The Conviction of Cora Burns - Softcover

Carolyn Kirby

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857303279 ISBN 13: 9780857303271

Publisher: No Exit Press, 2019

Synopsis

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 HWA DEBUT CROWN

To believe in her future, she must uncover her past...

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...?

With the power and intrigue of Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions and Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done, Carolyn Kirby's stunning debut takes the reader on a heart-breaking journey through Victorian Birmingham and questions where we first learn violence: from our scars or from our hearts.

'Even at its darkest it is beautifully written, the research is meticulous and the complex Cora makes a flawed but affecting heroine. A great historical novel with bite' - Sunday Mirror

'Kirby writes with skill and gusto' - Times

'This richly woven Gothic tale is an atmospheric treat' - Heat Magazine

'Perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, this book took me into Cora's world so expertly I experienced it with every sense' - Cass Green, author of The Woman Next Door, In A Cottage In A Wood, Don't You Cry

'The Conviction of Cora Burns is a striking debut. Rich in gothic darkness and period detail, the brutality of Victorian Britain is exquisitely drawn. A beautifully-written story which enveloped me from first page to last' - Amanda Jennings, author of Cliff House and In Her Wake

About this title

Review:

'Downton Abbey meets Elizabeth Gaskell' - GJ Minett, author of LIE IN WAIT, THE HIDDEN LEGACY and ANYTHING FOR HER

'A gripping historical thriller with a compelling protagonist. I loved the period detail and can't wait to read more from Carolyn Kirby' - Sarah Ward, Author of the DC CHILDS novels

'Unique and utterly engrossing' - Emily Elgar, author of IF YOU KNEW HER

'An intriguing story of loss, doubleness, and sinister scientific experiment. Carolyn Kirby conjures up the nineteenth-century in a way that will surely satisfy all devotees of 'Vic-lit''- Gaynor Arnold author of GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS

'A fascinating and evocative journey through the heartbreaking secrets of Cora's past, and a memorable exploration of nature versus nurture' - Rachel Edwards, author of DARLING

'Carolyn Kirby is a born storyteller - a Charles Dickens for the 21st century' - --Jay Neugeboren, author of IMAGING ROBERT and THE STOLEN JEW

About the Author:

Originally from Sunderland, Carolyn Kirby studied history at St Hilda's College, Oxford before working for social housing and then as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Her novel The Conviction of Cora Burns was begun in 2013 on a writing course at Faber Academy in London. The novel has achieved success in several competitions including as finalist in the 2017 Mslexia Novel Competition and as winner of the inaugural Bluepencilagency Award. Carolyn has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in rural Oxfordshire.

About this edition

• Publisher: No Exit Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0857303279
• ISBN 13: 9780857303271
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336