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A review by halieghkai
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
4.0
The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a Gothic Historical Mystery that shattered my heart and sedated it at once like laudanum.
Set in the 1800s' we follow a formerly enslaved woman named Frannie, taken from the island of Jamaica and brought to London against her will, where one night, she wakes up at the center of a crime scene and is accused of a murder she has no memory of...
In Frannie Lagton's words, "This is a story about love, not just murder.” The story sheds light on the disenfranchisement of women from all walks of life in that era, regardless of skin colour, sexuality, and class.
The mystery unravels within each chapter the more Frannie writes her confessionals in a manuscript that compels you to read for the truth.
And the more I read, the more I rooted for her.
The story is written in the second person where Frannie is on trial as she confesses to us, the readers, which at times feels intimate because it is all her secrets and shame about her past in Jamaica. I appreciated that section of the book as it humanizes her.
I, however, felt the complete opposite for her love interest, Marguerite. The love interest —in my humble opinion, was too reckless, and Frannie always came to the rescue with her hero complex. But I can't entirely dismiss Marguerite as she and Frannie's circumstances intertwined with their fates contorted at the hands of men. So naturally, their bond explored beyond restrictions in ways that were both harmful and heartfelt.
"When I think of her, it’s with the kind of love that makes murder seem a lie.”
There were quotable moments in this book, as well as upsetting historical references based on Eugenics that encouraged the dehumanization of Black people. Sara Collins poured fury into this book enough to reason with Frannie's resentment from betrayal.
The more I read the story, the more scared I became due to the expected outcome, simply because of how much I adored the character Frannie.
Her resilience was no match to her white counterparts as long as her words struck a nerve, and it almost always did.
Sara Collins did an immaculate job at not telling us a lot too soon— the pace was just right. And to think this was her debut novel makes this all the more fascinating. Not once I felt bored of reading.
My only critique is that the mystery was more about the WHYdunit than the WHOdunit, so set your expectation on the primary interest of the motivation rather than the identity of the criminal.
If you adore sapphic historical literature through the eyes of a resilient lead, this tale about how much one will strive to attain a measure of happiness, is for you.
Set in the 1800s' we follow a formerly enslaved woman named Frannie, taken from the island of Jamaica and brought to London against her will, where one night, she wakes up at the center of a crime scene and is accused of a murder she has no memory of...
In Frannie Lagton's words, "This is a story about love, not just murder.” The story sheds light on the disenfranchisement of women from all walks of life in that era, regardless of skin colour, sexuality, and class.
The mystery unravels within each chapter the more Frannie writes her confessionals in a manuscript that compels you to read for the truth.
And the more I read, the more I rooted for her.
The story is written in the second person where Frannie is on trial as she confesses to us, the readers, which at times feels intimate because it is all her secrets and shame about her past in Jamaica. I appreciated that section of the book as it humanizes her.
I, however, felt the complete opposite for her love interest, Marguerite. The love interest —in my humble opinion, was too reckless, and Frannie always came to the rescue with her hero complex. But I can't entirely dismiss Marguerite as she and Frannie's circumstances intertwined with their fates contorted at the hands of men. So naturally, their bond explored beyond restrictions in ways that were both harmful and heartfelt.
"When I think of her, it’s with the kind of love that makes murder seem a lie.”
There were quotable moments in this book, as well as upsetting historical references based on Eugenics that encouraged the dehumanization of Black people. Sara Collins poured fury into this book enough to reason with Frannie's resentment from betrayal.
The more I read the story, the more scared I became due to the expected outcome, simply because of how much I adored the character Frannie.
Her resilience was no match to her white counterparts as long as her words struck a nerve, and it almost always did.
Sara Collins did an immaculate job at not telling us a lot too soon— the pace was just right. And to think this was her debut novel makes this all the more fascinating. Not once I felt bored of reading.
My only critique is that the mystery was more about the WHYdunit than the WHOdunit, so set your expectation on the primary interest of the motivation rather than the identity of the criminal.
If you adore sapphic historical literature through the eyes of a resilient lead, this tale about how much one will strive to attain a measure of happiness, is for you.