The Corset by Laura Purcell

From Goodreads

Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain?

Dorothea and Ruth.

Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless.

Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption.

Can she be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? 

My thoughts

This was my last Library Reading Group read for 2019. I gave this a 4/5 stars or 8/10.

At times this was quite a graphic read, when we found out about what had happened to Ruth and some of the others that she lived with at the hands of the Metyards.

I found the dual narrative tory telling helped to bring the story to life, the first half of the book was rather slow as it set the scene for what had happened in the past. The second half though seemed to flow really well as revelations became apparent to the reader as to what was happening to the characters and the lengths that they went to, in order to fulfil their own needs.

I did feel sorry for Ruth as certain details came to light about Kate and believe in my heart that she might have regretted her actions, but time wasn't on her side to put things right even if she had wanted to.

This wasn't a comfortable read, yet I'm glad that I read it and feel that the Author related well to us readers the situation that many Victorians would have been in at the hands of their employers. Life in Victorian times wasn't a bed of roses by any stretch of the imagination for the poorer members of society.

This is well worth a read if you get your hands on a copy.