Kate Foster (1)

This was an unputdownable read for me. I loved it.

The story opens in the late 1600's, Edinburgh. Lady Christian Nimmo is under arrest for the murder of her lover, Lord James Forrester, who is her uncle by marriage. Married to a wealthy merchant, Andrew Nimmo, what drove Lady Christian to do this, and did she kill her lover ? After Christian's father's death, she , her sister Johanna and their mother are left with a mountain of debt. Their mother encourages her daughters to marry quickly, to someone wealthy. The story is told in two voices, that of Christian, and that of another young woman, Violet, whose family's poverty has forced into a cruel life as a prostitute. Christian was seduced by her much older uncle James, who is married to a woman in poor health. Meanwhile, Violet lives in a house of ill repute, and was also pursued by Lord James.

All of the characters were well drawn, detailed, and the story held me rapt. Inspired by the real life murder of Lord James Forrester, this gives a voice to women who otherwise would not have had one at that time.… (más)

1679, Lady Christian Nimmo is accused, tried and executed for the murder of her uncle Laird James Forreste. This book is a historical but fictional account of what happens and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story does follow what happens with Lady Christian and also a another character Violet who is fictional. Being mostly fiction but based loosely on a true case I would say the author has fleshed out a lot that happened especially that Voilet didn't exist. However this did not distract from the story and my enjoyment.

After reading the book I wanted to know more about Lady Christian so looking online I found very little. In the book The author does stick to the facts but weaves the tale that I did find myself on Christian's side. However reading what I have online about her she doesn't come across as a very nice person.

As for the Maiden itself, it's a type of guillotine that was used in Scotland. It is said to have executed 150 people for various crimes. The Maiden is on display in the National Museum of Scotland.

Something spooky for Halloween, the ghost of Lady Christian is supposed to haunt the site of the murder.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I do like historical fiction about real people and events. This story had me hooked from the start to finish.… (más)

When their father leaves the family with a mountain of debt, Christian and her sister are forced to marry. Christian struggles to find anyone from society so marries a well-to-do merchant but her marriage lacks passion. When her predatory uncle-by-marriage seduces her Christian believes her self in love but James is a notorious rake and Christian's response finds her convicted of murder. Is she really a murderess? A whore?
This is a fictional imagining of a real-life case from just outside Edinburgh when the noble Lady Christian Nimmo was executed on the Maiden (a form of guillotine) for the murder of her lover. Here Foster has embellished the facts by looking at the perspectives of two other women introduced in the tale, the whore and the servant. I really liked the story and the different views of the roles of women. The only problem I found was the lack of anything really linking the tale to the 1670s, I kept having to refer to the dates on the chapters as the tale could have happened anywhere from the 16th to the 19th centuries. However the sense of place was fantastic, from the Old Town of Edinburgh to the open spaces of the country estates.… (más)

The Maiden is an absolutely brilliant work of historical fiction, a story that is both compelling and shocking, and based on true events.

Kate Foster has reimagined the life of Lady Christian Nimmo. In 1679 Christian was charged with murdering the Laird of Corstorphine, James Forrester, her uncle by marriage and also the man she was having an affair with. This book considers what made Christian risk everything and I found it a very convincing account.

The story is told from the points of view of two very different women: Christian and another young woman named Violet. The two narratives are woven together to portray the run up to the murder and what happens afterwards. I didn't know what the Maiden was before reading and now I do and it's pretty grisly.

I like my historical fiction to be accessible and The Maiden hits the mark perfectly. It has a contemporary feel to the writing that made it very easy to read, but is still steeped in historical detail and atmosphere which thoroughly transported me to the 17th century streets of Edinburgh. The contrast between the lives of Christian and Violet is stark, the divide between those who have and those who have not never more clear, and yet Foster shows us that life for any woman at that time, no matter their background, was far from easy.

This might be a story of murder but it's also a story with heart. The question of survival is never far away, and I felt sympathetic towards most of the characters. Although the outcome is fairly obvious from the beginning, Foster's writing completely captivated me and I wanted to know everything that would lead me to the conclusion: why, how, when and where. I was utterly gripped and enthralled by The Maiden, a beautifully written historical tale that I couldn't put down.… (más)