The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: No Exit Press (21 Mar. 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0857302949
ISBN-13: 978-0857302946

Synopsis

Birmingham, 1885.

Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.

Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora…?

Review

The Conviction of Cora Burns is set in nineteenth century Birmingham and is the debut novel from Carolyn Kirby. This is a fast paced, dark and fascinating read that brings Victoria England to life. The narration is mainly told from Cora’s point of view, but throughout the book there are articles from Thomas Jerwood published in the science publication The Wyvern Quaretly, and from Doctor David Farley, the doctor at the asylum, in his journal. The book addresses that age old question of nature versus nature, and ponders is someone inherently bad or is this learned in life.

The Conviction of Cora Burns is an enthralling and intelligent read, that works on so many levels. Multi faceted it looks at the social and cultural climate of Victorian England, and combines science with the emotional story of Cora’s life. This is a beautifully written book with plenty of historical detail that raises questions that you will think about long after the book is finished. The chapters from Thomas Jerwood and Doctor Farley show how the poor, and especially women were viewed in society, and how it was very much a man’s world. Farley did have redeeming qualities, in that he had more care in his experimentation of hypnosis to help patients in the asylum. Jerwood had no redeeming qualities, he didn’t seem to care about the consequences of his actions, and how it may effect his subjects, including Cora.

Cora’s story intrigued me, and held my attention throughout the book; if I’m honest I didn’t want the book to finish, I wanted to find out what happened to her after the story came to an end. Born in the prison, she spent her childhood in the workhouse then went to work in the laundry of the asylum until she came full circle and found herself back in the prison. This didn’t set her back however, she is a fiery and intelligent character who wants a better life even in the face of a trauma from the past that still haunts her. Her relationships with others, especially the cook and young girl at Thomas Jerwood’s, show a caring side to her otherwise dark and mistrusting character. Her consent development in the outside world makes for an interesting read, and had me rooting for her.

The Conviction of Cora Burns is a fabulous debut from Carolyn Kirby. She brings to life the grim brutality of the Victorian period in this dark and gothic novel. Her attention to detail in both plot and character drew me in and had me gripped from start to finish, to the point I didn’t want the book to finish. This is a gripping, intelligent and fascinating historical thriller with a heroine you won’t forget; an all encompassing and spellbinding read.

I would like to thank No Exit Press for my copy of this book to review as part of the blog tour.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my review.