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Franės Langton išpažintis
Bet kuri kalėjimo žiurkė jums pasakytų, kad kiekviename nusikaltime yra bent dvi istorijos, ir teismas Senajame Beilyje – tai nusikaltimo, o ne nusikaltėlio istorija.
Pastarąją papasakoti galiu tik aš.
1826-ieji, Londonas įsiaudrinęs. Prie Senojo Beilio teismo renkasi minios pažiūrėti į Franę Langton, buvusią pono ir ponios Benhamų tarnaitę, kaltinamą jų nužudymu. Liudytojai negailestingi – ragana, paleistuvė, suvedžiotoja, žudikė. Mulatė Žudikė.
Tai gali būti tiesa. Bet – tai nėra visa tiesa.
Pirmą kartą gyvenime Franė privalo papasakoti savo istoriją. Apie tai, kaip Jamaikos plantacijoje maža juodžių mergaitė išmoko skaityti, o paauglė tapo šiurpių šeimininko eksperimentų pagalbininke. Apie įvykius, atvedusius ją į Londoną, į Benhamų namus, ir vėliau iš tų namų išvijusius.
Franė Langton gali papasakoti viską, tačiau neįstengia nieko prisiminti apie tą lemtingą naktį. Ar ji galėjo nužudyti žmogų, kurį vienintelį kada nors mylėjo?
Per opijaus rūke skendinčius damų kambarius ir vidurnakčio tamsoje pasislėpusius skersgatvius Costa pirmojo romano premija apdovanota „Franės Langton išpažintis" veda skaitytoją į paslaptingą karaliaus Jurgio laikų Londoną.
Pastarąją papasakoti galiu tik aš.
1826-ieji, Londonas įsiaudrinęs. Prie Senojo Beilio teismo renkasi minios pažiūrėti į Franę Langton, buvusią pono ir ponios Benhamų tarnaitę, kaltinamą jų nužudymu. Liudytojai negailestingi – ragana, paleistuvė, suvedžiotoja, žudikė. Mulatė Žudikė.
Tai gali būti tiesa. Bet – tai nėra visa tiesa.
Pirmą kartą gyvenime Franė privalo papasakoti savo istoriją. Apie tai, kaip Jamaikos plantacijoje maža juodžių mergaitė išmoko skaityti, o paauglė tapo šiurpių šeimininko eksperimentų pagalbininke. Apie įvykius, atvedusius ją į Londoną, į Benhamų namus, ir vėliau iš tų namų išvijusius.
Franė Langton gali papasakoti viską, tačiau neįstengia nieko prisiminti apie tą lemtingą naktį. Ar ji galėjo nužudyti žmogų, kurį vienintelį kada nors mylėjo?
Per opijaus rūke skendinčius damų kambarius ir vidurnakčio tamsoje pasislėpusius skersgatvius Costa pirmojo romano premija apdovanota „Franės Langton išpažintis" veda skaitytoją į paslaptingą karaliaus Jurgio laikų Londoną.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2019
1785 people are currently reading
33337 people want to read
About the author
Sara Collins
3 books399 followersSara Collins is of Jamaican descent. She studied law at the London School of Economics and worked as a lawyer for seventeen years before doing a Master of Studies in Creative Writing at Cambridge University, where she was the recipient of the 2015 Michael Holroyd Prize for Creative Writing. She lives in London, England. The Confessions of Frannie Langton is her debut novel, and was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,452 reviews
May 18, 2023
No one knows the worst thing they’re capable of until they do it.--------------------------------------
I never would have done what they say I’ve done, to Madame, because I loved her. Yet they say I must be put to death for it, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t believe I’ve done?London, 1826. We know that George and Marguerite Benham are dead. We know that their mulatta Jamaica servant, Frannie Langton, has been charged with two counts of murder and is facing trial at the Old Bailey. We know that Frannie was reputed to have had a particularly intimate relationship with the Missus. And we know that Frannie was found asleep in Mrs. Benham’s bed when her mistress’s bloody body was found. We know that Frannie has refused to speak in her own defense. What we do not know is what really happened. Frannie herself can only recall parts of it. From her cell, she writes her story for her barrister, her confession.
I really wanted to write a gothic novel because I feel that the gothic is an amazing form for writing about the hidden darkness beneath the surface of things and all the terrors that we’d rather not speak about. - from the Foyles video
“I wanted a Jamaican woman in Jane Austen territory,” she says. “I wanted to see what would happen to someone like Frannie making her presence felt in these sophisticated Georgian drawing rooms.” - from the Guardian interview
Sara Collins - image from Harper
This is not the sort of Gothic novel that deals in things supernatural, although it does deal in unspeakable abominations. There is, of course, darkness aplenty, solely in the consideration of the degradation of slavery, unadorned. The depths to which some might go to rationalize their positions in this peculiar institution adds a level of awfulness. There is no need for spectres or phantasms when the realities are so grim. But there is plenty of mystery and suspense. Overwrought emotion is also on full display, with Frannie having plenty of reasons to be concerned about her safety, and Marguerite adding a similar set of worries. Distress? Persistent. And you have your choice of powerful, tyrannical males making life miserable, with Langton in Jamaica and Benham in London. No secret passageways, sorry.
Frannie recalls her days as a slave in Jamaica, her upbringing under the guidance of the maternal Phibbah, a source of wisdom and advice, and a nifty substitute for the usual gothic omens and portents. When young Frannie shows an interest in books, Mis-bella, the lady of the house (or cane plantation) teaches her to read. When his usual set of extra hands becomes unavailable, Langton uses her as an assistant for his work in The Coach House. Cue thunder and lightning. The building is shrouded in mystery. We know only that Langton is engaged in scientific (well, probably not, as his work involved, at least, phrenology) experiments there, and Frannie helps with record-keeping and we know not what else. We know that the experiments have to do with race, and that, whatever he is up to, Langton has lost the support of his main sponsor. So, nicely ticking most of the gothic boxes. I saw things in that coach house that I can’t stop seeing now. But worse than the things I saw are the things I did.
Two women face the bindings of different forms of subjugation, the placing of heavy weights on their spirits until, it is expected, all hope will be crushed. But is it not a wonderful thing for a Jamaican slave to be brought to London where she becomes a lady’s maid? And is it not a boon for a young high-spirited French emigre of modest means to be married to one of the shining scientific lights of the age? Well, maybe not, if either wants to retain dominion over her own thoughts and interests. One of the great strengths of this novel is how powerfully it portrays the parallels between slavery and women’s role in marriage in the Georgian era. Where I come from, there’s more than one way a man gives you his name. He marries you or he buys you. In some places that is the same thing, and they call it a dowry… Frannie and Marguerite’s relationship offers the romantic element of the novel. It is riveting while not particularly graphic, and is more effective for that.
Collins makes regular use of literary references, particularly Gothic litrefs to underscore the themes of the book. The Castle of Otranto, widely recognized as the first gothic novel, is mentioned, highlighting Frannie’s perilous state. Frankenstein comes in for a mention as well. What did you make of me? A patchwork monster. A thing sewn from Langton’s parts. Will Frannie, like Frankenstein’s monster, turn on her maker? Her interest in reading certainly parallels the big guy’s, as does her loneliness. Like him, she wants to learn, grow intellectually, be accepted. Non gothic writings are referenced as well. Repeated mentions of Moll Flanders alert us to the fact that sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to stay alive in this world, Newgate Prison offering another link between Frannie and Moll. Voltaire’s Candide comes in for multiple mentions as well, no doubt a reminder to keep unwarranted optimism at bay.
Particular attention is paid to memory and the question of what lies beneath the surface. …the mind is its own place, as Milton said, it can make a Hell of Heaven and a Heaven of Hell. How does it do that? By remembering, or forgetting. The only tricks a mind can play. I expect the mind can manage a wider range, but Frannie’s memory is definitely fragile as to the events leading up to her employers’ deaths. Dying men don’t just dwell on the past: they invent it. Langton, seeking to justify his slave-holding, has a particular concern with race, skin color, and where the outward appearances may or may not manifest below the skin. It is eminently clear that the respectability worn on the outside by many bears little resemblance to the corruption beneath. Frannie’s education and intelligence are invisible to any who see only her profession(s) and outward appearance.
All is craft alone, however magnificently written, in the absence of characters we can care about (and in some instances boo and hiss at) Fear not. You will love Frannie. She is as lovingly developed a lead as you could possibly hope for, rich with history, introspection, courage, smarts, and passion. You may find yourself, over the course of the book thinking, “If this girl killed those people, they surely must have had it coming.” Marguerite is also beautifully drawn. Although a much less appealing person than Frannie, she is a bright light in a dark place, also attempting to find her way through a life in which she is not allowed be her true self.
This is one of the best novels I have read this year. Not only does it address the timeless subject of slavery, it does so in a way that points out that it was not only black people who were treated as objects. The parallel between Frannie and Marguerite is magnificently realized, making us see the chains that hold them both, and see how they struggle or succumb, pointing both to a common fate. Not having been around in 1826, (I just seem that old) I could not say if the presentation of the time was real or not, but it certainly felt real from this perch in the 21st C. Collins has a remarkable gift for language that is as sweet as the subject matter is sour. (I was wearing out my ancient fingers transcribing quotes from the book, only a few of which have found their way into this review.) It is entertaining and riveting. The reveals are satisfying, the twists effective. The Confessions of Frannie Langton, one of the best books of 2019, is a magnificent achievement. YOU MUST READ THIS!!!
Review first posted – May 17, 2019
Publication date
----------May 21, 2019- Hardcover
----------May 26, 2020 - Trade Paperback
2019 - The Confessions of Frannie Langton wins the Costa Book Awards Best First Novel Award
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s Instagram, Twitter and GR pages
Items of Interest
-----Harper Books- Sara Collins on her debut novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON - Collins talks about loving period fiction and wanting to see a black character in a gothic romance
-----Foyles - The Confessions of Frannie Langton: Sara Collins on researching her debut novel
I really wanted to write a gothic novel because I feel that the gothic is an amazing form for writing about the hidden darkness beneath the surface of things and all the terrors that we’d rather not speak about. I found in the course of researching it there were all these sinister experiments that had been taking place since the early seventeenth century, starting with skin, but through the centuries moving to measuring skulls and brains and intelligence which seemed to me to reflect a lot of obsession of other races, and so I wanted to explore that but I also wanted to look at the ways in which many of the upper class women in Georgian society were oppressed as well, and marriage was one of the key tools for that.-----Shelfie with Sara Collins - On books that inspired her
-----Lithub - Gothic Themes Bring Us Together - by Catherine Cavendish - A fun piece for fans of gothic literature, with excellent recommendations
Books mentioned in the novel, on Gutenberg
-----The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
-----Mathilda by Mary Shelley – on Gutenberg – This novella is mentioned in the book, but it was not actually published until 1959, so the characters are unlikely to have had access to it.
-----Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
-----Candide by Voltaire
December 2, 2018
London, circa 1820, and servant Frannie Langton is on trial accused of murdering her Master and Mistress. The problem is that she can’t remember anything about that fateful night, however, she can’t believe that she’d murder her mistress, she loved her too much to hurt her, didn’t she?
Frannie has come a long way since her days as a slave on the sugar plantation in Jamaica, not just in terms of geographical distance but in terms of her life’s journey too. This complex character wears many labels - slave, servant, Lady’s companion, whore, addict, and now murderess! For a former slave, Frannie definitely bucks the trend, not only being able to read and write, but being blessed with a sharp and inquisitive mind too.
Incarcerated in Newgate prison awaiting trial, Frannie passes the days writing her life story, and it’s here that we’re transported back to the sultry heat of Jamaica and the cruelty that is part and parcel of a sugar plantation before the abolition of slavery, and it has to be said that Frannie plays her part in this cruelty too! What a massive change awaited her in London, not only the cold damp weather and notorious fogs that created an ethereal world of murk and mystery, but she had to acclimatise to a whole new culture that was literally a world away from her former life.
This is a well written historical whodunnit that brings early 19th century London deliciously to life. The characters were quite complex, none more so than Frannie. She’s many women in one form. The narrative (though slow at times) was compelling - playing on one’s curiosity to discover where this journey was going and more importantly who was responsible for the murders. Murders that place Frannie Langton very much in the frame. But did she do it or did she not? My lips are sealed!
*Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books UK, Viking for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Frannie has come a long way since her days as a slave on the sugar plantation in Jamaica, not just in terms of geographical distance but in terms of her life’s journey too. This complex character wears many labels - slave, servant, Lady’s companion, whore, addict, and now murderess! For a former slave, Frannie definitely bucks the trend, not only being able to read and write, but being blessed with a sharp and inquisitive mind too.
Incarcerated in Newgate prison awaiting trial, Frannie passes the days writing her life story, and it’s here that we’re transported back to the sultry heat of Jamaica and the cruelty that is part and parcel of a sugar plantation before the abolition of slavery, and it has to be said that Frannie plays her part in this cruelty too! What a massive change awaited her in London, not only the cold damp weather and notorious fogs that created an ethereal world of murk and mystery, but she had to acclimatise to a whole new culture that was literally a world away from her former life.
This is a well written historical whodunnit that brings early 19th century London deliciously to life. The characters were quite complex, none more so than Frannie. She’s many women in one form. The narrative (though slow at times) was compelling - playing on one’s curiosity to discover where this journey was going and more importantly who was responsible for the murders. Murders that place Frannie Langton very much in the frame. But did she do it or did she not? My lips are sealed!
*Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books UK, Viking for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
February 24, 2020
I appreciated the dark gothic tone of this story, and there were so many lines I wrote down because they were beautifully written. Here's one of my favorites: "I think the point of reading is not to feel more of a part of the world, but less. To take oneself out of it. On paper, everything can be hammered into shape, though the world is shapeless." This book definitely isn’t for everyone since it can be quite slow, but I still liked the prose even though the journey moved at a crawling pace. I wish the ending had been more emotionally satisfying or at least give a punch in the gut.
May 13, 2019
'The Confessions of Frannie Langton' is an unusual book, some critics call it even a true gothic novel, and it is all due to the protagonist, Frannie, and the fate that led her to the gallows. Her life is brutal ,cruel and tragic, beginning on a plantation called Paradise in the West Indies, where she experiences most horrid treatment and is a witness and a forced party to the cruellest experiments by Paradise owner, but where she is taught to read, which makes her a most unique 'mulatta', and later in London, where she is given as a servant ( slavery was illegal by then in Great Britain) to a fashionable Georgian couple in London who are not what they seem to be. Regarding Frannie, she is one of the most disturbing characters I have met recently, which is due to the way she was shaped by her childhood and adolecent years on the plantation, however, I did relate to her through her suffering and dark experience to which she had no say. Her life in London and the spirit of independence and even arrogance is portrayed brilliantly. The novel is written in a form of a confession, which is a deliberate bow towards Rousseau's 'Confessions' which Frannie stumbles upon at the plantation owner’s house, and they are told at a slow pace at the moment when Frannie is already a prisoner and gradually reveal what she would probably like to keep just to herself. This types of narration does generate suspense throughout the whole novel. Apart from the narration, vivid descriptions of the Georgian times, including the trial proceedings, the fate of former slaves, daily drugery of the lowly and even the houses of the ill-repute are exquisite. It was a truly unputdownable read for me.
*A big thank-you to Sara Collins, Harper Collins Publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish in exchange for my honest review.*
*A big thank-you to Sara Collins, Harper Collins Publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish in exchange for my honest review.*
October 25, 2022
“They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don't believe I've done?”
It’s 1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning - slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.
The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a richly detailed historical novel. Frannie’s story is one of hardship, difference, strength, love and sadness. Frannie is a very well developed character with a distinctive voice which stays with you. Her confessions are brutally honest and truthful. I genuinely felt like I knew her by the end of the story. There are so many themes in this book, slavery, murder, betrayal, jealousy, love. As a debut novel this was stunning. A wonderful pick by my book club.
Highly Recommend.
It’s 1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning - slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.
The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a richly detailed historical novel. Frannie’s story is one of hardship, difference, strength, love and sadness. Frannie is a very well developed character with a distinctive voice which stays with you. Her confessions are brutally honest and truthful. I genuinely felt like I knew her by the end of the story. There are so many themes in this book, slavery, murder, betrayal, jealousy, love. As a debut novel this was stunning. A wonderful pick by my book club.
Highly Recommend.
July 23, 2019
Update: this is a steal for $1.99!!!
Terrific- well written thought provoking novel. It’s a fairy new release ... great kindle price!
“Noir fiction is a literary genre closely related to hardboiled genre, with distinction that the protagonist is not a detective, but instead either a victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. Other common characteristics include a self destructive protagonist”.
Frannie Langton, (mulatta, house-girl on a sugar plantation in Jamaica to a bought slave, ‘Abigail’/Secretary....in 1820’s, London)....
fits the *noir’ description to a ‘t’.
She’s accused of murdering her employers, George Benham and his wife Marguerite.....
a victim, a suspect, a perpetrator....and at times is self destructive.
We love the many layers of Frannie Langton... (literate, strong-like-bull-courageous - doubtful - angry - witty)....
but cards are stacked against her. Frannie was a a slave. She was black/mulatta. She was a woman. She loved a privileged white woman. She was accused of a double murder.
LIFE COULD NOT BE MORE IMPOSSIBLY DEVASTATING....
Freedom, power, and dignity stripped away from birth.
An unfathomable horrific life ahead....
Frannie’s salvation to suffering was reading and love.
Seriously- if there was ever an antidote to suffering....
‘love & reading’ was the best ‘soul-surviving’ way to quietly experience joy within bleak circumstances.....
Reading - and then love - was Frannie’s greatest self-medicating-gift.
Sara Collins packs a punch ....
Noir, historical fiction, gothic, murder thriller mystery, horrific science inquiry-experiment to examine black inferiority- slavery, race, class, women, drug addiction, prejudice, arrogance, righteousness, sadness, grief, frustration, confusion, anger, guilt, injustice, intrigue, courage, lies, forbidden relations, romance, passion, love, desire, adultery, sex,
a courtroom trial in London, with journal entries, testimonies from witnesses,
and a gripping ‘life’ confession - not just what happened the night of the brutal murders - but a full-life-story from
Frannie Langton written to her lawyer representative.
I mean...WOW!!! This is a debut?/!!!!!!
Captivated from the start to the end... a few sluggish challenges for me in the middle section slowed down my reading -
but....
I’ve been obsessively thinking about this novel for a couple of days...
( had several conversations with my husband)...
I’ve only read one other review of this novel so far.
All I remember was that Bonnie was blown away!!
Well... me too!!!
The WRITING is gorgeous- thought provoking fascinating - with good and evil characters.
Frannie writes:
“My mind races. It’s my own self I’m trying to outrun.
When I reach inside, there’s nothing. That trick, somewhere between remembering and forgetting - the only refuge I have left”.
Frannie writes ( about Meg.. Marguerite/Madame of the house in London)....
“We were happy, no matter what is said about it now, no matter that they’re saying it was me who broke her happiness, and broke her. As soon as I write that, as soon as I even think it, my hand trembles. I must stop here. I fear I’ll dig this nib through that paper, to keep from turning it on myself”.
In the 1820’s....
“Every black in London was either a maid or a whore or a prizefighter”.
George Benham speaking:
“Women focus on what they lack, men and what they want. In all those Bible stories, it’s always the women who look back, who eat the forbidden fruit, who weep over hollow wombs, and fruitful ones. Yearning is always a woman’s sin”. The men never turn around, nor ever think twice about taking a knife - or a cross- to their own longed-for-sons”.
It was men like George... that had Frannie’s anger rise. We can feel the gut- wrenching hostility Frannie feels for that wicked man...
something she shares in common with Meg Beham/his wife.
“I was angry, yes”.
“The real madness would have been if I had not been angry”.
Great descriptions:
“Flashes of silk, among the black suits, like oil on water. Ladies in their dresses, gentlemen in their tails. Here were people the world tells us to admire. I pictured their tinkling laughter choked off by the fear of being whipped, like dogs.
Standing in the kind of heat that closes your throat, glancing up at a sun that might kill”.
Books were Frannie’s companion. She was grateful she could learn ‘something’ no matter how she came to do so.
“It was a way to know that lives could ‘change’, that they could be filled with adventures.! There were times I pretended I was a lady in a novel or a romance myself. It might sound foolish. But it made me feel a part of a world that otherwise I can never belong to.”
Guilt, feelings of unworthiness, and anger were ‘tied-emotions’ Frannie lived with. At times she was her own worse enemy.
“I felt myself tipping forward, my throat clogged with anger, thick and dry as cotton. I let it swell inside. I welcomed it. Into the silence tipped the truth: my anger was aimed at ‘myself’”.
....Atmospheric novel!
....Monster Slave owners...
....A very different kind of slavery story....
....First person narrative...
....Thrilling mystery....
....Frannie is a character worth remembering. Fact is - she is hard to forget.
4.5 stars!
Terrific- well written thought provoking novel. It’s a fairy new release ... great kindle price!
“Noir fiction is a literary genre closely related to hardboiled genre, with distinction that the protagonist is not a detective, but instead either a victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. Other common characteristics include a self destructive protagonist”.
Frannie Langton, (mulatta, house-girl on a sugar plantation in Jamaica to a bought slave, ‘Abigail’/Secretary....in 1820’s, London)....
fits the *noir’ description to a ‘t’.
She’s accused of murdering her employers, George Benham and his wife Marguerite.....
a victim, a suspect, a perpetrator....and at times is self destructive.
We love the many layers of Frannie Langton... (literate, strong-like-bull-courageous - doubtful - angry - witty)....
but cards are stacked against her. Frannie was a a slave. She was black/mulatta. She was a woman. She loved a privileged white woman. She was accused of a double murder.
LIFE COULD NOT BE MORE IMPOSSIBLY DEVASTATING....
Freedom, power, and dignity stripped away from birth.
An unfathomable horrific life ahead....
Frannie’s salvation to suffering was reading and love.
Seriously- if there was ever an antidote to suffering....
‘love & reading’ was the best ‘soul-surviving’ way to quietly experience joy within bleak circumstances.....
Reading - and then love - was Frannie’s greatest self-medicating-gift.
Sara Collins packs a punch ....
Noir, historical fiction, gothic, murder thriller mystery, horrific science inquiry-experiment to examine black inferiority- slavery, race, class, women, drug addiction, prejudice, arrogance, righteousness, sadness, grief, frustration, confusion, anger, guilt, injustice, intrigue, courage, lies, forbidden relations, romance, passion, love, desire, adultery, sex,
a courtroom trial in London, with journal entries, testimonies from witnesses,
and a gripping ‘life’ confession - not just what happened the night of the brutal murders - but a full-life-story from
Frannie Langton written to her lawyer representative.
I mean...WOW!!! This is a debut?/!!!!!!
Captivated from the start to the end... a few sluggish challenges for me in the middle section slowed down my reading -
but....
I’ve been obsessively thinking about this novel for a couple of days...
( had several conversations with my husband)...
I’ve only read one other review of this novel so far.
All I remember was that Bonnie was blown away!!
Well... me too!!!
The WRITING is gorgeous- thought provoking fascinating - with good and evil characters.
Frannie writes:
“My mind races. It’s my own self I’m trying to outrun.
When I reach inside, there’s nothing. That trick, somewhere between remembering and forgetting - the only refuge I have left”.
Frannie writes ( about Meg.. Marguerite/Madame of the house in London)....
“We were happy, no matter what is said about it now, no matter that they’re saying it was me who broke her happiness, and broke her. As soon as I write that, as soon as I even think it, my hand trembles. I must stop here. I fear I’ll dig this nib through that paper, to keep from turning it on myself”.
In the 1820’s....
“Every black in London was either a maid or a whore or a prizefighter”.
George Benham speaking:
“Women focus on what they lack, men and what they want. In all those Bible stories, it’s always the women who look back, who eat the forbidden fruit, who weep over hollow wombs, and fruitful ones. Yearning is always a woman’s sin”. The men never turn around, nor ever think twice about taking a knife - or a cross- to their own longed-for-sons”.
It was men like George... that had Frannie’s anger rise. We can feel the gut- wrenching hostility Frannie feels for that wicked man...
something she shares in common with Meg Beham/his wife.
“I was angry, yes”.
“The real madness would have been if I had not been angry”.
Great descriptions:
“Flashes of silk, among the black suits, like oil on water. Ladies in their dresses, gentlemen in their tails. Here were people the world tells us to admire. I pictured their tinkling laughter choked off by the fear of being whipped, like dogs.
Standing in the kind of heat that closes your throat, glancing up at a sun that might kill”.
Books were Frannie’s companion. She was grateful she could learn ‘something’ no matter how she came to do so.
“It was a way to know that lives could ‘change’, that they could be filled with adventures.! There were times I pretended I was a lady in a novel or a romance myself. It might sound foolish. But it made me feel a part of a world that otherwise I can never belong to.”
Guilt, feelings of unworthiness, and anger were ‘tied-emotions’ Frannie lived with. At times she was her own worse enemy.
“I felt myself tipping forward, my throat clogged with anger, thick and dry as cotton. I let it swell inside. I welcomed it. Into the silence tipped the truth: my anger was aimed at ‘myself’”.
....Atmospheric novel!
....Monster Slave owners...
....A very different kind of slavery story....
....First person narrative...
....Thrilling mystery....
....Frannie is a character worth remembering. Fact is - she is hard to forget.
4.5 stars!
December 24, 2020
Well Frannie Langton, I too have a confession to make. I thought this book was incredibly bland, and it was certainly nothing special. I felt like the plot had been written before, and apart from the beautiful cover, there wasn't much that I actually liked.
The plot was confusing, as well as disjointed. I felt like Collins didn't know where exactly she wanted to take this story, and for me, it just didn't work.
The characters were not developed adequately enough, and I just didn't care about any of their fates. The lesbian affair was way too predicable, and there wasn't anything exciting about it. I usually love historical fiction, but for a debut book, I am left pretty disappointed.
The plot was confusing, as well as disjointed. I felt like Collins didn't know where exactly she wanted to take this story, and for me, it just didn't work.
The characters were not developed adequately enough, and I just didn't care about any of their fates. The lesbian affair was way too predicable, and there wasn't anything exciting about it. I usually love historical fiction, but for a debut book, I am left pretty disappointed.
March 28, 2019
Here we go again with this year’s virtue-signalling themes. Slavery, sexual abuse, gender identity, aren’t men awful, no wonder women are driven to lesbianism and dressing up as men. It wouldn’t be so bad if this kind of loose victim-lit wasn’t quite so incoherent. Is lesbianism really a result of men being horrible, nasty rapists and abusers? I’m guessing if one suggested that outright, one would be shouted down, and rightly so, so surely authors who’re desperately trying to make points, should think through the points they’re inadvertently making. I am so tired of literary misandry, and of feminists who think misogyny is bad but misandry’s just fine.
This is the second book I’ve begun this year which rests on the idea of a slave being educated by his or her master to assist in scientific experiments. I find it highly unlikely that Frannie could gain the equivalent of what seems like a graduate-level education in literature, philosophy and anthropology from reading a few books and talking to her drunken, abusive owner, but let it go.
Then we get to Victorian London, where of course by recent literary convention all women defy their restricted circumstances by having lesbian relationships, and/or dressing up in men’s clothes. But let that go too. That this particular lesbian relationship is between a white gentlewoman and her mulatto maid... OK, it’s stretching now, but let it go. That the attraction is because of their shared love for Milton and for feminist literature – oh, come on! Give me a break!
Abandoned at 34% for not being about an ex-slave accused of murdering her employers as promised in the blurb, and instead being a mish-mash of all today’s liberal concerns re-hashed yet again so we can all wallow deliciously in our virtuous guilt. With added titillation. How I long for a story set in Victorian London that actually feels like Victorian London. I guess the only thing to do is to go back to reading books by actual Victorian Londoners...
This is the second book I’ve begun this year which rests on the idea of a slave being educated by his or her master to assist in scientific experiments. I find it highly unlikely that Frannie could gain the equivalent of what seems like a graduate-level education in literature, philosophy and anthropology from reading a few books and talking to her drunken, abusive owner, but let it go.
Then we get to Victorian London, where of course by recent literary convention all women defy their restricted circumstances by having lesbian relationships, and/or dressing up in men’s clothes. But let that go too. That this particular lesbian relationship is between a white gentlewoman and her mulatto maid... OK, it’s stretching now, but let it go. That the attraction is because of their shared love for Milton and for feminist literature – oh, come on! Give me a break!
Abandoned at 34% for not being about an ex-slave accused of murdering her employers as promised in the blurb, and instead being a mish-mash of all today’s liberal concerns re-hashed yet again so we can all wallow deliciously in our virtuous guilt. With added titillation. How I long for a story set in Victorian London that actually feels like Victorian London. I guess the only thing to do is to go back to reading books by actual Victorian Londoners...
April 16, 2019
You can never be free of the inner workings of your mind. It travels well within those tiny crevices no matter the miles.
Sara Collins sets her story down among the fields of Plantation Paradise in Jamaica in 1825. Don't be misled. This is hardly a paradise. The owners see to that at every turn. John Langton and his wife, Miss Bella, run their plantation with an iron fist. Miss Bella is ill-suited for life in Jamaica. The intense heat, the random storms, and the complete isolation will spark her temper and shorten her patience. Nothing seems to be worthy of her time. Not even her husband.
But John Langton bides his time in unseemly endeavors. How unseemly? You're about to find out.
We will meet Frannie, a young mulatto girl, who will soon leave the hard work of the sugar cane fields to enter into the inner workings of the household. It's here that Frannie will be enlightened by Phibbah who cautions her into following the set rules. Frannie has no idea of how demanding her new position will be. Out of curiosity and boredom, Miss Bella will teach Frannie how to read even though it is against the law. Frannie begins to stitch small stolen books into the hem of her dresses. Reading becomes a form of escape.
After a fire badly burns the sugar cane fields, John Langton decides to take Frannie to London with him. She follows behind him in the crowded streets imagining how easily she could get lost among the people and never be seen again. Langton takes her to the home of a scientific writer, George Benham and his young wife, Marguerite. Langton makes a quick exit leaving Frannie in the hands of the tight-lipped housekeeper. She's to become the property of Benham. Shocked and disillusioned, Frannie must face her fate.
Sara Collins will switch gears with a trial taking place involving Frannie. The bodies of George and Marguerite Benham have been found stabbed to death in their home. Frannie has been arrested and sent to prison waiting for the eventual outcome of the trial. Is she capable of such a heinous act? How does this young woman from Jamaica prove her innocence?
The Confessions of Frannie Langton contains some heavy-duty subject matter. But then life on a plantation was also brutal in its nature. Frannie finds that life in civilized London is not so civilized either. The writing is detailed and well-researched. Collins gives nothing away until the last pages. Frannie will be a character that you won't soon forget.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Harper Collins and to Sara Collins for the opportunity.
Sara Collins sets her story down among the fields of Plantation Paradise in Jamaica in 1825. Don't be misled. This is hardly a paradise. The owners see to that at every turn. John Langton and his wife, Miss Bella, run their plantation with an iron fist. Miss Bella is ill-suited for life in Jamaica. The intense heat, the random storms, and the complete isolation will spark her temper and shorten her patience. Nothing seems to be worthy of her time. Not even her husband.
But John Langton bides his time in unseemly endeavors. How unseemly? You're about to find out.
We will meet Frannie, a young mulatto girl, who will soon leave the hard work of the sugar cane fields to enter into the inner workings of the household. It's here that Frannie will be enlightened by Phibbah who cautions her into following the set rules. Frannie has no idea of how demanding her new position will be. Out of curiosity and boredom, Miss Bella will teach Frannie how to read even though it is against the law. Frannie begins to stitch small stolen books into the hem of her dresses. Reading becomes a form of escape.
After a fire badly burns the sugar cane fields, John Langton decides to take Frannie to London with him. She follows behind him in the crowded streets imagining how easily she could get lost among the people and never be seen again. Langton takes her to the home of a scientific writer, George Benham and his young wife, Marguerite. Langton makes a quick exit leaving Frannie in the hands of the tight-lipped housekeeper. She's to become the property of Benham. Shocked and disillusioned, Frannie must face her fate.
Sara Collins will switch gears with a trial taking place involving Frannie. The bodies of George and Marguerite Benham have been found stabbed to death in their home. Frannie has been arrested and sent to prison waiting for the eventual outcome of the trial. Is she capable of such a heinous act? How does this young woman from Jamaica prove her innocence?
The Confessions of Frannie Langton contains some heavy-duty subject matter. But then life on a plantation was also brutal in its nature. Frannie finds that life in civilized London is not so civilized either. The writing is detailed and well-researched. Collins gives nothing away until the last pages. Frannie will be a character that you won't soon forget.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Harper Collins and to Sara Collins for the opportunity.
March 6, 2019
April, 1826. The gallery at the Old Bailey was filled to overflowing with "quality folk" and "ordinary folk" there to witness the trial of Frances Langton, indicted for the willful murder of George and Marguerite Benham. Frannie's owner George, was found stabbed to death in the library while wife Marguerite, was discovered in her bedchamber. Frannie was soundly asleep next to Madame's body. Frannie's hands and shirt sleeves were covered in blood.
Frannie had refused or was unable to discuss what happened that night. Defense lawyer, John Pettigrew, suggested that she explain herself using paper and quill. "My intentions in writing my jailhouse musings, ...it's my life, I want to assemble the pieces of it myself". "For every crime there are two stories, and that an Old Bailey trial is the story of the crime, not the story of the prisoner. That story is the one only I can tell".
Frances Langton was born in Paradise, Jamaica. She worked in the lower field "throwing dung into cane holes" until age seven when she became a house-girl for Miss-bella Langton. Sitting by the water one day, Frannie accidently knocked Miss-bella's book into the water. The punishment, the book must be dry before she would be allowed to come indoors. At first, she thought the letters in the book were "trapped, each shackled to the next one", but reading would become her salvation. There were those who believed that slaves, as property, should not be exposed to new ideas.
Master Langton manipulated Frannie's love of reading for his own means. Langton and Benham were rivals studying anatomy but both proposed to "...compile a survey of the natural mental endowments of each race of men..." As a reader and writer, Frannie "scribed" for Langton and was eventually forced to start participating in the performance of other duties.
One day, Langton took Frannie to Levenhall, the London residence of George Benham. She was given as a "gift" to Benham. Under-maid Prudence "...feared I'd howl, bare my teeth...it's all savagery where you come from..." Housekeeper, Mrs. Linux resenting Frannie's presence told her to be quiet, no shirking and no thieving. In Levenhall, Frannie experienced intense love and raging hate. A good servant must know her place, but book learning created a modicum of freedom for her.
"The Confessions of Frannie Langton" by Sara Collins displayed the haunting, devastating life of Frances Langton, as written by Frannie herself, in Newgate Prison awaiting trial in Old Bailey. Through Frannie's account, we learn of the ghastly experiments performed to determine the intellect of slaves, assuming their inability to learn. We learn of the co-dependency of Frannie and Marguerite Benham. Court testimony conjures up a "snapshot" of how the prosecution viewed the suspect. Is Frannie aka the "Mulatta Murderess", so named by the press, guilty of a double murder? Read it and find out! I highly recommend this debut historical mystery by Sara Collins.
Thank you HarperCollins Publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Confessions of Frannie Langton".
Frannie had refused or was unable to discuss what happened that night. Defense lawyer, John Pettigrew, suggested that she explain herself using paper and quill. "My intentions in writing my jailhouse musings, ...it's my life, I want to assemble the pieces of it myself". "For every crime there are two stories, and that an Old Bailey trial is the story of the crime, not the story of the prisoner. That story is the one only I can tell".
Frances Langton was born in Paradise, Jamaica. She worked in the lower field "throwing dung into cane holes" until age seven when she became a house-girl for Miss-bella Langton. Sitting by the water one day, Frannie accidently knocked Miss-bella's book into the water. The punishment, the book must be dry before she would be allowed to come indoors. At first, she thought the letters in the book were "trapped, each shackled to the next one", but reading would become her salvation. There were those who believed that slaves, as property, should not be exposed to new ideas.
Master Langton manipulated Frannie's love of reading for his own means. Langton and Benham were rivals studying anatomy but both proposed to "...compile a survey of the natural mental endowments of each race of men..." As a reader and writer, Frannie "scribed" for Langton and was eventually forced to start participating in the performance of other duties.
One day, Langton took Frannie to Levenhall, the London residence of George Benham. She was given as a "gift" to Benham. Under-maid Prudence "...feared I'd howl, bare my teeth...it's all savagery where you come from..." Housekeeper, Mrs. Linux resenting Frannie's presence told her to be quiet, no shirking and no thieving. In Levenhall, Frannie experienced intense love and raging hate. A good servant must know her place, but book learning created a modicum of freedom for her.
"The Confessions of Frannie Langton" by Sara Collins displayed the haunting, devastating life of Frances Langton, as written by Frannie herself, in Newgate Prison awaiting trial in Old Bailey. Through Frannie's account, we learn of the ghastly experiments performed to determine the intellect of slaves, assuming their inability to learn. We learn of the co-dependency of Frannie and Marguerite Benham. Court testimony conjures up a "snapshot" of how the prosecution viewed the suspect. Is Frannie aka the "Mulatta Murderess", so named by the press, guilty of a double murder? Read it and find out! I highly recommend this debut historical mystery by Sara Collins.
Thank you HarperCollins Publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Confessions of Frannie Langton".
January 15, 2019
3.5 stars
The good stuff: Collins shows tremendous skill in giving her characters voices: Phibbah with her Jamaican accent *sounds* completely different from Frannie who teaches herself to speak 'proper' English, and whose speech is peppered with similes that actually work.
Also the first part of the narrative set on a slave plantation in Jamaica manages to disrupt the story we've heard many times before (yes, slavery is horrific, but the literary representation of it can get repetitive): I had such high hopes of where this book might take us.
But then we get to London and Frannie is 'given' to an Englishman and falls into another modern convention of neo-Victorian fiction: - the tale increasingly feels like it's lost its way.
There are so many intriguing aspects of the story that I wanted to know more about:. The background, too, of scientific racism is used wonderfully to give both emotional and intellectual heft to Frannie's story.
So much good stuff here but sadly it's doesn't really come together and there's a whole section in the middle where the story drifts. The frame of the trial and Frannie's final confession feels like a last-minute info dump, tying up too many loose ends far too fast - more information more carefully placed would have paced the story better.
For all my niggles, Collins has a genuinely fresh voice and huge talent: this feels like a debut but I really look forward to where she goes from here.
Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.
The good stuff: Collins shows tremendous skill in giving her characters voices: Phibbah with her Jamaican accent *sounds* completely different from Frannie who teaches herself to speak 'proper' English, and whose speech is peppered with similes that actually work.
Also the first part of the narrative set on a slave plantation in Jamaica manages to disrupt the story we've heard many times before (yes, slavery is horrific, but the literary representation of it can get repetitive): I had such high hopes of where this book might take us.
But then we get to London and Frannie is 'given' to an Englishman and falls into another modern convention of neo-Victorian fiction: - the tale increasingly feels like it's lost its way.
There are so many intriguing aspects of the story that I wanted to know more about:. The background, too, of scientific racism is used wonderfully to give both emotional and intellectual heft to Frannie's story.
So much good stuff here but sadly it's doesn't really come together and there's a whole section in the middle where the story drifts. The frame of the trial and Frannie's final confession feels like a last-minute info dump, tying up too many loose ends far too fast - more information more carefully placed would have paced the story better.
For all my niggles, Collins has a genuinely fresh voice and huge talent: this feels like a debut but I really look forward to where she goes from here.
Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.
May 4, 2020
Set in the early nineteenth century, culminating in 1826, this is another in a number of recent novels which take a look at the slave trade. It is certainly gothic and rather bleak. Frances (Frannie) is a slave girl with a black mother and a white father on a plantation in Jamaica. At the start of the book she is in prison in London accused of the murder of Mr and Mrs Benham where she worked as a maid. In the novel she describes the journey from the plantation to London and eventually to prison. The book ends with the trial. The artwork on the cover is striking and this is a first novel.
There is a good deal going on here and very few likeable characters and some horrifying moments. There is an element of Jane Eyre, some insights into how the anti-slavery movement developed between the abolition of the trade, the hypocrisy of those involved in the movement, the speculations of those trying to work out whether the various races of humanity were substantially the same or not. There are contrasts made, when Frannie is brought to London and given to the Benhams to work as a maid, she is technically free, which leads to comparisons between the servant classes and slaves on a plantation. Frannie has been educated and reads when she can: enjoying Moll Flanders amongst other works. Candide makes an appearance and the links to Frankenstein become obvious as the novel goes on. There is a Paradise Lost element as well, the name of the plantation was Paradise. Throw in a lesbian affair and a brothel called The School specialising in birching, flogging and spanking: very English. Occasionally a bleak shaft of humour shows through, Frannie reflects on one of her clients:
“Men like him were the ones who wanted scarring, always happier to let themselves loose under the whip hand of a black. That put the white girls’ noses out of joint. But we’d already been in the bondage business, no matter that it had been at the other end.”
There is prizefighting and the rowdiness of 1820s London. There is no saintliness here and suffering does not improve. It is a bleak and nasty gothic novel in its intention. The reveal of what actually happened is a slow gradual one over the course of the whole book. The gothic is overarching, but there are also elements of slave narrative, romance, murder mystery and prison novel. I liked the way reading was portrayed as a transformative experience. I also appreciated the way that what united some of the women, black and white was anger in response to oppression and the denial of an outlet for their abilities.
Collins writes of her character:
“I wanted Frannie to say the things many people in her position would have been afraid to say. I wanted her to be irreverent and to comment on her masters’ inability to see their own mistakes.”
This Frannie does and that can make the narrative seem a little stretched at times and leaves the reader questioning whether this could have happened. Frannie narrates as she writes in prison awaiting trial:
“I write this by tallow light, having now paid sufficient guineas to be moved to a cell of my own. No law says I can’t read and write here, but for all I know the turnkeys would throw these pages away if they caught me at it, same as they did with Madame’s letter when I was first brought in. One click of a key, one turn of the knob, and I’m ready to shove paper, pen and ink under my skirts. They’re always spying, which means I must speed my pen. Now it’s a case of gobbling backwards. As if I spent my whole life putting those words in, and now I’m spitting them back out.”
On the whole I think this is a good gothic novel. It sometimes challenges the readers’ preconceptions of what a gothic novel should be and nothing is ever quite as it seems. There were some niggles, but not enough to put me off entirely.
There is a good deal going on here and very few likeable characters and some horrifying moments. There is an element of Jane Eyre, some insights into how the anti-slavery movement developed between the abolition of the trade, the hypocrisy of those involved in the movement, the speculations of those trying to work out whether the various races of humanity were substantially the same or not. There are contrasts made, when Frannie is brought to London and given to the Benhams to work as a maid, she is technically free, which leads to comparisons between the servant classes and slaves on a plantation. Frannie has been educated and reads when she can: enjoying Moll Flanders amongst other works. Candide makes an appearance and the links to Frankenstein become obvious as the novel goes on. There is a Paradise Lost element as well, the name of the plantation was Paradise. Throw in a lesbian affair and a brothel called The School specialising in birching, flogging and spanking: very English. Occasionally a bleak shaft of humour shows through, Frannie reflects on one of her clients:
“Men like him were the ones who wanted scarring, always happier to let themselves loose under the whip hand of a black. That put the white girls’ noses out of joint. But we’d already been in the bondage business, no matter that it had been at the other end.”
There is prizefighting and the rowdiness of 1820s London. There is no saintliness here and suffering does not improve. It is a bleak and nasty gothic novel in its intention. The reveal of what actually happened is a slow gradual one over the course of the whole book. The gothic is overarching, but there are also elements of slave narrative, romance, murder mystery and prison novel. I liked the way reading was portrayed as a transformative experience. I also appreciated the way that what united some of the women, black and white was anger in response to oppression and the denial of an outlet for their abilities.
Collins writes of her character:
“I wanted Frannie to say the things many people in her position would have been afraid to say. I wanted her to be irreverent and to comment on her masters’ inability to see their own mistakes.”
This Frannie does and that can make the narrative seem a little stretched at times and leaves the reader questioning whether this could have happened. Frannie narrates as she writes in prison awaiting trial:
“I write this by tallow light, having now paid sufficient guineas to be moved to a cell of my own. No law says I can’t read and write here, but for all I know the turnkeys would throw these pages away if they caught me at it, same as they did with Madame’s letter when I was first brought in. One click of a key, one turn of the knob, and I’m ready to shove paper, pen and ink under my skirts. They’re always spying, which means I must speed my pen. Now it’s a case of gobbling backwards. As if I spent my whole life putting those words in, and now I’m spitting them back out.”
On the whole I think this is a good gothic novel. It sometimes challenges the readers’ preconceptions of what a gothic novel should be and nothing is ever quite as it seems. There were some niggles, but not enough to put me off entirely.
May 18, 2019
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Mulatta Murderess, as people of London call Frannie Langton, is on trial for a murder of Mr. and Mrs. Bunham. The reader gets to know Frannie’s past and the circumstances that led her inside of 1820s England’s courtroom through Frannie’s confessions, which she writes to her lawyer. She leads us on a painful, horrifying, and truly unnerving journey of her life, from living as a house-girl on a Jamaican plantation to her life in London, as a “secretary” to Meg Bunham. We get to know Frannie as a proud, headstrong, and courageous individual who in the end is just looking for someone to love her and for a place to belong to. Her turbulent relationships, first with John Langton, the plantation owner, and later with Meg Bunham, show how truly disturbed and lost Frannie is. Her character is an unusual one due to her complexity and many layers that she slowly sheds when facing all the spine-chilling events in her life. Anger, sadness, addiction, loss, love, frustration, disappointment, need of belonging, and hope are all the things that lead Frannie into the horrid circumstances she finds herself in, but most of all, it is her inability to set herself free from all the devious and calculating people in her life that finally pushes her toward committing truly horrifying and despicable act.
This novel has everything: history, drama, mystery, legal and moral issues, slavery, science, murder, physical and mental abuse, and even romance. There are so many layers to this beautiful story, and the writing is truly exquisite. It is definitely a new kind of story for me, and I enjoyed every single moment of it. I think Frannie is and will be one of my favorite characters in 2019, and she will stay with me for a quite some time.
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author, Sara Collins for giving me an opportunity to read this beautiful story in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Mulatta Murderess, as people of London call Frannie Langton, is on trial for a murder of Mr. and Mrs. Bunham. The reader gets to know Frannie’s past and the circumstances that led her inside of 1820s England’s courtroom through Frannie’s confessions, which she writes to her lawyer. She leads us on a painful, horrifying, and truly unnerving journey of her life, from living as a house-girl on a Jamaican plantation to her life in London, as a “secretary” to Meg Bunham. We get to know Frannie as a proud, headstrong, and courageous individual who in the end is just looking for someone to love her and for a place to belong to. Her turbulent relationships, first with John Langton, the plantation owner, and later with Meg Bunham, show how truly disturbed and lost Frannie is. Her character is an unusual one due to her complexity and many layers that she slowly sheds when facing all the spine-chilling events in her life. Anger, sadness, addiction, loss, love, frustration, disappointment, need of belonging, and hope are all the things that lead Frannie into the horrid circumstances she finds herself in, but most of all, it is her inability to set herself free from all the devious and calculating people in her life that finally pushes her toward committing truly horrifying and despicable act.
This novel has everything: history, drama, mystery, legal and moral issues, slavery, science, murder, physical and mental abuse, and even romance. There are so many layers to this beautiful story, and the writing is truly exquisite. It is definitely a new kind of story for me, and I enjoyed every single moment of it. I think Frannie is and will be one of my favorite characters in 2019, and she will stay with me for a quite some time.
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author, Sara Collins for giving me an opportunity to read this beautiful story in exchange for my honest opinion.
May 30, 2019
Frannie Langton is a mulatta woman in 19th century England being tried for the murder of her master and his wife. She protests her innocence but gives us Confessions as her accounting. Gothic in style, The Confessions of Frannie Langton turns the typical slave narrative on its head. Although our protagonist makes it a point to say that she does not want to focus on the abomination that is slavery her testimony makes it hard to overlook these atrocities.
I could not help but make comparisons to Edugyan's Washington Black. The parallels that I saw between the two books were:
*Both looked at science and discovery in the 1800's and how the scientific method was both driven by and overlooked because of racial prejudice.
*Both protagonists are unaware of their mother's identity until they reach adulthood. Each faces the inherent abandonment issues of motherless children - the trauma suffered by the separation of families and loss of identity. In addition both Frannie and Washington must deal with the guilt and horror of the sins committed against these parents when they knew not who these women were, all at once realizing the supreme sacrifice that each of their mothers gave.
*Both were enamored with their enslaver. In the case of Washington it was Titsch. He simply could not see his faults or how he was being used for Titsch's own ends. He was more naive then Frannie and didn't come to realize that he was not valued or appreciated in the sense that he wanted to be. For Frannie it is her mistress whom she falls in love with. She gets her addicted to laudanum and takes advantage of her position. The old story of master raping and manipulating his slaves is well known and often seen in literature. Although we recognize that power is a potent intoxicating drug, we often don't consider that power is power regardless of who is wielding the sword.
Now Frannie is not innocent by any means. She has had her hands dirty and has committed her own crimes. Frannie also admits to being angry and how this anger has subsumed her and followed her throughout her life. But in the end The Confessions of Frannie Langton is about taking power over your own voice. This was evident when "Lightning Laddy" was relaying a story his mother told him as a child about the Asiki. The Asiki were changelings - African children stolen and transformed by witches so that not only their appearance changed but that they also lost their ability to talk along with their memories. The question posed was "What would they tell us if they did have tongues?" What of the exceptional Negro? Do they suffer the same as every other black? Are they used as pawns to perpetuate stereotypes and racist agenda? To answer those "well meaning" white abolitionists who bind the African by their stunted definitions and implicit racism Laddy Lightning replies: "Here's the rub. You asking me to speak for them. How can I? Why have you asked me? Because you look at a single black man and see all black men. As if one black man is representative of every member of his race. Allowed neither personality nor passion."
There were so many parts of this book that moved me. Both the language and the content were stirring. I am impressed. Bold. Absolutely refreshing.
I could not help but make comparisons to Edugyan's Washington Black. The parallels that I saw between the two books were:
*Both looked at science and discovery in the 1800's and how the scientific method was both driven by and overlooked because of racial prejudice.
*Both protagonists are unaware of their mother's identity until they reach adulthood. Each faces the inherent abandonment issues of motherless children - the trauma suffered by the separation of families and loss of identity. In addition both Frannie and Washington must deal with the guilt and horror of the sins committed against these parents when they knew not who these women were, all at once realizing the supreme sacrifice that each of their mothers gave.
*Both were enamored with their enslaver. In the case of Washington it was Titsch. He simply could not see his faults or how he was being used for Titsch's own ends. He was more naive then Frannie and didn't come to realize that he was not valued or appreciated in the sense that he wanted to be. For Frannie it is her mistress whom she falls in love with. She gets her addicted to laudanum and takes advantage of her position. The old story of master raping and manipulating his slaves is well known and often seen in literature. Although we recognize that power is a potent intoxicating drug, we often don't consider that power is power regardless of who is wielding the sword.
Now Frannie is not innocent by any means. She has had her hands dirty and has committed her own crimes. Frannie also admits to being angry and how this anger has subsumed her and followed her throughout her life. But in the end The Confessions of Frannie Langton is about taking power over your own voice. This was evident when "Lightning Laddy" was relaying a story his mother told him as a child about the Asiki. The Asiki were changelings - African children stolen and transformed by witches so that not only their appearance changed but that they also lost their ability to talk along with their memories. The question posed was "What would they tell us if they did have tongues?" What of the exceptional Negro? Do they suffer the same as every other black? Are they used as pawns to perpetuate stereotypes and racist agenda? To answer those "well meaning" white abolitionists who bind the African by their stunted definitions and implicit racism Laddy Lightning replies: "Here's the rub. You asking me to speak for them. How can I? Why have you asked me? Because you look at a single black man and see all black men. As if one black man is representative of every member of his race. Allowed neither personality nor passion."
There were so many parts of this book that moved me. Both the language and the content were stirring. I am impressed. Bold. Absolutely refreshing.
March 21, 2020
3.5 stars
Watch my full review: https://youtu.be/esY4QJJYr4I
Watch my full review: https://youtu.be/esY4QJJYr4I
March 20, 2020
“But this is a story of love, not just murder, though I know that’s not the kind of story you’re expecting. In truth, no one expected any kind of story from a woman like me. No doubt you’ll think this will be one of those slave histories, all sugared over with misery and despair. But who’s wanting to read one of those. No, this is just my account of myself and my own life and the happiness that came to it, which was not a thing I thought I’d ever be allowed, the happiness or the account.”
I read this book due to its shortlist for the Costa Book Awards First Novel prize which it has now won. It has now been shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Novel of the Year .
The story is a very conscious use of the gothic era crime novel to give a different view of slavery, one that does not concentrate on the sickening violence of slavery itself (although that horror is always there, just happening mainly off the page and with a different eugenics angle which draws a straight line to Mengele) but on 1820 London society and the way in which, even in a society which has abolished the overseas slave trade and long not permitted slavery on its own shores, blacks are treated as no more than possessions.
But as well it is a story of a strong narrator and of the love that came to her unexpectedly, a narrator looking back and trying to make sense of the events that lead to her being on trial at the Old Bailey as a notorious double murderer.
Frannie is a mulatto orphan born on a Jamaica plantation run by John Langton, where he eventually uses her as his wife’s house-girl, and after discovering her love for books, coerces her to act as an assistant and secretary into his research into craniology and wider matters of race distinctions.
After the ruin of his estate and estrangement from his wife (to whose family the estate was mortgaged) he takes her and his books (almost the only possessions left to him) to London. There he seeks to get the Royal Society to publish his works, and unsuccessfully petitions his ex-collaborator and correspondent, George Benham; during the process gifting George Frannie as a household servant. Frannie forms over time a tumultuous bond with George’s wife Marguerite/Meg, herself a notoriously independent member of society whose ex-boy servant is now a boxer and pro-abolition speaker.
When George is discovered dead of multiple stab wounds and Frannie asleep with his also dead wife - she is put on trial for their double murder and renowned as the Mulatto murderess. The book is written by her in prison, addressed to her lawyer as an account of her life, interspersed with parts of George’s journals (which she has stolen) and some witness accounts from the trial; and also represents Frannie’s own attempts to resolve what occurred and how her beloved as well as a man she hated both end dead.
There is a lot to admire about the intent of the book. I enjoyed the echoes of Wide Sargasso Sea, the reinvention of the gothic crime novel, the exposure of a supposedly free English society.
There are some excellent topical echoes including intersectionality of class, race and sex.
She is particularly strong on challenging the hypocrisy of the anti-slavery campaigners:
Some more concerned with reducing and reforming the excesses of slavery so as to avoid the destruction of the whole economic system it supports (which could perhaps be seen as having parallels in today’s attempts to address symptoms of racism rather than its institutionalised foundations and which could also be interpreted more widely as a reference to today’s attempts to reform free market economics perhaps);
Others who see themselves as the natural white saviours of blacks – another form of possession and subjugation (even if meant to be well meaning)
And others more interested in reading about and being disgusted by the inhumanity of their fellow whites rather than actually doing anything to overturn their actions (which I took as a challenge to the readers of 21st Century slavery novels and to the publishing industry for its willingness to strait-jacket black writers into publishing such novels, as well as preferring black male authors)
“It is impossible to be both black and a woman. Did you know that. No one was asking me to given them any lectures. They allow some blacks to impress them. Men like Sancho, Equiano ... Yet I fail to see what was so impressive about them. They wrote, yes. But thousands could, if someone would bother to teach them. And everything they wrote was written for whites. Petitions. Appeals. It’s another of the world’ s laws. Blacks will write only about suffering, and only for white people, as if our purpose here is to change their minds. “
There was also a neat reference to the under-representation of BAME females in the decision makers of the publishing industry:
“I want the same thing Langton wanted. English publishers. And I know enough to know that a white man is the only person on God’s green earth who can get me one of those. “
However, where the book failed for me was in its own right and on the level which it correctly demands to be judged - as a love story and crime novel.
Although I read the book in a single day it failed to really engage me. Frannie is a strong central character but Meg in particular was elusive for me (even though her relationship with Frannie is pivotal to the latter‘s story). The apparent revelation of Frannie’s parenthood in two separate episodes during her account is obvious from almost the first chapter. And even the eventual account of the events that lead to the two deaths lacked any form of real twist or moment of revelation.
Overall an excellent premise which did not work for this reader.
March 4, 2019
Damn, Sara Collins can write! For a book that exuded so much sadness this was also imbued with such an overarching beauty that made its parallel stand out, in stark contrast, and made the events that unfurled all the more poignant for it.
This is, as the title suggests, fictional Frannie Langton's autobiography of her life. She begins her tale in sun-ripened Jamaica, as a slave on a sugar plantation, and ends it in rain-soaked London, on trial for the murder of her employers. The reader is invited to bear witness to all the events in between, and her treatment at the hands of all those who saw a black-skinned Jamacain in the 19th century as nothing more than a possession.
Whilst the ultimate mystery was at the heart of the narrative, the gentle unravelling of one woman's life, as she sought to prove her innocence and tell her own story, was where the prowess of this book stemmed from. And every part was of equal interest, despite the fact that all were steeped with the same heartbreak and mistreatment. Not for one moment did Collins allow the reader to overlook the harsh life of this one fictional character, whose story bears such a similar resemblance to so many others.
This is, as the title suggests, fictional Frannie Langton's autobiography of her life. She begins her tale in sun-ripened Jamaica, as a slave on a sugar plantation, and ends it in rain-soaked London, on trial for the murder of her employers. The reader is invited to bear witness to all the events in between, and her treatment at the hands of all those who saw a black-skinned Jamacain in the 19th century as nothing more than a possession.
Whilst the ultimate mystery was at the heart of the narrative, the gentle unravelling of one woman's life, as she sought to prove her innocence and tell her own story, was where the prowess of this book stemmed from. And every part was of equal interest, despite the fact that all were steeped with the same heartbreak and mistreatment. Not for one moment did Collins allow the reader to overlook the harsh life of this one fictional character, whose story bears such a similar resemblance to so many others.
April 28, 2020
This book took me 2 weeks to read... I kept putting it down for something else. It picked up the last 50 pages or so, but overall it was pretty slow. The author kept alluding to things, I'm guessing to stir up the suspense, but it really just left me kind of confused.
June 25, 2020
This was fantastic. A really brilliant historical fiction debut - beautifully written, compelling and fascinating. I highly recommend.
May 16, 2019
Let's take a look at the good things first: Sara Collins makes the audacious choice to combine a slavery story with a gothic overlay. Her influences - Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights - are never far from the surface as she focuses on Frannie, aka the Mulatta Murderess, who starts her life as a slave on a Jamaican plantation perversely called "Paradise" and ends up in the London home of the Benhams. Quickly, she forms an attachment to the opium-eater Mrs. Benham and when both husband and wife meet their demise, she becomes the natural suspect.
Sara Collins has the gothic setting -the atmosphere of mystery and horror with a pseudomedieval element-- down pat. For any reader who has been enthralled by Edgar Allan Poe, the Bronte sisters, and even some of the Dickensian novels, there will be much admiration for the author's fluid writing style.
The terror of slavery and the horrible injustices of the treatment of slaves in the Caribbean and in Britain are aptly characterized. Just about every chapter ends with a portentous cliff-hanger.
And yet. While I admired what Sara Collins was accomplishing, I was unable to truly immerse myself in her compelling story. I have tried to figure out why, and one reason, I think, is that the grotesqueness of what man did to fellow man during slavery is so heinous that it doesn't need an overlay.
For another, many current books - and this one is no exception - tend to focus on the "exceptional" slave, who is typically literate, articulate, and a lover of novels rather than the sufferers who were denied these pleasures. I couldn't help but think that in real life, the straightforward speech and agency of Frannie would have quickly been met with lashings and death. Her ability to hold her own - the very thing that made her the character she is - seemed inconsistent with the milieu of those times.
My reading experience is, of course, subjective. I believe that this book will uncover a wide readership this spring. For those who like unusual murder mysteries steeped in history, this may be a good book choice.
Sara Collins has the gothic setting -the atmosphere of mystery and horror with a pseudomedieval element-- down pat. For any reader who has been enthralled by Edgar Allan Poe, the Bronte sisters, and even some of the Dickensian novels, there will be much admiration for the author's fluid writing style.
The terror of slavery and the horrible injustices of the treatment of slaves in the Caribbean and in Britain are aptly characterized. Just about every chapter ends with a portentous cliff-hanger.
And yet. While I admired what Sara Collins was accomplishing, I was unable to truly immerse myself in her compelling story. I have tried to figure out why, and one reason, I think, is that the grotesqueness of what man did to fellow man during slavery is so heinous that it doesn't need an overlay.
For another, many current books - and this one is no exception - tend to focus on the "exceptional" slave, who is typically literate, articulate, and a lover of novels rather than the sufferers who were denied these pleasures. I couldn't help but think that in real life, the straightforward speech and agency of Frannie would have quickly been met with lashings and death. Her ability to hold her own - the very thing that made her the character she is - seemed inconsistent with the milieu of those times.
My reading experience is, of course, subjective. I believe that this book will uncover a wide readership this spring. For those who like unusual murder mysteries steeped in history, this may be a good book choice.
November 13, 2020
This audioboook was a great listen. Part historical fiction, part mystery, and part indictment of some of our more shameful practices.
Frannie awakens next to the dead body of her mistress, with another dead body downstairs. She claims no memory of what's happened. The narrative sounds like listening to a diary being read as we go backwards in time to where things began and how Frannie ends up in a jail cell awaiting trial for the murders. It's a bit of a choppy ride, as we meander with her thoughts, past and present, but ultimately all the threads are pulled together.
The mystery of the deaths almost takes a back seat to the exploration of race; the myth of the "exceptional Negro", the delusion of some to what rescuing black people from slavery might have looked like, the perceived dangers of teaching blacks to read and write.
...Or the disparities of class; what realistic opportunities are there for those freed but still facing the uphill climb towards true acceptance and equality, the trappings of wealth that hold one hostage to reputation, creating a different kind of "slavery", the lack of gender equality and how that changes lives.
...Or what we do in the name of "science" to mistreat those considered "less than".
...Or what drug addiction looks like back in the day and how vulnerable people succumb to the dangers.
I liked Frannie. I liked her independence, her intelligence, her passion, her courage, and her willingness to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable. It's people like Frannie who chisel cracks in the wall of convention for some of the rest of us to slide through.
A well-imagined and creatively told story with lovely language. Bonus points for the author's narration of the story.
Frannie awakens next to the dead body of her mistress, with another dead body downstairs. She claims no memory of what's happened. The narrative sounds like listening to a diary being read as we go backwards in time to where things began and how Frannie ends up in a jail cell awaiting trial for the murders. It's a bit of a choppy ride, as we meander with her thoughts, past and present, but ultimately all the threads are pulled together.
The mystery of the deaths almost takes a back seat to the exploration of race; the myth of the "exceptional Negro", the delusion of some to what rescuing black people from slavery might have looked like, the perceived dangers of teaching blacks to read and write.
...Or the disparities of class; what realistic opportunities are there for those freed but still facing the uphill climb towards true acceptance and equality, the trappings of wealth that hold one hostage to reputation, creating a different kind of "slavery", the lack of gender equality and how that changes lives.
...Or what we do in the name of "science" to mistreat those considered "less than".
...Or what drug addiction looks like back in the day and how vulnerable people succumb to the dangers.
I liked Frannie. I liked her independence, her intelligence, her passion, her courage, and her willingness to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable. It's people like Frannie who chisel cracks in the wall of convention for some of the rest of us to slide through.
A well-imagined and creatively told story with lovely language. Bonus points for the author's narration of the story.
January 24, 2020
I was first drawn to reading “The Confessions of Frannie Langton” after watching the author Sara Collins discuss it in such a compelling way on the first episode of The Big Scottish Book Club which aired on BBC Scotland last year. And I felt drawn to it again when it was recently listed for the Costa Book AwardsCosta Book Awards (and won the First Novel category.) I'm so glad I finally got to it because it's an utterly captivating historical novel with a feisty and intelligent protagonist who has many secrets and an enthralling story to tell.
The novel begins in the early 1800s where Frannie is on trial for the murder of Mr and Mrs Benham. As she waits in her prison cell she writes her account of what happened and describes her journey from being born a slave on a Jamaican plantation to working as a maid for the couple she's eventually accused of murdering. She describes horrifying scientific experiments that were performed on humans, the effects of laudanum addiction, the taboo of same-sex love and takes us into the seedy underworld of London's brothels. These elements result in a story that feels somewhere between the novels “Washington Black” and “Fingersmith” which, as far as I’m concerned, is very high praise! What draws all this together and makes this novel utterly unique is Frannie's distinct and convincing point of view. She makes shrewd observations about attitudes towards class and race as well as the nature of being, the meaning of literature and the complications of love.
Read my full review of The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins on LonesomeReader
The novel begins in the early 1800s where Frannie is on trial for the murder of Mr and Mrs Benham. As she waits in her prison cell she writes her account of what happened and describes her journey from being born a slave on a Jamaican plantation to working as a maid for the couple she's eventually accused of murdering. She describes horrifying scientific experiments that were performed on humans, the effects of laudanum addiction, the taboo of same-sex love and takes us into the seedy underworld of London's brothels. These elements result in a story that feels somewhere between the novels “Washington Black” and “Fingersmith” which, as far as I’m concerned, is very high praise! What draws all this together and makes this novel utterly unique is Frannie's distinct and convincing point of view. She makes shrewd observations about attitudes towards class and race as well as the nature of being, the meaning of literature and the complications of love.
Read my full review of The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins on LonesomeReader
September 8, 2019
THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON features a complicated main character in difficult and unstable circumstances. I enjoyed that Collins created in Frannie a character that I felt I was supposed to side with and cheer on, but who at times was hard to fully get behind despite her abuses. At times Frannie does things that I couldn't truly blame her for but wished that she had done better. Although Collins doesn't have Frannie tell her story in a straight forward way it is laid out in a slow but steady manner.
In THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON Collins tackles slavery, condescension, the experimentation, fascination, and fear of the black body by white men, the need for self identity independent of how others see you, and the all encompassing racism, bigotry, and sense of entitlement and superiority of whites over any other race-but especially people of African descent in a way that is sadly still relatable.
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
In THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON Collins tackles slavery, condescension, the experimentation, fascination, and fear of the black body by white men, the need for self identity independent of how others see you, and the all encompassing racism, bigotry, and sense of entitlement and superiority of whites over any other race-but especially people of African descent in a way that is sadly still relatable.
Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
June 28, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pub. Date: May 21, 2019
Martie's Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
This novel is good, unusual, but not unusually good, although it could have been. There may be too much going on, which I will get to, but at its center is a gripping narrative about a female servant in England who was a former Jamaican slave. In 1826, she is accused of the brutal double murder of her employer and his wife, George and Marguerite Benham. The first half of the tale is written so well. We meet Frannie in jail writing her life’s story. She was born on a West Indian plantation whose master, John Langton, is a sadist. (Spoiler: She is her master’s bastard daughter). As a child, she was taught to read and write. She grows to be highly self-educated.
The reason for her literacy was for her to participate in and take notes on her master’s pseudoscience experiments. Langton is studying racial differences. He is trying to prove that blacks are not human. He uses skulls, blood, and skin samples from dead as well as live slaves. The author chooses to leave out, what could be barbaric descriptions. You will read about a baby being used as a research subject. Rather than focusing on what is being done to the infant, Collins writes about the child’s desperate mother scratching on the outside of the locked room. Or, that Frannie knows that the woman will be sold in the near future. Less gore can equal more horror. In the endnotes, the author cites “Medical Experimentation and Race in the Atlantic World.” The author's research charges these scenes with a terrible plausibility.
During the trial of the “The Mulatta Murderess,” Frannie is asked why she didn’t just leave England. By then, slavery was illegal in Great Britain. Her reply is heartbreaking: No one told her that she could. It is this style of understated writing that packs the strongest punch. If the author would have stayed with this theme, this could have been an unusually good story, different from other historical novels on the subject of slavery. This is shown through Frannie's narrative, “…no doubt you think this will be one of those slave histories…with misery and despair. But who’d want to read one of those?...What no one will admit about anti-slavers is that they’ve all got a slaver’s appetite for misery…And, for all their talk of men as brothers, most of them stared at me as if I had two heads.”
In the second half of the book, Frannie is a lady’s maid to a wealthy Georgian couple who live in London. Here is where the story’s pacing becomes uneven with way too many subplots. It is easy to become less invested in the character because the story is all over the place. You will read about betrayal, murder, lesbian love, drug addiction, and a whorehouse devoted to spankings. The punch is muted, but not completely gone. It is impossible not to be swept away from a story with such concise and powerful writing. “My intentions in writing my jailhouse musings ...it's my life, I want to assemble the pieces of it myself…For every crime, there are two stories, and that an Old Bailey trial is the story of the crime, not the story of the prisoner. That story is the one only I can tell." The writing’s strength is reason enough to recommend the novel.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase on Amazon
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Publisher: Harper Collins
Pub. Date: May 21, 2019
Martie's Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
This novel is good, unusual, but not unusually good, although it could have been. There may be too much going on, which I will get to, but at its center is a gripping narrative about a female servant in England who was a former Jamaican slave. In 1826, she is accused of the brutal double murder of her employer and his wife, George and Marguerite Benham. The first half of the tale is written so well. We meet Frannie in jail writing her life’s story. She was born on a West Indian plantation whose master, John Langton, is a sadist. (Spoiler: She is her master’s bastard daughter). As a child, she was taught to read and write. She grows to be highly self-educated.
The reason for her literacy was for her to participate in and take notes on her master’s pseudoscience experiments. Langton is studying racial differences. He is trying to prove that blacks are not human. He uses skulls, blood, and skin samples from dead as well as live slaves. The author chooses to leave out, what could be barbaric descriptions. You will read about a baby being used as a research subject. Rather than focusing on what is being done to the infant, Collins writes about the child’s desperate mother scratching on the outside of the locked room. Or, that Frannie knows that the woman will be sold in the near future. Less gore can equal more horror. In the endnotes, the author cites “Medical Experimentation and Race in the Atlantic World.” The author's research charges these scenes with a terrible plausibility.
During the trial of the “The Mulatta Murderess,” Frannie is asked why she didn’t just leave England. By then, slavery was illegal in Great Britain. Her reply is heartbreaking: No one told her that she could. It is this style of understated writing that packs the strongest punch. If the author would have stayed with this theme, this could have been an unusually good story, different from other historical novels on the subject of slavery. This is shown through Frannie's narrative, “…no doubt you think this will be one of those slave histories…with misery and despair. But who’d want to read one of those?...What no one will admit about anti-slavers is that they’ve all got a slaver’s appetite for misery…And, for all their talk of men as brothers, most of them stared at me as if I had two heads.”
In the second half of the book, Frannie is a lady’s maid to a wealthy Georgian couple who live in London. Here is where the story’s pacing becomes uneven with way too many subplots. It is easy to become less invested in the character because the story is all over the place. You will read about betrayal, murder, lesbian love, drug addiction, and a whorehouse devoted to spankings. The punch is muted, but not completely gone. It is impossible not to be swept away from a story with such concise and powerful writing. “My intentions in writing my jailhouse musings ...it's my life, I want to assemble the pieces of it myself…For every crime, there are two stories, and that an Old Bailey trial is the story of the crime, not the story of the prisoner. That story is the one only I can tell." The writing’s strength is reason enough to recommend the novel.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase on Amazon
Find all my book reviews at:
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amz...
https://www.pinterest.com/martienreco...
https://www.instagram.com/martie6947/
February 8, 2019
The modern revamp of the slave narrative continues in fine form with THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON. Like Colson Whitehead and Esi Edugyan, Collins is able to examine very modern issues of race through a historical lens. This is also a successful and suspenseful crime novel complete with a protagonist who has blocked out her most important memories and a murder trial at the famous Old Bailey.
Sometimes I struggle with historical fiction when the prose is a bit more dense, and that was the case with this book. But the power of the narrative, the crime at its heart, and Frannie's voice kept me going. Frannie is a heroine so many readers will identify with, but she's also presenting a unique point of view that modern literature needs. Frannie is that obsessive reader, a character who loves books and the way they transport her, who aspires to more because of what she's read. But Frannie is also a slave for much of her life so those aspirations have nowhere to go.
I particularly appreciated the use of the currently-overdone trope of the woman who forgets important things around a murder. But this book uses it so effectively that it shows you just how lazy most examples are. We know all along that Frannie has suffered some very real traumas and we don't doubt how deep and horrific those traumas were. Here, the holes in Frannie's memory make sense and her unwillingness to confront them is a real and legitimate act of self-protection and survival.
The comparisons to ALIAS GRACE, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, and THE PAYING GUESTS are well-earned. I was reminded of all of those books at certain points. This also makes an excellent readalike for WASHINGTON BLACK, both have timely themes on race through a historical lens using the rising-out-of-slavery narrative, but this book uses the crime novel as opposed to an adventure novel, plus has a queer female point of view.
So much to dive into with this book, would make a good pick for an ambitious book club.
Sometimes I struggle with historical fiction when the prose is a bit more dense, and that was the case with this book. But the power of the narrative, the crime at its heart, and Frannie's voice kept me going. Frannie is a heroine so many readers will identify with, but she's also presenting a unique point of view that modern literature needs. Frannie is that obsessive reader, a character who loves books and the way they transport her, who aspires to more because of what she's read. But Frannie is also a slave for much of her life so those aspirations have nowhere to go.
I particularly appreciated the use of the currently-overdone trope of the woman who forgets important things around a murder. But this book uses it so effectively that it shows you just how lazy most examples are. We know all along that Frannie has suffered some very real traumas and we don't doubt how deep and horrific those traumas were. Here, the holes in Frannie's memory make sense and her unwillingness to confront them is a real and legitimate act of self-protection and survival.
The comparisons to ALIAS GRACE, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, and THE PAYING GUESTS are well-earned. I was reminded of all of those books at certain points. This also makes an excellent readalike for WASHINGTON BLACK, both have timely themes on race through a historical lens using the rising-out-of-slavery narrative, but this book uses the crime novel as opposed to an adventure novel, plus has a queer female point of view.
So much to dive into with this book, would make a good pick for an ambitious book club.
November 18, 2019
Beautiful, riveting, dark, and haunting. This is the story of Frannie Langton.... 1820s London Frannie has relocated to London from the sugar plantations of Jamaica. No longer a slave she’s now working for a British couple of privilege. Soon Franny finds out there are some similarities between slavery and being an English wife in the 1820s. She also soon finds her self in a forbidden and intimate relationship with Marguerite the lady of the house. When Marguerite and her husband George are found murdered and Franny is in bed laying next to marguerite’s bloody body. Franny is the number one suspect, but Franny cannot remember what happened. Did she kill her boss? Her lover?
This was a stunning well-crafted story Steve’s in history with a Gothic feel. Franny is a character you can’t help but get behind. Much of her life has been tragic, she seems to constantly be used by people that don’t seem to value her as a person. I was so invested in the story I just really wanted to know what part Frannie played in this murder. I couldn’t believe she did it, but I could see that she had been driven to it. This is a story that will stick with you long after you read the last page.
This book in emojis 🗝 📚 ✒️
*** Big thanks to Harper Collins or a copy of this book ***
This was a stunning well-crafted story Steve’s in history with a Gothic feel. Franny is a character you can’t help but get behind. Much of her life has been tragic, she seems to constantly be used by people that don’t seem to value her as a person. I was so invested in the story I just really wanted to know what part Frannie played in this murder. I couldn’t believe she did it, but I could see that she had been driven to it. This is a story that will stick with you long after you read the last page.
This book in emojis 🗝 📚 ✒️
*** Big thanks to Harper Collins or a copy of this book ***
November 30, 2020
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Netikėtai nustebinęs reikalas, tikrai. Šiais laikais rasti knygą, kuri vergijos tema dar gali pasakyti ką nors naujo, o ir stebėtinai šviežio ir pagaulaus - baisiai retas atvejis, turbūt net nereikia aiškinti. Tik siūlyčiau neapsigauti: raganavimo ir magijos čia nėra visiškai. Jei netyčia patrauktų šioji dalis. Bet ir netrūksta. Čia gotiška tamsuma, feminizmas, labai įdomiai vystomas siužetas. Tiesa, ne visur nuosekliai įtraukiantis, todėl netempiantis iki aukščiausio įvertinimo, bet nustebinęs net teisine, istorine ir kriminologine pusėmis. Baisiai mėgstu atvejus, kuomet autorius - aiškiai geriau pasiruošęs ir protingesnis už mane. Tai - viena tų situacijų.
Manęs vis neapleido jausmas, kad knyga ganėtinai atmosferiškai panaši į Miniatiūristą - viskas taip niūriai tamsu, gūdu, paslaptys taip kvėpuojančios į kaklą, bet ne erzinančiai. Apskritai, Franės atmosferiškumas man primena puikų Django Unchained+Sweeney Todd+Miniatiūristo+senų filmų apie purviną Londoną, ale "From Hell" su Deppu mišinį. Ir kaip gražiai viskas aprašyta, kaip meniškai, bet ne užknisančiai pretenzingai. Veiksmas vystosi lėtai, o ir yra keli siužetiniai sprendimai, kurie man pasirodė knygą subanalinantys, bet šiaip reikalas visai kitoks, nei galima būtų tikėtis pamačius tik viršelį ar paskaičius aprašymą. Manau, kad angliškai skaitant būtų dar geriau, bet vertimas - labai labai vykęs. Komplimentai vertėjui už kokybę, leidyklai už drąsą.
Netikėtai nustebinęs reikalas, tikrai. Šiais laikais rasti knygą, kuri vergijos tema dar gali pasakyti ką nors naujo, o ir stebėtinai šviežio ir pagaulaus - baisiai retas atvejis, turbūt net nereikia aiškinti. Tik siūlyčiau neapsigauti: raganavimo ir magijos čia nėra visiškai. Jei netyčia patrauktų šioji dalis. Bet ir netrūksta. Čia gotiška tamsuma, feminizmas, labai įdomiai vystomas siužetas. Tiesa, ne visur nuosekliai įtraukiantis, todėl netempiantis iki aukščiausio įvertinimo, bet nustebinęs net teisine, istorine ir kriminologine pusėmis. Baisiai mėgstu atvejus, kuomet autorius - aiškiai geriau pasiruošęs ir protingesnis už mane. Tai - viena tų situacijų.
Manęs vis neapleido jausmas, kad knyga ganėtinai atmosferiškai panaši į Miniatiūristą - viskas taip niūriai tamsu, gūdu, paslaptys taip kvėpuojančios į kaklą, bet ne erzinančiai. Apskritai, Franės atmosferiškumas man primena puikų Django Unchained+Sweeney Todd+Miniatiūristo+senų filmų apie purviną Londoną, ale "From Hell" su Deppu mišinį. Ir kaip gražiai viskas aprašyta, kaip meniškai, bet ne užknisančiai pretenzingai. Veiksmas vystosi lėtai, o ir yra keli siužetiniai sprendimai, kurie man pasirodė knygą subanalinantys, bet šiaip reikalas visai kitoks, nei galima būtų tikėtis pamačius tik viršelį ar paskaičius aprašymą. Manau, kad angliškai skaitant būtų dar geriau, bet vertimas - labai labai vykęs. Komplimentai vertėjui už kokybę, leidyklai už drąsą.
February 27, 2023
An amazingly impactful novel. It’s alluring and hard-hitting on issues of race, class, sexuality, “science”, addiction, and desire. From the islands to the British isle we follow Frannie’s struggle to be seen and heard in a world that is not ready, or willing, to do either. The prose is raw and poetic, with incredible power and emotion. Frannie’s voice rings true even today, a haunting echo of injustice, anger, and shame to all who would see brilliant minds silenced on the basis of hate and intolerance. A breathtaking journey that is highly recommended.
June 3, 2024
I really enjoyed this. I don't know why, but had my doubts before starting, that it might be too "light" for me. But that was not the case. Reminded me of Sarah Waters, an author I really like. Will definitely read more of Sara Collins.
December 2, 2020
4.5/5
„Vyras rašo siekdamas išsiskirti iš visiems bendros istorijos. Moteris rašo stengdamasi į ją įsiterpti.“
Vergija, tačiau ne visai tokia, prie kokios esame pratę literatūroje. Ne Amerikoje, bet Jamaikoje, o vėliau – Jurgio laikų Londone. Ne pačiame jos įkarštyje, o tada, kai ji teisiškai jau panaikinta. Bet ar tai ką nors keičia? Ar taip paprasta per naktį į savo tarną, kurio net nelaikei žmogumi, pažvelgti kaip į lygų? Ar tas tarnas gali pilnai suvokti, jog teoriškai jis galėtų tiesiog... išeiti? Ne apie medvilnės plantacijas, o apie tai, kas aptarta kur kas mažiau. Apie be proto tamsią ir apsėdimą primenančią veiklą. Ji tuo pačiu yra tokia atgrasi, sunkiai suvokiama ir nežmoniška, kad gana ironiška manyti, jog gyvuliais buvo laikomi ne ja užsiimantys monstrai.
Gotiška, netgi kiek rebekiška atmosfera, apgaubianti savo tamsa ir tuo niekaip nenuplaunamu purvu, jaučiamu verčiant puslapius. Purvas, atsirandantis iš visų namo pakampių, jaučiamas dėl visiško nužeminimo, dėl galios pozicijoje esančių žmonių elgesio ne tik su tarnais, bet ir su visais sau žemesniais, įskaitant ir moteris. Purvas, priskretęs klausant to meto „mokslininkų“ filosofijos ir stebint jų veiklą, besigilinant į debatus apie tai, ko vertas vergas, kuris teisiškai nebėra vergas, matant, kaip pasisavinamos ir iškraipomos idėjos, kaip savinamasi viskas, ko tik galima savintis iš tų, kurie nemoka priešintis. Purvas, atsiradęs dėl to, kad širdyje esi laukinė, nes taip tave užaugino. Kaip žvėrį, išdresiruotą atlikti šeimininko nurodymus, išmokytą skaityti, rašyti ir mąstyti, tačiau tik tiek, kiek naudinga šeimininkui.
Visgi Franė Langton mąsto pati. Ir tai daro visiškai užburiančiai, autorei per šią veikėją meistriškai atskleidžiant visas sukauptas žinias apie aprašomą laikotarpį ir verčiant žavėtis kiekviena, net menkiausia smulkmena. Ji – visiškai nepakartojama, be galo komplikuota ir tokia išskirtinė panašių kūrinių kontekste. Ji netampa geresnė dėl to, ką patyrė, nes patyrė nežmonišką siaubą ir retą kurį tai palieka be randų. Franė Langton išpažįsta savo nuodėmes, nebijo parodyti pavydo, kalbėti apie meilę, gailestį arba jo nejautimą. Pasakodama savo istoriją ji atskleidžia nesuvokiamus žiaurumus, kurie kartais demonstruojami pačiais subtiliausiais būdais, kartais vos keliais žodžiais. Jos istorija yra apie galios santykius, priklausomybę, apie pasirinkimą ir jo nebuvimą, atsidavimą ir užsispyrimą. Tai – ne vien jos istorija. Veikiau pamiršta to laikotarpio tragedija.
Knyga duoda kur kas daugiau nei tai, kas žadama ant jos nugarėlės. Taip, čia ir šiek tiek „Alias Grace“, ir šlakelis teismo subtilybių, tačiau pasiruoškite būti nustebinti. Senokai iš knygos nesižymėjau tiek daug minčių. Ir taip, akimirkomis veikėja ar jos mintys šiek tiek kartojosi. Kai kur buvo šiek tiek per dramatiška ar nuspėjama. Tačiau papuolusi į mano rankas itin tinkamu laiku Franė Langton žeriasi visas mano simpatijas. Galvosiu apie ją dar ilgai.
„Vyras rašo siekdamas išsiskirti iš visiems bendros istorijos. Moteris rašo stengdamasi į ją įsiterpti.“
Vergija, tačiau ne visai tokia, prie kokios esame pratę literatūroje. Ne Amerikoje, bet Jamaikoje, o vėliau – Jurgio laikų Londone. Ne pačiame jos įkarštyje, o tada, kai ji teisiškai jau panaikinta. Bet ar tai ką nors keičia? Ar taip paprasta per naktį į savo tarną, kurio net nelaikei žmogumi, pažvelgti kaip į lygų? Ar tas tarnas gali pilnai suvokti, jog teoriškai jis galėtų tiesiog... išeiti? Ne apie medvilnės plantacijas, o apie tai, kas aptarta kur kas mažiau. Apie be proto tamsią ir apsėdimą primenančią veiklą. Ji tuo pačiu yra tokia atgrasi, sunkiai suvokiama ir nežmoniška, kad gana ironiška manyti, jog gyvuliais buvo laikomi ne ja užsiimantys monstrai.
Gotiška, netgi kiek rebekiška atmosfera, apgaubianti savo tamsa ir tuo niekaip nenuplaunamu purvu, jaučiamu verčiant puslapius. Purvas, atsirandantis iš visų namo pakampių, jaučiamas dėl visiško nužeminimo, dėl galios pozicijoje esančių žmonių elgesio ne tik su tarnais, bet ir su visais sau žemesniais, įskaitant ir moteris. Purvas, priskretęs klausant to meto „mokslininkų“ filosofijos ir stebint jų veiklą, besigilinant į debatus apie tai, ko vertas vergas, kuris teisiškai nebėra vergas, matant, kaip pasisavinamos ir iškraipomos idėjos, kaip savinamasi viskas, ko tik galima savintis iš tų, kurie nemoka priešintis. Purvas, atsiradęs dėl to, kad širdyje esi laukinė, nes taip tave užaugino. Kaip žvėrį, išdresiruotą atlikti šeimininko nurodymus, išmokytą skaityti, rašyti ir mąstyti, tačiau tik tiek, kiek naudinga šeimininkui.
Visgi Franė Langton mąsto pati. Ir tai daro visiškai užburiančiai, autorei per šią veikėją meistriškai atskleidžiant visas sukauptas žinias apie aprašomą laikotarpį ir verčiant žavėtis kiekviena, net menkiausia smulkmena. Ji – visiškai nepakartojama, be galo komplikuota ir tokia išskirtinė panašių kūrinių kontekste. Ji netampa geresnė dėl to, ką patyrė, nes patyrė nežmonišką siaubą ir retą kurį tai palieka be randų. Franė Langton išpažįsta savo nuodėmes, nebijo parodyti pavydo, kalbėti apie meilę, gailestį arba jo nejautimą. Pasakodama savo istoriją ji atskleidžia nesuvokiamus žiaurumus, kurie kartais demonstruojami pačiais subtiliausiais būdais, kartais vos keliais žodžiais. Jos istorija yra apie galios santykius, priklausomybę, apie pasirinkimą ir jo nebuvimą, atsidavimą ir užsispyrimą. Tai – ne vien jos istorija. Veikiau pamiršta to laikotarpio tragedija.
Knyga duoda kur kas daugiau nei tai, kas žadama ant jos nugarėlės. Taip, čia ir šiek tiek „Alias Grace“, ir šlakelis teismo subtilybių, tačiau pasiruoškite būti nustebinti. Senokai iš knygos nesižymėjau tiek daug minčių. Ir taip, akimirkomis veikėja ar jos mintys šiek tiek kartojosi. Kai kur buvo šiek tiek per dramatiška ar nuspėjama. Tačiau papuolusi į mano rankas itin tinkamu laiku Franė Langton žeriasi visas mano simpatijas. Galvosiu apie ją dar ilgai.
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