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jefftstevens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Having attended a “Meet the Author” event hosted by Stafford Library, and the very fascinating talk given by Carolyn Kirby, I purchased and read her novel “The Conviction of Cora Burns”. Apparently, this is the only Victorian novel set specifically in Birmingham.
Carolyn’s dedicated eye for detail, and her pain-staking background research, really shines through the whole novel. It is a brutal story of the early life and times of Cora Burns, a very troubled young woman prone to acts of terrible violence, who has grown up in institutional life; workhouse; asylum; jail; and life working as an “in-between maid”.
The unfolding story is complex and involves a web of unexpected inter-relationships with the people who enter Cora’s life. There’s also an underlying theme and discussion around the issue of an individual’s character, and to what extent this is affected by nature and nurture.
It’s a book I would recommend if you like historical novels, with the caveat that it is very dark and explicit regarding the reality of Victorian life for the poor and underprivileged. Despite the dark themes, it does have an overriding message of hope and redemption.
Carolyn’s dedicated eye for detail, and her pain-staking background research, really shines through the whole novel. It is a brutal story of the early life and times of Cora Burns, a very troubled young woman prone to acts of terrible violence, who has grown up in institutional life; workhouse; asylum; jail; and life working as an “in-between maid”.
The unfolding story is complex and involves a web of unexpected inter-relationships with the people who enter Cora’s life. There’s also an underlying theme and discussion around the issue of an individual’s character, and to what extent this is affected by nature and nurture.
It’s a book I would recommend if you like historical novels, with the caveat that it is very dark and explicit regarding the reality of Victorian life for the poor and underprivileged. Despite the dark themes, it does have an overriding message of hope and redemption.
bisexywaluigi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Pregnancy, and Murder
Minor: Suicide attempt and Self harm
jayevans's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Visit the locations in the novel
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Deliciously dark and gorily gothic. Cora Burns. A favourite character of 2018 even though the book isn't out until 2019. Is that allowed? Yes it is as the book and Cora are so good.
What a fascinating read! Nature v nuture, experiments in laboratories, photographs which can maybe reveal your inner soul,and spooky things going on behind the walls of a seemingly respectable house.
This one has more twists and turns than a very very twisty thing!
I think I may have applauded the end.
Book two now please!
FULL REVIEW:
Cora Burns – now there’s a character you won’t forget in a hurry. A strange and complex girl this one. Born in prison and now working as a laundry girl, it seems luck is not on her side. But what she lacks in wealth and circumstance, she makes up for in sheer determination and grit. This girl is more than capable of kicking someone who might try to hurt her.
There’s a lot going on in this novel but it’s so well written that it never feels overdone. The writing is fluid, gothic and really easy to read. It’s compelling. It’s like walking into a lab and being amazed at all the jars – in each one there’s a story, a concoction of sorts, but Cora is at the centre of it all and holds all the threads together. A very strong and impressive character and her world is one I wanted to linger in for as long as I could. 300 pages in the proof copy left me wanting more!
Cora goes from the asylum to a house owned by the strange Mr Jerwood. He takes pictures of people, studies them to see which characteristics criminals share for example. How nature and nuture can tell us about society. There’s a lot of fascinating issues in this book. Dead things in jars too. I was like a kid in a sweet shop – so vivid were the gothic images.
You know something weird is going on in that lab. But as Cora finds out, is she the one being studied? She has a past she wants to find out more about, a locket she keeps safe. But is life ever about one path?
This one has more twists and turns than the twistiest of paths!
I think I may have applauded the end.
Book two now please!
ciska's review against another edition
3.0
There are some interesting topics going on in this book. Though it is historical and we know now how things happened back then it still gives some food for thought. Pregnant inmates and how to deal with their kids? The heredity of criminal behaviour and if facial characteristics stand for a type of criminal. It is something that sounds scary with the current knowledge on these topics but it did make me think about things.
It is difficult to get a hold on Cora. It is clear there are a lot of things going on that she is trying to get a grip on but her train of thought is not always easy to follow. Partly understandable due to her past but there are some things lingering too that are never revealed which left me a bit unsatisfied.
The build up of the story does not work help with this either. There is Cora her story, told in current time and flashbacks but if you do not read the chapter headings carefully it is not always clear if it is a now or than part. The journal entries by some other players in the story do not always seem to fit in the timeline that Cora her story seems to be in. In the end the different story lines do come together.
It is difficult to get a hold on Cora. It is clear there are a lot of things going on that she is trying to get a grip on but her train of thought is not always easy to follow. Partly understandable due to her past but there are some things lingering too that are never revealed which left me a bit unsatisfied.
The build up of the story does not work help with this either. There is Cora her story, told in current time and flashbacks but if you do not read the chapter headings carefully it is not always clear if it is a now or than part. The journal entries by some other players in the story do not always seem to fit in the timeline that Cora her story seems to be in. In the end the different story lines do come together.
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
5.0
I have read a lot of historical fiction but I don’t think I’ve ever read one where the lead character affected me quite like Cora did. She was a character who I wasn’t sure about at the beginning, I had a combination of dislike and fear but gradually that changed and I wanted her to be accepted, find happiness and some answers and I adored her.
She was a character who despite her very hard life thought of others. Her loyalty to a few of the characters in this novel wouldn’t have been entertained by many in her situation. One of them, much older than the other was somebody whose life story I would have loved to know.
It’s not only the characters, it’s also the setting. I had no idea there was a bullring in Birmingham in the 1880s. I googled it whilst reading and was very surprised by the results. It felt different to read an English historical novel that wasn’t set in and around London and given more time I would like to know which, if any of the other locations were real.
The more scientific sides of the novel were also interesting, how people who were mentally ill were treated and that there were some who worked in the profession who were more understanding than others. How experiments were carried out to try and find answers to human behaviour, regardless of whether their methods were immoral. The photography storyline was another that I spent time looking at. Composite photography was something that I had heard of but didn’t know much about.
Thank you Carolyn Kirby to opening my eyes to a lot of things, this book was a reminder that you can learn a lot by reading.
She was a character who despite her very hard life thought of others. Her loyalty to a few of the characters in this novel wouldn’t have been entertained by many in her situation. One of them, much older than the other was somebody whose life story I would have loved to know.
It’s not only the characters, it’s also the setting. I had no idea there was a bullring in Birmingham in the 1880s. I googled it whilst reading and was very surprised by the results. It felt different to read an English historical novel that wasn’t set in and around London and given more time I would like to know which, if any of the other locations were real.
The more scientific sides of the novel were also interesting, how people who were mentally ill were treated and that there were some who worked in the profession who were more understanding than others. How experiments were carried out to try and find answers to human behaviour, regardless of whether their methods were immoral. The photography storyline was another that I spent time looking at. Composite photography was something that I had heard of but didn’t know much about.
Thank you Carolyn Kirby to opening my eyes to a lot of things, this book was a reminder that you can learn a lot by reading.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not usually a lover of historical books apart from ones to do with the war, reading the blurb for this one though it really intrigued me and I knew I wanted to find out more about Cora's story. It didn't disappoint.
Needless to say that Cora didn't have the best start in life being born in gaol. Then to spend her childhood in a workhouse, I don't think things could be any worse. The story itself flicks between past and present so we can better understand and get to know Cora. I have to admit I wasn't to sure about Cora to start with. There is definitely a dark side to her that made me very wary. Whilst I can't say I fully agreed with some of her actions, I quite admired the person she became.
I think this is a story very much about how we react to our start in life and how events can mould us into the person we become. It's one that really makes you think. I found the whole era fascinating and whilst glad I didn't live in those times, it does give a great insight into what life was like back then.
The Conviction Of Cora Burns is a fascinating insight into the 1800's and into one woman's life. Cora's life really draws the reader in and I struggled to put the book down. The story takes some dark twists and turns and I was totally engrossed in what I was reading. A very clever debut novel and an author I will certainly be keeping my eye out for.
My thanks to No Exit Press for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Needless to say that Cora didn't have the best start in life being born in gaol. Then to spend her childhood in a workhouse, I don't think things could be any worse. The story itself flicks between past and present so we can better understand and get to know Cora. I have to admit I wasn't to sure about Cora to start with. There is definitely a dark side to her that made me very wary. Whilst I can't say I fully agreed with some of her actions, I quite admired the person she became.
I think this is a story very much about how we react to our start in life and how events can mould us into the person we become. It's one that really makes you think. I found the whole era fascinating and whilst glad I didn't live in those times, it does give a great insight into what life was like back then.
The Conviction Of Cora Burns is a fascinating insight into the 1800's and into one woman's life. Cora's life really draws the reader in and I struggled to put the book down. The story takes some dark twists and turns and I was totally engrossed in what I was reading. A very clever debut novel and an author I will certainly be keeping my eye out for.
My thanks to No Exit Press for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
geekylou's review against another edition
4.0
Great novel about asylums and Prisons in 1800's. Some really dark sides to the characters but somehow you begin you like them. Hope to read more from this author.
funsizedmrsw's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction isn't a genre I automatically reach for but when I read the synopsis for The Conviction of Cora Burns I just knew I had to read it. It's a real mixture of gothic atmospheric Victorian Birmingham, the shocking lengths scientific experimentation would go to and poverty. The main character Cora Burns is a strong, feisty and sometimes unlikable character but you can't help but empathize and want a happy ending for her.
The book touches on topics such as nature vs nurture, prison and asylum life in the Victorian era, and classism. The way Carolyn writes is so atmospheric and you can also smell the stench of the cobbled streets of Birmingham and feel the despair and anger that Cora feels so many times during the story.
I loved this multi-layered novel, the story is interspersed with letters, journal notes and newspaper articles that weave together perfectly. There are some parts of the story that are not for the faint-hearted but if you have a strong constitution then I highly recommend that you read this book.
My only criticism and it's a personal one is that the font of the text in some of the articles and entries were difficult to read.
The book touches on topics such as nature vs nurture, prison and asylum life in the Victorian era, and classism. The way Carolyn writes is so atmospheric and you can also smell the stench of the cobbled streets of Birmingham and feel the despair and anger that Cora feels so many times during the story.
I loved this multi-layered novel, the story is interspersed with letters, journal notes and newspaper articles that weave together perfectly. There are some parts of the story that are not for the faint-hearted but if you have a strong constitution then I highly recommend that you read this book.
My only criticism and it's a personal one is that the font of the text in some of the articles and entries were difficult to read.