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The Red Barn
‘This I remember . . .’
Polstead, Suffolk, May 1827
Maria Martin has arranged to meet her lover, William Corder. After months of delay they are to travel to Ipswich to be married. But she is still mourning the loss of their child only weeks before and is exhausted and confused. She has been promised so much before by other men and no longer knows which way to turn.
She enters the Red Barn and is never seen again.
The mystery of Maria Martin's disappearance and the subsequent arrest of William Corder gripped the imagination of the whole country. Witness after witness condemned him – but was William telling the truth?
Polstead, Suffolk, May 1827
Maria Martin has arranged to meet her lover, William Corder. After months of delay they are to travel to Ipswich to be married. But she is still mourning the loss of their child only weeks before and is exhausted and confused. She has been promised so much before by other men and no longer knows which way to turn.
She enters the Red Barn and is never seen again.
The mystery of Maria Martin's disappearance and the subsequent arrest of William Corder gripped the imagination of the whole country. Witness after witness condemned him – but was William telling the truth?
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 24, 2024
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 12, 2024
I was interested to read this book because, as a student, I'd seen an Edwardian melodrama entitled Maria Martin: The Murder at the Red Barn. This book is written from the point of view of Maria herself. She is portrayed as a fascinating youg woman who is searching for affection, having received none at home. William Corder, convicted of her murder, is also an attractive character. What went wrong? West brings us to a different conclusion from that made by the judge in the case. It gained such notoriety that Corder was judged in advance by his peers and the newspapers so that a fair trial was impossible. Looking at Maria through twenty-first century eyes, she would have been helped. I don't want to spoil it for everyone, but you can read about it online. I really enjoyed this interpretation, which was also very well written.
October 9, 2025
Not my favourite from L.M. West but still enjoyed it!
May 26, 2025
Full review to follow. The author has superbly blended fact and fiction to produce a fantastic read that was engrossing from the first page.
May 1, 2025
It's years since I read a book in one sitting, but yesterday that changed.
The tragic tale of Maria Marten and her lover William Corder is so entrenched in Suffolk history that it's become a legend - and it's easy to forget that real people were involved., but through the use of a first-person narrative, LM West makes sure that the reader does not lose sight of the humanity of the protagonists. I'm reluctant to use the word "characters" because these people did not spring from the author's mind; they lived and breathed and had every day lives.
Of course this is a work of fiction in that no one can ever know the intimitate interactions that went on here. There are the historical facts, and West has woven her story around them and breathed life into the long dead. She has also used the opportunity to redress some aspects of Maria and William's lives and fates that with the hindsight of hundreds of years were possible, even probable, miscarriages of justice brought about by classism and the prejudices of the age.
The fact that I was very moved by the book is a paean to the author's interpretation of all the people involved. Maria is no saint, William is not evil and the people around them are realistically flawed.
I already have some LM West titles in my possession, so I think I'll be indulging myself with those pretty soon.
The tragic tale of Maria Marten and her lover William Corder is so entrenched in Suffolk history that it's become a legend - and it's easy to forget that real people were involved., but through the use of a first-person narrative, LM West makes sure that the reader does not lose sight of the humanity of the protagonists. I'm reluctant to use the word "characters" because these people did not spring from the author's mind; they lived and breathed and had every day lives.
Of course this is a work of fiction in that no one can ever know the intimitate interactions that went on here. There are the historical facts, and West has woven her story around them and breathed life into the long dead. She has also used the opportunity to redress some aspects of Maria and William's lives and fates that with the hindsight of hundreds of years were possible, even probable, miscarriages of justice brought about by classism and the prejudices of the age.
The fact that I was very moved by the book is a paean to the author's interpretation of all the people involved. Maria is no saint, William is not evil and the people around them are realistically flawed.
I already have some LM West titles in my possession, so I think I'll be indulging myself with those pretty soon.
November 19, 2024
Maria Martin died in Suffolk in 1827 and William Corder was accused of her murder. This book is a fictionalised account of what might have happened in the lead-up to this true-life crime.
The author has done a wonderful job of bringing these people back to life. Having been born and bred in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, I was very aware of the Red Barn mystery. This book tells the story in a very readable way.
This is the fourth novel I have read by this author. The other three are about real women accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this is an author you really should try. L.M. West deserves to be much more well known. 5 stars.
The author has done a wonderful job of bringing these people back to life. Having been born and bred in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, I was very aware of the Red Barn mystery. This book tells the story in a very readable way.
This is the fourth novel I have read by this author. The other three are about real women accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this is an author you really should try. L.M. West deserves to be much more well known. 5 stars.
November 1, 2024
I have read books by this author before and loved them all. This one had a clever twist in that the character continued to narrate the story even after she dies. I like the way LM West finds true stories in history and brings them to life. Maria the main character was kind but fragile and extremely gullible. Men used her but she continued to make the same mistakes over again. I think my frustration with her was the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5!
January 17, 2025
Amazing. Another great story from this author. If you haven’t read her others I’d highly recommend them too.
Good writing, historical drama about real places in East Anglia from the perspective of those so often lost in time.
Good writing, historical drama about real places in East Anglia from the perspective of those so often lost in time.
February 17, 2025
Murder or madness!!!!
Another great book by this author based on true accounts from history. Sad but compelling to keep turning the pages. I enjoyed it...U may to....
Another great book by this author based on true accounts from history. Sad but compelling to keep turning the pages. I enjoyed it...U may to....
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews