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A review by rumpledpumpkin
The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby
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.