Name: erin s's review of The Savage Instinct by Marjorie DeLuca
Item: The Savage Instinct
Rating: 4
Author: erin s

Marjorie DeLuca

"DeLuca keeps readers guessing. Minette Walters fans will be pleased." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) In the lineage of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, The Savage Instinct is the chilling story of one woman's struggle for her sanity, set against the backdrop of the arrest and trial of Mary Ann Cotton, England’s first female serial killer. England, 1873. Clara Blackstone has just been released after one year in a private asylum for the insane. Clara has two goals: to reunite with her husband, Henry, and to never—ever—return to the asylum. As she enters Durham, Clara finds her carriage surrounded by a mob gathered to witness the imprisonment of Mary Ann Cotton—England’s first female serial killer—accused of poisoning nearly twenty people, including her husbands and children. Clara soon finds the oppressive confinement of her marriage no less terrifying than the white-tiled walls of Hoxton. And as she grows increasingly suspicious of Henry’s intentions, her fascination with Cotton grows. Soon, Cotton is not just a notorious figure from the headlines, but an unlikely confidante, mentor—and perhaps accomplice—in Clara’s struggle to protect her money, her freedom and her life.

The Savage Instinct

Ashley wagers 

erin s

The Savage Instinct is a tense peek into abusive relationships and the myth of female hysteria. Anyone who enjoys Victorian murderesses and madness should find something to enjoy in this novel, written in the vein of Sarah Waters, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Margaret Atwood, Laura Purcell, and Hannah Kent. 

Young Clara Blackstone stumbles back into English society from a temporary asylum sentence. Deemed hysterical after a traumatic miscarriage, her husband forces her into confinement. Upon her release and arrival at her new home in Durham, she finds herself drawn to a local prisoner, the infamous Mary Ann Cotton, said to have poisoned scores of husbands, lovers, and even her own children. Clara finds her new domestic life suffocating, with her husband particularly suspicious and patronizing. Seeking solace from the claustrophobic confines of her new household, she visits Mary Ann at the women’s prison. The two women share an instant connection, and an unspeakable bond begins to form between them.

4/5: Great work of high/late Victorian historical fiction with a thrilling Gothic and almost feminist kick. Fans of novels like Fingersmith and Alias Grace should enjoy Marjorie DeLuca’s take on deviant, dangerous, and defiant Victorian women. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claire

3.25. Part Alias Grace, part Gaslight, part an exploration of the maltreatment of "hysterical" women by Victorian medical professionals... but mostly a pretty predictable domestic thriller. Even so, the prose made it worth it, and I enjoyed the dash of true crime thrown in with Mary Ann Cotton, England's first female serial killer.

Dearna Mulvaney

4.5*

For full review: https://wordsoftheroses.com/2021/05/2...

“Why, Clara. Everyone considers murder at some point in their lives. Even proper ladies like you.” 

 I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much to the team over at Inkshare and NetGalley for sending a copy my way!

I first heard about Mary Ann Cotton on a Lore podcast. When I saw the synopsis I had to request. This is a gloriously gothic, wonderfully grim and dark exploration of the confining social norms and expectations placed on Victorian women. I was hooked from the open page.

Mary Ann Cotton is England's first female serial killer. I adored how M.M. DeLuca weaved in the required historical fact into the narrative. Despite Mary Ann's captivating history, she's not the focal point. Instead, she is the warped role model and close confident for our protagonist, Clara Blackstone. Clara sees the strength in Mary Ann that she lacks. The accused murder has taken control of her life and answers to no one.

This book holds back no punches and provides a terrifying and graphic look at the life of Victorian women. Gone is the romance of the period. And in its place is a horrible reality most women faced despite their status. They had no agency or control over their bodies, their minds or their lives. I adored the strange and unlikely friendship that bloomed between these two outcast women — the accused murder and the madwoman.

Ashley wagers &
The Savage Instinct by Marjorie DeLuca

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The Savage Instinct by Marjorie DeLuca