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rumpledpumpkin's review against another edition
5.0
The Conviction of Cora Burns is a fascinating and original story based on the age old concept of 'nature' vs 'nurture'. Set in Victorian Birmingham, Cora's story begins with her leaving prison and making her way to her new position as an 'inbetween maid' in the household of Thomas Jerwood, a scientist with a penchant for photography. Whilst there she makes many discoveries, about herself and about the others around her, which cause her to choose certain paths. It's a fantastic story that kept me hooked from start to finish, with several clever twists and great characterisation.
The narrative flits between Cora's experiences as a maid in the present and her past memories, from the workhouse where spent her childhood, to the asylum in which she worked and finally the gaol she ended up in. This is interspersed with entries from the diary of Dr. Farley, a psychiatrist working at the asylum treating a patient know as 'Mary B', and extracts from a scientific journal written by Jerwood detailing his experiments. I really enjoyed this structure and found it added much more to the story than if it had just been told by Cora. It was a welcome change from the multiple narrators so frequently employed in others novels too and enhanced the sense of historical context.
Cora's character is an interesting one and a great study for the whole nature vs nurture debate; I actually quite liked her and felt that most of her actions were justified. It's difficult to say what you'd do until you're actually in that situation yourself so it's hard to judge her. I was worried when I read some of the other reviews that mentioned but I needn't have worried as this was dealt with sensitively and the few details that were included were enough. I thought her life was fascinating and really personified the awful experiences of the poor in Victorian Britain. The description of the city vs the countryside highlighted this too and I found the historical detail to be excellent; the setting really came alive for me and I could picture the grime of the slums in great detail.
Overall, despite my intial concerns that I might not want to carry on with this one because of some of the content, I'm really glad I read this book. It was tastefully done and a very well crafted story, with lots of interesting characters. I particularly liked the ending and found it be satisfying on most counts, although I'd love to know more about The title is great too; the double meaning is perfect in the context of the story. What a fabulous novel, I look forward to Kirby's next offering!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oldcastle Books for sending me a copy to review.
The narrative flits between Cora's experiences as a maid in the present and her past memories, from the workhouse where spent her childhood, to the asylum in which she worked and finally the gaol she ended up in. This is interspersed with entries from the diary of Dr. Farley, a psychiatrist working at the asylum treating a patient know as 'Mary B', and extracts from a scientific journal written by Jerwood detailing his experiments. I really enjoyed this structure and found it added much more to the story than if it had just been told by Cora. It was a welcome change from the multiple narrators so frequently employed in others novels too and enhanced the sense of historical context.
Cora's character is an interesting one and a great study for the whole nature vs nurture debate; I actually quite liked her and felt that most of her actions were justified. It's difficult to say what you'd do until you're actually in that situation yourself so it's hard to judge her. I was worried when I read some of the other reviews that mentioned
Spoiler
the murder of the toddler in the workhouse that there might be too much gratuitous violenceOverall, despite my intial concerns that I might not want to carry on with this one because of some of the content, I'm really glad I read this book. It was tastefully done and a very well crafted story, with lots of interesting characters. I particularly liked the ending and found it be satisfying on most counts, although I'd love to know more about
Spoiler
Cora and her son's life afterwards and whether she visited her mother again. I'd loved to think they reconciled and Annie regained her voice, but that might be a bit too fairytale rather than a true representation of life in the Victorian era.Thank you to NetGalley and Oldcastle Books for sending me a copy to review.
miadorey84's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
The Conviction of Cora Burns follows Cora in late 1800s Birmingham as she tries to find her place in the world. She’s just been let out of prison and has been offered a position as a housemaid in the home of Thomas Jerwood but she is haunted by memories of her past, and is desperately seeking answers.
Cora is born in prison, then raised in the workhouse. She has a forceful personality and struggles to reign herself in. While at the workhouse Alice Salt comes into her life and this friendship greatly impacts Cora. Later the girls become separated and something happens that leads to Cora being imprisoned. The novel begins with Cora being released but then goes back and forth in time between then and a few years earlier when she was a child. Interspersed with those chapters are journal entries from Jerwood about his scientific studies, and occasional reports from a doctor who is using hypnosis to try and get a mute woman to speak again.
This novel was set in the late 1800s and this comes through so vividly. The sense of time and place was so richly drawn, I could envisage the streets and the prison, the homes of the wealthy and the slums. It’s all so beautifully described and woven through the rest of the plot.
This is very much a novel looking at nature versus nurture and I found this fascinating. I really enjoyed the scientific excerpts throughout this novel. I did a sociology module at college years ago and read about Lombroso’s work on how to identify criminals by their facial features so it was interesting to see this being referred to in this novel. I often wonder about how people come to do evil things – are they born that way or made that way? Looking at this through Cora’s life was brilliant because she’s such an interesting character and while she has done awful things, and she’s not always likeable, there is something about her that made me want her to find answers and to get her life together. I couldn’t help but have sympathy for her, even though I couldn’t condone all of her actions.
I don’t read many historical novels as I always think I don’t enjoy them but this book was an incredible read! I was engrossed from the opening chapter and I got completely lost in the novel. I loved the way it was written in two timelines and with scientific documents interspersed – I was engrossed in every aspect of the story and I just couldn’t stop reading once I started! I adored this book and keep finding myself thinking about it ever since I finished reading it. I feel sure that this will be one of my favourite books of the year so I highly recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
Cora is born in prison, then raised in the workhouse. She has a forceful personality and struggles to reign herself in. While at the workhouse Alice Salt comes into her life and this friendship greatly impacts Cora. Later the girls become separated and something happens that leads to Cora being imprisoned. The novel begins with Cora being released but then goes back and forth in time between then and a few years earlier when she was a child. Interspersed with those chapters are journal entries from Jerwood about his scientific studies, and occasional reports from a doctor who is using hypnosis to try and get a mute woman to speak again.
This novel was set in the late 1800s and this comes through so vividly. The sense of time and place was so richly drawn, I could envisage the streets and the prison, the homes of the wealthy and the slums. It’s all so beautifully described and woven through the rest of the plot.
This is very much a novel looking at nature versus nurture and I found this fascinating. I really enjoyed the scientific excerpts throughout this novel. I did a sociology module at college years ago and read about Lombroso’s work on how to identify criminals by their facial features so it was interesting to see this being referred to in this novel. I often wonder about how people come to do evil things – are they born that way or made that way? Looking at this through Cora’s life was brilliant because she’s such an interesting character and while she has done awful things, and she’s not always likeable, there is something about her that made me want her to find answers and to get her life together. I couldn’t help but have sympathy for her, even though I couldn’t condone all of her actions.
I don’t read many historical novels as I always think I don’t enjoy them but this book was an incredible read! I was engrossed from the opening chapter and I got completely lost in the novel. I loved the way it was written in two timelines and with scientific documents interspersed – I was engrossed in every aspect of the story and I just couldn’t stop reading once I started! I adored this book and keep finding myself thinking about it ever since I finished reading it. I feel sure that this will be one of my favourite books of the year so I highly recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
lifeandtea's review against another edition
5.0
Review: https://lifeandteablog.wordpress.com/2019/08/30/book-review-the-conviction-of-cora-burns-by-carolyn-kirby/
daphne2000's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyable! I've been in the mood for historical fiction recently and this was exactly what I was looking for. It's not the most unique story and has quite a few tropes/plot points I see often in historical fiction, but I didn't mind since they were all tropes I enjoy. This book stands out from other historical fiction I've read because the writing was really good. I think this won a literary award and it was well-deserved imo.
I also really liked the characters. All of them, including the minor ones, felt super well developed and real. A lot of the characters (including the protagonist) do some pretty awful things throughout the course of the novel, but everyone's motivations were really well explained and felt realistic. Cora was especially well-developed and I think the author did an excellent job at exploring her character and how different events shaped it. She was, to put it mildly, very messed up, but it made sense. This book got really dark as times and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from exploring those aspects of Cora's character.
I really, really liked this and will definitely be checking out what the author comes out with next.
I also really liked the characters. All of them, including the minor ones, felt super well developed and real. A lot of the characters (including the protagonist) do some pretty awful things throughout the course of the novel, but everyone's motivations were really well explained and felt realistic. Cora was especially well-developed and I think the author did an excellent job at exploring her character and how different events shaped it. She was, to put it mildly, very messed up, but it made sense. This book got really dark as times and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from exploring those aspects of Cora's character.
I really, really liked this and will definitely be checking out what the author comes out with next.
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.
ladyonequestion's review against another edition
4.0
A Victorian gothic novel which investigates ideas that a person can be born 'bad’ and can be identified as a criminal by their features. The story centres around Cora Burns, a young woman who has grown up in a workhouse, an asylum and has spent time in gaol for a crime. She finds a position in a mysterious house where the owner is doing research mainly on Violet, a mysterious little girl.
The storyline is very well plotted, using different timelines and journal entries from another researcher who is hypnotising a woman in an attempt to find more about her. There is a strong sense of mystery about the story, and the reader has to prize out the puzzle of what is going on, what happened in the past and how the characters are related. I thought this was brilliantly done and kept me guessing until the end.
Cora is an incredibly interesting character, at turns meek and submissive, then resisting violent emotions and desires to hurt people who cross or annoy her. I love what the author did with her friend Alice, I thought that was really clever. Cora develops throughout the story from someone who has no control over what happens to her and is institutionalised to a woman who is fully in control and making her way in a society which stands against her. The story perfectly illustrates the position of lower class women and in particular the lives of the outcasts in society and how they were treated in the period. I thought that the author presented a historically accurate view - this was a tragic childhood but it was not all beatings and starvation, she was treated reasonably by some of the staff, who just didn't know what to do with her.
Overall, I thought this was a good story and particularly liked the inclusion of the journal entries. The gothic elements were well handled and didn’t become too over the top. It was also a book that made me think but without becoming too obvious about it.
The storyline is very well plotted, using different timelines and journal entries from another researcher who is hypnotising a woman in an attempt to find more about her. There is a strong sense of mystery about the story, and the reader has to prize out the puzzle of what is going on, what happened in the past and how the characters are related. I thought this was brilliantly done and kept me guessing until the end.
Cora is an incredibly interesting character, at turns meek and submissive, then resisting violent emotions and desires to hurt people who cross or annoy her. I love what the author did with her friend Alice, I thought that was really clever. Cora develops throughout the story from someone who has no control over what happens to her and is institutionalised to a woman who is fully in control and making her way in a society which stands against her. The story perfectly illustrates the position of lower class women and in particular the lives of the outcasts in society and how they were treated in the period. I thought that the author presented a historically accurate view - this was a tragic childhood but it was not all beatings and starvation, she was treated reasonably by some of the staff, who just didn't know what to do with her.
Overall, I thought this was a good story and particularly liked the inclusion of the journal entries. The gothic elements were well handled and didn’t become too over the top. It was also a book that made me think but without becoming too obvious about it.
theworddegree's review against another edition
5.0
This book was just too compelling to put down once I started it. I think historical thriller is my second favorite genre after science fiction! This was a fantastic debut and I highly recommend it to other historical thriller lovers. I so enjoyed the nature VS nurture debate woven through the book and the commentary of classism. I received this book for review from the publisher.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
A dark, engaging and entertaining historical thriller.
I liked the plot, the solid mystery and how the characters was developed.
The well researched historical background was rich of details and fascinating.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.
I liked the plot, the solid mystery and how the characters was developed.
The well researched historical background was rich of details and fascinating.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.