4,5 rounded up to 5 stars!

The Mulatta Murderess, as people of London call Frannie Langton, is on trial for a murder of Mr. and Mrs. Bunham. The reader gets to know Frannie’s past and the circumstances that led her inside of 1820s England’s courtroom through Frannie’s confessions which she writes to her lawyer. She leads us on a painful, horrifying, and truly unnerving journey of her life, from living as a house-girl on a Jamaican plantation to her life in London, as a “secretary” to Meg Bunham. We get to know Frannie as a proud, headstrong, and courageous individual who in the end is just looking for someone to love her and for a place to belong to. Her turbulent relationships, first with John Langton, the plantation owner, and later with Meg Bunham, show how truly disturbed and lost Frannie is. Her character is an unusual one due to her complexity and many layers that she slowly sheds when facing all the spine-chilling events in her life. Anger, sadness, addiction, loss, love, frustration, disappointment, need of belonging, and hope are all the things that lead Frannie into the horrid circumstances she finds herself in, but most of all, it is her inability to set herself free from all the devious and calculating people in her life that finally pushes her toward committing truly horrifying and despicable act.

This novel has everything: history, drama, mystery, legal and moral issues, slavery, science, murder, physical and mental abuse, and even romance. There are so many layers to this beautiful story, and the writing is truly exquisite. It is definitely a new kind of story for me, and I enjoyed every single moment of it. I think Frannie is and will be one of my favorite characters in 2019, and she will stay with me for a quite some time.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins publisher, and the author, Sara Collins for giving me an opportunity to read this beautiful story in exchange for my honest opinion.

You, like me, might find this a bit slow and a tad confusing to start but stick with it because you will be richly rewarded. Frannie is one of the most unusual characters I've met recently-a Jamaican mulatto brought to 19th century London and given to George Benham, the business partner of the plantation owner as a servant. She might technically be free in London but she's not because, as Pru, another maid explains, there are few ways for women to support themselves. The novel moves back and forth between Frannie's life first in Jamaica and then in London and her existence when she is arrested for the vicious murder of Benham and his wife, who was her lover. There's a lot to unpack here (and no spoilers from me although you might figure out one early key plot point before she tells Pru). Collins does an excellent job with atmospherics- especially smells- and puts you right into the scene. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. An excellent read you'll want to take your time with. For fans of historical fiction.

Dubbed the Mulatta Murderess in the London papers, Frannie Langton stands accused of murdering her employer, scientist George Benham, and his wife Marguerite, but she cannot remember the events of the evening. While Frannie awaits her trial she recalls her childhood on a Jamaican sugar plantation, her apprenticeship to her master/father, and her travels to London.

What began as a slave narrative of plantation injustices and abuses became the story of a smart and educated woman forced to perform scientific experiments on others while being a subject herself before she is given to another scientist to watch over (and report back to him about) his wife.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a mix of science, slavery, and societal expectations with a sweet thread of a love story woven in. I definitely recommend this one!

I really cared about what happened to Frannie throughout this book. It is pretty heartbreaking. Frannie was born a slave in Jamaica where horrible things happen to her. She is brought to England and is "freed" but is really still enslaved by her situation and taken advantage of at every turn. Not a light read, but a meaningful well written story that kept me interested until the end. An original and thoughtful work.

*A big thank-you to Sara Collins, Harper Collins Publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish in exchange for my honest review.*
'The Confessions of Frannie Langton' is an unusual book, some critics call it even a true gothic novel, and it is all due to the protagonist, Frannie, and the fate that led her to the gallows. Her life is brutal ,cruel and tragic, beginning on a plantation called Paradise in the West Indies, where she experiences most horrid treatment and is a witness and a forced party to the cruellest experiments by Paradise owner, but where she is taught to read, which makes her a most unique 'mulatta', and later in London, where she is given as a servant ( slavery was illegal by then in Great Britain) to a fashionable Georgian couple in London who are not what they seem to be. Regarding Frannie, she is one of the most disturbing characters I have met recently, which is due to the way she was shaped by her childhood and adolecent years on the plantation, however, I did relate to her through her suffering and dark experience to which she had no say. Her life in London and the spirit of independence and even arrogance is portrayed brilliantly. The novel is written in a form of a confession, which is a deliberate bow towards Rousseau's 'Confessions' which Frannie stumbles upon at the plantation owner’s house, and they are told at a slow pace at the moment when Frannie is already a prisoner and gradually reveal what she would probably like to keep just to herself. This types of narration does generate suspense throughout the whole novel. Apart from the narration, vivid descriptions of the Georgian times, including the trial proceedings, the fate of former slaves, daily drugery of the lowly and even the houses of the ill-repute are exquisite. It was a truly unputdownable read for me.

I liked, but didn’t love this historical novel telling the tale of a former slave taken to England from a Jamaican sugar plantation and “gifted” to a British scientist and his wife.

The pacing of the novel was uneven, and while I was initially enthralled with Frannie and her story, the long, slow plot development once Frannie was in England was just too much for me. I admit to doing some skimming to get to the final court scenes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to HarperCollins, Netgalley and Edelweiss for sharing this title with me. Despite high hopes based on the premise and a review I read, this book wasn’t for me. I tried to read it on 3-4 different occasions and never got beyond 30%. I expected it to be more about the immediate events leading up to the murder in the book but it ways more about the historical events (I.e., many years in the life of the title character). And while some parts were pretty interesting, it was much too slow going for me. Eventually I lost interest in Frannie Leighton’s story and did not finish. I’m sure there is an audience that will enjoy this story, it’s just not me.

Frannie Langton wakes up next to her mistress, covered in blood. How did she get here?

While awaiting trial, Frannie write out her life's story - from her beginnings in the slave fields of Jamaica to her life in London. Saved at a young age by Miss-bella Langton, Frannie learned to read - which led to her exposure to new ideas - including freedom.

Used by her 'Master', Frannie was a pawn in a rivalry - often used as a participant in anatomy studies. She is later given as a 'gift' to George Benham..where Frannie learned about intense love and true hate.

This is a wonderfully written historical fiction novel. Frannie is an amazing character and is brought to life by Sara Collins.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The first thing that got my attention in this book was the cover: the way the woman held her dress. This book is beautifully written and I loved how complex and sometimes scary Frannie could be. Sadly for me, it didn't feel new enough. I liked how pseudoscience and scientific racism were talked about but all these rewritings of classics are not my kind of literature no matter how well written they are and this book is imbued with a beautiful language and imagery. If you like Alias Grace then this is on the same theme but substituting Irish poverty for slavery and racism.

Wow, this story was amazing. It was more of a difficult read because of the time period (early 1800s) and also because of violent acts, drugs, lust, and the racial period. Taken all of that into account it was a very interesting and intriguing novel. I have been looking forward to this book for some time and it definitely did not disappoint!!

forbidden love, murder, what actually happened and who actually did it!!

This one is a hard one to review, and I think I’m going to have to go against the grain from the previous opinions. Several times I really thought about stopping along the way, but I’m one of those that feels if I started it, I need to finish it. So, I did.
The description doesn’t really give all the details of this story, it is more like a diary in stories written of her life, going from childhood to her incarceration for allegedly killing her previous employer and his wife. I didn’t realize we were going to cover a lot of opium usage, scientific experiments, and a lesbian affair. Yes, Frannie Langton had a most unfortunate life.
I also felt at some times, it just babbled, it went into deep discussions that truly didn’t have anything to do with the grand scheme of things. I do wish the trial would have been done in much greater lengths, that was the best part of the entire book. To listen to the people on the stand give their opinions, criticize and sometimes actually interrupt the lawyers that were interrogating them was so interesting.
The writing was good but I never became fully invested in Frannie and you really needed to pay attention in order to fully understand the depth of this one. Unfortunately, this is a 3*** for me.
I was given an advanced copy from HarperCollins Publishers through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets a 3***’s.

’They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don't believe I've done?’
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Frannie, a former Jamaican slave, writes her story as she awaits trial for murdering her Master and Mistress. This gothic murder mystery had a similar feel to me as Wuthering Heights—dark and brooding.
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The novel is set in time of the British Empire when slavery has been abolished, but racism is still heavily felt by Frannie. She has been brought to London by her former master and “gifted” to the Benhams. Understandably, Frannie is angry with her situation and very aware of her black history. There is a love story intertwined with this story that really works and further deepened my emotional involvement with Frannie and her tragic circumstances.
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This book was beautifully written and a stunning debut for Sara Collins. I can’t wait to see what other stories she has to tell.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

All of London is abuzz with the scandalous case of Frannie Langton, accused of the brutal double murder of her employer and the testimonies against Frannie are damning.

This book just fell flat for me, I didn't like the characters or the sexual storyline.

2☆

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Netgalley.com and Harper Collins Publishing. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is sure to become one of the best historical fiction novels of the year. Written as a letter to her lawyers, Frannie tells her story, from it's Jamaican plantation house slave beginning to how she came to England to live in her employer's household as a servant. Rich in detail, the reader is immersed in both worlds and the laws of the times in which Frannie lived.

I look forward to reading more from Ms. Collins in the future.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book.
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins is a Historical Fiction novel.
At first, I was sucked in and really excited but halfway through it became a slow read and kind of hard to get through.

Overall it was well written and I would recommend it to anyone who really enjoys Historical Fiction.

Frannie Langton, a former slave on a Jamaican sugar plantation, is accused of murdering her employers - scientist George Benham and his wife. The book is told as if Frannie is writing down her memoirs during the trial.

I found Frannie's voice to be interesting, but not necessarily shocking. Unfortunately, the brutality that she witnessed and endured on the Jamaican plantation seems usual for that time period. The experiments that Mr. Langton conducted weren't dealt with in enough detail to be horrific or shocking, rather it seemed like a side story, one that was not fully flushed out. Overall, most of the book felt as if it were not truly flushed out or explored in depth. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

You can never be free of the inner workings of your mind. It travels well within those tiny crevices no matter the miles.

Sara Collins sets her story down among the fields of Plantation Paradise in Jamaica in 1825. Don't be misled. This is hardly a paradise. The owners see to that at every turn. John Langton and his wife, Miss Bella, run their plantation with an iron fist. Miss Bella is ill-suited for life in Jamaica. The intense heat, the random storms, and the complete isolation will spark her temper and shorten her patience. Nothing seems to be worthy of her time. Not even her husband.

But John Langton bides his time in unseemly endeavors. How unseemly? You're about to find out.

We will meet Frannie, a young mulatto girl, who will soon leave the hard work of the sugar cane fields to enter into the inner workings of the household. It's here that Frannie will be enlightened by Phibbah who cautions her into following the set rules. Frannie has no idea of how demanding her new position will be. Out of curiosity and boredom, Miss Bella will teach Frannie how to read even though it is against the law. Frannie begins to stitch small stolen books into the hem of her dresses. Reading becomes a form of escape.

After a fire badly burns the sugar cane fields, John Langton decides to take Frannie to London with him. She follows behind him in the crowded streets imagining how easily she could get lost among the people and never be seen again. Langton takes her to the home of a scientific writer, George Benham and his young wife, Marguerite. Langton makes a quick exit leaving Frannie in the hands of the tight-lipped housekeeper. She's to become the property of Benham. Shocked and disillusioned, Frannie must face her fate.

Sara Collins will switch gears with a trial taking place involving Frannie. The bodies of George and Marguerite Benham have been found stabbed to death in their home. Frannie has been arrested and sent to prison waiting for the eventual outcome of the trial. Is she capable of such a heinous act? How does this young woman from Jamaica prove her innocence?

The Confessions of Frannie Langton contains some heavy-duty subject manner. But then life on a plantation was also brutal in its nature. Frannie finds that life in civilized London is not so civilized either. The writing is detailed and well-researched. Collins gives nothing away until the last pages. Frannie will be a character that you won't soon forget.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Harper Collins and to Sara Collins for the opportunity.

This was a very beautiful and yet heartbreaking novel of a former slave girl that was accused of murder. This novel shows how badly that slaves were treated and it made me feel sorry for Frankie. The mystery is well done. The writing is very beautiful and evocative. I recommend this for fans of Robert Hicks and Alex Haley. Full review to come!

The premise of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON sounded so promising. The book starts with the haunting lines: “I never would have done what they say I’ve done to Madame, because I loved her. Yet they say I must be put to death for it, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t know I’ve done?” I read this and immediately thought of Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace, except if Grace was an educated slave with a fascinating past.

Frannie Langton is a “mulatta” slave from Jamaica, born and raised on a plantation called Paradise. She is raised in the house alongside the cook and general keeper of the house, Phibbah, who Collins characterizes wonderfully as a no-nonsense, full-of-wisdom, strong woman. Frannie learns to read and write from the plantation owner’s wife, Miss-bella, and soon becomes a master of the English language, reading works like Candide and Moll Flanders and becoming a scribe of sorts for the plantation owner’s pseudo-academic project on phrenology. Frannie is taken to England and given as a gift to a man named George Benham, a prominent English publisher, and his French wife Marguerite. The relationships that develop in the house are fascinating, strange, and furtive, filled with animosity and love and loathing. Eventually, you learn that Frannie has been charged with murder, and the book progresses on to the trial, various witnesses testifying against her, and the decision.

I wanted to like this book, but there were barriers that kept me from enjoying it. The writing can sometimes be a little bit puzzling, with the narrator not exactly saying out right what occurred in her life. I understand in some cases that this is meant to disguise things that are too unspeakable to write down, but in other cases I feel that the plot would be more easily understood if Frannie would just say what occurred and not skirt around it. She would often gloss over entire periods of time, merely alluding to “what happened then” or “what I was with Langton.” Later she would refer to this time and I really had no idea what transpired...I don’t think it’s what you’re thinking, either. This happens with other characters too - for example: ‘It’s one of those complaints that only ladies ever suffer from. Ones like her.’ I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! 

Unfortunately, I just didn’t like Frannie. She’s never happy, hardly ever excited about anything, and was just too much of a secretive, closed-off character for me to really empathize with her. I often didn’t understand her and was frustrated by her actions. I began to feel the same way about Marguerite - a flat character who was equally as frustrating.

The pacing of the book was a bit too slow for my tastes as well, with the plot really only ramping up in the last third or quarter of the book. I am often frustrated with books that sort of reveal the ending at the beginning (e.g. you know there’s some big secret, a trial, an accusation, etc.) and you spend the entire book waiting to get to that event. No matter what, this kind of book seems slow because you already know the reveal and you’re waiting and waiting for it to happen in real time.

This one wasn’t for me, but I’ll be excited to read Collins’s other publications.

Frannie Langton is known as "The Mulatta Murderess." In London 1826, Frannie Langton goes on trial for the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Benham. She was their house-girl, maid, slave, seductress, servant, whatever claim fits best. The testimonies are damning. But the mind of the accused is what drew me in; Frannie cannot confess what she doesn't believe she's done.

Then begins a story of a young girl learning how to read on Paradise Plantation, Jamaica. The year is 1812. Thirteen years later, she is moved to a grand house in London. Her duty is caring for Madame Benham and guarding secrets from the Mister. For years she waits to be freed. Until one day she wakes up in Madame's bed, covered in blood, with no recollection of what happened.

How best can I describe the reading experience of The Confessions of Frannie Langton? Hmmm, long. Not long as in the time it took to finish (5 days). Not long as in page length (352). Long as in the unfolding of the story.

There was a lot of background information leading up to the present time at Frannie's trial. Perhaps I was misled by the first line, thinking this would be a fast-moving read full of testimonies and maybe a couple flashbacks. Instead the author took us back in time. And I do understand the author's purpose. Readers had to learn if, or why, Frannie Langton was on trial for murder. No one act happens without reason. I get it. But damn, it was long.

The main character, Frannie Langton, is well fleshed out. So much so, that I felt her anxiety and hopes rise. Just like she waited for freedom, I waited for something to happen soon too. Because maybe then, the story would move along. Get on with the events leading up to the night in question!

Yet this new novel fits comfortably in the historical fiction genre. It is the reason, along with the promise of courtroom drama, that I wanted to read an advance copy. I like how it revealed slaves were taken from Jamaica and the conditions of England in the 1800s. I also like the acceptance of her being able to read and scribe. Her masters did not feel threatened by Frannie's intelligence. In fact, Madame encouraged Frannie to read and often had discussions about book plots. So rare during this era!

Overall The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a good read, appropriate title, interesting characters, but not-so-good pacing. If you pick up this book, get comfortable and know it will take a while for this slow-moving train to reach the station.

Happy Early Pub Day, Sara Collins! The Confessions of Frannie Langton will be available on Tuesday, May 21.

LiteraryMarie