, idealistic time; the recent BBC series calling it 'The Century that Made us' got it about right with Enlightenment ideas resonating down to today. Emma Donoghue's novel captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, uncovering 'the World' for us through the eyes of three real people, the sculptor Anne Damer, Lord Grey and the actress Eliza Farren. You'll learn about Whig politics, the French Revolution, 18th century theatre in London and much more. You may, like me, also find yourself deeply involved in and moved by the lives of these three and others in the book. A particular triumph is her characterisation of the novelist & belles-lettres writer Horace Walpole. If this is not yet set for the BBC's costume drama department, it should be snapped up at once!

This book only fails to get five stars because my benchmark for historical fiction will always be Jeanette Winterson and/or Dorothy Dunnett....

Vignettes from diverse lives..., 20 Nov 2005
Emma Donoghue's gift, as showcased so brilliantly in Slammerkin, lies in bringing the long-dead to life; people about whom we know nothing apart from a few sentences which may or may not be apocryphal. In The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits, she presents us with brief glimpses into a selection of unusual lives and circumstances from history's footnotes.

Why would someone stage a delivery of dead rabbits, and (dear God) how would they do it? What about the people born with unusual physical conditions who were displayed as oddities? How did women who sought medical help for a variety of ills end up being put through clitoridectomy in the name of 'medicine'?

Fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes agonisingly moving, this is an unusual and compelling anthology.

Great start..., 01 May 2005
The title story is excellent; well written, amusing, and utterly engaging but the shorts after that range from mildly interesting to fairly dull. I really wanted to enjoy this work as it had such promise to be interesting...it wasn't. I have given it 3 stars solely based on the title story. I think it should have been an interesting exercise on the author's part rather than be shared with the reading public.

Fascinating intro to two little known victorian writers, 18 May 2002
This is a fascinating if brief biography of two victorian women, Katherine Bradley and her neice Edith Cooper. By their own description "poets and lovers" these ladies wrote together, ultimately under the combined pseudonym of Michael Field, assuming a male persona in order to avoid the gender prejudices of their day. The book draws heavily on the amazing and prolific journals they left behind them accounting their unique life together, circle of artistic friends, literary legacy and deep devotion for each other. This is a captivating read about two writers who despite leaving a swathe of poems and plays, have now been largely and unfairly forgotten. This slim volume has been expertly pared down to conform to the "Outline" publication's edict but still captivates and leaves you intrigued to learn more about them and their works.
I would recommend this to any fan of the author, Emma Donoghue, and to anybody with an interest in people who resolutely live their own lives and remain true to themselves. The only disappointment is that no-one has yet compiled the in depth study of these ladies that they so richly deserve.

Lesbianism hardly a recent inv