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Born of No Woman

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What to expect

Nineteenth-century rural France.

Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under the woman's dress he will find the notebooks in which she confided the abuses she suffered and the twisted motivations behind them.

And so Rose's terrible story comes to light: sold as a teenage girl to a rich man, hidden away in an old manor house deep in the woods and caught in a perverse web, manipulated by those society considers her betters. A girl whose only escape is to capture her life - in all its devastation and hope - in the pages of her diary.

The English-language debut of critically acclaimed author Franck Bouysse, this exquisitely written novel is both a keen social commentary and a chilling horror story.

Critics Review

Here, everything is epiphanic, essential, surprising, whether it be the revelation of a secret or the painting of a detail...At once classic and phantasmagoric, Born of No Woman proves that fiction...can still amaze
Le Monde des livres
A vivid, mesmerizing tale
L’Express
Rare are those who, like Franck Bouysse, manage to write the indescribable, to touch the unspeakable, with so much subtlety and intensity. In spite of the severity and darkness of certain pages, Born of No Woman is a deeply moving and luminous book
La Libre
Born of No Woman is a dazzling, heart-wrenching tale of cruelty and mercy, secrets and horrors. The novel is deeply immersive, gothic, and taut with dread; the prose sings and the characters burn in the heart. Easily my favourite book of the year. Not to be missed
Kim Taylor Blakemore, author of After Alice Fell
One of the most disturbing yet lyrically exquisite novels I've read in a long time . . . Brave, sometimes horrific, Born of No Woman is one of the most compelling novels I have read in many years. Infused with lurid elements of the most gothic fairy tales, it explores the darkest realms of human sexuality
Essie Fox, author of The Last Days of Leda Grey
A haunting, suspenseful gothic tale set in nineteenth-century France that weaves many layers, from the plight of women in that era to class distinctions that lead to oppression of the vulnerable . . . Ultimately, this is a book of hope and the resilience of the human spirit to overcome tragedy. The narrative is elegant, and the viewpoint of every character is compelling and credible. Highly recommended!
Debbie Herbert, author of Not One of Us and Cold Waters
Born of No Woman is beautifully and quietly haunting. Rose's triumph over human weakness, cruelty, and her own powerlessness as a woman without means or status deeply resonates, and the strength of her dignity and resilience lingers long after the pages are turned
Megan Chance, bestselling author of A Splendid Ruin
Undoubtedly effective . . . There are plenty of narrative surprises as Rose's father seeks to recover her, and she falls in love with the mysterious Edmond
Guardian, Best Recent Translated Fiction
This book feels like the Marquis de Sade's Justine if Justine had written it . . . show[ing] the author's keen observational skills when it comes to class and gender
CrimeReads, Best International Crime Fiction of the Month
Author Franck Bouysse
Narrator Charles Armstrong, Helen Duff
Duration 8 hours and 52 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781474616263
Format Audiobook
Publisher Orion
Genre Fiction: general and literary, Historical crime and mysteries, Historical fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE

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