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A review by mcfade28
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
4.0
Emma Donoghue is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Everything I've read of hers has been a real treat, aside from her lacklustre debut Stirfry. She is a historian, and I think this book is an example of what she does best... take a very vague historical account and flesh it out into a novel.
Slammerkin follows Mary Saunders, a teenager who is abandoned by her mother after a rape, and stumbles into a life of prostitution in 18th century London. Donoghue paints a very clear picture of my beloved London in this time frame( and I very much enjoyed several mentions of the Cheshire Cheese pub which is still open today and I've visited on many occasions), and our young protagonist inspires pathos. It's hard not to get swept away in this story, and I forgot on several occasions that poor Mary was only really a child.
I won't spoil the ending but I was enthralled throughout. This book isn't for the faint hearted and it doesn't shy away from seedy scenes, but I would thoroughly recommend it to any historical fiction fan who doesn't balk at the prospect of a detailed look at prostitution in 18th century London.
Slammerkin follows Mary Saunders, a teenager who is abandoned by her mother after a rape, and stumbles into a life of prostitution in 18th century London. Donoghue paints a very clear picture of my beloved London in this time frame( and I very much enjoyed several mentions of the Cheshire Cheese pub which is still open today and I've visited on many occasions), and our young protagonist inspires pathos. It's hard not to get swept away in this story, and I forgot on several occasions that poor Mary was only really a child.
I won't spoil the ending but I was enthralled throughout. This book isn't for the faint hearted and it doesn't shy away from seedy scenes, but I would thoroughly recommend it to any historical fiction fan who doesn't balk at the prospect of a detailed look at prostitution in 18th century London.