Synopses & Reviews
Donoghue finds her inspiration for these wry, robust tales in obscure scraps of historical records: an engraving of a woman giving birth to rabbits; a plague ballad; surgical case notes; theological pamphlets; an articulated skeleton. Here kings, surgeons, soldiers, and ladies of leisure rub shoulders with cross-dressers, cult leaders, poisoners, and arsonists.
Whether she's spinning the tale of an Irish soldier tricked into marrying a dowdy spinster, a Victorian surgeon's attempts to "improve" women, a seventeenth-century countess who ran away to Italy disguised as a man, or an "undead" murderess returning for the maid she left behind to be executed in her place, Emma Donoghue brings to her stories an "elegant, colorful prose filled with unforgettable sights, sounds and smells" (Elle). Here she summons the ghosts of those women who counted for nothing in their own day, but who come to unforgettable life in fiction.
Review
PRAISE FOR
SLAMMERKIN"Superb . . . A novel of real force, filled with unforgettable sights . . . A profoundly entertaining and intelligent book."--Elle
"[A] colorful romp of a novel . . . Impossible to resist. Donoghue paints a spirited picture . . . Fabulous."--The New York Times Book Review
"This book rocks from the title on. A spectacular job."--USA Today
"What a great read this book is! Donoghue is a real writer, and she's elevated her racy story close to art."--The Washington Post Book World
Review
PRAISE FOR
THE WOMAN WHO GAVE BIRTH TO RABBITS"An inspired dance on the narrow and exhilarating cliff-edge of art."--The Washington Post
"Through [Donoghue's] colorful detail we see, hear and smell the poignant episodes in these complex, but ordinary, lives."--USA Today
Review
"The only problem with Emma Donoghue's collection, The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, is that it's hard to stop yourself from skipping to the end of each story. There readers will find a note from Donoghue explaining the historical background of the juicy tale they've just read, whether it's the sailor who was drugged into marrying a spinster or the woman who, yes, faked the births of over a dozen dead rabbits....Her endeavor results in the intimate kind of history we often crave, allowing us to be privy to the terrifying, scandalous or heartbreaking conversations that history books usually leave to our imaginations....Donoghue animates these obscure pieces of the past with often humorous dialogue and surprising emotional invention." Suzy Hansen, Salon.com (read the entire Salon review)
Synopsis
Emma Donoghue vividly brings to life stories inspired by her discoveries of fascinating, hidden scraps of the past. Here an engraving of a woman giving birth to rabbits, a plague ballad, surgical case notes, theological pamphlets, and an articulated skeleton are ingeniously fleshed out into rollicking, full-bodied fictions.
Whether she's spinning the tale of an English soldier tricked into marrying a dowdy spinster, a Victorian surgeon's attempts to "improve" women, a seventeenth-century Irish countess who ran away to Italy disguised as a man, or an "undead" murderess returning for the maid she left behind to be executed in her place, Emma Donoghue brings to her tales a colorful, elegant prose filled with the sights and smells and sounds of the period. She summons the ghosts of those men and women who counted for nothing in their own day and brings them to unforgettable life in fiction.
About the Author
Emma Donoghue was born in Dublin in 1969 and earned her Ph.D. in eighteenth-century fiction at Cambridge. She is the author of three novels, a book of fairy tales, and several works of literary history. She lives in Ontario, Canada. For further information and current news, go to www.EmmaDonoghue.com
Table of Contents
contents
Preface o xi
Acknowledgments o xiii
The Last Rabbit o 1
Acts of Union o 17
The Fox on the Line o 33
Account o 47
Revelations o 53
Night Vision o 75
Ballad o 87
Come, Gentle Night o 99
Salvage o 115
Cured o 129
Figures of Speech o 151
Words for Things o 159
How a Lady Dies o 175
A Short Story o 195
Dido o 205
The Necessity of Burning o 221
Looking for Petronilla o 241