The Maiden
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4.0 • 8 Ratings
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
This audio edition includes an exclusive conversation between narrator Paula Masterton and author Kate Foster.
'A masterpiece. A thrilling historical murder tale but so much more. Vivid, evocative and full of humanity' – Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code
Inspired by a real-life case and winner of the Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect Award, Kate Foster's The Maiden is a remarkable story with a feminist revisionist twist, giving a voice to women otherwise silenced by history.
"In the end, it did not matter what I said at my trial. No one believed me."
Edinburgh, October 1679. Lady Christian is arrested and charged with the murder of her lover, James Forrester. News of her imprisonment and subsequent trial is splashed across the broadsides, with headlines that leave little room for doubt: Adulteress. Whore. Murderess.
Only a year before, Lady Christian was newly married, leading a life of privilege and respectability. So, what led her to risk everything for an affair? And does that make her guilty of murder? She wasn't the only woman in Forrester's life, and certainly not the only one who might have had cause to wish him dead . . .
'Threat hangs over every page like the awaiting guillotine, but the women in this book gleam sharper. Witty, gritty and full of heart, their voices rise through the brutality and hardship of 17th century Edinburgh, battling to be heard' – Cari Thomas, bestselling author of Threadneedle
Customer Reviews
Thought provoking
I'm sure that many young women will have found themselves in a situation where a 'James' has attempted to win them over. When I was 17 an uncle (who was married to my 24 year old aunt) told me at a party we both happened to attend, that if I fancied a bit on the side he would oblige any time. I was shocked and have avoided him ever since. I don't think I have ever told anyone. I'm realising many years later (I'm now 61) that it must be very common and I am wondering how many of my close friends have been propositioned by an uncle, but never spoken of it to anyone because it would cause such unrest in the family. Indeed it is more likely that the uncle would deny it and the young woman would be blamed for causing trouble. What a world we live in.