Slammerkin

Read many times over. Highly entertaining.

If you like historical fiction, this book is for you. The author takes an event from the past and composes a story around it. Her idea of what could have been going on in the mind of Mary Saunders makes for delicious reading.
This book is:
nuanced - it's interesting to read more than once which I rarely do.
dramatic - the main character, Mary Saunders, voice comes through vividly. You can feel what it's like to BE Mary Saunders.
A great escape from the everyday! This has to be a major component of a good book, at least in my little world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very good, but HEAVY

As a fan of Emma Donoghue, I thought this would be similar to Sealed Letter. Not at all. Very heavy. 14 year old Mary is banished from her home and is taken in by a prositute. As a way to survive, she adopts the lifestyle.

Very good, but very sad.

Great story

This is just way more detailed and eventful than what the 'back of the book' says. I gave 3 stars instead of more because the ending seemed to be weak.

Eh... it's OK

I stayed with this book because it covers interesting aspects of history not usually found at the center of books, clothes and fashion... and prostitution. There could have been much more emotional development of the main characters; without it, I kept finding myself saying, "That doesn't make sense...", or not caring about them as much as I like to, but it was enjoyable enough.

Intoxicating read

This book has been one of the best historical fictions I have read, and I am a huge fan of the genre. The book is extremely well written and engaging from beginning to end. The characters are so well drawn, whether you like them or not, you KNOW them. What an intriguing story!! It is very unique.

Eh

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, but I really didn't enjoy this book. First of all, it was too long. And I like long books. The author of Slammerkin seemed to take forever, though, to "get to the point" of this book, and it dragged. Also, it was a bummer book. I had high hopes of good resolution as the book began but the promise of the beginning fell flat toward the middle, and by the end I just didn't care. It was difficult to connect with the main character so as her story continued I ceased to care about the decisions she made.

Maybe this is petty, but the premise of the book, that a "slammerkin" is a loose gown or a loose woman, I was unable to verify with any source. I found the term "slammern" which was a term for a loose woman, but not Slamerkin. It bothered me.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

London filth in 1700s hard to absorb, but well worth reading

This book was chosen by my book group and ended up being a great choice for us. The twists and turns of Mary's life brought up many questions, comments and emotions! The hard times in London in the 1700s were tough to imagine, but Emma Donoghue brings it all to life flawlessly and makes this novel hard to put down from the first page. Not a light read with a fairy tale ending, but a novel full of robust content that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

A Dark, Intriguing Tale

This is a fascinating account of an 18th century London prostitute-turned-servant. It is not just a look at the life of a teenage prostitute but at the relationship between servant and mistress. While Mary, led both by greed and a desire to better herself, isn't exactly a likeable character, the book is so well-written and thought out with its themes and coincidences that I would definitely reccommend it. Pg. 171 'Nan Pullen once said a strange thing about her mistress, the same woman who would one day hand Nan over to the magistrate. Masters and mistresses were only cullies by another name, according to Nan. You pretended to be satisfied, grateful, even. You served them, but they never knew you. You robbed them of whatever you could, because whatever they paid, it was never enough for what they asked.'

Different in a GREAT way!!!!!!

OK - I'll level with you - this book is not for the faint of heart. It can be very raunchy - but it is completely in context and only adds to the story. I even liked it! for the critics of the raunch, if you don't want to read about the REAL life of a whore, don't pick up a book about a whore! I am so sick of the chick-lit type stuff that keeps coming out - and this was a refreshing change. It kept you going from beginning to end. Even the end is different - it doesn't end like every other book out there! I loved this book. I have lent it out it to many friends, and every one of them has high praises for it, too. If you like something not in the grain of the common book on the shelves these days - read this book. It's a very easy, quick read, too. I highly recommend this book.

Definitely Interesting

The life of Mary Saunders is a study in the amount of rage a person can repress when forced to continually swallow the bile caused by heinous acts left unpunished and injustices condoned by society. The question is not why Mary committed murder but why she didn¿t commit murder more often? Mary¿s love of finery begins as the natural inclination of any adolescent girl but in time her attraction to beautiful clothes represents the life she wishes she had as it is only the aristocratic and very wealthy who can afford such clothes. And, as in any society, the aristocratic and very wealthy are untouchable. Mary, too, would like to be untouchable. She yearns for the safety that being one of the elite brings in 17th-Century England. At such a time, even a hint of harming one of the wealthy could put the offender in jail, let alone carrying out the act. This is why the life of a serving maid is not security enough for Mary. It is still too vulnerable to the whims and caprices of a master and/or husband. Unfortunately, circumstances are stacked against Mary and it takes just one more injustice to send her over the edge. This book is an absorbing tale but not always a pretty or comfortable one. It definitely stays with the reader.

Good Girl Goes Bad in One Act

I found the book disappointing after the reviews and flyleaf information. Miss Donoghue¿s descriptions of Mary¿s life at home and school, life on the London streets, and in the workhouse leave much to be desired. Mary jumps directly into the life of a streetwalker with almost no forethought or regrets. The novel lacked some richness of description of life on the streets of London or other characters. Other than self-absorption, Mary shows little characterization or development. What motives, other than clothes, did Mary have? Miss Donoghue could have provided a more engrossing novel by filling in details about Mary and her world rather than racing towards the story¿s end like a thoroughbred chasing to the finish line.

great to the end

the book was great and was well thought out till the end where things seemed to happen randomly. It was very dissappointing.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm speachless...

This book is the best book that I have picked up and read from front to back. I have a really hard time finishing books and this book I just could not put down. There isn't enough good I can say about this book but will be definately be checking out Emma Donoghue's other books! If you really enjoy Donoghue's writings check out Federico Andahazi. He is also an amazing writer!

Good for the historical fiction reader

I enjoy historical fiction and I enjoyed this book. The plot was engrossing and well developed. However, I found it hard to empathize and relate to Mary. There was something about her that was hard to love. A serious read. Somewhat indecent.

Good historical fact-based fiction

Slammerkin is a really compelling read. The characters were well-crafted and the story was able to hold the reader's attention from the first page to the last. One other reviewer mentioned feeling like you need a good scrubbing after reading Slammerkin; I kind of agree. There is a certain "icky" factor but I think it works here for the purposes of the story. Also, this was the first time in a long while when I have read a book and did not have one ounce of sympathy with the main character. Mary Saunders was, in my opinion, a thoroughly unlikeable person. This book leaves me wondering what the real-life Mary Saunders was like.

Simply wonderful!

This intriguing historical novel holds your interest from the first paragraph to the very end! The author does a superb job of recreating the daily lives of lower-class 18th century English women.

in need of a long hot bath

Be prepared to scrub yourself vigorously in a warm soapy tub after reading 'Slammerkin.' Although this compelling novel captures its Hogarthian time period with stark precision and graphic visualization, its narrative style is devoid of compassion, intimacy, and empathy. Unlike 'Moll Flanders' or Hawthorne's Herster Prynne, redemption eludes our heroine Mary Saunders; furthermore, the author's depiction of her life is distant and detached, despite the intricacies of sexual mechanics described throughout the tale. The book is difficult to put down, but the reader is left feeling 'slimed' by it, wondering, what's the point?

Not for the Politically Correct!

Fast moving, thought provoking story of a woman who makes all the wrong choices. Eye opening as far as lack of career choices available to educated but poor women of the time. I don't usually enjoy the 'womens story' books, but this was incredible.

Superbly enjoyable

Engrosing & moving slice of women's history. At last, a historical story about women and their choices.

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