A powerful novel tracing the (mis)fortunes of Frannie Langton from the plantations of her childhood to servitude and prostitution in London. While I found some of the earlier parts of her book a little oblique by the end of the novel I was fully immersed in her story and haunted by her plight.

All of London is abuzz with the scandalous case of Frannie Langton, accused of murdering her employer and his wife. Frannie claims she cannot recall what happened that evening. I enjoyed this book but gave it three stars because it reminds me of other books I've read before. They're didn't seem anything that stood out for me.

London, circa 1820, and servant Frannie Langton is on trial accused of murdering her Master and Mistress. The problem is that she can’t remember anything about that fateful night, however, she can’t believe that she’d murder her mistress, she loved her too much to hurt her, didn’t she?

Frannie has come a long way since her days as a slave on the sugar plantation in Jamaica, not just in terms of geographical distance but in terms of her life’s journey too. This complex character wears many labels - slave, servant, Lady’s companion, whore, addict, and now murderess! For a former slave, Frannie definitely bucks the trend, not only being able to read and write, but being blessed with a sharp and inquisitive mind too.

Incarcerated in Newgate prison awaiting trial, Frannie passes the days writing her life story, and it’s here that we’re transported back to the sultry heat of Jamaica and the cruelty that is part and parcel of a sugar plantation before the abolition of slavery, and it has to be said that Frannie plays her part in this cruelty too! What a massive change awaited her in London, not only the cold damp weather and notorious fogs that created an ethereal world of murk and mystery, but she had to acclimatise to a whole new culture that was literally a world away from her former life.

This is a well written historical whodunnit that brings early 19th century London deliciously to life. The characters were quite complex, none more so than Frannie. She’s many women in one form. The narrative (though slow at times) was compelling - playing on one’s curiosity to discover where this journey was going and more importantly who was responsible for the murders. Murders that place Frannie Langton very much in the frame. But did she do it or did she not? My lips are sealed!

I loved this debut! Being a historical fiction that gives voice to women from different backgrounds and races won my heart completely.
The writer was very strong in building her character, did a good research on historical period. I really enjoyed it.
It had a slow start, but definitely dragged me in afterwards and I would recommend it.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book gripped me from the beginning. Although not as fast paced as many it flows beautifully and the mystery builds throughout, heading towards a satisfying conclusion. It has a wonderfully descriptive writing style, transporting you from the heat of Jamaica to the cold fog of London with ease. The characters are engaging and the plot well thought out. Definitely one to read if you're looking for something different.

What a fabulous debut! I love that contemporary female writers started exploring the lives of women from different races and backgrounds in the historical novels and how it makes you think about woman's rights and all. The Confessions of Frannie Langton had a slow start for me but as the story developed I really enjoyed it, definitely a book worth reading.

This was a great read for me as I enjoyed Frannie's complex character so much and it's a deep and disturbing novel. It makes up, with Frannies personality, what it lacks somewhat in graphic detail, this book leaves much, often too much, to the imagination, so much that often I wasn't completely sure I was clear what was happening. Some of this is inevitable and intentional, drugs are quite heavily involved which has an impact on Frannies memories and reminiscences, causing a deliberate haziness around events, so much so that as she writes her memoirs, incarcerated in Newgate jail accused of murdering her master and Mistress, she herself has no clear idea of what she may or may not be guilty.

Frances or Frannie Langton is a slave, she begins life as the only mulatto on a Sugar plantation worked by negro slaves belonging to the Langton family. The Mistress and Master inevitably treat her as a belonging rather than a human and she finds it hard to fit into either their world or that of her fellow slaves. Her master Mr Langton likes to experiment and decides to see if he can educate Frannie, with her bright and enquiring mind she absorbs knowledge like a sponge but will this be her downfall? She becomes reluctantly involved with further, more gruesome experiments he conducts.

Until, in Jamaica, sudden disaster strikes with tragic consequences which drive Mr Langton to flee to England with Frannie in tow. She dreams that London will bring her the freedom she craves and perhaps it does, in some ways.

She becomes a servant in a grand house where her Mistress, Mrs Benham is perhaps as much enslaved as Frannie has been and when she appoints Frannie as her personal lady's maid, Frannie sees this as the chance to change her life. Change her life it certainly does but not how she wants it to.

She finds love where she least expects it and when it appears reciprocated she becomes as much a slave to love as she was enslaved in Jamaica. She will do anything for love, won't she?

This is the story of how she came to be imprisoned in Englands cruellest and most notorious jail, on trial for double murder and with her memoirs we become appraised of her downfall. It is a love story, a chilling horror story and a telling indictment on how appallingly man can treat his fellow man, especially how black people were viewed and mistreated by white folk when slavery was still acceptable to the masses around the early 19th century.

I loved Frannie, I ached for her and I seethed with her frustration at the lack of control she was allowed to have over her own destiny. It is a fantastic piece of story-telling smothered with the haze of opium and filled with the mental terror of never being in charge of your own fate.

‘My account of myself. The only thing I’ll be able to leave behind.’ So describes first person narrator Frannie Langton, one time slave girl in Jamaica, companion maid and lover of a wealthy French woman and former prostitute, as she waits in prison to be hung for the Benhams’ murder. Frannie has an unusual status; she has been educated in order to record the heinous experiments that her master has carried out on the other slaves in Paradise, Jamaica. Understandably these memories haunt her when she travels to London with him and begins work in his colleague Benham’s house. London is cold, damp and depressing after the tropical weather of her youth and, forever bullied by the housekeeper Linux, the only thing that brightens her day is her blossoming relationship with her laudanum addicted mistress, Madame Benham.
Sara Collins has clearly researched the period in which her novel is set – early nineteenth century – carefully and includes literary and philosophical quotations, scientific beliefs of the time and domestic details which allow us to imagine Frannie’s world easily. All of the women, whether rich or poor, are tethered by patriarchal rules and expectations. Linux will forever be single because of her smallpox scars; Madame escapes the monotony of upper-class life through laudanum and a daring affair whilst Frannie must play any part assigned to her. To be educated is dangerous; to be an attractive ‘mulatto’ is a burden. How Frannie hangs on to her sense of self is nothing short of a miracle. And yet it costs her her life.
Whilst there is plenty to recommend in ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’, ultimately it cannot be compared favourably with other contemporary feminist historical novels such as Sarah Waters’ titles. The middle section of the novel lacks pace and some of the key moments are not fully developed. Perhaps cutting some of the plot and focusing in more depth on the remaining material would have, ultimately, made this a more compelling read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

You cannot feel but very, very sorry for Frances Langton, who did nothing wrong but being who she is. Born at a plantation in Jamaica of a white man and one of his 'niggers' sometime around 1800, she is, in a time and place where black people are still considered a sort of sub-human race, an abomination in the eyes of white ánd black people.
We read her story as she writes it down while being in prison, accused of murder. Slowly, very slowly we learn how absolutely horrible white people treated their 'servants', their black slaves. Langton, married to a delicate but rich English woman, discovers Frannie one day with a book in her hand and from that moment on she is doomed. Black people are not supposed to be intelligent enough to learn how to read and write.
Yes, black, because to all the white people Frannie meets in her life, she is 'black', but to all black people she meets, she is 'white'. So what is she? Langton brings her to London and turns her in to a chamber maid in a rich household. A household where things happen that were quite wide spread in those days, but very illegal of course.
Frannie tries to find a new life here, meanwhile trying to forget the old one. Alas, she cannot. The way she thinks is a result of her unusual upbringing and so she gets entangled in the lives of the other people in the household.

This is a very well researched and written book. It is, although nothing new to me, horrifying to read how white people treated people with a different colour. It is even more horrifying to realize that more than a 100 years later there are still people who think it is ok to treat people different because of the colour of their skin.
This books keeps you reading but more than that, this book sets you thinking.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this wonderful book.

I wasn't wowed at the beginning of this book, but it reeled me in so that by half way through I was properly engrossed. I can't decide whether it's a good thing to know the endpoint of the story - we know from the off that Frannie is on trial for murder - whether it helps to build tension or hinders. However, there are other elements of the story that are teased out really well - what led to the deaths of her master and mistress, and what really went on in the coach-house. On balance, a really well-told story that keeps you engaged to the end.

What a debut! Fantastic storytelling about a slave girl brought to England and her own story as she faces trial in Newgate for the murders of her employer and mistress.

The characterisation was superb and I was intrigued by Frannie. Brilliantly researched, the opium fug and murky fog of 1820s London enveloped me at every turn.

I absolutely adored this book! What a fantastic debut. It's devastatingly harsh but so compelling, The whole time I wanted to know what was happening in the coach house but I knew that I'd never be able to 'unsee' it when I finally ready those last few chapters. I couldn't stop reading.

The characters were really realistically drawn and I thought the English legal system was really well researched too. The 19th century is my favourite period to read and Sara Collins imagined it really well. I'd definitely recommend it for fans of Fingersmith, Alias Grace and The Unseeing.

The story was good, and written in a lively style. For me, however, I felt that it felt that some of the more unpleasant part of the plot were played up to appeal to a certain section of the public. This seemed a shame as it was a good idea for a novel.

I enjoyed reading this , although about a slave, Frannie Langton it was so much more . Her expectations of an educated slave achieving a different life in England with her master were cruelly shattered , Her observations on the behaviour of those who professed to champion the Abolitionist cause were caustic. The shocking details of the research she was made to record for her master were revealed the guilt of which she found a burden. Was education a curse on Frannie as Phibbah warned her? It certainly seemed to be the cause of all her travails. I sympathised with Frannie without liking her very much.

It does take a little time for this book to get going. However it certainly worth keeping going with it.
Strong writing with strong characters.
A sad story about slavery , murder, loyalty
Good book overall
Thank you to both NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for honest unbiased review

A fascinating and profoundly dark story of a woman born on a Jamaican slave plantation and her Old Bailey trial for double murder during the period when Britain's murky relationship with slavery was coming to an end. Everyone in this novel is damaged, either by others or by their own choices and it's hard to pick a villain among the cast of cowards and brutes and even victims.

Not a cheery read but an important and beautifully-written one, where the story unfolds slowly, full of twists and heartbreaking revelations. In our current age where sex trafficking, gender inequality, racial division and opioid abuse seem to be on the rise, this is a particularly relevant tale; there appears to be little comfort to be had in dismissing it all as Victorian era folly from which we have learned a salutory lesson,

A nouveau gothic novel, this is a story set in the 1800s about a Jamaican ex-slave-turned-mistress who dreams of more than is promised to a person of her skin colour in those days.

We follow Frannie's journey from a Jamaican plantation, in which she is forced to assist carry out horrific experiments and act as scribe under the eye of her owner, then to Victorian London, where Frannie is gifted to a colleague of her owner - a Mr Benham.

It opens in a courtroom and we are told Frannie is on trial for the double homicide of Mr and Mme Benham. The reader is then taken through Frannie's account of the events leading up to the night of their deaths.

With touches of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Waters, the book provides a detailed account of the life of women of colour and also of so-called "women of quality" (white, privileged and educated) and their struggles against the patriarchy in this period. Or in the case of a woman of colour in those days, against society at large.

Sara Collins' background as a lawyer no doubt had an influence on the writing here, as we search for evidence of Frannie's innocence or guilt of the crimes alleged. It's also refreshing to read a story from this time from the perspective of a Jamaican woman - I've not read anything similar. Indeed, the note to the reader from the author at the start of the book covers that very point.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Books (UK), Viking and Sara Collins for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really good thought provoking read. This is a compelling read the whole way through. The story builds bit by bit and the shocks keep coming. There is a lot to this story and the ending along with the rest of the book will stay with me for a while. This is a really hard and harrowing read in places. People can be so cruel.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is must read i if you want to learn about life in the 1820's or just love a good read and a eye opening to the history and the way people use to think. Frannie has White Dad a Black Mum which was not the same as it is now in the eyes of the world whatever your race is today. The writing is as it would of been in this time period so the N word as it is referred to today is used in its various ways as well as other equally normal expressions for the time.
The story is based around the build up and trial of Frannie for the murder of 2 well to do whites both husband and wife. Fannie is thought to have a privilege life for her race in the eyes of society at the time and was involved in helping Lannie a slave owner in trying to work out of black's and whites were the same race and if a black could be educated. It seems impossible to believe how this was a issue but then having seen uTube there are some crazy fools out there in the words of Mr T. This is a work of fiction but the research done give us an eye opener to what people actually thought and did in this era. It was still another 80 years before women got the vote in the UK send line another world.
The story is well written and researched as I just mentioned, the characters are very believable in this setting the master and his wife Linux their housekeeper and other staff. This book may well have been banned if written in the 1800s but touches upon storylines that it will awaken society of how far we have come.
However back to the story which will hold your attention if you're like me and it was a true page turner that most of the time you have had no idea where you were going but will want to know. I love this book and hope you enjoy it too and and highly recommend it I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Sara Collins

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction.

A very disquieting novel. Written so well its easy to forget this is fiction, because sadly stories like it were real life for too many people – still are in certain parts of the world.

Its starts with the trial, and then reverts to Frannie's early life, how it differed from the other slaves once she reached a certain age. It left her in a kind of no-mans land, neither accepted by the slaves because of her differences, and of course never accepted by whites, her skin colour, heritage and position in life precluded that.
What it didn't preclude though was them using her, and poor Fannie has a pretty horrific life, culminating in the murder trial.
She's adamant she didn't do it, but the time is a blank to her, and the “evidence” is very strongly against her. When you read the story you'll understand why she says she simply could not have killed her mistress.

Its a mixture of Frannie's story, and the way people of any colour were regarded in those times, the way the ruling classes regarded anyone below them, whatever colour they were, as disposable, lesser, of having no feelings and they way they were used is shocking and yet horribly true.
There were things she had to do, no choice if she wanted to stay alive, that had me feeling really sick. Its easy from our safe world to say we'd never take part in such atrocities but if we were living her life, well, its a lot harder to decide. Those parts I skimmed over, just taking in the bare bones as I'm horribly squeamish and get nightmares, but always conscious that for many this WAS real life. Man ( men and women) really is one of the cruelest animals, there seems no end to the depravity they can conduct, and back then they had free rein citing their activities as “science” and therefore important.

Stars:Four, a perfectly written story, fascinating in parts but was just that bit too much for me to give a five to. One I'm glad I read, albeit skimming the more uncomfortable parts, but not for my re-readers files.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers