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205th out of 3,145 books
—
13,791 voters
Slammerkin
by
Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author)
Born to rough cloth in working-class London in 1748, Mary Saunders hungers for linen and lace. Her lust for a shiny red ribbon leads her to a life of prostitution at a young age, where she encounters a freedom unknown to virtuous young women. But a dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth and the refuge of the middle-class household of Mrs. Jones, to become the seam...more
Paperback, First Edition, 410 pages
Published
May 1st 2002
by Mariner Books
(first published 2000)
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Jun 07, 2008
Xysea
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who enjoyed The Dress Lodger or The Crimson Petal & The WHite
Recommended to Xysea by:
Bookmooch
Shelves:
fiction,
historical
Well, from all the books I've read about this time period, it has become alarmingly clear that a woman such as myself would not have existed back then.
Women were allowed only a few scripted roles, one of which was prostitute. For any woman who didn't find the confines of holy matrimony a sacrifice worth making, there was always the stree whore, the slammerkin, the dress lodger, the bar wench or the mistress. All were examples of the same thing; a woman who exchanged sexual relations for money an...more
Women were allowed only a few scripted roles, one of which was prostitute. For any woman who didn't find the confines of holy matrimony a sacrifice worth making, there was always the stree whore, the slammerkin, the dress lodger, the bar wench or the mistress. All were examples of the same thing; a woman who exchanged sexual relations for money an...more
8 likes · like · see review
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Jul 22, 2007
Maya
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
AMY
Shelves:
alltimefavorites,
greattitles
A slammerkin, as is noted on the cover is a loose dress, a loose woman. I love this book so much that I actually couldn't bear to read the end the first time around. Gender and poverty is really well explored. I love the way the main character becomes a prostitute--she wants to buy a ribbon, she can't afford it, so she agrees to kiss this peddler of ribbons and ends up sort of getting raped (that word just seems so harsh even though it's exactly what happened.) Everything is just perfect--that i...more
13 likes · like · see review
I was highly disappointed by this book, especially since it received some really good reviews. The writing style was fine, and Emma Donoghue painted a fairly accurate portrait of 18th century London. (These are the only things which made me give this novel 2 stars...otherwise, it would've been a 1-star book.) I thought the narrative's main flaw lay in its heroine, Mary Saunders. To me, she was very 2-dimensional: she was vain, vapid, egotistical, wholly unapologetic (about her thoughts/feelings/...more
12 likes · like · see review
This book is anti-erotica. Its about a girl who is forced into prostitution by a totally heartless world (London in the eighteeth century) and who progresses in the course of the book from an innocent to the most depraved of humanity. The story wends its way from beginning to end and is interesting and readable, but it is a crabbed view of humanity, unlightened by any hope of redemption or joy. I enjoyed reading it once but its not one of those books I will seek out again.
The main theme I got from this book is that ambitious women, especially women ambitious for the "finer things in life" always meet a sticky end. The themes in this book reminded me very much of Madam Bovary: vain, selfish women who crave beauty, luxury, and an exciting life who ultimately wind up worse off than they started (read: dead). Oh, I think the Awakening was like this too, except that heroine wanted, not a life of luxury, but just a life of freedom. The stories seem to warn against ambi...more
2 likes · like · see review
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2 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Did you enjoy reading the book? I did enjoy some parts, off and on. That's why it got three stars.
Are you glad you read the book? No. I wish I'd spent the hours reading any other book that I've been reading.
Would you read another book by the same author? It's possible, but I think not likely.
Did you know the book was about an actual person and event? Not until I finished it and read the few pages at the end.
Do you wish you had known before you read it? It depends. If that knowledge would have ke...more
Are you glad you read the book? No. I wish I'd spent the hours reading any other book that I've been reading.
Would you read another book by the same author? It's possible, but I think not likely.
Did you know the book was about an actual person and event? Not until I finished it and read the few pages at the end.
Do you wish you had known before you read it? It depends. If that knowledge would have ke...more
9 likes · like · see review
This is irresistible transporting fiction. Emma Donoghhue writes a a story inspired by few surviving facts of the real Mary Saunder's life. At 14 she is thrust into the London streets by her mother and thought of as worthless trash. Mary meets so many bawdy characters like Dall one tuff talking street guide, who teaches her how to make money in the oldest profession known for survival. Mary's desire of vanity holds no bounds although she is given many chances for a fresh life she only knows one...more
5 likes · like · see review
It's strange that when you don't like a book you can come up with a lot of reasons why, yet when I love one I just say "Fantastic. Read it." This book had a lot of ingredients for me to love, but it just fell completely flat. I felt absolutely nothing for the main character, Mary. I think that was the crux of the problem. She is just a psychopath. I mean at least give me a better reason for her to willingly give into that ribbon peddler at age 14 than she just likes colorful hair bows. What? Com...more
9 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I never leave the house without a red ribbon.
Mary Saunders, the focus of Slammerkin, is thrown out
of her house after being raped for her desire for a red ribbon.
Does the red ribbon establish a kinship between Mary and
me? Perhaps. Lacking a common desire or situation, the
reader may have difficulty opening herself to a character
– in my case, the relationship between a middle-aged
librarian and a doomed teenaged prostitute.
Slammerkin places a very young woman in a desperately
poor household, where sh...more
Mary Saunders, the focus of Slammerkin, is thrown out
of her house after being raped for her desire for a red ribbon.
Does the red ribbon establish a kinship between Mary and
me? Perhaps. Lacking a common desire or situation, the
reader may have difficulty opening herself to a character
– in my case, the relationship between a middle-aged
librarian and a doomed teenaged prostitute.
Slammerkin places a very young woman in a desperately
poor household, where sh...more
4 likes · like · see review
Been a long time since I read a book I really liked, couldnt wait to get back to and genuinely learned something from and I got all that from this one gem..It is a dark, chilling tale of young girl whose thirst for the finer things in life lead her to the dark side as a fallen woman--but hooray prostitutes, they are the strongest, fiercest and funniest characters in the book and Doll (she reminds me of Sugar from another great book on harlots The Crimson Petal and the White) is my favorite but I...more
Last year, we were asked by our professor to bring something that we possess and that we can describe and tell a story about it. Our professor gave us one week to think a special thing that we can present in front of the class. during that day, Some of my classmates brought there family photo vacation, high tech gadgets, fancy necklace and earrings.
And when its my turn to present what i have, i presented this book , SLAMMERKIN by Emma Donohue. I thought there’s nothing more gripping and interes...more
And when its my turn to present what i have, i presented this book , SLAMMERKIN by Emma Donohue. I thought there’s nothing more gripping and interes...more
The book inspired me to write this: (spoiler alert within my poem)
-MY SLAMMERKIN-
Having more thumbs
then fingers
pushing
needles through
silk
made for noblemen
ladies and gentlemen
for old and new money
but not for me
My mother sees it
as duty
what do I know of that
behind my eyes
only the
Cullie's can see
there is nothing
left for me
for I know
tis the clothes
that make the
woman
I wear my red slammerkin
with stays
that cut my
breath
ribbed in whalebone
linen shipped from France
backstitched with a thread count
even a qu...more
-MY SLAMMERKIN-
Having more thumbs
then fingers
pushing
needles through
silk
made for noblemen
ladies and gentlemen
for old and new money
but not for me
My mother sees it
as duty
what do I know of that
behind my eyes
only the
Cullie's can see
there is nothing
left for me
for I know
tis the clothes
that make the
woman
I wear my red slammerkin
with stays
that cut my
breath
ribbed in whalebone
linen shipped from France
backstitched with a thread count
even a qu...more
1 like · like · see review
I just finished this book about 15 minutes ago. Mary was a girl who wanted more out of life but was constantly reminded she was never going to be in silks as she dreamed. The trama of being thrown from her house and becoming a whore, being schooled by the unscrupulous Doll.
SPOILER BEYOND DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THE BOOK YET:
I do not Hate Mary. I understand how a young girl can be mentally twisted by the events in her life.
She wanted more out of life than her current station allowed.
I b...more
SPOILER BEYOND DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THE BOOK YET:
I do not Hate Mary. I understand how a young girl can be mentally twisted by the events in her life.
She wanted more out of life than her current station allowed.
I b...more
2 likes · like · see review
got this because of Donoghue's ROOM. Not the same thing a bit. It was a sort of fascinating read. As a writer, imagine coming across an interesting story about a criminal of some sort being executed and thinking, "I wonder what the story was there?" and then trying really hard to get inside the horrible criminal's mind and tell that story. Well, I think that's what Donaghue did. And as far as that goes, it was really quite a remarkable feat, especially all of the details about life in England du...more
"Clothes Make A Woman"
"Slammerkin" by Emma Donohue brings to life the troubled and tragic life of Mary Saunders, a young girl who murdered her mistress in 18th century England. Raised in the hard and trecherous streets of London, attracked by the colorful ribbons worn by harlots, and suddenly thrust into that profession at an early age Mary comes to know more about life than she bargained for and less about herself in her search for a sense of family. Are her attractions and desires for the bang...more
"Slammerkin" by Emma Donohue brings to life the troubled and tragic life of Mary Saunders, a young girl who murdered her mistress in 18th century England. Raised in the hard and trecherous streets of London, attracked by the colorful ribbons worn by harlots, and suddenly thrust into that profession at an early age Mary comes to know more about life than she bargained for and less about herself in her search for a sense of family. Are her attractions and desires for the bang...more
Another Dickensian baroque work from Emma Donoghue, about Mary Saunders, a girl who finds freedom and even power as a 15-year-old prostitute on the streets of London. But when things go awry, she lights out for the remote town of Monmouth, near the border of Wales. Through a ruse, she persuades a respectable family to take her in to their home, where she strives to re-invent herself as a good girl. Life is almost as cruel, hard, and unforgiving in Monmouth as it is in London, with none of the ci...more
A 1763 murder briefly reported in Welsh and English history of a servant named Mary Saunders who butchered her employer, Mrs. Jones, was Donoghue’s inspiration for Slammerkin. By taking the barest tidbits of a story’s end, she weaved backwards to write a plausible biography of the sixteen-year-old who was reported to have murdered because she yearned for “fine clothes.” Matching that desire with the use of the outdated word slammerkin, which means a loose dress or loose woman, Donoghue built a s...more
2000. FWFTB: prostitution, thirteen, debt, killer, tragedy. I can’t remember how this one popped up on my radar but I have a feeling it may have been a GR recommendation. The writing is technically sound and the necessary research has obviously been done. I had no sympathy for the heroine at all. I found it to be quite a one dimensional characterisation. This could, of course, been done on purpose to highlight the sense of remoteness that the character had when regarding her fate (I am thinking...more
Same old story. I go to the library looking for one book and end up with another. This time it was Emma Donoghue’s Slammmerkin as a substitute for her The Sealed Letter. I still don’t know much about The Sealed Letter, but I found out something about Donoghue, and it’s mostly good stuff.
“Slammerkin,” according to one of the main characters in this historical novel (18th C. England) is a term for a part of a gown (a part I’m not clear about. I got lost in the description of the stitchery.) as...more
“Slammerkin,” according to one of the main characters in this historical novel (18th C. England) is a term for a part of a gown (a part I’m not clear about. I got lost in the description of the stitchery.) as...more
My first exposure to Emma Donoghue was her novel Room. I really enjoyed Room. Which was why I was so surprised when I picked up Slammerkin. A gritty novel set in the 1800's about a "fallen woman" who dreams of a better life? Count me in. I had just finished Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber (which I highly recommend for anyone else dissatisfied with Slammerkin) and was looking for a way to break back into that world. Plus, it had a gorgeous cover. As a former design student, that's on...more
Emma Donoghue's current book is "Room," which is getting a lot of press right now, and was a good book. I decided to try one of her older books, and chose this one, "Slammerkin." The definition of the title word is given before the book begins: "a noun, eighteenth century, of unknown origin. 1. A loose gown. 2. A loose woman."
It is loosely based on the true story of Mary Saunders, who murdered her employer in 1763. Only a few facts are documented, so Donoghue takes that kernal of truth and creat...more
It is loosely based on the true story of Mary Saunders, who murdered her employer in 1763. Only a few facts are documented, so Donoghue takes that kernal of truth and creat...more
Mary Saunders is an unusual child in mid-18th Century London: she is sent to school and learns to read, write and do sums, something well above her station as the daughter of a widowed seamstress who has remarried to a coal porter. She dreams of improving her situation: of one day riding a fabulous white horse, dressed in finery and adored by the throng. Her immediate models however are the prostitutes who ply their age-old trade based around the "Seven Dials" near Covent Garden in London's West...more
Even though the book takes place in the 1740s England, the story line could apply to anybody of Mary's age today. An educational read for me!
-page 7
"(S)he was never in a hurry to get home. If it was still light when Mary reached the family's two-room cellar on Charing Cross Road, she knew what she'd see through the low scuffed window: her mother shipwrecked in a sea of cheap linen, scaly fingers clinging to the needle, hemming and cross-stitching innumera ble quilted squares while the new baby w...more
-page 7
"(S)he was never in a hurry to get home. If it was still light when Mary reached the family's two-room cellar on Charing Cross Road, she knew what she'd see through the low scuffed window: her mother shipwrecked in a sea of cheap linen, scaly fingers clinging to the needle, hemming and cross-stitching innumera ble quilted squares while the new baby w...more
Set in Victorian England, Slammerkin is a novel written by Emma Donoghue of "Room" fame about a 14 year old girl, Mary Saunders, whose ambition for the "rich" life leads her down a path of prostitution and eventually self destruction.
Although a technically well-written book, it was not a very enjoyable book to read given how dark and bleak it was. Mary Saunders is a character very hard to root for even though she showed great promise after having overcome the many atrocities committed unto her....more
Although a technically well-written book, it was not a very enjoyable book to read given how dark and bleak it was. Mary Saunders is a character very hard to root for even though she showed great promise after having overcome the many atrocities committed unto her....more
I honestly hate this book. I had thought I would like it as I generally like historical novels but was very disappointed after reading it. Maybe I just couldn't appreciate it because I despised the protagonist who seemed to have no sympathy, empathy, hopes, dreams, hobbies or show any emotions really (aside from prostitution, expensive fashion, lying and destroying families). Throughout the story Mary is continuously being given to, even in the beginning she didn't have too bad of a life but con...more
Good historical yarn about life in London during the 18th century. Donoghue takes a couple of snippets from history and builds a tale of a very young girl who falls into prostitution and where that leads her, which is far, far from London. The author excels at setting a vivid scene, complete with odors and touch. I think she gets a little carried away, especially with her descriptions of the young prostitute after she has turned a trick or two. Halfway through the book I no longer had any affect...more
Oct 12, 2010
Judy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of historical fiction
Shelves:
21st-century-fiction
A slammerkin can mean either a loose dress or a loose woman. Emma Donoghue is a fine writer whose most recent novel, Room, was short listed for the Booker Prize of 2010. Recently I reviewed Room for BookBrowse and since I had never read anything by Donoghue, much less heard of her, I did a little homework.
This novel is historical fiction in the sub genre of prostitute tales, of which I have read my share. Memoirs of a Geisha, The Crimson Petal and the White, Forever Amber, come to mind. I am su...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Ireland: February-April Quartelry Irish Read 2013: Slammerkin | 28 | 46 | Apr 25, 2013 02:35pm | |
| Mary's character | 7 | 34 | Apr 05, 2013 09:31am |
Emma is the youngest of eight children of Frances and Denis Donoghue. She attended Catholic convent schools in Dublin, apart from one year in New York at the age of ten. In 1990 she earned a first-class honours BA in English and French from University College Dublin, and in 1997 a PhD (on the concept of friendship between men and women in eighteenth-century English fiction) from the University of...more
More about Emma Donoghue...
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“For all the books in his possession, he still failed to read the stories written plain as day in the faces of the people around him.”
—
14 people liked it
“For some people, she thought, trials were only temporary; they sailed towards happiness through the roughest weather.”
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4 people liked it
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