Slammerkin

Slammerkin tells the story of teenaged Mary Saunders in 18th century London, who resorts to a life of selling her body in an effort to move past her working class, poverty stricken upbringing. The first thing I want to say is that Emma Donoghue is such a talented writer. I hadn’t read anything by her beforehand, but most will know her from Room. Donoghue excels in explaining details in unique, particular, and beautiful ways. I didn’t find any of the same old tired turning of phrases or plot points in this book. I had an idea of what Slammerkin would be about, and then it took me to a place I actually did not expect. If you’re a fan of the Hulu show Harlots, you’ll love Act 1 of this book as Mary learns the ropes of London whoring from Doll, the carpe diem-rough around the edges-boozing-beautiful in her own way-lady of the night. Mary not only lives with Doll, but looks to the older girl (about 10 years older, I think) as a role model. The intriguing thing about Mary throughout this book is that she doesn’t necessarily have strict ideas about what is good and what is evil, she simply does in order to get something or improve her lot in life. For example, it is seeing Doll with colorful clothing and a glossy red ribbon in her hair that “inspires” Mary to leave her poverty stricken existence behind. Mary sees the toil of her mother–making next to nothing doing little sewing jobs and knows that if she doesn’t do something drastically different, that that empty existence will be…

It's an interesting coincidence that I read "Slammerkin" shortly after "The Sociopath Next Door", that fascinating study of the 4% of individuals who simply do not have a conscience and who lie, cheat and take advantage of everyone they encounter in order to better themselves. Based on a true story, Slammerkin is the story of Mary Saunders who is a sociopath in England in the 1760s. I tend to enjoy well-researched historical fiction that makes you feel like you are living in the period in which it is set. I have read and enjoyed all of Edward Rutherfurd's books, for example. "Slammerkin" clearly has been researched very meticulously. There are many little details about life in 18th century London and Monmouth (on the Welsh border). I love to learn history without feeling that I am studying. The reader of this book does not get educated about major historical events and figures; rather, he or she becomes intimately acquainted with the hardscrabble existence of working class life in the 18th century, covering things like food, sanitation and transport (the details of how Mary traveled from London to Monmouth, for example, are fascinating. Especially the contrast with Google Maps today which shows the journey to take 2 hours and 43 minutes via the M4!) One of the major themes of Slammerkin is the disgustingly compelling story of 18th century prostitution. The unglamorous sex scenes emphasize the seediness. There are some amusing little incidents like the client known as "Mr…

While I loved the first two Emma Donoghue books are read, I found this book a strange departure. And not the good kind of “strange”. The first half of the book is narrated solely by the protagonist. The last half switches it all up and the POV shifts between many narrators. This becomes confusing and doesn’t really shed any light on either the protagonist or the supporting characters. Mary, the the main character, seems two-dimensional. I neither light nor disliked her. Barring the subject matter, it read like a young adult book, in terms of writing style. Being a new fan of Donoghue, I don’t hold this against her. The first two books I read we are brilliant! But if you are new to this author I would suggest you not read this book 1st. Read “Room” or “The Wonder”. If you don’t, you may never realize the genius that is Emma Donoghue. And that would be a loss for you, indeed.

Try to imagine a life so bleak and impoverished that becoming a common street prostitute is actually a step up in the world, an improvement over starvation, hard work and the color and smell of dust. Imagine that because of some very good fortune you are a young woman who can read and figure -- but because you are a woman these talents will never amount to much. You'll never get a job as a clerk or a shopkeeper. Men get all those chances. As a poor woman, your destiny is quite limited. You can marry someone of your own class and take your chances with that, you can perhaps sew piecework for pence and shillings -- a mean and exhausting life that might keep you from absolute starvation, or you can be a whore. In most of the historical fiction books I've read, the beautiful real life heroine rises from impoverished or modest beginnings to become the concubine or even the wife of noble man. Nell Gwyn was one of those who went from the gutter to a king's bed and whose children were written about in history books. But the life of a typical ambitious young woman between the 16th -- 19th centuries looked nothing like the lives of the exceptional women glorified in popular books. Most ambitious women of those times had it very hard. Some were beaten down till they had no spirit left in them. Others, who refused to accept their difficult lot in life, might have ended up like Mary Saunders --swinging from the end of a rope. What makes Slammerkin an incredible novel and an extremely…

Couldn't put the book down till I finished. Great story; the book is a work of fiction, inspired by true facts, from the life of Mary Saunders. Also, most of the characters that make brief appearances in the book are real and their story helps enrich the one told about Mary Saunders. Mary Saunder, an intelligent, witty child/woman; introduced to us at thirteen, we join Mary on a journey that takes her through the pains and tribulations of growing old in 18th century England, where the only choice available to a woman was to be subjugated to complete subservience to a master(husband, father, or even a pimp), or to grasp the only liberty available, as a freelancing whore. Follow Mary as she is kicked out of her house and forced to learn to survive by becoming a woman of the streets to finally finding a home in the one place she never expected. Yet, the ending is not what one would expect. This book does not have a fairy tale ending that readers might expect. Instead, readers are subjected to real emotions that run wild and the resulting consequence is at once expected and shocking. The character was very well portrayed. I found myself liking her; admiring her, even feeling sorry for her, and yet, at the same time, being repulsed and horror struck at her actions, her decisions. Emma Donoghue did a wonderful job writing her book; the overall story was beautifully laid out like a fresh fish; exquisitely slit to showcase the freshness and the color, without hiding the offending…