I really wanted to enjoy this book, if only for the hope that the story was true - which it was, in the sense that it was true the 'rabbit births' were faked. Loved the principal characters of the Doctor, John Howard, and his apprentice Zachary, their relationship was lovely and a much more needed father figure for Zachary if ever there was!

Mary Toft

A fantastical tale which, surprisingly, is based on a real-life event.
Mary Toft of Godalming in Surrey appears to be giving birth to dead rabbits every few days.
Local surgeon John Howard and his young apprentice, attend these bizarre births, and absolutely confounded by these ‘miracles’ they call on several eminent surgeons from London, including the King’s surgeons to come to Surrey and investigate.
News of Mary Toft soon spreads and interest in her soon reaches an almost cult-like hysteria.
Mary and her husband are moved to London for observation, but the births suddenly stop after constant vigilance over the patient.
The move to London really stepped up this story for me. Descriptions of the strange underbelly of the city and the contrasting lives of the ‘well-to-do’ were brilliantly written, almost like an entirely different book.
A fantastic and fantastical read. A fulsome five stars from me.

Thanks to Little Brown Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

Based on a true story. I still can't fathom why Mary Toft did what she did (psychologically and physically) and how she managed to dupe so many physicians.

Furthermore, the way the author presents John Howard at the beginning of the story, Howard should have seen the obvious signs and caught the Tofts out.

Although I found this book to be well written it just wasn’t right for me, a well told story to begin with but unfortunately failed to keep me captivated.

Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen begins strong. It is able to invoke the world surrounding Mary Toft and her surgeons and paints the characters vividly. Characters, like John Howard's wife Alice, provide a balance amongst each other in the influx of historical language and elongated descriptors. However, the story soon drags and I found the latter half of the novel to be a slog compared to the first.

My thanks to Dexter Palmer, Little Brown Group and Net Galley for the ARC of THE RABBIT QUEEN.
This was a story I was aware of in the dim and distant past. Mary Toft, the wife of a poor farmer in Godalming has given birth to three babies, two of which succumb to small pox. Her husband, Joshua requests the assistance of John Howard who acts as man midwife to Mary when she is about to give birth. She does so but delivers the remains of a rabbit. This continues with Mary giving birth to rabbits every two or three days, until John decides it is a preternatural happening and needs the help of others. He writes to the King's surgeon and other eminent physics and they in turn visit Mary, some with total belief, some with skepticism.
I enjoyed the book until about 70% in when it lost me. Mary's story became lost in other events in London and I was unable to pick up the thread. It is well written apart from this and is a story many will find entertaining which is why I've given it four stars.