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The Repentants
Her scandal. His revenge. The unforgettable new historical novel from award-winning author, Kate Foster.
St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.
Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . .
Inspired by an attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire, The Repentants is a chilling tale of betrayal, exile and survival from the Women's Prize long-listed author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.
'Nothing short of a masterpiece' - Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
Praise for Kate
'Tense, thrilling . . . with a decidedly feminist slant' – Daily Mail
'The tension persists until the last page' - The Times
'Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling. Foster transports the reader back in time, bringing alive the forgotten and hidden voices of women in the past' – D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance
St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.
Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . .
Inspired by an attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire, The Repentants is a chilling tale of betrayal, exile and survival from the Women's Prize long-listed author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.
'Nothing short of a masterpiece' - Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
Praise for Kate
'Tense, thrilling . . . with a decidedly feminist slant' – Daily Mail
'The tension persists until the last page' - The Times
'Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling. Foster transports the reader back in time, bringing alive the forgotten and hidden voices of women in the past' – D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 28, 2026
Another superb read from Kate Foster. Whilst this isn't my favourite book of hers, this was fabulous. There are twists and connections I had no idea about, and it kept me reading late into the night. Very well plotted and amazing characters. Whilst i didn't think I liked our FMC, I began to sympathise with her. And that is the beauty of Foster's writing.
June 22, 2026
1790, St Monans, Fife Scotland. Two women are to repent. One for adultery and the other for missing the sabbath. Florrie is married to Jonny Aitken and when they are to go to Iceland on business they take Eliza with them. In Iceland the two women then cross paths with Hallgerd and things don't go as planned.
I have read all books by Kate Foster and have enjoyed them all including this one.
The story drew me straight in and held my attention to the very end. All three women are at the forefront of the story and I really enjoyed how they were connected especially Florrie and Hallgerd.
The story is loosely based on real events but the characters are all fictional. I knew nothing at all about Iceland but thought the author did a great job with her descriptions. The setting had a rather bleakness to it and I felt the author gave a good sense of place.
Kate Foster is a go to author for me. Will definitely be reading more by her in the future.
I have read all books by Kate Foster and have enjoyed them all including this one.
The story drew me straight in and held my attention to the very end. All three women are at the forefront of the story and I really enjoyed how they were connected especially Florrie and Hallgerd.
The story is loosely based on real events but the characters are all fictional. I knew nothing at all about Iceland but thought the author did a great job with her descriptions. The setting had a rather bleakness to it and I felt the author gave a good sense of place.
Kate Foster is a go to author for me. Will definitely be reading more by her in the future.
May 22, 2026
This was a very satisfying book, and I will read and genuinely enjoy anything Kate Foster writes 🥰🥰
June 14, 2026
What I love about Kate Forster's work is that she creates characters that you can relate to - they are never perfect yet your compassion for them is assured. Here 3 women's stories intermingle in unexpected ways as they wrestle against the patriarchial society they find themselves borne into, where women are considered either as scheming, sluttish or stupid, or a mixture of all three. There is an unexpected twist or two along the way as this story unfolds from the strict church led community in Fife to the wilds of Reykjavik of the 1790s. I read it in one sitting, desperate to find out what would happen to these intelligent, put upon and flawed heroines. Forster gets better and better at her craft with every story she tells.
June 10, 2026
Kate Foster has done it again, but this one feels darker, slower, and really unsettling.
Set in 1790 Scotland, the story begins with shame and control. Florrie, stuck in a cold and distant marriage, and Eliza, a salt serf with no freedom, are made to publicly repent in front of the Kirk. Different “crimes”, but the same punishment - humiliation and men deciding their fate.
From there, the story moves from Fife to Iceland, where everything feels more isolated and tense, and people’s true intentions start to show.
Florrie frustrated me at times, she’s naive and desperate to feel wanted, but it made sense for her situation. Eliza is the opposite: sharp, guarded, and much harder to read. Their relationship keeps shifting, and I never fully trusted it.
And Florrie's husband Jonny… quietly cruel and controlling, seemingly always plotting and one step ahead.
The setting really stood out, from the strict, watchful Kirk sessions to the cold, uneasy atmosphere in Reykjavík.
This is a story about power, control, and how easily women’s lives could be shaped, or ruined, by the men around them.
What stayed with me most was the lack of justice. Truth doesn’t always matter here, and survival often comes at a cost.
Uncomfortable, gripping, and quietly heartbreaking. Another highly recommend read from one of my favourite Historical Fiction authors.
Set in 1790 Scotland, the story begins with shame and control. Florrie, stuck in a cold and distant marriage, and Eliza, a salt serf with no freedom, are made to publicly repent in front of the Kirk. Different “crimes”, but the same punishment - humiliation and men deciding their fate.
From there, the story moves from Fife to Iceland, where everything feels more isolated and tense, and people’s true intentions start to show.
Florrie frustrated me at times, she’s naive and desperate to feel wanted, but it made sense for her situation. Eliza is the opposite: sharp, guarded, and much harder to read. Their relationship keeps shifting, and I never fully trusted it.
And Florrie's husband Jonny… quietly cruel and controlling, seemingly always plotting and one step ahead.
The setting really stood out, from the strict, watchful Kirk sessions to the cold, uneasy atmosphere in Reykjavík.
This is a story about power, control, and how easily women’s lives could be shaped, or ruined, by the men around them.
What stayed with me most was the lack of justice. Truth doesn’t always matter here, and survival often comes at a cost.
Uncomfortable, gripping, and quietly heartbreaking. Another highly recommend read from one of my favourite Historical Fiction authors.
June 4, 2026
3.5 stars
Headlines:
Misogyny
Scheming
Mercy
What's the opposite of sisterhood? Division, being set against one another; these were the themes surrounding the three women in this book. All three were from different classes, places and positions in life.
Florrie and Eliza hailed from Fife in Scotland. Florrie was the priviledged wife who strayed and Eliza, her bonded servant. Early scenes in this book evoked rage at how women were treated by this patriarchal society when they were considered 'sinners'. From Fife, these two journeyed to Reykjavik in Iceland and these women were shocked at the world they found themselves in. Their neighbour Hallgerd, was not an ally.
This was an unpredictable plot which I appreciated. Relationships and familial connections were what drove the characterisation. Almost all the men in this story were awful, apart from Hallgerd's brother. Women were possessions or inconveniences to be manipulated and made to suffer.
How these three interconnected was a wild turn but clever. How they found themselves at the end was satisfying.
None of the characters in this book were likeable. Each character was selfish but I couldn't blame the women for their need to survive and occasionally finding a moment of happiness. If there's a moral of this story, it's that women have a wily intelligence and will survive.
Thank you to Mantle for the review copy.
Headlines:
Misogyny
Scheming
Mercy
What's the opposite of sisterhood? Division, being set against one another; these were the themes surrounding the three women in this book. All three were from different classes, places and positions in life.
Florrie and Eliza hailed from Fife in Scotland. Florrie was the priviledged wife who strayed and Eliza, her bonded servant. Early scenes in this book evoked rage at how women were treated by this patriarchal society when they were considered 'sinners'. From Fife, these two journeyed to Reykjavik in Iceland and these women were shocked at the world they found themselves in. Their neighbour Hallgerd, was not an ally.
This was an unpredictable plot which I appreciated. Relationships and familial connections were what drove the characterisation. Almost all the men in this story were awful, apart from Hallgerd's brother. Women were possessions or inconveniences to be manipulated and made to suffer.
How these three interconnected was a wild turn but clever. How they found themselves at the end was satisfying.
None of the characters in this book were likeable. Each character was selfish but I couldn't blame the women for their need to survive and occasionally finding a moment of happiness. If there's a moral of this story, it's that women have a wily intelligence and will survive.
Thank you to Mantle for the review copy.
June 14, 2026
3.75⭐️
This was an enjoyable read, but for me, The Repentants didn't feel quite like it had the same depth as her previous books.
This was an enjoyable read, but for me, The Repentants didn't feel quite like it had the same depth as her previous books.
April 2, 2026
Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
I have read most of Kate Foster’s books and have always loved them. I am a massive fan of historical fiction and Kate Foster always writes with women at the fore and this is no different. This story follows 3 women in 18th Europe (Scotland and Iceland) who in the eyes of men commit sins and have to repent . It is horrifying to see how women were treated in the past and the punishments they were subjected to. Loved this and finished it in 24 hours .
I have read most of Kate Foster’s books and have always loved them. I am a massive fan of historical fiction and Kate Foster always writes with women at the fore and this is no different. This story follows 3 women in 18th Europe (Scotland and Iceland) who in the eyes of men commit sins and have to repent . It is horrifying to see how women were treated in the past and the punishments they were subjected to. Loved this and finished it in 24 hours .
April 4, 2026
3.75⭐️
Thank you so much to Chloe at Pan MacMillan & BookBreak for sending me this arc 🫶🏻
Set in Scotland in 1790, the story starts as a duel POV between Florrie & Eliza, our two 20yr old Repentants. Florrie is a young, rich bride stuck in a loveless marriage with a rather naive outlook on life. Eliza, who is more street smart, is a salt serf who has been contracted since birth to Jonny Aitken, Florrie’s husband. Both women are made to publicly repent for their sins - Florrie’s adultery & Eliza’s breach of the sabbath.
To try and escape the humiliation of her private life being made public, Florrie accompanies Jonny to Iceland, via Copenhagen, where he plans to manage the salt mines using prisoners that are anchored off shore. And she drags Eliza along as her maid.
This is where the story really gets going and you just know something untoward is going to happen. Upon reaching Iceland, we get a third POV from Hallgerd, a local woman who is fighting her own battles and forced to live under the control of a man.
We follow all 3 women as they try to fight back against the men who essentially keep them as prisoners & we also see that sometimes, not just the men are the enemy 👀. Florrie & Eliza really come out fighting and are determined to escape the clutches of Jonny & Iceland. There’s a few twists here & there and a few moments where I found myself holding my breath.
Kate’s description of a stark, cold & barren Iceland was spot on & I could feel the cold through the pages 🥶 The main focus was on survival and I loved it. There’s also a sense of danger as the story goes on & we’re made to realise the reality of women living in the late 1700’s - they weren’t seen as individuals but as property. And in Florrie’s case, a cash cow.
A fabulous read & one you should definitely add to your wishlist ✨
Thank you so much to Chloe at Pan MacMillan & BookBreak for sending me this arc 🫶🏻
Set in Scotland in 1790, the story starts as a duel POV between Florrie & Eliza, our two 20yr old Repentants. Florrie is a young, rich bride stuck in a loveless marriage with a rather naive outlook on life. Eliza, who is more street smart, is a salt serf who has been contracted since birth to Jonny Aitken, Florrie’s husband. Both women are made to publicly repent for their sins - Florrie’s adultery & Eliza’s breach of the sabbath.
To try and escape the humiliation of her private life being made public, Florrie accompanies Jonny to Iceland, via Copenhagen, where he plans to manage the salt mines using prisoners that are anchored off shore. And she drags Eliza along as her maid.
This is where the story really gets going and you just know something untoward is going to happen. Upon reaching Iceland, we get a third POV from Hallgerd, a local woman who is fighting her own battles and forced to live under the control of a man.
We follow all 3 women as they try to fight back against the men who essentially keep them as prisoners & we also see that sometimes, not just the men are the enemy 👀. Florrie & Eliza really come out fighting and are determined to escape the clutches of Jonny & Iceland. There’s a few twists here & there and a few moments where I found myself holding my breath.
Kate’s description of a stark, cold & barren Iceland was spot on & I could feel the cold through the pages 🥶 The main focus was on survival and I loved it. There’s also a sense of danger as the story goes on & we’re made to realise the reality of women living in the late 1700’s - they weren’t seen as individuals but as property. And in Florrie’s case, a cash cow.
A fabulous read & one you should definitely add to your wishlist ✨
April 2, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy. It’s the late 18th century and a bored housewife has a one night stand but is caught. She is made to repent in church with two other women. Her husband takes her to Iceland to work the salt plains along with her maid Eliza. There, 3 women find their lives entangled with each other. Excellent historical fiction- loved every minute.
June 18, 2026
3.5 stars
June 19, 2026
Loved, loved this - such an original and well written book. The characters felt real and the ending wrapped everything up nicely without being trite. Read it!
July 2, 2026
I’ll read anything Kate writes, not my favourite (the kings witches and mourning necklace) but excellent all the same.
February 8, 2026
The year is 1790, the setting, the small town of St Monans in Fife. Florrie Aitken is just twenty, but has already been married for two years. Despite her beauty, and her immense personal wealth, her marriage is not a happy fulfilling union. A moment of private hedonism becomes public when she is discovered, and subsequently must repent for her sins at the kirk, watched by the pious congregation. These events are the catalyst for a huge change in Florrie’s, and her husband Jonny’s lives.
Our story is told predominantly by two women, Florrie and Eliza, in alternating chapters. Eliza is a serf “contracted” to the Aitkens since her birth. Their paths cross at the public repentance, and remain entwined, in an increasingly complex manner.
The characters were vivid, richly drawn, and very human. I found myself, unsurprisingly, rooting for both women, while wishing the common poxes of the day on some of the men.
I was reading away quite happily, muttering to myself about the patriarchy, and then everything changed. The penny dropped, and I knew the book was going to change gear. It’s not just the men that Florrie must fear now.
As you would expect, Kate Foster gives the women of history their voices. The author shines a light on individuals, who have previously remained unseen and muted. I have become a huge fan of her writing over the last year, I loved The King’s Witches and The Mourning Necklace. If you love feminist historical fiction, Kate Foster is a must read for you. The Repentants is a tense, rollercoaster of a read, which had me on the edge of my seat. I loved it, I know many others will too.
Our story is told predominantly by two women, Florrie and Eliza, in alternating chapters. Eliza is a serf “contracted” to the Aitkens since her birth. Their paths cross at the public repentance, and remain entwined, in an increasingly complex manner.
The characters were vivid, richly drawn, and very human. I found myself, unsurprisingly, rooting for both women, while wishing the common poxes of the day on some of the men.
I was reading away quite happily, muttering to myself about the patriarchy, and then everything changed. The penny dropped, and I knew the book was going to change gear. It’s not just the men that Florrie must fear now.
As you would expect, Kate Foster gives the women of history their voices. The author shines a light on individuals, who have previously remained unseen and muted. I have become a huge fan of her writing over the last year, I loved The King’s Witches and The Mourning Necklace. If you love feminist historical fiction, Kate Foster is a must read for you. The Repentants is a tense, rollercoaster of a read, which had me on the edge of my seat. I loved it, I know many others will too.
Want to Read
September 15, 2025STOPPOP IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Repentants, with its tagline 'Her scandal, his revenge' is a fantastic tale from Kate Foster at Mantle Books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, told in first person by three women, Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerð, of the troubles that men cause them, set in Scotland and Iceland in the 1790s.
Florrie is the young, well to do wife of Jonny Aitken, well respected employer in the town of St Monans, running the salt mills and coal mines. Aged 20, she is due to come into a large inheritance at 21, money which makes her richer than her husband, and is protected legally so that even at her majority it remains hers.
Unfortunately Jonny no longer has his initial passion for Florrie, and their couplings are lacklustre, and she hankers for more, for the ecstasy she has read of in her ladies magazine. Enter Gunnar, a Danish business associate of Jonny's, who sees Florrie, and this is how the book opens, after a prologue in which Jonny's windmill burns down, with Florrie hurrying to an assignation in a small local village with Gunnar, where she experiences the ecstasy she craved. Unfortunately she is caught in flagrante, and is forced to take her place on the repentance bench at the local church, where she meets Eliza, a valued salt worker for the Aitkens, there for non-attendance at church. Florrie is impressed by this girl's fortitude, unbowed by this humiliation.
Jonny is to go to Iceland for a business project there, but Florrie insists on going with him as otherwise it will look like he has left her after her shame. Jonny says their maid will not go with her, she isn't stoic enough, so Florrie says she'll take Eliza, who doesn't want to go, but is forced by the fact of her being an indentured serf from birth.
In Iceland it quickly becomes clear that Jonny knows the reason for Eliza's sabbath breaching, and has manipulated Florrie into bringing her along, as he has plans for Eliza and himself going forward. He also has sinister plans for Florrie, putting into place a plan that could circumvent the legal protections on her fortune so he can get his vengeful hands on it.
Their new neighbour, Hallgerð, finds herself with reason to assist Jonny when she finds out more about Florrie's shame. Hallgerð's brother has been arrested for a murder she's certain he didn't commit, and keeping on the good side of Count Levitzau - who has commandeered her house, the finest in the neighbourhood - is the only way for her to hope for justice and an early release for her brother, who is being held on the prison ship docked in Reykjavik, from which Jonny and the Count plan to use the prisoners as a cheap workforce for their salt industry.
As the tension mounts, both Eliza and Florrie realise they need to escape, but in the mans' world of the 1790s this is easier said than done. And escaping into intemperate and isolated Iceland is not really an option, as that way inevitably lies an early, cold, and frozen death in the wilderness.
Hallgerð's husband, who is away for long periods at a time, comes unexpectedly to the women's aid, in a series of switching allegiances that could rival the third Pirates of the Caribbean film!
The book is written in fairly short chapters from each of the three women, and the plot and tension and peril mount at a perfect pace, keeping you gripped and engaged throughout. The characters are well drawn and you can really connect with them, feel for them and be rooting for them against what seem to be insurmountable odds. Each woman is resourceful in her own way, and although Florrie at times comes across as a bit of a spoiled madam, she is no more than the product of her upbringing, and although I might have rolled my eyes on more than one occasion it didn't put me off her! The book sees her go through quite the journey of growth and maturing.
There was potential at the end for an additional outcome, but I think that's left for the reader to decide for themselves whether that particular eventuality might come to pass...
This is the first book by this author that I have read, but won't be the last! A resounding 5 stars for the plot, that draws you in to the helplessness of these women against the machinations of these controlling men and their restrictive, patriarchal society. And for the beautifully drawn locations of St Monans and Iceland, and the bitter journey by ship to get between the two, another well earned 5 stars for setting.
With thanks to TripFiction and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy of this excellent book, which is inspired by an historical attempt by the Scots to annex Iceland as a remote prison location. More about this will be included in the final book in a 'historical note' section, and I am looking forward to finding out more on this when the book is out at the end of May.
Florrie is the young, well to do wife of Jonny Aitken, well respected employer in the town of St Monans, running the salt mills and coal mines. Aged 20, she is due to come into a large inheritance at 21, money which makes her richer than her husband, and is protected legally so that even at her majority it remains hers.
Unfortunately Jonny no longer has his initial passion for Florrie, and their couplings are lacklustre, and she hankers for more, for the ecstasy she has read of in her ladies magazine. Enter Gunnar, a Danish business associate of Jonny's, who sees Florrie, and this is how the book opens, after a prologue in which Jonny's windmill burns down, with Florrie hurrying to an assignation in a small local village with Gunnar, where she experiences the ecstasy she craved. Unfortunately she is caught in flagrante, and is forced to take her place on the repentance bench at the local church, where she meets Eliza, a valued salt worker for the Aitkens, there for non-attendance at church. Florrie is impressed by this girl's fortitude, unbowed by this humiliation.
Jonny is to go to Iceland for a business project there, but Florrie insists on going with him as otherwise it will look like he has left her after her shame. Jonny says their maid will not go with her, she isn't stoic enough, so Florrie says she'll take Eliza, who doesn't want to go, but is forced by the fact of her being an indentured serf from birth.
In Iceland it quickly becomes clear that Jonny knows the reason for Eliza's sabbath breaching, and has manipulated Florrie into bringing her along, as he has plans for Eliza and himself going forward. He also has sinister plans for Florrie, putting into place a plan that could circumvent the legal protections on her fortune so he can get his vengeful hands on it.
Their new neighbour, Hallgerð, finds herself with reason to assist Jonny when she finds out more about Florrie's shame. Hallgerð's brother has been arrested for a murder she's certain he didn't commit, and keeping on the good side of Count Levitzau - who has commandeered her house, the finest in the neighbourhood - is the only way for her to hope for justice and an early release for her brother, who is being held on the prison ship docked in Reykjavik, from which Jonny and the Count plan to use the prisoners as a cheap workforce for their salt industry.
As the tension mounts, both Eliza and Florrie realise they need to escape, but in the mans' world of the 1790s this is easier said than done. And escaping into intemperate and isolated Iceland is not really an option, as that way inevitably lies an early, cold, and frozen death in the wilderness.
Hallgerð's husband, who is away for long periods at a time, comes unexpectedly to the women's aid, in a series of switching allegiances that could rival the third Pirates of the Caribbean film!
The book is written in fairly short chapters from each of the three women, and the plot and tension and peril mount at a perfect pace, keeping you gripped and engaged throughout. The characters are well drawn and you can really connect with them, feel for them and be rooting for them against what seem to be insurmountable odds. Each woman is resourceful in her own way, and although Florrie at times comes across as a bit of a spoiled madam, she is no more than the product of her upbringing, and although I might have rolled my eyes on more than one occasion it didn't put me off her! The book sees her go through quite the journey of growth and maturing.
There was potential at the end for an additional outcome, but I think that's left for the reader to decide for themselves whether that particular eventuality might come to pass...
This is the first book by this author that I have read, but won't be the last! A resounding 5 stars for the plot, that draws you in to the helplessness of these women against the machinations of these controlling men and their restrictive, patriarchal society. And for the beautifully drawn locations of St Monans and Iceland, and the bitter journey by ship to get between the two, another well earned 5 stars for setting.
With thanks to TripFiction and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy of this excellent book, which is inspired by an historical attempt by the Scots to annex Iceland as a remote prison location. More about this will be included in the final book in a 'historical note' section, and I am looking forward to finding out more on this when the book is out at the end of May.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Florrie's marriage is a disaster, she doesn’t feel loved or even liked. And it is that that causes her to sin by way of some afternoon delight with a stranger, which sets in motion a whole slew of events that will also impact others. I didn’t take to Florrie at all, to be honest. She’s a snob, horribly stuck-up and condescending, with no clue as to what goes on in the “real world”. By way of punishment, Florrie must publicly repent in church and follow a long list of "do's and do not's", tips to help her avoid repeating this extra-marital mistake. I admit I laughed, as some are completely hilarious, but also infuriating. Embroidery, indeed.
Also apparently in need of repenting in church is Eliza. She’s a salt serf, bound to her master via a certificate since birth. There is no way out of the life she leads. But Eliza has a secret. It is one that has landed her in church for breaching the sabbath, but also one that might just help her at some point. Especially when Florrie decides Eliza should join her on a trip to Iceland, where her husband supposedly has business dealings.
There are parts of the book description regarding their relationship that I found somewhat misleading. Implying that there is some quick bond between Florrie and Eliza feels like quite the stretch. Florrie most definitely treats Eliza as a maid, someone who's very much beneath her. But she also recognises that Eliza is her complete opposite. Eliza is independent, strong, bold, and seemingly unafraid. Qualities Florrie could use a wee dose off, for sure.
In Iceland, the reader is introduced to Hallgerd. She too somehow, and most unwillingly, finds herself entwined in Florrie’s story. However, her first priorities are her brother, who has been accused of murder, and a count who has his sights set on her family home. Hallgerd is a strong woman, used to being on her own while her husband is away on business, used to the harsh living conditions that Iceland offers, but her life is about to change. Somehow, these three very different women are going to have to set aside their distrust of one another and work together.
As often happens in Foster’s novels, the men do not come out of this looking well and few have redeeming qualities, if any. They are manipulative, greedy, entitled, and extremely unlikable. There were moments that really angered me, especially where Florrie's husband was concerned, and I kept hoping she’d grow a backbone and stand up for herself. But her story, for me, was secondary and I was more interested in what would happen to Eliza. I kept hoping for great things for her, badly wanting her to be free to find her own way.
I will admit that I expected something more along the lines of Hannah Kent's 'Burial Rites' since it was mentioned that Kate Foster was inspired by an attempt that Scottish merchants made to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire. While there is a ship with prisoners, it works more like a tool to push the story forwards at some point but in the grand scheme of things it didn't play a big part. That's a minor point, however. More importantly, Kate Foster's writing is truly magical. It takes less than half a page to feel entirely transported to another place and time. From Scotland to the voyage on the ship and all the way to Iceland, the descriptions nearly made me feel like I was right there. Telling the story from the three very different points-of-view these women have really worked for me as well.
'The Repentants' is a tale of betrayal, revenge, and survival. It is atmospheric and full of flawed characters, showing that while men are often capable of causing grief, women are the worst to women - Konur eru konum verstar, as the old Iceland saying goes - but they must come together to topple the patriarchy. Another solid and absorbing offering from Kate Foster, who never seems to disappoint. I can't wait to find out what's next.
Also apparently in need of repenting in church is Eliza. She’s a salt serf, bound to her master via a certificate since birth. There is no way out of the life she leads. But Eliza has a secret. It is one that has landed her in church for breaching the sabbath, but also one that might just help her at some point. Especially when Florrie decides Eliza should join her on a trip to Iceland, where her husband supposedly has business dealings.
There are parts of the book description regarding their relationship that I found somewhat misleading. Implying that there is some quick bond between Florrie and Eliza feels like quite the stretch. Florrie most definitely treats Eliza as a maid, someone who's very much beneath her. But she also recognises that Eliza is her complete opposite. Eliza is independent, strong, bold, and seemingly unafraid. Qualities Florrie could use a wee dose off, for sure.
In Iceland, the reader is introduced to Hallgerd. She too somehow, and most unwillingly, finds herself entwined in Florrie’s story. However, her first priorities are her brother, who has been accused of murder, and a count who has his sights set on her family home. Hallgerd is a strong woman, used to being on her own while her husband is away on business, used to the harsh living conditions that Iceland offers, but her life is about to change. Somehow, these three very different women are going to have to set aside their distrust of one another and work together.
As often happens in Foster’s novels, the men do not come out of this looking well and few have redeeming qualities, if any. They are manipulative, greedy, entitled, and extremely unlikable. There were moments that really angered me, especially where Florrie's husband was concerned, and I kept hoping she’d grow a backbone and stand up for herself. But her story, for me, was secondary and I was more interested in what would happen to Eliza. I kept hoping for great things for her, badly wanting her to be free to find her own way.
I will admit that I expected something more along the lines of Hannah Kent's 'Burial Rites' since it was mentioned that Kate Foster was inspired by an attempt that Scottish merchants made to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire. While there is a ship with prisoners, it works more like a tool to push the story forwards at some point but in the grand scheme of things it didn't play a big part. That's a minor point, however. More importantly, Kate Foster's writing is truly magical. It takes less than half a page to feel entirely transported to another place and time. From Scotland to the voyage on the ship and all the way to Iceland, the descriptions nearly made me feel like I was right there. Telling the story from the three very different points-of-view these women have really worked for me as well.
'The Repentants' is a tale of betrayal, revenge, and survival. It is atmospheric and full of flawed characters, showing that while men are often capable of causing grief, women are the worst to women - Konur eru konum verstar, as the old Iceland saying goes - but they must come together to topple the patriarchy. Another solid and absorbing offering from Kate Foster, who never seems to disappoint. I can't wait to find out what's next.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The 1790s were a bleak time to be a woman, regardless of your bank account. In The Repentants, Kate Foster takes us from the salt pans of Scotland to the desolate, volcanic landscape of Iceland, following Florrie, a wealthy housewife, and Eliza, a salt serf. Both are publicly shamed for their "sins"; one for adultery, the other for breaking the Sabbath. Their forced repentance creates an uneasy alliance that is tested when Florrie’s husband decides to dump her in Iceland as a permanent, cold-blooded punishment. It is a story about the fragility of female agency in a world where men owned the land, the salt, and the people.
Foster avoids the typical historical romance traps, instead focusing on the transactional nature of survival. Florrie is interesting because she is both a victim of her husband’s cruelty and a product of her class; she views Eliza as an escape route while remaining somewhat blind to the disparity between them. The growth here isn’t about a sudden awakening to equality, but a slow, gritty realization that they are both playing a game where the rules were written by someone else. The supporting characters, specifically the husband Jonny, serve as effective reminders that power rarely concedes anything without a fight.
In Iceland, the social rules feel as tough as the black rock under your feet. Foster throws us into this world through Florrie’s run-ins with the locals, especially Hallgerd. Hallgerd is basically a living reflection of how out of place Florrie feels. But she’s not just another outsider. She’s tough in a way the land demands, surviving in a place where nature itself is the real enemy. She makes it clear how lonely and exposed this place is. Home isn’t cozy here; it’s just another way to stay alive.
Foster draws the men with sharp edges. They carry the weight of their time, when women were treated more like property than partners. Every relationship is a negotiation, and nobody gives away kindness for nothing.
The atmosphere is thick and damp, ranging from the industrial grind of Scotland's salt industry to the oppressive seclusion of the North. Foster writes about the 18th century with a keen eye for the physical realities of the time, such as the odor of salt pans and the bodily toll of labor. She depicts the suppressed yearning and "lust" that society attempted to pray away, demonstrating how religion was utilized as a weapon for social control. It's an observational style that prioritizes precision over flowery descriptions, so the eventual betrayal feels more like a natural conclusion than a dramatic twist.
The remark on human avarice and environmental exploitation is particularly noteworthy. The book defines a line between how we use up resources and how people, especially women, are treated as less than human. It’s a sharp reminder that, even now, people in power still have a habit of brushing aside anyone who doesn’t fit their agenda. Times change, but that tendency stays.
If you have ever felt like an outsider in your own life or realized that your safety was tied to someone else's whim, this will resonate. It’s a quiet, intellectual look at how we survive when the world decides we’ve sinned. Foster shows us that repentance is usually just a performance for the benefit of those holding the keys.
Foster avoids the typical historical romance traps, instead focusing on the transactional nature of survival. Florrie is interesting because she is both a victim of her husband’s cruelty and a product of her class; she views Eliza as an escape route while remaining somewhat blind to the disparity between them. The growth here isn’t about a sudden awakening to equality, but a slow, gritty realization that they are both playing a game where the rules were written by someone else. The supporting characters, specifically the husband Jonny, serve as effective reminders that power rarely concedes anything without a fight.
In Iceland, the social rules feel as tough as the black rock under your feet. Foster throws us into this world through Florrie’s run-ins with the locals, especially Hallgerd. Hallgerd is basically a living reflection of how out of place Florrie feels. But she’s not just another outsider. She’s tough in a way the land demands, surviving in a place where nature itself is the real enemy. She makes it clear how lonely and exposed this place is. Home isn’t cozy here; it’s just another way to stay alive.
Foster draws the men with sharp edges. They carry the weight of their time, when women were treated more like property than partners. Every relationship is a negotiation, and nobody gives away kindness for nothing.
The atmosphere is thick and damp, ranging from the industrial grind of Scotland's salt industry to the oppressive seclusion of the North. Foster writes about the 18th century with a keen eye for the physical realities of the time, such as the odor of salt pans and the bodily toll of labor. She depicts the suppressed yearning and "lust" that society attempted to pray away, demonstrating how religion was utilized as a weapon for social control. It's an observational style that prioritizes precision over flowery descriptions, so the eventual betrayal feels more like a natural conclusion than a dramatic twist.
The remark on human avarice and environmental exploitation is particularly noteworthy. The book defines a line between how we use up resources and how people, especially women, are treated as less than human. It’s a sharp reminder that, even now, people in power still have a habit of brushing aside anyone who doesn’t fit their agenda. Times change, but that tendency stays.
If you have ever felt like an outsider in your own life or realized that your safety was tied to someone else's whim, this will resonate. It’s a quiet, intellectual look at how we survive when the world decides we’ve sinned. Foster shows us that repentance is usually just a performance for the benefit of those holding the keys.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. When wealthy housewife Florrie is tempted from her unfulfilling marriage bed into the arms of a Danish merchant, she hopes her infidelity will go unnoticed by her cold husband, Jonny. Unfortunately for Florrie, she is caught midst passionate tryst, and forced to repent her sins in front of St Monans' church congregation.
Her public humiliation is shared by Eliza, a poor salt serf who works for Jonny as little more than a bonded slave. Eliza's sin is one of breaching the sabbath, and although she also claims to repent her transgressions, Florrie is fascinated by Eliza's independent spirit.
When Jonny decides his business interests lie in far-off Iceland, Florrie has to accompany him to this strange land. She insists that Eliza comes too, to act as her maid. The two women form an uncomfortable bond - both chaffing at being dragged here against their own will. But it is not until Jonny reveals his sinister plan, that the real danger of their situation is revealed...
I have loved every one of Kate Foster's previous novels, so had high hopes for The Reptentants - and I was not disappointed. Her latest historical tale takes its inspiration from a bold plan by Scottish merchants and British entrepreneurs to establish a prison ship in Iceland, in an attempt to annex Iceland from Denmark as a British penal colony. The concept was eventually dropped in favour of sending British convicts to Australia, but Foster cleverly puts Jonny at the forefront of this aborted scheme, weaving him into history through a business proposal to use the prisoners as workers at a new salt works in Iceland - in cahoots with a silver-tongued Danish merchant, and devious Count Levitau, a deliciously melodramatic Dane who sees himself as the future overseer of Reykjavik.
The story moves between eighteenth century Scotland, Iceland and Demark, unfurling through the perspectives of Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd - an Icelandic woman with an absent husband, whose grand house Count Levitau is determined to lay claim to by nefarious means. Each woman is an unwilling participant in the plans of male ambition, and your spleen soon rises at the way they are treated.
Twists and turns abound as revelations are spilled about how the women's fates are connected, and their relationships pitch and toss as entitlement, spite, and recriminations enter the fray. But eventually they come together to fight a common enemy - the men who think they can use them as stepping stones to fortune - in a glorious tying up of storylines that will have you punching the air with revenge-filled glee.
Foster held me spellbound, infusing atmosphere, and reams of historical detail into her story - time and place thrum, and there is an unsettling urgency about the situations the women find themselves in that tugs at your emotions. Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd are as beautifully drawn as I have come to expect from Foster, painted in authentic shades of grey. She excels in delving into their hopes and desires (sexual desire once again handled so well), showing how they are judged for wanting to take charge of their own lives.
Another cracking novel from Kate Foster, ringing with feminist themes - and an absolute must if you love stories about the forgotten voices of women in the past!
Her public humiliation is shared by Eliza, a poor salt serf who works for Jonny as little more than a bonded slave. Eliza's sin is one of breaching the sabbath, and although she also claims to repent her transgressions, Florrie is fascinated by Eliza's independent spirit.
When Jonny decides his business interests lie in far-off Iceland, Florrie has to accompany him to this strange land. She insists that Eliza comes too, to act as her maid. The two women form an uncomfortable bond - both chaffing at being dragged here against their own will. But it is not until Jonny reveals his sinister plan, that the real danger of their situation is revealed...
I have loved every one of Kate Foster's previous novels, so had high hopes for The Reptentants - and I was not disappointed. Her latest historical tale takes its inspiration from a bold plan by Scottish merchants and British entrepreneurs to establish a prison ship in Iceland, in an attempt to annex Iceland from Denmark as a British penal colony. The concept was eventually dropped in favour of sending British convicts to Australia, but Foster cleverly puts Jonny at the forefront of this aborted scheme, weaving him into history through a business proposal to use the prisoners as workers at a new salt works in Iceland - in cahoots with a silver-tongued Danish merchant, and devious Count Levitau, a deliciously melodramatic Dane who sees himself as the future overseer of Reykjavik.
The story moves between eighteenth century Scotland, Iceland and Demark, unfurling through the perspectives of Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd - an Icelandic woman with an absent husband, whose grand house Count Levitau is determined to lay claim to by nefarious means. Each woman is an unwilling participant in the plans of male ambition, and your spleen soon rises at the way they are treated.
Twists and turns abound as revelations are spilled about how the women's fates are connected, and their relationships pitch and toss as entitlement, spite, and recriminations enter the fray. But eventually they come together to fight a common enemy - the men who think they can use them as stepping stones to fortune - in a glorious tying up of storylines that will have you punching the air with revenge-filled glee.
Foster held me spellbound, infusing atmosphere, and reams of historical detail into her story - time and place thrum, and there is an unsettling urgency about the situations the women find themselves in that tugs at your emotions. Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd are as beautifully drawn as I have come to expect from Foster, painted in authentic shades of grey. She excels in delving into their hopes and desires (sexual desire once again handled so well), showing how they are judged for wanting to take charge of their own lives.
Another cracking novel from Kate Foster, ringing with feminist themes - and an absolute must if you love stories about the forgotten voices of women in the past!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Kate Foster has quietly become one of my automatic-read authors.
Every time she releases a new feminist historical novel, I go in with expectations that are probably unfairly high by this point. And somehow she keeps meeting them.
The Repentants might actually be her best yet.
What Foster understands better than most writers working in this space is that historical fiction about women cannot survive on aesthetics alone. Corsets and suffering are not enough. Rage is not enough either. The women have to feel fully inhabited. Contradictory. Petty sometimes. Funny. Wounded. Clever. Capable of cruelty as well as tenderness. Human before symbolic.
Florrie and Eliza absolutely are.
I loved the tension between them almost immediately. Not a neat, sanitised sisterhood but something far more believable. Class sits between them constantly. Pride does too. Florrie begins the novel spoiled, emotionally starved, reckless in ways that feel painfully recognisable. Eliza carries herself with the hard-earned self-possession of someone who has never been allowed softness without consequence. Foster lets both women remain difficult in different ways and the novel is stronger for it.
And then the story opens outward.
I knew the broad premise going in, but I genuinely did not expect the novel to become quite so adventurous, tense and atmospheric once it reaches Iceland. There is something almost feverish about those sections. The isolation. The cold. The sense of women being manoeuvred like property inside systems built entirely by men. Foster uses landscape brilliantly here. Iceland feels beautiful but hostile, like the earth itself has withdrawn warmth from the characters.
The writing throughout is excellent. Not just competent historical prose but genuinely alive prose. Sharp in places, unexpectedly funny in others, and threaded through with real emotional intelligence. Foster knows exactly when to let scenes open up and when to tighten the screws. Some exchanges made me laugh aloud. Others carried that quiet kind of devastation that historical fiction can do so well when it remembers women were not abstractions but people forced to survive impossible structures with whatever wit or endurance they possessed.
What I particularly appreciated is that the novel never becomes didactic despite its feminist core. Foster trusts the story. She trusts the reader. The patriarchy does not need capital letters and speeches when you can simply show women publicly humiliated while men commit far worse without consequence. The imbalance speaks for itself.
And the men in this book. God.
I cannot remember the last time I wanted fictional men to fall into the sea quite so badly.
The pacing is superb too. The novel keeps shifting underneath you. Alliances move. Motivations deepen. By the final sections I was utterly locked in, desperate for these women to claw back some form of agency from the men trying to reduce them to shame, labour, punishment, or possession.
This is feminist historical fiction with teeth.
Funny, angry, vivid, emotionally intelligent, and written with enormous confidence. Foster keeps proving that she is not simply revisiting history but interrogating the structures underneath it.
An easy five stars from me.
Huge thank you to Pan Macmillan | Mantle for the ARC.
Every time she releases a new feminist historical novel, I go in with expectations that are probably unfairly high by this point. And somehow she keeps meeting them.
The Repentants might actually be her best yet.
What Foster understands better than most writers working in this space is that historical fiction about women cannot survive on aesthetics alone. Corsets and suffering are not enough. Rage is not enough either. The women have to feel fully inhabited. Contradictory. Petty sometimes. Funny. Wounded. Clever. Capable of cruelty as well as tenderness. Human before symbolic.
Florrie and Eliza absolutely are.
I loved the tension between them almost immediately. Not a neat, sanitised sisterhood but something far more believable. Class sits between them constantly. Pride does too. Florrie begins the novel spoiled, emotionally starved, reckless in ways that feel painfully recognisable. Eliza carries herself with the hard-earned self-possession of someone who has never been allowed softness without consequence. Foster lets both women remain difficult in different ways and the novel is stronger for it.
And then the story opens outward.
I knew the broad premise going in, but I genuinely did not expect the novel to become quite so adventurous, tense and atmospheric once it reaches Iceland. There is something almost feverish about those sections. The isolation. The cold. The sense of women being manoeuvred like property inside systems built entirely by men. Foster uses landscape brilliantly here. Iceland feels beautiful but hostile, like the earth itself has withdrawn warmth from the characters.
The writing throughout is excellent. Not just competent historical prose but genuinely alive prose. Sharp in places, unexpectedly funny in others, and threaded through with real emotional intelligence. Foster knows exactly when to let scenes open up and when to tighten the screws. Some exchanges made me laugh aloud. Others carried that quiet kind of devastation that historical fiction can do so well when it remembers women were not abstractions but people forced to survive impossible structures with whatever wit or endurance they possessed.
What I particularly appreciated is that the novel never becomes didactic despite its feminist core. Foster trusts the story. She trusts the reader. The patriarchy does not need capital letters and speeches when you can simply show women publicly humiliated while men commit far worse without consequence. The imbalance speaks for itself.
And the men in this book. God.
I cannot remember the last time I wanted fictional men to fall into the sea quite so badly.
The pacing is superb too. The novel keeps shifting underneath you. Alliances move. Motivations deepen. By the final sections I was utterly locked in, desperate for these women to claw back some form of agency from the men trying to reduce them to shame, labour, punishment, or possession.
This is feminist historical fiction with teeth.
Funny, angry, vivid, emotionally intelligent, and written with enormous confidence. Foster keeps proving that she is not simply revisiting history but interrogating the structures underneath it.
An easy five stars from me.
Huge thank you to Pan Macmillan | Mantle for the ARC.
May 29, 2026
I have been eagerly awaiting the fourth historical novel from Kate Foster having thoroughly enjoyed her previous three. The Repentants did not disappoint!
The Repentants marks a slight change in direction for Kate Foster. Her previous novels have all featured real historical women and fictionalised their lives. They have mostly taken place in or around the Edinburgh area. This book was inspired by the real life ambition of some 18th century Scottish merchants to annexe Iceland and use it as a kind of prison. The author imagined what it might have been like if the wife of one of the merchants travelled to Iceland with him and the seed of an idea for this novel was planted.
We first meet Florrie Aitken as she is hurrying off to an assignation with a man in The Mermaid Inn in Pittenweem in Fife. She is unhappily married and wants this chance to have a day filled with pleasure. Unfortunately for her, she is caught in the act and so the next time we meet her, she is sitting on the repentance bench in the local church along with other ne’er-do-wells, wearing sackcloth and forced to repent her sin in front of the congregation. One of the other repentants is Eliza, a salt serf whose ‘crime’ is that she is a Sabbath breacher: in other words she hasn’t attended Church on Sundays. Although very different from each other, when Florrie learns she has to travel to Iceland with her husband Jonny, she asks for feisty Eliza to accompany her as her maid. Later, an Icelandic woman, Hallgerd, enters the story and becomes a sort of companion to Florrie.
Over the course of the novel, the three women form a fragile alliance, never truly trusting each other I felt but recognising the need to rely on women rather than men. I found it fascinating to read about their circumstances and their resourcefulness. It was particularly interesting to read about serfdom. Serfs were legally obliged to work on a landowner’s estate. Although not slaves, they were not free to leave the estate or find another job or even get married without permission.
Despite these women living around 250 years ago in very different circumstances from modern women, there seems something universal about their situations which makes them easy to identify with and therefore care about.
There are some truly awful men in this book and we see clearly the power that men had over women in that era and the doubles standards which were just accepted. All the women are trapped in some way by their circumstances. Florrie is trapped by her marriage vows even though she’s independently wealthy. Eliza is trapped by the bonds of serfdom. With her husband away from home and a brother in jail, Hellgren has no protection against the authorities and is powerless against them.
As I’ve come to expect from this author, this is impeccably researched historical fiction and I was completely immersed in the 18th century world of these women whether in Fife, Copenhagen or Reykjavik. The Repentants is another brilliant read from Kate Foster full of secrets, betrayals and courage, with strong women at its heart.
The Repentants marks a slight change in direction for Kate Foster. Her previous novels have all featured real historical women and fictionalised their lives. They have mostly taken place in or around the Edinburgh area. This book was inspired by the real life ambition of some 18th century Scottish merchants to annexe Iceland and use it as a kind of prison. The author imagined what it might have been like if the wife of one of the merchants travelled to Iceland with him and the seed of an idea for this novel was planted.
We first meet Florrie Aitken as she is hurrying off to an assignation with a man in The Mermaid Inn in Pittenweem in Fife. She is unhappily married and wants this chance to have a day filled with pleasure. Unfortunately for her, she is caught in the act and so the next time we meet her, she is sitting on the repentance bench in the local church along with other ne’er-do-wells, wearing sackcloth and forced to repent her sin in front of the congregation. One of the other repentants is Eliza, a salt serf whose ‘crime’ is that she is a Sabbath breacher: in other words she hasn’t attended Church on Sundays. Although very different from each other, when Florrie learns she has to travel to Iceland with her husband Jonny, she asks for feisty Eliza to accompany her as her maid. Later, an Icelandic woman, Hallgerd, enters the story and becomes a sort of companion to Florrie.
Over the course of the novel, the three women form a fragile alliance, never truly trusting each other I felt but recognising the need to rely on women rather than men. I found it fascinating to read about their circumstances and their resourcefulness. It was particularly interesting to read about serfdom. Serfs were legally obliged to work on a landowner’s estate. Although not slaves, they were not free to leave the estate or find another job or even get married without permission.
Despite these women living around 250 years ago in very different circumstances from modern women, there seems something universal about their situations which makes them easy to identify with and therefore care about.
There are some truly awful men in this book and we see clearly the power that men had over women in that era and the doubles standards which were just accepted. All the women are trapped in some way by their circumstances. Florrie is trapped by her marriage vows even though she’s independently wealthy. Eliza is trapped by the bonds of serfdom. With her husband away from home and a brother in jail, Hellgren has no protection against the authorities and is powerless against them.
As I’ve come to expect from this author, this is impeccably researched historical fiction and I was completely immersed in the 18th century world of these women whether in Fife, Copenhagen or Reykjavik. The Repentants is another brilliant read from Kate Foster full of secrets, betrayals and courage, with strong women at its heart.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.75 stars
Huge thanks to Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, for a GIFTED Proof of The Repentants by Kate Foster which comes out on 26th May.
Summary:
St Monans, Fife, in Scotland, in 1790.
Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.
Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . ..
The Repentants, like Kate Foster's other novels, is incredibly well researched, and is rich in historical detail. It was inspired by an actual event in the18th century, when some Scottish merchants hatched a plan to annex Iceland and use it as a remote prison for Britain's convicted criminals.
Foster takes this central fact as the centrepiece, but adds in further historical details of the period to give us a fuller flavour of life in that time. We are shown the 18th century industry of salt making; the power and influence exercised by the Kirk minister over the parish and the local community; what it was like for women to travel by ship at that time; and also the frankly gobsmacking practice of landowners still holding their tenants in serfdom from birth, in 1790.
It's a richly drawn picture of 18th century history in all its glory and shame. Where society is driven and controlled by men who reveal themselves to be morally ambiguous and hypocritical, and, by today's standards, exploitative, controlling, and misogynistic.
As we have come to expect with Foster's novels it is a strongly feminist take on history, and as all-powerful as these men are, she balances the accounts by having women at the centre of her stories who are strong, determined, resilient and resourceful. By dint of these women's natures, despite the exile, betrayal, vilification and shaming that they each face, by their collaborative approach, they are ultimately able to work together to achieve their own ends.
In Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd, we have three distinct and strong voices, and their development over the course of the novel is well managed, though if I'm being completely honest, of the three, it was Eliza who was my favourite.
Whilst I found the pacing of the first half a little slow, this did pick up, and by the end it proves to be a satisfying read with all the ends neatly tied up.
Recommended for lovers of well-written and researched historical fiction, which has a strong female-focus.
Huge thanks to Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, for a GIFTED Proof of The Repentants by Kate Foster which comes out on 26th May.
Summary:
St Monans, Fife, in Scotland, in 1790.
Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.
Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . ..
The Repentants, like Kate Foster's other novels, is incredibly well researched, and is rich in historical detail. It was inspired by an actual event in the18th century, when some Scottish merchants hatched a plan to annex Iceland and use it as a remote prison for Britain's convicted criminals.
Foster takes this central fact as the centrepiece, but adds in further historical details of the period to give us a fuller flavour of life in that time. We are shown the 18th century industry of salt making; the power and influence exercised by the Kirk minister over the parish and the local community; what it was like for women to travel by ship at that time; and also the frankly gobsmacking practice of landowners still holding their tenants in serfdom from birth, in 1790.
It's a richly drawn picture of 18th century history in all its glory and shame. Where society is driven and controlled by men who reveal themselves to be morally ambiguous and hypocritical, and, by today's standards, exploitative, controlling, and misogynistic.
As we have come to expect with Foster's novels it is a strongly feminist take on history, and as all-powerful as these men are, she balances the accounts by having women at the centre of her stories who are strong, determined, resilient and resourceful. By dint of these women's natures, despite the exile, betrayal, vilification and shaming that they each face, by their collaborative approach, they are ultimately able to work together to achieve their own ends.
In Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd, we have three distinct and strong voices, and their development over the course of the novel is well managed, though if I'm being completely honest, of the three, it was Eliza who was my favourite.
Whilst I found the pacing of the first half a little slow, this did pick up, and by the end it proves to be a satisfying read with all the ends neatly tied up.
Recommended for lovers of well-written and researched historical fiction, which has a strong female-focus.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Repentants by Kate Foster is a gripping tale of female rage and revenge that despite its setting under the Northern Lights is often dark and disturbing. The book follows two women as they travel from Scotland to Iceland in the 1790s when such a journey was beset with danger and almost unheard of for the "fairer sex".
Florrie and Eliza meet when both are forced to publicly repent of their sins in their local church in Fife, by participating in a ritual designed to demean and shame them in front of the congregation. Florrie was caught cheating on her husband and has become a figure of notoriety because of a scandal sheet describing her escapades while Eliza a "salt serf" or indentured servant owned by Florrie's husband has been found guilty of rebuking the Sabbath, or skipping church. Though they come from very different social backgrounds the humiliation that they endure together bonds them in a way, so when Florrie's husband Jonny comes up with a plan to open a salt mine and processing plant worked by English prisoners she convinces him that Eliza would be a good companion for her. He agrees and the party travels through harsh conditions to Iceland but once there it soon becomes apparent that there is more to Jonny's plan that opening a mine, he has not forgiven Florrie for her indiscretion, and he is not alone in his desire for revenge.
This is a bleak harsh story that perfectly fits the harsh and remote setting, and the author does a fantastic job of bringing the desolate landscape and sense of isolation to life on the page, you are so immersed in the story and the setting that you can almost feel the cold. All of the characters are flawed which just makes them feel more real, I did not always like Florrie but I could feel sympathy for the situation she found herself in, married off at twenty to a man who did not show her any affection, it was no wonder that her head was easily turned. Eliza with her harsh upbringing and hard life of enforced servitude was easier to like but again she was no innocent angel and again her mistreatment at the hands of men was a real focus of the book. The relationship between the two characters had a lot of development over the course of the book and I always love a book where the women are able to exact some justice of their own so the ending of this one was most satisfying.
Once again the author has taken inspiration from actual history and her research and attention to detail is always something I admire when reading her books and I find her writing style to be immersive, her books always hold my attention and this one was no exception
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Florrie and Eliza meet when both are forced to publicly repent of their sins in their local church in Fife, by participating in a ritual designed to demean and shame them in front of the congregation. Florrie was caught cheating on her husband and has become a figure of notoriety because of a scandal sheet describing her escapades while Eliza a "salt serf" or indentured servant owned by Florrie's husband has been found guilty of rebuking the Sabbath, or skipping church. Though they come from very different social backgrounds the humiliation that they endure together bonds them in a way, so when Florrie's husband Jonny comes up with a plan to open a salt mine and processing plant worked by English prisoners she convinces him that Eliza would be a good companion for her. He agrees and the party travels through harsh conditions to Iceland but once there it soon becomes apparent that there is more to Jonny's plan that opening a mine, he has not forgiven Florrie for her indiscretion, and he is not alone in his desire for revenge.
This is a bleak harsh story that perfectly fits the harsh and remote setting, and the author does a fantastic job of bringing the desolate landscape and sense of isolation to life on the page, you are so immersed in the story and the setting that you can almost feel the cold. All of the characters are flawed which just makes them feel more real, I did not always like Florrie but I could feel sympathy for the situation she found herself in, married off at twenty to a man who did not show her any affection, it was no wonder that her head was easily turned. Eliza with her harsh upbringing and hard life of enforced servitude was easier to like but again she was no innocent angel and again her mistreatment at the hands of men was a real focus of the book. The relationship between the two characters had a lot of development over the course of the book and I always love a book where the women are able to exact some justice of their own so the ending of this one was most satisfying.
Once again the author has taken inspiration from actual history and her research and attention to detail is always something I admire when reading her books and I find her writing style to be immersive, her books always hold my attention and this one was no exception
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book, because I don’t read historical fiction very often, but the twin settings of Scotland and Iceland intrigued me.
The narrative can probably best be described with a notion that’s repeated several times: “Konur eru konum verstar. Women are the worst to women.” This was an interesting stance to take, because most women-centric stories frame men as the main hurdles between women and freedom/autonomy/happiness, and I was excited to see further nuance applied to such fraught subject matter.
We follow Florrie, the unloved wife of a rich salt merchant, as she undergoes public repentance after having a brief affair with a visiting Danish colleague of her husband’s. Joining her on the repentance bench is Eliza, one of her husband’s indentured serfs, forced to repent for skipping the sabbath three times in a row (for her own very good reason). Wishing to escape the shame that follows, and pursuing a supposedly lucrative new venture in Iceland, Florrie, her husband, and Eliza (forced along as Florrie’s maid) journey to the remote settlement of Reykjavik, where their paths cross with Hallgerd, an Icelandic woman.
Ultimately, the Repentants outlines a scenario where the three women involved—Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd—cause each other just as much grief as the men around them. By tearing each other down and sabotaging each other, Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd at times contribute to the oppression women face at the hands of men. It served as a perfect lesson in how women can sometimes get in their own way, and only by cooperating can patriarchy’s archaic ridiculousness be undermined.
That’s not to say the male characters are any better. In fact, the entire cast are, at best, morally grey, which lends this book an authentic flavour of flawed humanity. No one is perfect because everyone is, in their own way, selfish and self-serving. This does make the characters (especially Florrie, who acts exactly as you’d expect a self-righteous rich woman to act) difficult to empathise with, but this fits with the overarching theme of “women are the worst to women”.
This was an overall enjoyable book. I found it easy to read, though I wish the writing style had been a bit more vivid. It was perfectly functional, but not really much more than that. At times the dialogue felt stilted in an almost “as you know, Bob” kind of fashion, which is fine for a book with a formal tone, but it became a bit much in places.
Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy.
The narrative can probably best be described with a notion that’s repeated several times: “Konur eru konum verstar. Women are the worst to women.” This was an interesting stance to take, because most women-centric stories frame men as the main hurdles between women and freedom/autonomy/happiness, and I was excited to see further nuance applied to such fraught subject matter.
We follow Florrie, the unloved wife of a rich salt merchant, as she undergoes public repentance after having a brief affair with a visiting Danish colleague of her husband’s. Joining her on the repentance bench is Eliza, one of her husband’s indentured serfs, forced to repent for skipping the sabbath three times in a row (for her own very good reason). Wishing to escape the shame that follows, and pursuing a supposedly lucrative new venture in Iceland, Florrie, her husband, and Eliza (forced along as Florrie’s maid) journey to the remote settlement of Reykjavik, where their paths cross with Hallgerd, an Icelandic woman.
Ultimately, the Repentants outlines a scenario where the three women involved—Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd—cause each other just as much grief as the men around them. By tearing each other down and sabotaging each other, Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd at times contribute to the oppression women face at the hands of men. It served as a perfect lesson in how women can sometimes get in their own way, and only by cooperating can patriarchy’s archaic ridiculousness be undermined.
That’s not to say the male characters are any better. In fact, the entire cast are, at best, morally grey, which lends this book an authentic flavour of flawed humanity. No one is perfect because everyone is, in their own way, selfish and self-serving. This does make the characters (especially Florrie, who acts exactly as you’d expect a self-righteous rich woman to act) difficult to empathise with, but this fits with the overarching theme of “women are the worst to women”.
This was an overall enjoyable book. I found it easy to read, though I wish the writing style had been a bit more vivid. It was perfectly functional, but not really much more than that. At times the dialogue felt stilted in an almost “as you know, Bob” kind of fashion, which is fine for a book with a formal tone, but it became a bit much in places.
Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The wealthy Florrie is trapped in a loveless marriage with Jonny Aitkins, and one day she allows herself to be seduced by another man, but the pair are caught. Florrie must now undergo a harsh repentance in their local church. She does this along with Eliza Wood, one of her husband’s serfs at his salt plantation who has her own reasons for not telling the whole story of why she breached sabbath. But then Florrie’s husband wants to go to Iceland to establish a prison that would operate saltworks, and Florrie decides to take Eliza with her. Once there, they meet Hallgerd who dislikes Florrie for her own reasons. The three women must all figure out whether they can trust each other or not.
The repentants is my third book by Foster, and it’s another enjoyable story about a three women who haven’t had much luck with the men in their lives. The atmosphere isn’t as dark as in Emilia Hart’s books, but fans of her work will likely enjoy this as well.
Florrie is a somewhat naive main character whom I didn’t really find likable. I found Eliza genuinely interesting, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Hallgerd. Still, I was curious to see how the women would get along. And if they would succeed in getting their freedom from the men in their lives.
Foster does a fantastic job describing St. Monans in Fife, Scotland, the lively Copenhagen, and the remote small city of Reykjavik. The construction of a prison in Iceland is just a small part of the story. So there are no big historical events, as in The king’s witches or The mourning necklace but that didn’t bother me because it was a nice story.
Maybe not my favorite Foster book, but it was good and I’m keeping my eye on her next novels.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
Dutch review:
De rijke Florrie Aitkins zit vast in een liefdesloos huwelijk en op een dag laat ze zich verleiden door een andere man, maar het duo wordt opgepakt. Florrie moet een kerkelijke straf ondergaan, samen met Eliza Wood, één van de werknemers van haar man op de zoutplantage, die zo haar eigen redenen heeft om niet alles te vertellen. Maar dan wil Florrie's man naar Ijsland om er een gevangenis te stichten die zoutwerken zou doen en besluit Florrie om Eliza mee te nemen. Eens daar ontmoeten ze Hallgerd die Florrie om bepaalde redenen niet moet. En de drie dames moet allen uitmaken of ze elkaar kunnen vertrouwen of niet.
Dit is mijn derde boek van Foster en het is alweer een fijn verhaal over enkele vrouwen die niet echt veel geluk hebben met de mannen in hun leven. De sfeer is niet zo donker als in de boeken van Emilia Hart, maar fans van haar werk zullen dit ook wel smaken.
Florrie is een wat naïef hoofdpersonage dat ik niet echt sympathiek vond. Eliza vond ik echt wel interessant en van Hallgerd wist ik niet echt wat ik moest vinden. Toch was ik benieuwd hoe de vrouwen er samen uit zouden geraken.
Foster beschrijft zowel St Monans in Fife, Schotland, het levendige Kopenhagen én het afgelegen en prille Reykjavik geweldig goed. Het uitbouwen van een gevangenis in Ijsland is maar een klein stukje van het verhaal. Dit boek is dus iets meer de fantasie van de schrijfster dan echte historische gebeurtenissen, maar dat deerde me niet want het was een fijn verhaal.
Misschien niet mijn favoriete Foster boek, maar wel goed!
Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
The repentants is my third book by Foster, and it’s another enjoyable story about a three women who haven’t had much luck with the men in their lives. The atmosphere isn’t as dark as in Emilia Hart’s books, but fans of her work will likely enjoy this as well.
Florrie is a somewhat naive main character whom I didn’t really find likable. I found Eliza genuinely interesting, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Hallgerd. Still, I was curious to see how the women would get along. And if they would succeed in getting their freedom from the men in their lives.
Foster does a fantastic job describing St. Monans in Fife, Scotland, the lively Copenhagen, and the remote small city of Reykjavik. The construction of a prison in Iceland is just a small part of the story. So there are no big historical events, as in The king’s witches or The mourning necklace but that didn’t bother me because it was a nice story.
Maybe not my favorite Foster book, but it was good and I’m keeping my eye on her next novels.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
Dutch review:
De rijke Florrie Aitkins zit vast in een liefdesloos huwelijk en op een dag laat ze zich verleiden door een andere man, maar het duo wordt opgepakt. Florrie moet een kerkelijke straf ondergaan, samen met Eliza Wood, één van de werknemers van haar man op de zoutplantage, die zo haar eigen redenen heeft om niet alles te vertellen. Maar dan wil Florrie's man naar Ijsland om er een gevangenis te stichten die zoutwerken zou doen en besluit Florrie om Eliza mee te nemen. Eens daar ontmoeten ze Hallgerd die Florrie om bepaalde redenen niet moet. En de drie dames moet allen uitmaken of ze elkaar kunnen vertrouwen of niet.
Dit is mijn derde boek van Foster en het is alweer een fijn verhaal over enkele vrouwen die niet echt veel geluk hebben met de mannen in hun leven. De sfeer is niet zo donker als in de boeken van Emilia Hart, maar fans van haar werk zullen dit ook wel smaken.
Florrie is een wat naïef hoofdpersonage dat ik niet echt sympathiek vond. Eliza vond ik echt wel interessant en van Hallgerd wist ik niet echt wat ik moest vinden. Toch was ik benieuwd hoe de vrouwen er samen uit zouden geraken.
Foster beschrijft zowel St Monans in Fife, Schotland, het levendige Kopenhagen én het afgelegen en prille Reykjavik geweldig goed. Het uitbouwen van een gevangenis in Ijsland is maar een klein stukje van het verhaal. Dit boek is dus iets meer de fantasie van de schrijfster dan echte historische gebeurtenissen, maar dat deerde me niet want het was een fijn verhaal.
Misschien niet mijn favoriete Foster boek, maar wel goed!
Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Mantle for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I love Kate's books so much so I was really keen to read this new one.
It opens with a bang - quite literally in fact.
Kate's books always make me cross - not with her, or the book itself - but because she shows the brutality that women had to live with day on day in history, how unfair everything was. And I just wanted to take the characters and bang their heads together so they realise that women are not always the enemy.
I love how Kate writes about women. No matter their situation or background or circumstances, they always have this hidden strength and power. I loved reading about Florrie in particular; Eliza is the complete opposite to Florrie in most ways, but they had this connection that linked them together in hardship and in strength.
Kate is great at creating a sense of time and space. The 1700s were a difficult time to live, even for the rich. And the comparison between them in Scotland and then in Iceland...they're both such harsh environments for our main characters and I loved the comparison of the characters between the two places.
I am always impressed by her research skills. Everything feels so historically accurate but it doesn't feel like she's just spouting out facts. It is worked so well together, it's effortless. I love how her books are based on real stories, and even better they are quiet stories, people we haven't heard of - she brings the underdog into the fore.
At first I thought it was going to be all character and little plot (which is how I like my books). But there is actually quite a lot going on plot-wise. It's got so much depth to it and yet somehow didn't feel overwhelming or confusing.
It wasn't my favourite of her books and I think that comes down to the characters. Florrie and Eliza were interesting to read yes. But I found most of the other characters so insufferable, and no in a "oh they're so bad but I liked them anyway" kind of thing. I just didn't like reading about them.
It got better as it went along. I found it a little monotonous and slow to begin with. But once they hit Iceland it becomes a completely different book and it just flew by.
She is still one of my all time favourite historical authors and I will continue to read everything she writes.
I love Kate's books so much so I was really keen to read this new one.
It opens with a bang - quite literally in fact.
Kate's books always make me cross - not with her, or the book itself - but because she shows the brutality that women had to live with day on day in history, how unfair everything was. And I just wanted to take the characters and bang their heads together so they realise that women are not always the enemy.
I love how Kate writes about women. No matter their situation or background or circumstances, they always have this hidden strength and power. I loved reading about Florrie in particular; Eliza is the complete opposite to Florrie in most ways, but they had this connection that linked them together in hardship and in strength.
Kate is great at creating a sense of time and space. The 1700s were a difficult time to live, even for the rich. And the comparison between them in Scotland and then in Iceland...they're both such harsh environments for our main characters and I loved the comparison of the characters between the two places.
I am always impressed by her research skills. Everything feels so historically accurate but it doesn't feel like she's just spouting out facts. It is worked so well together, it's effortless. I love how her books are based on real stories, and even better they are quiet stories, people we haven't heard of - she brings the underdog into the fore.
At first I thought it was going to be all character and little plot (which is how I like my books). But there is actually quite a lot going on plot-wise. It's got so much depth to it and yet somehow didn't feel overwhelming or confusing.
It wasn't my favourite of her books and I think that comes down to the characters. Florrie and Eliza were interesting to read yes. But I found most of the other characters so insufferable, and no in a "oh they're so bad but I liked them anyway" kind of thing. I just didn't like reading about them.
It got better as it went along. I found it a little monotonous and slow to begin with. But once they hit Iceland it becomes a completely different book and it just flew by.
She is still one of my all time favourite historical authors and I will continue to read everything she writes.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Under the pious religious instruction of Reverend Mitchell, no one in St Monans, Fife can escape their sin. Those who must take the repentance bench in April 1790 represent a cross-section of society. Unfortunately for Florrie Aitken, her wealth, connections and social standing are not enough to spare her from the humiliation of repentance on a Sunday morning in church and how she dreads it! Her shame extends to her husband, Jonny, who conveniently ascribes her transgression to a moment of madness; something that a lack of stimulation will help her to recover from. He certainly shows no inclination to reflect upon his own role in what transpired.
In the aftermath of this scandal, Jonny unexpectedly introduces a new business opportunity, one that will take them far from Scotland to Iceland - a place that is so remote and unpopulated that it feels like they have reached the ends of the earth. In this venture, Jonny seeks to establish saltworks using convicts for hard labour.
The novel unfolds from the perspectives of Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd. Eliza is a salt serf, subject to servitude, but with a forthright and independent spirit that will not be broken. Hallgerd is an astute businesswoman based in Iceland. All three women come from very different walks of life, yet they each find themselves coping with circumstances shaped by greedy, power-hungry men.
In addition to each woman’s first-person narrative, the inclusion of Florrie’s diary entries adds an intimately personal dimension to the story. Foster is skilled at creating characters who feel vibrant and full of life. Her handling of the characters' development created a compelling narrative which showed how the women were transformed by their experiences, especially in the case of Florrie who is initially so self-absorbed and selfish.
If you enjoyed Kate Foster’s The Mourning Necklace, you must read The Repentants, another standout work of character-driven historical fiction.
Thank you to Mantle and NetGalley for sharing an eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
In the aftermath of this scandal, Jonny unexpectedly introduces a new business opportunity, one that will take them far from Scotland to Iceland - a place that is so remote and unpopulated that it feels like they have reached the ends of the earth. In this venture, Jonny seeks to establish saltworks using convicts for hard labour.
The novel unfolds from the perspectives of Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd. Eliza is a salt serf, subject to servitude, but with a forthright and independent spirit that will not be broken. Hallgerd is an astute businesswoman based in Iceland. All three women come from very different walks of life, yet they each find themselves coping with circumstances shaped by greedy, power-hungry men.
In addition to each woman’s first-person narrative, the inclusion of Florrie’s diary entries adds an intimately personal dimension to the story. Foster is skilled at creating characters who feel vibrant and full of life. Her handling of the characters' development created a compelling narrative which showed how the women were transformed by their experiences, especially in the case of Florrie who is initially so self-absorbed and selfish.
If you enjoyed Kate Foster’s The Mourning Necklace, you must read The Repentants, another standout work of character-driven historical fiction.
Thank you to Mantle and NetGalley for sharing an eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2026
Kate Foster’s fourth novel sees her return to real-life historical events for inspiration. This time, her story is based on attempts by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a potential remote prison for the British Empire at the end of the eighteenth century.
Foster has fast developed a style all her own. Her historical fiction novels have a feminist sensibility with the tension of a thriller and a bawdy slant to their propulsive plots.
The Repentants opens in St Monans on the Fife coast in 1790. Two women have been forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. These women are drawn together by their mutual humiliation. Then rich housewife Florrie’s merchant husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland and bring fellow repentant Eliza with them as her maid.
As was the case in The Maiden, almost every single male in the novel proves to be ‘a wrong ‘un’, motivated by self interest and greed or an opportunity to get their leg over. They rarely get away with it though, and Foster chooses to give us satisfactory conclusions where some of them, at least, do get their just deserts.
It was salt serf turned maid Eliza who I found myself rooting for the most. She’s sweary, down to earth and sharp-witted, reminding me of prostitute Violet in Foster’s debut novel The Maiden. I also came to admire Hallgerd, the third female in this triangle of entrapment who enters the story in Iceland. Hallgerd does have a greater degree of agency as well as being smart, stoic and wealthy but she is also disenfranchised.
There were perhaps a few too many plot conveniences in this story but I still found it a genuinely enjoyable page-turner. Foster creates a strong sense of place and time, painting with a broad brush that never feels overdone or too weighed down by extraneous detail.
I’d recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction who favour a page turner and enjoy a good pacy thriller.
Foster has fast developed a style all her own. Her historical fiction novels have a feminist sensibility with the tension of a thriller and a bawdy slant to their propulsive plots.
The Repentants opens in St Monans on the Fife coast in 1790. Two women have been forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. These women are drawn together by their mutual humiliation. Then rich housewife Florrie’s merchant husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland and bring fellow repentant Eliza with them as her maid.
As was the case in The Maiden, almost every single male in the novel proves to be ‘a wrong ‘un’, motivated by self interest and greed or an opportunity to get their leg over. They rarely get away with it though, and Foster chooses to give us satisfactory conclusions where some of them, at least, do get their just deserts.
It was salt serf turned maid Eliza who I found myself rooting for the most. She’s sweary, down to earth and sharp-witted, reminding me of prostitute Violet in Foster’s debut novel The Maiden. I also came to admire Hallgerd, the third female in this triangle of entrapment who enters the story in Iceland. Hallgerd does have a greater degree of agency as well as being smart, stoic and wealthy but she is also disenfranchised.
There were perhaps a few too many plot conveniences in this story but I still found it a genuinely enjoyable page-turner. Foster creates a strong sense of place and time, painting with a broad brush that never feels overdone or too weighed down by extraneous detail.
I’d recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction who favour a page turner and enjoy a good pacy thriller.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Repentants is a stark, beautifully crafted historical novel that lingers long after you close the final page. Kate Foster has a remarkable ability to take a sliver of overlooked history and turn it into something visceral, intimate, and quietly devastating—and this story of two women bound by shame, circumstance, and survival is no exception.
Set in 1790s Scotland, the novel opens with Florrie and Eliza—two women from opposite ends of society—forced to publicly repent for their “sins.” The humiliation they endure is palpable, but what follows is even more compelling: an unlikely bond forged in the aftermath of their punishment. Foster captures their dynamic with nuance and tenderness, allowing their friendship to grow in the cracks left by cruelty and constraint.
The journey to Iceland is where the novel truly takes flight. The isolation, the stark beauty of the landscape, and the creeping sense of danger create a tense, atmospheric backdrop. When Florrie’s husband reveals his chilling plan to abandon her there, the story shifts into a gripping tale of betrayal and survival. And as Florrie turns to Eliza for help, the novel’s emotional core deepens—because trust, in this world, is both precious and perilous.
Foster’s writing is elegant and immersive, rich with historical detail yet never weighed down by it. She explores power, class, and the brutal limitations placed on women with a sharp, empathetic eye. The fact that the story is inspired by real attempts to annex Iceland as a remote prison makes it all the more haunting.
A chilling, beautifully told novel about resilience, loyalty, and the dangerous bargains women have been forced to make throughout history. Fans of The Maiden will find this just as gripping—and just as unforgettable.
With thanks to Kate Foster, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Set in 1790s Scotland, the novel opens with Florrie and Eliza—two women from opposite ends of society—forced to publicly repent for their “sins.” The humiliation they endure is palpable, but what follows is even more compelling: an unlikely bond forged in the aftermath of their punishment. Foster captures their dynamic with nuance and tenderness, allowing their friendship to grow in the cracks left by cruelty and constraint.
The journey to Iceland is where the novel truly takes flight. The isolation, the stark beauty of the landscape, and the creeping sense of danger create a tense, atmospheric backdrop. When Florrie’s husband reveals his chilling plan to abandon her there, the story shifts into a gripping tale of betrayal and survival. And as Florrie turns to Eliza for help, the novel’s emotional core deepens—because trust, in this world, is both precious and perilous.
Foster’s writing is elegant and immersive, rich with historical detail yet never weighed down by it. She explores power, class, and the brutal limitations placed on women with a sharp, empathetic eye. The fact that the story is inspired by real attempts to annex Iceland as a remote prison makes it all the more haunting.
A chilling, beautifully told novel about resilience, loyalty, and the dangerous bargains women have been forced to make throughout history. Fans of The Maiden will find this just as gripping—and just as unforgettable.
With thanks to Kate Foster, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
June 11, 2026
I will read anything Kate Foster writes as I love her Scottish-centred historical fiction with strong women battling societal expectation at their core, though her new book The Repentants is a little different, with fully fictional characters rather than ones based on real women, but with a plot inspired by real life events.
The story begins in the East Neuk of Fife where two very different women are forced to publicly repent, Florrie for adultery and Eliza for breaching the sabbath. What follows takes them both from Scotland to Iceland with Eliza forced to work as Florrie's maid - where far from home and in unforgiving territory they realise for different reasons they both need to escape from the clutches of Florrie's husband Jonny. And we are introduced to a third woman - Icelandic native Hallgerd, who with an absent husband, also has battles to fight in a truly male-dominated world. They may all come from different worlds but what unites them is their lack of control over their own lives.
Once again Foster has created some wonderfully drawn characters - the women are very distinct individuals who are not always likeable but as we come to know them you cannot help feel some sympathy for them as they battle to take charge of their own lives - and form an initially somewhat fragile alliance in an attempt to do so.
There are plenty of twists in a story full of intrigue and the harsh Icelandic landscape adds an atmospheric backdrop as the women band together to battle some truly odious men. I found myself inwardly cheering as the women find a way to come out on top!
What Foster does so well is embed fascinating historical detail into an immersive and atmospheric story of resilience where both characters and location are wonderfully brought to life. Another great read from a fabulous author.
The story begins in the East Neuk of Fife where two very different women are forced to publicly repent, Florrie for adultery and Eliza for breaching the sabbath. What follows takes them both from Scotland to Iceland with Eliza forced to work as Florrie's maid - where far from home and in unforgiving territory they realise for different reasons they both need to escape from the clutches of Florrie's husband Jonny. And we are introduced to a third woman - Icelandic native Hallgerd, who with an absent husband, also has battles to fight in a truly male-dominated world. They may all come from different worlds but what unites them is their lack of control over their own lives.
Once again Foster has created some wonderfully drawn characters - the women are very distinct individuals who are not always likeable but as we come to know them you cannot help feel some sympathy for them as they battle to take charge of their own lives - and form an initially somewhat fragile alliance in an attempt to do so.
There are plenty of twists in a story full of intrigue and the harsh Icelandic landscape adds an atmospheric backdrop as the women band together to battle some truly odious men. I found myself inwardly cheering as the women find a way to come out on top!
What Foster does so well is embed fascinating historical detail into an immersive and atmospheric story of resilience where both characters and location are wonderfully brought to life. Another great read from a fabulous author.
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