I had two particular reasons for wanting to read this book. One, I had ancestors living in Godalming during this period and they may well have viewed this phenomenon (I even have a 7xGGrandmother from this town with the same name - Mary Harte nee Toft c1657-1724). Two, as a volunteer at Clandon Park near Guildford, I had heard of this case as Thomas Onslow, 2nd Baron Onslow had investigated the hoax and we had papers about it in the library - unfortunately Thomas does not figure in this story.
Split into parts, most of the story is told from the viewpoint of Zachary Walsh apprentice to John Howard, a Godalming surgeon. Occasionally we hear from John himself and in two chapters from Mary.
Despite this being a work of fiction and a way of describing the hoax that was perpetuated on the people of Godalming and the wider population, I found this hard going and if I hadn’t committed to read it, I may well have given up a quarter of the way through. It is not a particularly light read, as might conceivably be expected when you think of what this woman (or her relatives) were putting her body through and the sheer pain of both the insertion and later the ejection of the rabbit parts. However the worst, for me, was the disgusting performance that Zachary attended in London which was absolutely sickening and I didn’t understand what it added to the story; except that there are some members of society that are vile.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a very dark, but gripping one set in the 18th century. I really admired Palmer for the research he's done. It drips from the pages, and also this is based on a true story, which is scary.

It's a grim topic, but knowing there's a lot of truth and research makes you gripped and continue with the plot. Very addictive and well written.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Having grown up in Godalming I was aware of the story of Mary Tofts, but it was interesting to read this dark retelling of her story, particularly putting it into a historical context, and viewing some of the events through the eyes of a naive 14 year old boy.
I also found the philosophical musings on the need to believe in "miracles" or the unexplained, and the contemporary link with the spreading of fake news well executed and thought provoking.

Thank you to netgalley and little brown for an advance copy of this book

There was much like in this unusual historical novel: it was well-written, well-researched and gave a good flavour in its depiction of Georgian England. The story is based on the strange Case of the eponymous woman who allegedly gave birth to a number of rabbits.

In telling the tale, in order to retain tension, much of the novel is told from the viewpoint of Zachary, the local surgeon’s apprentice and son of the local cleric. This device allows the author to approach the story from both religion and science. In essence, this was my biggest problem with the book. For brief moments, we are taken into Mary Toft’s mind and for me those are the portions in which the real story lies. I’m not too concerned with why so many doctors were fooled into believing such an implausible story, For me the interest lies in why Mary put herself through such an awful experience, repeatedly. The psychology of this, for me, would have made for a more interesting reading.

Similarly, much of the London sections, whilst very interesting, as well as horrifying, were not actually relevant to the story and seemed more of an opportunity to relay quite how far we have moved on in terms of our sensibilities.

3.5-4 * With thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is historical fiction, with some embellishments and changes to a true tale, that is set in the 1720s in a small English town. The wife of a local farmer appears to be giving birth to dead rabbits, leaving the town's doctor in a state of bewilderment and causes an outpouring of belief, as it appears that people are desperate to find something that is both part of, and beyond, God's will.

This is a bit of a strange one. I enjoy a retelling of a folk tale/a bit of history, and the elements of the original story, alongside the actual historical setting, were really well-weaved together. There's a bibliography at the end, and I really appreciate that in historical fiction.

However, the story itself is quite a simple one - woman gives birth to rabbits, everyone is amazed! - with some elements added to it, which means that, despite being a relatively short novel, it feels as though it could be considerably shorter and more concise in the telling, or make better use of the new characters and their relationships to pad it out further, such as Zachary and Anne.

There were some nice elements that were well told, though. The appearance of the travelling circus/freak show set the scene well for deception, disbelief and the desire to believe in the extraordinary. As did the commentary around women producing distorted children that had been affected by what the woman felt or did during her pregnancy - a really interesting idea and one I'd like to read more about from the bibliography.

There were also some really interesting points that were well-made and well-illustrated by events of a similar time - of the rich seeking to show their power and dominion over others, when their wealth is so great that it just continues to accumulate, by finding perverse pleasure in control or other grim activities. The arguments about humanity worked well but were a bit preachy when they came.

There were also some elements that readers might find graphic or uncomfortable. I was surprised by how forthright that part of the story was, as there's little to leading up to it to set that kind of tone. Incidentally, I'm sure there was another word used at the time for a penis other than 'yard', although it did make me chuckle.

All in all, not bad, and I enjoyed learning more about a story that I think I'd briefly heard in passing before.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Quackery and superstition in the early 18th century. Zachary Walsh, at the age of fourteen, has become the proud apprentice of Mr. John Howard, surgeon in Godalming. The story commences with Zachary and John going to watch Nicholas Fox’s freak show that has come into the village.
Later, Zachary and John attend the labour of a Mary Toft who subsequently gives birth to a mangled rabbit. And another, and another....
These disturbing occurrences arouse interest in London medical circles whose members promptly descend on the village to witness them and to offer their expert advice.
Those pompous doctors jostling for pole position in this strange case to further their career are described exquisitely and with captivating humour.
I like it in a story when its characters are well-rounded, when they jump off the page readily and mingle with my vision of them. This is exactly what happens here and what a crew it is: the dour, the foppish, the measured, the gossips, the brazen and the dull-witted - all in a merry jig.
The writing style has a lovely subtle Dickensian flavour to it: “(...)he sensed that this night, the lullaby that sent him to sleep would be sung by his grumbling stomach.”
Sadly, with the plot moving to London, it goes off the boil quite a bit. It veers off in this direction and that one, occasionally coming back to the main protagonist, Mary Toft, but nothing much happens on the rabbit-birthing or else. Even the “resolving” feels kind of a limp affair with further musings that really feel tacked on for no particular reason.

Oh wow! This book was such a treat. Generally I avoid books that mention fantastical things like, well......women giving birth to rabbits but I love historical fiction and I’ve recently started leaving my obsession with realism at the door and broadening my reading horizons.
Set in 18th century Godalming the story is largely told by Zachary an apprentice surgeon aged 14. He and the surgeon John Howard are called to the home of Mary Toft who is in labour. Having previously attended her when she had a miscarriage John is confused as to how she could possibly be in labour so soon afterwards when she wouldn’t be far enough along for a birth. So begins a chapter in Zachary and John’s lives where they become of interest to the London surgical fraternity and even the King himself. Mary is giving birth to parts of dead rabbits and doing so with a strange regularity following the first birth.
The novel deals with two things, first the mystery of Mary Toft and her rabbit births and secondly a challenging debate on the nature of truth; how God features within this truth. How does ‘group thought’ affect what we see as true or not? I found myself challenging my own preconceived ideas on the subject and placing it within the historical context of the novel where ordinary people could not research things and had to rely on their own intuition and wits in order to decide what they believed.
All in all a fantastic story with a thought provoking element that would make it ideal for book groups and by the office water cooler discussion!

This was fun! A wide range of well drawn characters, the woman who gave birth to rabbits, a bunch of opportunistic and gimic seeking visitors competing for the kudos of the discovery, the power of group-think and the willingness to suspend logic and sense and be bespelled by a good narrative, all this makes for a great story. John and Zachary were likeable and I was sympathetic to them. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I did my very best to get into this book but was, sadly, rebuffed by every page. By chapter fourteen enough was enough as I still had no clue as to what story was being told. 'Twas either me being obtuse or the tale truly was as opaque as it seemed to be. Having read so many books that were, to me at least, far more deserving, a score of one star is the best that I can offer.

I did not realise that the basis for this story was true until I got to the bibliography at the end; and that is the whole theme for Palmer's narrative. He uses a historical tale of fantastical elements - an exhibition of curiosities, a woman giving birth to rabbits and an even worse sideshow in London where a man tries to eat a live cat - to question what we believe to be true and what is fiction.

There is a tale of the Emperor's Clothes that is altered to an outcome where what you believe in makes it real and has consequences. In Covent Garden, a large crowd of Opera fanatics take sides on their favourite singer and becomes a violent mob that influences others, without them even having any knowledge of the argument.
A gathering outside Mary Toft, Rabbit Queen's lodging in London is gradually increased exponentially to become a herd of followers without them having witnessed anything. Here truth is formed by consensus and becomes faith. It brings people together to feel that they are part of something.

At a time when there are people believing that the earth is flat and that phone masts are being attacked and burned down because they think that it is causing the Corona virus, this story is very topical and raises questions about what and why we might chose to believe in something.

A philosophical historical novel that examines the reasons why wise men fall victim to unbelievable hoaxes. Glimpses into the mind of Mary Toft herself are frightening; descriptions of early 18th century medicine are gruesome, grating and comic all at once. For fans of down-and-dirty historical fiction like Emma Donoghue's Frog Music, and medical marvels like those found in the Mutter Museum and Viktor Wynd's Cabinet of Curiosities.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a resident of Godalming myself it felt all the more personal and believable and it was very easy to picture how this 300:year old hoax could have gathered pace and come to be. The evocative language and steady pace of the dramatised true story was beautifully retold through the real-life participants, as well as some presumably fictional ones too. Admittedly the book felt a little over-long in places as if to stretch out a short story into a long one, but it’s a minor complaint as some of the other curious events of the time are fascinatingly woven into the story to great effect. The original surgeon, John Howard, and his apprentice Zachary, are the main protagonists but I also loved John’s wife Alice too as she looked on knowingly from the sidelines right from the outset. I wondered if Dexter Palmer was a local Godhelmian himself, but was surprised to learn that he’s actually from New Jersey! I’ll definitely be seeking out his two previous books next!

I really, really enjoyed this title, with its depictions of London and England in the XVIII Century. The characters were interesting and the story catchy and unimaginable – completely grabbing!

I particularly enjoyed the conversations between Howard and Zachary, master and apprentice, and their different views and interests in life and religion. It was a very interesting read, mostly because it's based in real events, which is of course really shocking.

The Rabbit Queen is also a very well-written novel that dives into our subconscious and asks the readers deep questions about ambition, the inexplicable, God and human nature.

The ending felt rushed though and I would have loved to understand the reasons behind the events, though maybe leaving the reader wanting more is completely intentional.

I was sent an advance proof copy of Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer to read and review by NetGalley.
I really enjoyed this book, it had history, intrigue and maybe just a little bit of magic. The characters were very well drawn, some of them being quite ostentatious, and there was quite a bit of one-upmanship going on too! I didn’t actually realize that the nub of the story was based on a true account, with the story around it being woven very finely with a smattering of philosophy, a pinch of psychology along with rudimentary surgery practices and a collective human spirit. The only thing that disappointed me slightly was that even though the novel is set in England the spelling of the prose was distinctly American!

Absolutely superb, thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book. It’s a worthy rival to Sarah Perry, Michel Faber, Frances Hardinge and Ambrose Parry and never strikes a dull note.
The central message is that a delusion or a fraud can grow legs and run fast and far out into the world, dragging normally sensible people with it. How much is the plausibility of the fraud and how much the willingness of the witnesses to believe it is explored in this novel. The society of the time is brought to life, from the lower echelons of society (who may not appear as entirely real or human to the supposedly more educated and privileged) to men who believe they know all there is to know about medical matters.
There is a lot of wry humour, particularly from Alice Howard, the doctor’s wife whose initial doubts are swept aside by her normally pragmatic husband. There is a lot of pathos in the portrayal of not only Mary Toft herself but also the minor characters such as those paraded round with Mr Fox’s freak show. A truly gut wrenching chapter that shows in stark relief how the upper classes use and abuse the lower classes and animals comes near the end, in case the reader is in any doubt as to the motivations of those who salivate over the ‘miracle’ of Mary giving birth to dismembered rabbits. There is also a memorable musing by John Howard on the nature of God’s presence in life and death situations which resonated with me hugely.
It’s a commentary on shared delusions, social inequality in the 18th century and an exploration of what the medical men of the time thought of themselves (in the main, a great deal!).
No mean feat to take my mind off current real world happenings, but over the course of several evenings I was catapulted back into the world the author has brought to life. It never struck a wrong note or threw up irritating anachronisms (no doubt due to the exhaustive research as evidenced by the references at the end).
Thank you once again. I was very sad to reach the end of this book. I would happily have stayed there a while longer.

Darkly entertaining novel about the true story of Mary Tofts and what she did with rabbits. If you're not familiar with the story be prepared to be disturbed. This is an interesting tale. The author sets it against an England where Science is gaining ground on superstition and investigation is taking over from blind faith. There's a lot to unpack here in terms of a woman needing to acquire some agency and power, even attention, after a personal tragedy. So often women are the marginalised voices when it comes to holding value in society that perhaps it shouldn't be at all surprising what Tofts did. Either way, this is well researched and will give you plenty to think about.

I so wanted to enjoy this. I loved the premise and the cover made me want to delve right in. But I found it rambled and the style became irritating. I think it was trying to be light-hearted but, for me, I'm sorry to say it failed.

What a strange and unusual story. Intriguing. Was there some kind of magic going on in the Toft household or something much less dramatic? Many and varied are the characters that populate this book and they each had their roles to play in the telling of the story of the woman who gave birth to rabbits.
I was kept intrigued right up until the end and the revelations that came. This book is something quite different and a recommended read.

In 1726 in the small town of Godalming, England, a young woman confounds the medical community by giving birth to dead rabbits.
That just made we want to read more. Based on a true story of how surgeon John Howard cannot explain how or why Mary Toft, the wife of a local farmer, manages to give birth to a dead rabbit. When she does so on a regular occurrence, John realizes that nothing in his experience as a village physician has prepared him for this.
Set in the 18th century, the book reads as if it was written in that time. Whilst this is clever and does fit with the book and its content, it does distance the reader. The book is at times slow, reptitive with too much description. I found myself skimming paragraphs that went on for far too long.
That said it is well researched and it could have been a great read if only it hadn't been so drwan out.

This is not a book I would have chosen off the shelf, however I am glad I did. I am interested in Georgian history and I had heard of Mary Toft. This book brings to life the lot of the ordinary population.. The attitudes towards women. The book has been excellently researched. Love Alice Howard, the doctors wife, very amusing.
My only criticism is that in places the descriptions are a bit repetitive and lengthy. But still a fascinating read.