- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) (Jun 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0151006725
- ISBN-13: 978-0151006724
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,179,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
"Strangers might remember a trip to Monmouth to see a girl hang, but who would spare a thought for the whos and hows and whys?" Mary Saunders asks herself on the way to the scaffold. Emma Donoghue has taken the scant facts of Mary's short life in the 1760s and given her heart, flesh, guts and humour in this fine tale. Mary, at 13, seduced by an impulse for a coloured ribbon, and dreams of silks and sashes--as well as longings to better herself--becomes a slammerkin, a loose woman, in the roil of Hogarthian London. Her friend and mentor into the world of tricks is Doll who knows every inch of the city's high and low life. When Mary finds her dead, she flees to Monmouth and tries to reinvent herself as a servant girl. But the chafes of servitude and of "knowing her place" lead to a double life, a brutal murder, and her end at 16.
No rags to riches tale here, but nor does the author allow the brutal circumstances of Mary's life to swamp her colourful and richly textured narrative. Mary is full of spark and cheek; her eye is sharp to the hypocrisies of privilege and religion, her speech deliciously expresses her disdain for her "betters". Only occasionally does the narrative slip into too much telling at the expense of showing, and thus loses some of its emotional impact and pace.
That said, Emma Donoghue's gifts as a storyteller are considerable: her unsparing accounts of small and large events, a wealth of detail and a wonderfully rich and fluent language makes this a vivid and moving slice from the underbelly of 18th-century life.--Ruth Petrie --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Amazon.co.uk Review
"Strangers might remember a trip to Monmouth to see a girl hang, but who would spare a thought for the whos and hows and whys?" Mary Saunders asks herself on the way to the scaffold. Emma Donoghue has taken the scant facts of Mary's short life in the 1760s and given her heart, flesh, guts and humour in this fine tale. Mary, at 13, seduced by an impulse for a coloured ribbon, and dreams of silks and sashes--as well as longings to better herself--becomes a slammerkin, a loose woman, in the roil of Hogarthian London. Her friend and mentor into the world of tricks is Doll who knows every inch of the city's high and low life. When Mary finds her dead, she flees to Monmouth and tries to reinvent herself as a servant girl. But the chafes of servitude and of "knowing her place" lead to a double life, a brutal murder, and her end at 16.
No rags to riches tale here, but nor does the author allow the brutal circumstances of Mary's life to swamp her colourful and richly textured narrative. Mary is full of spark and cheek; her eye is sharp to the hypocrisies of privilege and religion, her speech deliciously expresses her disdain for her "betters". Only occasionally does the narrative slip into too much telling at the expense of showing, and thus loses some of its emotional impact and pace.
That said, Emma Donoghue's gifts as a storyteller are considerable: her unsparing accounts of small and large events, a wealth of detail and a wonderfully rich and fluent language makes this a vivid and moving slice from the underbelly of 18th-century life.--Ruth Petrie --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
THE RIBBON had been bright scarlet when Mary Saunders first laid eyes on it, back in London. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE RIBBON had been bright scarlet when Mary Saunders first laid eyes on it, back in London. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the kind of book that you get so immersed in, that I missed my stop while reading it on the bus!
Emma Donoghue writes as if she had walked the streets of 18th century London and Monmouth and seen it first hand. I work in the Charing Cross area where the first part of the book is set, and while wandering around I found myself imagining life as it happened back then, looking for clues of the London of old, seeing things through Mary Saunders eyes.
It is a tragic tale, and the fact that it is based on a true story and interweaves real people's lives makes it all the more spooky and believable.
I would recommend it to anyone!
Emma Donoghue writes as if she had walked the streets of 18th century London and Monmouth and seen it first hand. I work in the Charing Cross area where the first part of the book is set, and while wandering around I found myself imagining life as it happened back then, looking for clues of the London of old, seeing things through Mary Saunders eyes.
It is a tragic tale, and the fact that it is based on a true story and interweaves real people's lives makes it all the more spooky and believable.
I would recommend it to anyone!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed this book immensely. It seemed a tragic story. Losing virtue at a tender age. So innocent. But Mary amazed me with her stength. She learned well and fast and was a powerful young women through and through. I never sensed that she truly lost who she felt she was. It always managed to break through her facade. The story felt so real and opened my eyes to what London was like in the 1760s. If I think about it, London hasn't really changed much.
This book opened my mind, I strongly advise reading it.
This book opened my mind, I strongly advise reading it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The kind of book you can't put down -- and the kind you're upset is over. It leaves you fighting with yourself over a sense of "fairness" that is missed in these stories (and that's probably the point).
Mary's story is one of a girl born possibly in the wrong time and place, a woman who wanted more than life could ever give her in her time.
A definite must-read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant
Loved this book, really well written and hard to put down! Have read it twice already. reminds me somewhat of Forever Amber
Published 6 months ago by Miss Rachael E. Fuller
inspiring
I picked the book from the local library's jumble table intrigued by the obvious hint at sex. The book takes you straight into the transformation of a London girl into a whore. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jürgen Funke
Bleak but rewarding.
I loved this book. Which surprises me because I usually shy away from bleakness and goodness me, is this story bleak. BUT it is fantastically written. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Columbine
Kept me awake till the early hours....
THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW BUT NONE THAT WILL RUIN THE STORY FOR YOU
This was one of those books that I literally could not put down; while reading it, I... Read more
This was one of those books that I literally could not put down; while reading it, I... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Debs
Brings 18th Century London to life....
Based on Mary, a real person who lived in 18th Century London, this is a fascinating read that has been well researched. Read more
Published 12 months ago by feegee
Not what the cover made me think!
If you liked The Crimson Petal and the White, this books is definitely for you. The story should be bleak and depressing and it covers the tragic tale of Mary's fall from grace all... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Louiseog
Fab Read
Slammerkin is one of my favorites and I have re-read it many times. This book is also her best and I would recommend it for numerous reasons. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Booknerd
Meaningful but extremely depressing
Mary Saunders has always longed for luxury. Born to working-class parents, she lives with her mother, step-father, and baby half-brother in a basement in lower-class eighteenth... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by M. K. Burton
Absolutely breathtaking - now resides in my 'favourite books' list
I won't beat around the bush - this book has leaped into my 'favourite books' list. And I feel with good reason. Read more
Published on 12 April 2008 by Lucy Felthouse
Good
I have always enjoyed historical novels and decided to give this a try after reading a few really great reviews on Amazon. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2007 by Mrs. S. Payne
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