Big....that is all,

It's strange to view a book like this as a "page turner" as it had been described (I have the book also). If what that they mean is it has you gripped and is fast paced then I am fine with that description.

It is equal parts, entertaining, thought provoking, first rate creative writing and for some I imagine quite challenging. A raw and often hard hitting reminder of the brutality and inequalities of yester-year but it is power story telling, beautifully written and expertly researched, as a stand alone piece of drama. The issues of race, slavery, sexism and social injustice (not necessarily in that order) form a natural back drop without getting in the way of the central storyn Frannie's trial for murder and did she do "it".

The audio book benefits from being narrated by the author giving a real depth of understanding to the characters... Thank you Ms Collins.

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A refreshing departure from form

a relief of a book in that it accounts the life of a full person, despite being about a black one shortly after abolishment. A page-turning murder mystery from a less heard perspective.

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Brilliant Story

Loved the narrator's voice so smooth and drew you in. Great story not the usual poor girl saved at the end but a story that was told through the character
Really lovely descriptive analogies you can almost see the scenes through these.

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1 person found this helpful

An amazing story, told beautifully.

I loved this book. It started at end and unfolded slowly, moving the reader forward and backward in time filling in the gaps of Frannies’ life. It is gently told and yet hard hitting and somehow at the end you feel you are sitting right there beside Frannie as she steps forward. A brilliant book, methinks.

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An astonishing literary debut

I have recently been lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’ by Sara Collins and have also listened to it on Audible. If a page turner is a book that is constantly surprising, that keeps you on your toes - chasing the twists and relishing the turns - then THIS novel is a page turner. I did not want to put it down.

From a slave plantation in Jamaica, to life as a lady’s maid in a grand Georgian town house, via a London bawdy house, to the court rooms of the Old Bailey, tried for the double murder of her ‘master’ and ‘mistress’. We follow the story of Frannie Langton, through her own words, via her confessions to her lawyer.

But how do I describe it? A murder-mystery? A gothic horror? An exploration of eugenics and scientific racism? A compelling and obsessive, lesbian romance? It’s all these things and more. Written with wit and finesse, very well researched and with much attention paid to historical detail.

I've never read a book that so vividly paints a picture of its protagonist's emotional progress. What joy to intricately follow Frannie's journey, geographically and psychologically. And it’s an emotional journey too, gut wrenching at times, but without ever being 'sickly-sweet'.

In fact, I became so invested in Frannie that sometimes I wanted to shake her and tell her not to do something or not to say something. But there’s nothing to be done about it. THIS woman has a mind of her own. And it’s testament to the author’s skills that as a reader you care.

Collins does not succumb to lazy stereotypes when writing her characters either. And not just the main characters but also those waiting in the wings to take their turn. All are three dimensional, with fully formed back stories, no matter how small their part. Look out in particular for Laddie and Sal, both integral to the storyline.

The narrative comes alive with the author's use of metaphors and similes: ‘The black night crouches, like a watchman, at the glass’. So simple yet so effective. It’s the use of language like this that helps so vividly to paint a portrait of the book’s varied landscapes in your minds’ eye. And what landscapes! The author sweeps back and forth between Continents in a way reminiscent of Bram Stoker's ‘Dracula’.

And so in summary, this book vividly touches upon the horrors of slavery without ever being a book ABOUT slavery. It touches upon life as a domestic maid, without ever turning into Downton Abbey. It delves into an illicit, obsessive love affair between mistress and servant without ever becoming ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’. It’s about all these things and so much more. But that’s the point. There is more to Frannie then meets the eye. She has a voice and a story to tell and she WILL confess it in her own, unique way.

An original, astonishing, powerful, thought-provoking novel, written with humour and intelligence. If there’s one book you read or listen to this year, make it this one.

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20 people found this helpful

Interesting story but drags as an audio book

Interesting story and characters but loses momentum half way through recommend ×1.75 speed to finish!

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But!

This is such a good book! Well written with beautiful use of language.

A testament to this = it's the first time I've fought my way through the narration instead of giving up!

I'll quality these comments by admitting I am super picky when it comes to narration so mileage may vary but for me I'm sorry to say the author's narration, apart from being flat, lacking any emotion, was blighted by awful accents.

I couldn't work out what was going on with the ever changing accents.. seemed to flip flop between Irish with a touch of American or maybe English with a touch of Irish I never worked it out but it was extremely irritating. Adjoa Andoh would have been perfect!

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Great Narration

The story was very well narrated and they bought the story to life very well.

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Not my normal choice

I came across this book in a box subscription. Other wise I would not have picked it up myself. However I loved the story and how well written it was. Would highly recommended it.

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3 people found this helpful

Disappointing Performance

Sorry to say that the performance ruined this for me, there wasn’t enough light and shade - it was monotonous.
The story is really hard going, with no likeable characters and I finished the book feeling deeply unsatisfied.

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