In the Red Kitchen

by Michèle Roberts

Evoked in the voices of several women, four in particular, the tale of Flora Milk is one of dark Victorian hypocrisy and exploitation, and of questioning contemporary passion. The author won the 1992 W.H. Smith Literary Award.

Genres: Womens, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Michèle Brigitte Roberts is the author of fifteen novels, including Ignorance which was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction and Daughters of the House which won the W.H. Smith Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her memoir Paper Houses was BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in June 2007. She has also published poetry and short stories, most recently collected in Mud: Stories of Sex and Love. Half-English and half-French, Roberts lives in London and in the Mayenne, France. She is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Reviews

[Judith Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting short read, with a number of narrators. Some (or all?) of them are unreliable. Inspired by the real life case of the uncovering of a fraudulent 19th century spiritualist, this tells of Flora Milk, a young woman who realises she is a gifted medium, and how she is exploited. The other narrators are a married Victorian lady who has recently lost a child and eventually employs Flora as a companion, a modern young woman called Hattie who is renovating a house, an Ancient Egyptian princess and a person writing accusatory letters about Flora.

I agree this has points in common with Sarah Waters' much longer work, "Affinity" (although I can't claim great knowledge as I've only so far watched a TV adaptation), although Roberts comes to quite different conclusions. She also leaves you wondering who is telling the truth and who isn't!

[Helen Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele Roberts is a talented writer and this book is evocative and moving. Each of the female narrators is a strong woman who is fighting in a slightly different way for their right to be themselves.
Luke all good book I was disappointed to finish it and was left wanting more and wondering about the characters, particularly Flossie who was the most unreliable narrator but the one with the most interesting story.
If you haven’t read any Michele Roberts, then do - I had almost forgotten about her having read her books a long time ago but I’ll be re-reading them all again.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminded me why I tend to steer clear of fiction.

[Matt Cardier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Victorian spiritualist Flora Milk is taken in by her "friend", Minny, whose husband is ostensibly interested in her for scientific reasons. Meanwhile in the present the owner of the Milk's house deals with her own traumas and ghosts while from antique Egypt the first female Pharaoh (whom Flora claims to channel) finds the religious preparations for her passing into eternity are no comfort in the end and she leaves this world terrified and lonely...

Four women's voices merge across 4000 years to form a cohesive and disturbing narrative, rich with pain, betrayal and denial. A haunting and at times painfully melancholy novel, but also rewarding.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short tale written in an intricate literary style which interweaves four narratives: at first, you wonder what can connect them, although I thought it was quite likely that the two Victorian viewpoints would connect and they did, but eventually you realise how the central character's abilities as a medium connect them all. Not as interesting as Sarah Water's Affinity which covers some of the same subject area. Might also be upsetting for some readers as it deals with sensitive subjects such as miscarriage and being a care leaver.

[Drew Pyke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, awful book.

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and a tale well told.