Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen is a unique and intriguing historical novel about an infamous medical hoax in 1700s England.

It’s a brilliant concept, but it soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to this novel than sensationalism. Palmer offers an engaging exploration of truth and belief, deception and power. The novel is cleverly structured to build up its thematic arguments alongside the plot.

Occasionally the narrative over-reaches itself with tangents that distract from the central storyline. I also found the secondary characters, with their comic idiosyncrasies, much more engaging than the main protagonists. I struggled to relate to Zachary, whose coming of age should have been central to the story. Mary herself is a shadowy, silenced figure, and the few times she does speak she overwrites herself, constantly erasing and amending her own version of the story.

Mary Toft is a clever if sometimes over-complex novel, one I wished valued its characters as much as its concept.

A true historical happening as a basis for this book brings an interesting and intriguing read, ..... the concept of what Mary Toft does in the book is compelling reading, not just for what she did, but for the reaction of the eminent surgeons in the seventeen hundreds..... How far we have come in the medical profession and how far behind they were......

Mary as the main character gives the impression that she is a simpleton, but for all her reasons she was put into a state of mind that somehow gave her the idea......
John Howard was drawn in to something he couldn't explain and didn't know how to deal with it....as the local doctor he seemed to ride along with what was happening and he seemed to be enthralled by it all as much as everybody else...

I was fully transported to the era and the happenings that were going on.... of the interest of the doctors and for the help of Zachary and Laurence who in training had their eyes opened up to the idea of people and the strangeness of others that may not fall into a label of normal

This is a well worth a read and i would recommend it as it not only gives a good story line but also the difference of how we have developed in medical terms, but of historically how ignorance of others and the perverse ideas for entertainment which will leave you open mouthed and make you cringe.......

But I loved it and i would buy it for friends and family

I loved the idea of this as I'm a sucker for historical fiction and to be sure I was fascinated for a good portion of it, but it started to feel like a chore halfway through as it was developing a little too slowly for me. It seemed there was an unnecessary amount of description which became repetitive - how many times did I need to read about the same process or person? In the end the slow pace defeated me and I went to wikipedia to find out the outcome.
The prose was fequently elegant and I enjoyed the warmth of the relationship between Howard and his apprentice.

Warning: may be some mild spoilers. Such conflicting feelings about this book. Entertaining but massively overlong. So long I began skim reading parts of it. I get the message that people are prepared to degrade themselves for what? money, fame, notoriety but some of it was very unsettling. I guess it still happens. We don't go to the same lengths but we still love to see celebrities degrade themselves on programmes like I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. They might not be prepared to stuff dead rabbits up themselves (hopefully), but they still get showered with rats and creepy crawlies and eat kangaroo's genitals.

In fact one wonders how far some of them would be prepared to go for fame and money. Even Big Brother and Love Island have moral messages. Do we love the contestants to win or do we cruelly want to see them fail and be ridiculed? Or just want to see them have sex on live TV? As for Naked Attraction. The lowest of the low. Or just watch Jeremy Kyle if it ever returns. The clever use these programmes to their own ends but the less clever are thrown into the arena like the bull or the 'cat-eaters'. And anyone whoever watched The Word in the 1990's will know just what I mean.

However, back to the book. Though well-written and thought-provoking, much of the philosophising and descriptions of London life were far too long and that is where I started skipping paragraphs. Not that much actually happens. I wanted to know more about Zachary's relationship with Anne for instance. That was far more interesting but there was too little about it. When I knew something interesting was going to happen I skimmed to those parts.

I am in fact more inclined to give it 3.5 stars. I would give it 4 stars but I have a feeling the lengthy paragraphs may cause some readers to drop out part way through.

Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark but highly entertaining novel set in the 18th Century. Incredibly well written, attention to detail is stunning and the use of 18th C language is wonderful. The sheer amount of research that is cited is mind blowing and the last time i saw a list of citations as long was for my masters degree. Whilst the books mystery may seem all too obvious now you really get the feel of what people at the time felt about the situation. It's a grim subject but written in such a way that keeps the reader glued to every page and on occasion even made me doubt my common sense and knowledge.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Knowing that it’s based on a true story, I’d now like to read a non fictionalised account as the subject is intriguing and I didn’t know about it before. There’s no doubt this book is well researched but it felt didactic in places. Several chapters were only there to demonstrate the author’s knowledge of historical background rather than to progress the storyline. Initially, I assumed the author was English but quickly realised he isn’t due to his use of American terminology such as broiled instead of grilled. I’m sure this is a great read if you enjoy the author’s style but, sadly, it’s just not for me. DNF.

I read this book during the coronavirus lockdown and found it strange to be reading about a real life medical mystery which happened in 1729, when a woman managed to convince some of the leading doctors of the time that she was giving birth to dismembered rabbits.
The book is mainly told from the viewpoint of a surgeon's apprentice,Zachary,whose master is John Howard,the first doctor to treat the woman,Mary Toft.
It's a fascinating depiction of the time,with all its grime,and fascination for the odd and the strange. I did have to skip a section which describes an episode of horrendous animal cruelty presented as entertainment.There is humour and a large dose of philosophy too,so although the subject matter is quite challenging,it held my interest.
The author is American, but has captured the language and ideas of the early Georgians very well. In the main he has used authentic British English,although words like 'gotten' and expressions like 'Come see me' don't ring true to British ears.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.

What a peculiar story - based on the true history of Mary Toft, who really did deliver dead rabbits, and baffled eminent surgeons in the early 18th century...

Of course with common sense we all know the truth of this story, but what a great read discovering what people could believe back then.

Enjoyed this, a thoroughly amusing tale.

What a strange and uncomfortable story. The weirdest thing about this book is that the central plot is based on a true story. Palmer takes this story, and sets it in a world where science is just beginning to challenge superstition, where there's a public taste for the bizarre and horrific, and where medicine and religion are equally efficacious in treating disease.

He assembles a strong cast of characters - Zachary, the surgeon's apprentice; John Howard, his surgeon master; the London doctors with their different approaches and their different vanities; Mary Toft herself, initially silent. There are some strong women here, too, each one a great character.

Palmer creates a great atmosphere, too. He captures the class system, the exploitation of the poor for the entertainment of the rich, the decadence of London society.

Well worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

The description drew me in instantly. I love historical fiction and I love stories that are a bit out of the ordinary. This was clearly well researched and should’ve been one of my favourite books of the year. However, it was 300 pages that felt like 1300 pages. It was too long and not a lot actually happened. The first 20% read well but it got slower and slower and I ended up skimming the last 40%. Thank you for the ARC.

3.5 stars


Very much a "what???" reaction when I read the blurb of this book.
It was an enjoyable was though,based on a true story,of a woman that gave birth to rabbits .
Throughout you can't help but wonder at gullibility,that no medical examinations beyond a prodding of the stomach occurs (though I'm not sure much else was done in the 1700s)
There's a part set on London,that for me just feels lime it belongs in another book,taking us away from the Toft situation.
Overall it's a very readable book,with humour ,usually provided by the surgeons wife Alice.