A sardonic, feminist reimagining of the story of Mary Toft, infamous rabbit-birthing hoaxer.
Mary Toft was just another eighteenth-century woman living in poverty, misery, and frequent pain. The kind of person overlooked by those with power, forgotten by historians. Mary Toft was nothing. Until, that is, Mary Toft started giving birth to rabbits...Sensational debut novelist Noémi Kiss-Deáki reimagines Mary's strange and fascinating story - and how she found fame when a large swath of England became convinced that she was the mother of rabbits.
Mary and the Rabbit Dream is a story of bodily autonomy, of absurdity, of the horrors inflicted on women, of the cruel realities of poverty, and the grotesque divides between rich and poor. A story told with exquisite wit, skill, and a beautiful streak of subversive mischief.
Noémi Kiss-Deáki's style is astonishing - hypnotic, poetic, persistent, wild, blazing and marvellous. As the novel unfolds you simply can't believe what is happening - it's outrageous, it's cruel, it's unfathomable and yet - it's the way of the world. Here is Mary Toft's tale, retold in dazzling prose that is both exquisite and furious. Noémi reimagines the possibilities for historical fiction and Mary and the Rabbit Dream is utterly original and utterly brilliant. - Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain
One of those novels that seemingly arrives from nowhere, fully formed, as odd, disturbing, and lingering as the most vivid of fever dreams. To create something so playfully provocative, subversive and gripping displays a rare literary talent. I've never read anything like it. - Benjamin Myers, author of The Gallows Pole
In Mary and the Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki transforms the tale of Mary Toft into a stinging, witty critique of the oppressions heaped upon the bodies of impoverished women. This is a brave debut, one told with courage and wit, one which dissects a ruthless system of class and gender - and lays bare the concentric circles of power that still govern our world. - Selby Wynn Schwartz, author of After Sappho
I loved Mary and the Rabbit Dream - a sprightly but savage tale that re-imagines the real-life case of Mary Toft, who, in 1726, supposedly started giving birth to rabbits ... It's a supple, smartly self-conscious and ingenious take on the historical novel. - Lucy Scholes, editor of A Different Sound: Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers
A tense, nightmarish book about power and incarnation. ... Stylish, visceral, incandescent. - Clare Pollard, author of Delphi
Mary and the Rabbit Dream casts the curious early 18th century story of Mary Toft in a totally fresh light. This is a furious, vituperative story about class, poverty, violence and women's bodies. - Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs
It's finally time for Charles Ignatius Sancho to tell his story, one that begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ends at the very center of London life. . . . A lush and immersive tale of adventure, artistry, romance, and freedom set in eighteenth-century England and based on a true story
It's 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. Charles Ignatius Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally--a kindly duke who taught him to write--is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this rich, exuberant tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more.Evelina is the unacknowledged but legitimate daughter of a dissipated English aristocrat. She is raised in rural seclusion until her seventeenth birthday. Evelina must learn to navigate the complex layers of eighteenth-century society and catch the attention of a distinguished nobleman with whom she can begin a romantic relationship. Her innocence will either be to her benefit or her downfall.
Evalina was first published anonymously in 1778, but Burney was outed as its author by poet George Huddesford later that year. This sentimental novel, which has notions of sensibility and early romanticism, satirizes the society in which it is set. It is a significant precursor to the work of Jane Austen and Maria Edgeworth, whose novels explore many of the same issues.
This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.
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Bristol, 1713. When Philip Rake, pickpocket, smuggler and scoundrel is arrested and thrown in jail, he assumes he has a short walk to the gallows. But his father, a wealthy merchant who has remained a figure of mystery throughout his life, throws him a lifeline; become an indentured man on an expedition to the East Indies led by his friend, Woodes Rogers.
Woodes Rogers is looking for Libertatia - the fabled pirate kingdom of the legendary buccaneer Henry Avery - and the hoard of treasure rumoured to be hidden there. But Philip wants his freedom and when he learns that there are men onboard who once sailed with Henry Avery and plan to take the treasure for themselves, he jumps ship and embarks upon a career of piracy.
Philip's story takes him from the backstreets of Bristol to the sun-baked hills of Madagascar and on to the jungled islands of the Caribbean in a thrilling tale of adventure in which he rubs shoulders with some of the most notorious pirates of the age including Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
It's finally time for Charles Ignatius Sancho to tell his story, one that begins on a slave ship in the Atlantic and ends at the very center of London life. . . . A lush and immersive tale of adventure, artistry, romance, and freedom set in eighteenth-century England and based on a true story
It's 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man. Charles Ignatius Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse, and his main ally--a kindly duke who taught him to write--is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does the same Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the king, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain, and lead the fight to end slavery? Through every moment of this rich, exuberant tale, Sancho forges ahead to see how much he can achieve in one short life: I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more.In the year 1896, ten years after Lady Mary Evans Watson, Countess of Longmire and Oakdale arrived in England, she is a noteworthy businesswoman, who is comfortable dealing with people ranging from royalty to paupers in the workhouse. Her four adopted children have grown up and are pursuing their own careers, while Mary and her husband Sir Hugh Watson juggle the responsibilities of their business ventures, with bringing up their five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, and caring for family members and individuals who have received their assistance.
In the glittering ballrooms of Regency London, whispers of romance swirl amidst the aristocracy as the most coveted bachelor of the ton, Lord Percival Alden Whitworth, prepares to take a bride. Heir to the illustrious dukedom of Whitworth and esteemed friend of the Crown Prince, Lord Percival's impending nuptials have set high society ablaze with anticipation. But amidst the fervor of matchmaking mamas and ambitious debutantes, a shadow lurks, threatening to shatter the dreams of love and happiness.
Amidst the glitz and glamour of the ton, Penelope Hawthorne stands as a stark reminder of one unspeakable truth - a truth that shook the entire aristocratic society. As the Gazette eagerly anticipates the union of Lord Percival and his chosen lady, the question remains: will duty and honor prevail, or will the specter of past indiscretions tear asunder the chance for a true and lasting love? In a world where reputation is everything and secrets lie beneath every silken surface, one duty and one sin may indeed keep apart two souls from their happy ending. Will Lord Percival and his bride-to-be be able to overcome the shadows of their past and find true love, or will society's expectations tear them apart?Find out in A Damsel for the Duke, a captivating tale of love, scandal, and redemption.
In the year 1896, ten years after Lady Mary Evans Watson, Countess of Longmire and Oakdale arrived in England, she is a noteworthy business woman, who is comfortable dealing with people ranging from royalty at paupers in the workhouse. Her four adopted children have grown up and are pursuing their own careers, while Mary and her husband Sir Hugh Watson juggle responsibilities of their business ventures, with bringing up their five year old son and three year old daughter, and caring for family members and individuals who have received their assistance.