Meet the Author – Laura Purcell in Conversation
Meet the Author
Laura Purcell in Conversation
6.30pm Friday 12th October
Wivenhoe Bookshop
Tickets £5 from Wivenhoe Bookshop, or call us on 01206 824050 to book.
(Book discount and drink incl.)
‘A compelling slice of early Victorian gothic . Vivid and well researched, this book is an evocative portrait of a society that punishes women who dare to contravene social norms . as well as a splendid mystery with suitably melodramatic flourishes.’ The Guardian
‘The Corset is the very best kind of gothic fiction. Reminiscent of Sarah Waters and Margaret Atwood, but uniquely and unmistakably Laura Purcell.’ – ES Thomson
Laura Purcell will be joining us to talk about ‘The Corset’, her new Victorian chiller.
Her first novel for Bloomsbury, The Silent Companions, was a Radio 2 Book Club pick, was selected for the Zoe Ball ITV Book Club and was the winner of the Thumping Good Read Award.
About the Book
Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain?
Dorothea and Ruth.
Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless.
“Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.
When Dorothea’s charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person’s skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.
The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea’s belief in rationality, and the power of redemption.
Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?”
Publisher’s Synopsis
Praise for Laura Purcell
Laura Purcell
“The Corset is a contender for my Book of the Year. Ruth and Dorothea will live in my mind for a long time. Beautifully written, intricately plotted, a masterpiece” – Sarah Hilary
“She’s done it again. More macabre magnificence from Laura Purcell – intricately stitched together like one of seamstress Ruth’s terrifying creations. The Corset will have you crushed within its vice. Brilliant’” – Anna Mazzola
“An intriguing premise deftly executed, The Corset is genuinely thrilling” – Elizabeth Haynes
Praise for The Silent Companions
‘A sinister slice of Victorian gothic … Creepy and page-turning” – The Times
“A perfect read for a winter night … An intriguing, nuanced and genuinely eerie slice of Victorian gothic” – The Guardian
“This intriguingly plotted novel is the full-blown gothic, maintaining throughout an unsettling claustrophobic atmosphere mixed with some unusual historical detail” – Daily Mail
“Phantasmic thrills … A true page-turner … Neatly crafted and compelling … The story ticks along at a good pace, with a spine-tingling revelation every few pages” – Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
Laura Purcell is a former bookseller, and she lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs. Her first novel for Bloomsbury, The Silent Companions, was a Radio 2 Book Club pick, was selected for the Zoe Ball ITV Book Club and was the winner of the Thumping Good Read Award.
The Corset is Laura’s second novel, , and will be followed by Bone China and The Shape of Darkness in later years.
Laura’s historical fiction novels about the Hanoverian monarchs, Queen of Bedlam (2014) and Mistress of the Court (2015), were published by Myrmidon and are available from all book retailers.
