LoveReading Says
Magnificent! Brilliantly evoking seventeenth-century Edinburgh in atmosphere and socio-moral landscape, Kate Foster’s The Maiden is a thrilling story of murder, salacious judgements, and injustice.
Made all the more powerful by the fact that it’s sparked by a real-life murder case (the Maiden of the title was a gruesome guillotine reserved for those deemed to be the worst criminals), The Maiden also gives voice to silenced women through a gritty story that reels with incredible wit.
A mere year after getting married, reputable Lady Christian is charged with murdering her lover, James Forrester. The headlines sparked by the case don’t hold back (“Adulteress. Whore. Murderess”), with the High Constable hamming up the grisly murder scene in the broadsides: “Oh, I’ll never forget the way the blood was spreading across the ground. Thick and oozing, it was. As though he’d been attacked by an animal”.
At her trial, no one believes a word Lady Christian utters, and yet the narrative reveals other women’s experiences of Forrester, with tenacious Violet’s voice particularly powerful — the murdered man took her from a brothel at a young age.
Visual, compulsive, and taking in privileges of gender, class and status, if you love immersive historic fiction, if you fell for TV show Harlots, you’re guaranteed to become utterly invested in The Maiden.
Joanne Owen
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The Maiden Synopsis
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 . . .
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781529091748 |
| Publication date: |
29th February 2024 |
| Author: |
Kate Foster |
| Publisher: |
Pan Books an imprint of Pan Macmillan |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
374 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Historical Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Kate Foster Press Reviews
The Maiden is a masterpiece. A thrilling historical murder tale but so much more. Vivid, evocative and full of humanity. I took each and every character to my heart. The fact this is inspired by a true story makes it all the more chilling and relevant. I was transported to 17th Century Edinburgh so completely, I'm sure a part of me is still there -- Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code
A gripping read with strong, compelling and unusual female characters - and a twisty plot that keeps the reader guessing. It cast a fresh light on a period of history when women have too often been seen merely as victims and brought them to life as protagonists in their own right -- Sally Hinchcliffe, author of Hare House
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
I simply could not have loved this novel more. In Christian and Violet, Kate Foster has created two unforgettable characters, whose stories I became utterly and delightedly glued to. Page-turning, transportive, funny, and tremendously moving, The Maiden is a book to lose yourself in - just make sure you don't have any plans, because once you start reading, you won't want to stop -- Jenny Ashcroft, author of Under the Golden Sun and The Echoes of Love
I inhaled The Maiden. A feminist retelling of a murder that shocked 17th century Scotland. Brave, bold and at times deliciously indecent with vivid characters that leap from the page and demand attention. Kate Foster has such a fresh, exhilarating voice -- Lizzie Pook, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter
The Maiden is historical fiction at its finest. A true-life murder tale told thrilingly through the eyes of two very different women, yet both are fighting for their futures in a patriarchal world riven by hypocrisy -- D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance
A fabulous book . . . The writing is exquisite and it felt like a rare treat - a story totally rooted in its time and place, but that speaks across the generations -- Claire Evans, author of The Fourteenth Letter and The Graves of Whitechapel
An engrossing, sometimes chilling, read as Kate Foster's imaginative retelling of an old tale takes her colourful characters on a complex ride through the intrigues and prejudices of seventeenth century Scotland -- Sarah Maine, author of The House Between Tides and The Awakenings
A pleasingly female-led re-imagining of true historical events, The Maiden brings 17th century Edinburgh vividly to life in all its colour and stink -- Mary Paulson-Ellis, author of The Other Mrs Walker and Emily Noble's Disgrace
A brilliantly bawdy, fabulously feminist take on a real life tragedy. A beautifully written thriller full of all too human characters. I loved it! -- Tina Baker, author of Call Me Mummy and Nasty Little Cuts
Hugely compelling and completely unputdownable. Every time you think you know where the book is going, Kate Foster surprises you. The characterisation and the narrative voice are both so assured -- Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
An unforgettably vivid and very human story that had me glued to its twists and turns from the very first page. A strong contender for my top reads of 2023 already. A must read slice of historical fiction - 17 Degrees Magazine
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