Slammerkin

Rating:
Summary: Atmospheric History Lesson
Review: I wanted to read this book since clothes play such an important part in the story. In fact,you can say that clothes are what motivate the plot;Mary's longing for the gaudy "slammerkin" dresses worn by 18th century London streetwalkers. Her mis-guided life as a result of coveting "fine clothes" is vividly described and while I wanted to truly dislike Mary,I could'nt. She's such a contrary(sorry about the pun) character,and maybe we all have a little Mary in us at times. Other well-drawn characters add to the story although the ending was a bit too pat. This would make a good "Book Club" selection as I feel people will either love it or hate it. Btw-If you are into fashion history,the clothing descriptions are great..!

Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: THis book first intrigued me just by the cover alone, and then when i read the inside flap, i got so excited that I started reading it as soon as I started walking outside the store. The emotions in this book run so thick and sharp, i spent half the time I was reading itw ith my mouth agape. i highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves an intense, raw story.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: Here's why this is the best book I've read recently: it's an engaging read (I was sad to finish the book), it's historical fiction, written so well the reader feels as if she's living in the 18th century, the "anti-heroine" is an interesting, complex figure (she does awful things, but she remains sympathetic), and the secondary characters are wonderfully drawn as well. Finally, while the subject matter isn't light, the author treats the story matter-of-factly, avoiding the usual melodrama that can be found in many novels published today. Bottom line in my humble opinion: a fascinating, engaging, stimulating read.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: This is a very well written book, not high literature, but a good read and well above some of the dross available today.

As I neared the end...I thought the central question was whether she was anywoman, a girl who ended up blundering onto a path to destruction through a few misguided choices, or whether she had a fatal flaw and was always going to end up this way, no matter how hard she fought against it. It's interesting because you feel for her in many ways.

The characterization is excellent. We only meet Matron Butler for a few pages, but she has a lot more character than the typical starched reforming figure. And Mrs Jones is such a well drawn and sympathetic character.

I did not find the sex that graphic. It was well described, and the brutality of being a street walker was conveyed clearly, perhaps by the repetition that other reviewers mention. But there were plenty of euphimisims, or perhaps old english terms, used, so I found that it didn't come across as just there for sex's sake. It's not a novel where they throw some sex into the story every so often to keep you titillated.

The prose is excellent, flows well, unobtrusive. For me it was a vacation book, because it was so easy to read, and I kept wanting to know what happened next.

Rating:
Summary: Better than the reader reviews gave it credit
Review: I am glad I read this! After reading reader reviews I was disappointed because of the comments on it being porngraphic, dark, etc. But after reading I was very glad I did. Well written and tasteful in the sense you are reading about a prostitute. I don't know what readers expected knowing the content. For kids, no, but that is your job to monitor. It was good historical fiction that was a page- turner!

Rating:
Summary: MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY...
Review: This is a well written, artfully told tale of a young, working class, teenage girl, Mary Saunders, in eighteenth century London, England, who, through a moment's exercise in bad judgment, finds herself turned out of the only home she has ever known by her own mother. Her desperation to survive sees her ushered into a life of prostitution and servitude. Based upon the actual, brief but notorious, life of a certain Mary Saunders, a servant girl who killed her mistress and was executed for her crime in 1764, it is a fascinating, historical tapestry, woven out of the few known threads of a misbegotten life.

Here, Mary Saunders is cast as an unsophisticated, thirteen year old, who, as many young girls are wont to do, desired pretty fripperies. One day, she coveted a red ribbon, and her desire for it would ultimately cost her dearly. Tossed out of her home by her mother, when her indiscretion becomes evident, Mary finds herself immersed in the underbelly of London, surviving as only a poor, but pretty, young girl can in eighteenth century London. Turning to prostitution, she descends into a life that heralds both her independence and her personal degradation.

The fates ultimately conspire to have Mary leave London for Monmouth, the birthplace of her mother. There she arranges to meet with one of her mother's childhood friends, Mrs. Jones. Giving her a sob story, Mary initially preys upon Mrs. Jones' tender sensibilities, and she is hired on as a sort of servant, but with favored status due to her being Mrs. Jones' old friend's daughter.

While there, Mary, now sixteen, is torn between her surprising contentment with her new found role and her desire to return to the excitement of London. Her life seems to be headed in a new direction, however, if she can only manage to make the choices that she needs to make in order to keep her life on track. Unfortunately, she begins to weave a web of deception that in the end becomes her own waterloo, wiping out all vestiges of hope for a life worth living. Ultimately caught between a rock and a hard place, Mary commits an act that she cannot undo, and it is this that is her own final undoing.

A dark and atmospheric tale, this is a story that is sure to capture the imagination of the reader. Through the vivid use of language and historical, period detail, the author captures the flavor of the class conflicts of eighteenth century England, as well as a sense of the strictures and social mores which were imposed upon the women of that time. Graphic and explicit in its description of Mary Saunders' brief and all too tragic life, this book is an unusual and intriguing work of fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Very Dark and Sad
Review: I read some very favorable reviews of Slammerkin and decided to give it a try. It was SO very dark even from the first page. You really can't help but end up rooting for poor Mary Saunders. How easily she goes from schoolgirl to prostitute is alarming, but let's remeber the time frame. The novel is VERY graphic and is not for the prissy or squimish. That said, the writing is very honest and up front. How else does one write about prostitution in the 1764 England? I applaud the author, how she took a small bit of history and totally fleshed it out and made it very believable. It was a slow read, there was so much to absorb. However, the characters stayed with me for days after. They were so vividly drawn. I loved the Whore with a heart of gold, Doll. I also felt for Mrs. Jones, and was shocked by her fate at the hands of Mary. This is not a fun beach read, this is dark and brutally honest and very frank in it's telling. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: I was surprised to find the negative reviews because I enjoyed the book immensely! The plot moved the story forward and I thought Mary's characterization was excellent -- we saw her grapple with issues and thoughts that were completely new to her, and in completely new environments -- wherever she was. This was a book I couldn't put down because I wanted to know what happened to Mary.

My only criticism was that the ending warrented more space than allowed by the author.

Rating:
Summary: I was transported to a different world.
Review: When I read historical fiction, I expect to be transported to a different time, place, and atmosphere. This novel certainly did that. Donoghue's prose is beautiful and flows on the tongue. As for the other reviewers who slammed this book, maybe they turned their brains off when they read the book jacket and saw the cover. The jacket clearly states that this novel is about a young lower class girl who becomes a "slammerkin" - a loose woman, a prostitute. You can pretty much assume this book is going to have some sexual content (although it's not really that graphic) and some depressing situations (quite Dickensian). Read the jacket and if what you read appeals to you, I think you'll enjoy this novel.

Rating:
Summary: You are going to want to take a bath after reading this!!
Review: Sadly I did not read the reviews of this book prior to buying it. A great deal of money has been put into its promotion. My wife could not even finish it, she found it so graphicly disgusting and depressing. [....] There is really no redeeming parts of the book. This is not based on any details of history, so the author could have created any characters, reasons or background. She decided to only have one relationship the two [...] as friends. Sharing a bed, booze and clothes. The men - please we are not all the lowest lifeforms, as she would have you believe. There is no character development or even discription.... we never even find out how the main character looks. There is a reference to the size of her lips and height. As far as the locals and time period. Again, bare descriptions. Unlike my wife I finished it. Hoping to the last page there would be something redeeming. THERE WASN'T!!