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Book Summary and Reviews of Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Slammerkin

by Emma Donoghue

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  • Jun 2001, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Slammerkin: A loose gown; a loose woman.

Born to rough cloth in Hogarth's London, but longing for silk, Mary Saunders's eye for a shiny red ribbon leads her to prostitution at a young age. A dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth, and the position of household seamstress, the ordinary life of an ordinary girl with no expectations. But Mary has known freedom, and having never known love, it is freedom that motivates her. Mary asks herself if the prostitute who hires out her body is more or less free than the "honest woman" locked into marriage, or the servant who runs a household not her own? And is either as free as a man?

Ultimately, Mary remains true only to the three rules she learned on the streets: Never give up your liberty. Clothes make the woman. Clothes are the greatest lie ever told.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Donoghue's characterizations are excellent, and her brutal imagery and attention to language capture the spirit of the time with vital precision." - Publishers Weekly.

"An ideal choice for book groups; recommended for all public and academic libraries." - Library Journal.

"What is most amazing is Donoghue's capacity for tackling weighty issues (prostitution, crime, and slavery) while avoiding didacticism." - Booklist.

""Donoghue has produced an absorbing, moving, and intelligent work of fiction . . . an exhilarating dialogue..." - The Times (UK).

"Finding a language that inhabits but is in no way weighted down by its time, Donoghue has made of an 'obscure and brutal story' a compelling novel . . . and a brilliant historical variant on the 'girl about town." - The Financial Times (UK).

This information about Slammerkin was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Cathryn Conroy

A Gripping, Historical Saga That Reveals the Underbelly of a Brutal World
This is a difficult book to read because it is so very sad. But even though this historical novel by Emma Donoghue is raw and emotionally draining, it tells an important story about the 18th century: the plight of girls and women who were abandoned and the degrading, awful lives they were forced to live just to survive.

It is 1760, and 13-year-old Mary Saunders, a poor girl with a cold and detached mother and a cruel stepfather, makes a mistake that will forever and tragically alter the course of her life: for a bit of red ribbon she lets a course peddler kiss her—and more. She is ruined. Her mother throws her out of the house, and she must fend for herself on the mean streets of London. Mary quickly realizes there is only one thing she can do to survive. She has never known love, so working as a prostitute is just a job. But through all the horrors she experiences, Mary has a fierce will to better herself. Most of all, she wants to control her own destiny. But the horrors of her past will always haunt her every step. This is her story.

Loosely based on a true story, the novel is packed with fascinating historical details, finely-wrought characters, and a riveting plot. It is a gripping saga that reveals the underbelly of a brutal and ultimately tragic life.

Be forewarned: This book is filled with graphic descriptions and violent scenes that may be difficult for some readers.

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Author Information

Emma Donoghue Author Biography

Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish emigrant twice over: she spent eight years in Cambridge doing a PhD in eighteenth-century literature before moving to London, Ontario, where she lives with her partner and their two children. She also migrates between genres, writing literary history, biography, stage and radio plays as well as fairy tales and short stories. She is best known for her novels, which range from the historical (The Wonder, Frog Music, Slammerkin, Life Mask, Landing, The Sealed Letter) to the contemporary (Stir-Fry, Hood, Landing). Her international bestseller Room was a New York Times Best Book of 2010 and was a finalist for the Man Booker, Commonwealth, and Orange Prizes.

Author Interview
Link to Emma Donoghue's Website

Name Pronunciation
Emma Donoghue: don-a-hue

Other books by Emma Donoghue at BookBrowse
  • The Wonder jacket
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