The Confessions of Frannie Langton: A Historical Thriller – Gothic Tale of Slavery, Murder, and Forbidden Love

The Confessions of Frannie Langton “A startling, compelling historical debut novel. . . should be on top of your vacation reading pile.” -The Washington Post I am at a loss for words at how amazing this novel was. I finished this book in two days because I could barely put it down. I had to finish and find out all the details. This novel starts out with a murder of Frannies employer and his wife. Frannie was a former slave turned house maid turned scribe. She remains adamant that she did not murder the wife, Madame, who we come to learn is a huge part of Frannies life. This novel follows the written confessions of Frannie and describes in detail all the trials and tribulations she had to deal with in her life. I felt terrible for the things she went through in her younger years, as well as the game Madame played with her like she was some rag doll to be played with. Frannie was an extremely brave soul throughout this whole ordeal and I understand why she did the things that she did. When I first received this book, I wasn’t aware of the love story that was embedded within , which was a nice added addition. Although I didn’t agree with the way Madame treated Frannie, I really felt the love Frannie felt for Madame. With Frannie confessing all she does, it may indicate her but also will show all the crimes committed by the others in this novel and that is what really matters. Revenge is sweet and everyone needs to pay for their sins. This was a very powerful novel and will…

Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Pub. Date: May 21, 2019 Martie's Rating: 3 1/2 Stars This novel is good, unusual, but not unusually good, although it could have been. There may be too much going on, which I will get to, but at its center is a gripping narrative about a female servant in England who was a former Jamaican slave. In 1826, she is accused of the brutal double murder of her employer and his wife, George and Marguerite Benham. The first half of the tale is written so well. We meet Frannie in jail writing her life’s story. She was born on a West Indian plantation whose master, John Langton, is a sadist. (Spoiler: She is her master’s bastard daughter). As a child, she was taught to read and write. She grows to be highly self-educated. The reason for her literacy was for her to participate in and take notes on her master’s pseudoscience experiments. Langton is studying racial differences. He is trying to prove that blacks are not human. He uses skulls, blood, and skin samples from dead as well as live slaves. The author chooses to leave out, what could be barbaric descriptions. You will read about a baby being used as a research subject. Rather than focusing on what is being done to the infant, Collins writes about the child’s desperate mother scratching on the outside of the locked room. Or, that Frannie knows that the woman will be sold in the near future. Less gore can equal more horror. In the endnotes, the author cites “Medical…

This is an historical novel set in Georgian London and in a plantation in Jamaica. A former slave named Frannie Langton recounts her tale as she awaits execution for the double murder of her master and mistress. I pre- ordered this one for a hefty 18.32 USD long before it was released as I was sure that it would be a blast. Indeed I was blasted with so many subjects that I could hardly see the purpose (or where it was all going)... and namely : BDSM, LGBT relationship, prostitution, violent crime, incest, Human experiments, marital infidelity, Opium addiction, abolition of the slavery etc, etc... This book could have been so much better had it focused only on one subject and developed it into a story : Either abolition of the slavery and it's impact on society or a slave's life on a plantation or even Georgian underworld. As it is, this is an interesting novel that lacks direction and therefore falls short. Another thing that I disliked was the fact that there was not even one likeable character in this novel. All parties involved were either horrible in some way or just indifferent. Usually in a novel you root for someone and continue reading "just to make sure all turned out well". Not in this book. Examples of novels where a more focused approach paid off: 1. Victorian prostitution: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber 2. Georgian underworld: Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton 3. Unraveling a mystery: The Coroner's Daughter by Andrew Hughes

I pre-ordered this book and since I was traveling at the time also opted for the Audible narration. This was my first time using Audible and it was worth it, at first I read along but then I let the narration take over. The plot was exceptional, unpredictable but also it was nice not to be told from the typical perspective of slavery. It gives a true voice to the person who was held in captivity, however it also shows how manipulation of a slave can make them think they are free in mind and body only for them to realize they are not. This book really makes you think, I am writing this to not give away any inkling of the plot. I hope those who read it really think about what the author is trying to convey, what the protagonist has to come to terms with and the relevance of the story line.

I think debut novels are my jam. This novel is a dark look at slavery, freedom, racism and justice in the 19th century. Yes it is an ambitious project but this is so well written and worth a revisit. In this novel, Sara Collins, a lawyer, uses the trial of Frannie Langton for the murder of the Bentham spouses as a means to recast a look at slave narratives. Frannie is unreliable narrator who spins out her story in fits. Throughout the tale I was reminded of London as beautiful on the surface but foggy and ugly beneath the surface. Frannie takes us from Paradise, a plantation in Jamaica to the flight to London and through to this fated trial. Sara makes us reconsider the value and worth of slave narratives of that time. Does this fit the mould? It is obvious a great deal of research went into this book. And she deals with tropes that we know well from that time period- the mad scientist, the angry black woman, the happy-go-lucky black man. Then she tosses in gender roles and justice system for a black woman. And surprisingly it all works in the end. I can’t wait to see what this author provides in her next project. Definitely worth the initial hype.