Reviews

Mary Toft; Or, the Rabbit Queen, by Dexter Palmer

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auntrurah's review against another edition

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3.0

Meh

random_shoes's review

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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silverjennydollar's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Finally! After so many DNFs, I was sure the problem was me. And then Dexter Palmer came along. Historical fiction at its best — great characters, great writing, great compassion. Reading it with the medical knowledge we have today lodged in my head was rough. How could they fall for such an obvious hoax? Partly, it was because of how women were regarded in the 17th century. Who would dare to believe that a woman could be this morally corrupt?? The horror. But also it was the spectacle. The case was considered a mass delusion, and the author beautifully explored the parts of human nature that make such a thing possible. It essentially boils down to this: belief as a virus. Once it starts spreading, it can be difficult to stop. Also, women know other women. When they tell you what is really happening, believe them.

girlglitch's review against another edition

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3.0

Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen is a unique and intriguing historical novel about an infamous medical hoax in 1700s England.

It’s a brilliant concept, but it soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to this novel than sensationalism. Palmer offers an engaging exploration of truth and belief, deception and power. The novel is cleverly structured to build up its thematic arguments alongside the plot.

Occasionally the narrative over-reaches itself with tangents that distract from the central storyline. I also found the secondary characters, with their comic idiosyncrasies, much more engaging than the main protagonists. I struggled to relate to Zachary, whose coming of age should have been central to the story. Mary herself is a shadowy, silenced figure, and the few times she does speak she overwrites herself, constantly erasing and amending her own version of the story.

Mary Toft is a clever if sometimes over-complex novel, one I wished valued its characters as much as its concept.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

tmichelson's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

3.0

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lynssss's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I would say it's hard to say who the main character of this book is, it has multiple different viewpoints of many people during this crazy time. Perhaps the most time is spent talking about Zachary and he was a good character to view these events through. He grows a lot and feels like a real person growing up from a young boy to a young man in a very short period of time. We get to see all of London's early 1700 through his eyes and experience the culture shock much the same as he does. As for the eponymous Rabbit Queen, she's more cast in shadow, we don't really get inside her head so much and maybe that's just as well since she is a real historic figure, but reading as this event unfolds is highly entertaining and horrifying at the same time. Palmer writing style is very atmospheric and really puts you in this time, however since so much detail is given to establishing some of the smaller nuances of the setting and time, it did seem to slow the pace on occasion. But overall an enjoyable time and actually learned something about this event in history that i didn't know if before. And at the end the takeaways we're enjoyable to reflect on.

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