I really liked this book! At its core, it's the story of how we treat and value women in history.
Maggie is a fisher girl who marries and eventually becomes pregnant. Circumstances then conspire against her and she is hanged for the death of her baby. However, she then wakes up after her hanging. Alive and well!!
I felt really cross at how she was treated by those around her and the injustice of what she experienced!
Knowing that the story is (to some extent) based on a true story is even more horrifying.
Bit like Hallie Rubenhold, or Camilla Bruce (less gore).

I read this through netgalley for an honest review but requested it through them on the off chance because I was already planning on ordering it when it came out (I read and liked the maiden previously).

A wonderful book, indeed as we would say North of the Border, an absolute stoater! The fact it's based in real life just adds to it. I was captivated from start to finish and positively sailed through it.

Thank you to Kate Foster, Pan Macmillan | Mantle, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Written in the first-person past tense, The Mourning Necklace is a fictionalised account of Half-Hanged Maggie, a Scottish woman who was found guilty of infanticide and hanged but survived.

Foster’s writing flowed beautifully and the pacing was well executed. Characterisation was flawless and the setting was immersive. An engaging read and one I would recommend.

Kate Foster is wonderful at creating a sense of time and place and The Mourning Necklace doesn’t disappoint, grabbing you from the first page as the novel opens with a woman being hanged in Edinburgh. Maggie Dickson has been sentenced to death and is recorded as such, returning to her home in Musselburgh in a coffin. Somehow, though, she has survived and wakes there to the shock of her family. From there we go back to discover what led her to the gallows and forwards to find out what she does throughout the rest of her life.

The book is based on a true story from the 1700s about Half-Hangit Maggie and it’s beautifully told. Maggie is an excellent character, of her time and upbringing but strong and ambitious. Her life in the fishing village, the hard work the women especially do there, how restrictive life is when you never leave the place you are born and everyone knows you, how impossible it is to learn much about new places or new people, all are very powerfully portrayed. It’s clearly very well researched but the research is worn lightly and creates a world you can almost see, hear and smell, full of believable people.

I’ve enjoyed all of Kate Foster’s books and this is another great read. Her sense of period and descriptions of Scotland and her women in history are superb. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

18th C east coast of Scotland - a dour fishing village where one is born into fishing and will die in fishing. The Dickson family is one of those families and this is the story of Maggie Dickson, the eldest daughter.
Maggie Dickson is hanged in Edinburgh for allegedly having killed her baby. She survives her hanging.
“Human life is cheap. They die on street corners, in rags, an empty bottle rolling around beside them. They die of poxes and plagues and starvation and hangings. They die in childbirth. Or shortly thereafter. Whispers of the afterlife are sometimes the only hope we have.”
Told by Maggie this is a story based on a real character and dealing with subjects like poverty, despair and dishonesty but also resilience and love. Maggie’s is a great voice that needs to be heard.
A great accomplishment!

I eagerly encourage you to read Kate Foster’s books, a fantastic author. But be prepared to be so enraged at the horrific treatment of the characters! I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

Kate Foster writes historical novels and this is the third I’ve read. They all are set in Scotland and they all draw inspiration from real characters and events. The Mourning Necklace draws on the story of a woman whose execution by hanging didn’t succeed, leaving her bruised and damaged, but a loved. We learn of the events that led up to her execution and what she must do to survive afterwards.

This is an incredibly compelling novel where I was rooting so badly for the character to experience some care and comfort in her life. She is treated horribly. Not just by the people that lead to her execution, but by her own family. Her parents are awful to her, but her sister’s callousness is really shocking.

There’s a passivity and acceptance to the this author’s protagonists that’s hard to read from a modern lens. However it seeks to highlight the lack of options available to women historically. Their choices so heavily hemmed in by societal expectations and prejudices of the time.

I think this might be Foster’s best book yet and that’s a strong statement given how much I enjoyed her previous two books.

Kate Foster has once again crafted a wonderful retelling of a true story! She possesses a remarkable talent for reviving the stories of potentially overlooked historical figures. This time, we are introduced to Maggie Dickson.

"I was hanged at nine. I have been dead for four hours. I have been dead long enough."

Maggie Dickson, who lived from approximately 1702 to 1765, was a fishwife who gained notoriety after being convicted of infanticide. She survived her execution in 1724 and became known as Half-Hangit Maggie.

Life was difficult for the fisherwomen from Fisherrow, and Maggie, along with her mother and sister Joan, were subject to their father's unpredictable temperament. Maggie yearned for a better life, and she believed that Patrick Spencer offered her that opportunity. They married after a courtship of only three months, and Maggie found happiness and contentment. Unfortunately, Patrick ultimately proved to be her undoing.

This remarkable novel portrays the hardships faced by women of that era while also highlighting Maggie's strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The Mourning Necklace is the latest novel from Women's Prize nominated author Kate Foster, who previously wrote The Maiden which was my favorite novel from that year’s nominees. Like The Maiden, this new work is inspired by a historical figure: a strong woman who endures extraordinary hardship.

We follow Maggie Dickson, a 22-year-old woman accused of concealing a pregnancy and sentenced to death by hanging. In a strange twist of fate, Maggie survives the execution. The novel explores how Maggie chooses to live her second chance at life, as well as the events leading up to her conviction.

This was an incredibly compelling read. Maggie is a resilient and independent character, and I loved seeing how she navigated the many challenges thrown her way. Foster’s writing is stellar and concise, the novel’s length feels just right. While I still prefer The Maiden over The Mourning Necklace, I would eagerly read anything Kate Foster writes.

18th century, Edinburgh. Maggie Dickson is found guilty of infanticide and is sentenced to hang by the neck. But a few hours after her hanging, she awakens in her coffin and frightens her family when they are mourning in a pub just outside Edinburgh. Will they hang her twice? Good and kind Maggie was always destined to become a fisherman's wife, but this changed when she met Patrick Spencer and he made her dream of something more.

Maggie Dickson was a Scottish woman sentenced to hang for infanticide. A Scottish law in the 18th century that said that if a women concealed her pregnancy or became a mother outside wedlock and the baby died, she is guilty of murder. But Maggie survived her own death sentence and lived on for 40 more than years. Kate Foster takes her story and explores who Maggie was before, during and after her trial.

We get to know Maggie as a naive girl full of dreams, stuck in a fishing village, who falls in love with the mysterious Spencer. But once married, Spencer suddenly disappears and Maggie goes off to find her own happiness.

The mourning necklace doesn't have a complex plot. We get to know Maggie, her sister Joan and her parents who try to make ends meet with a bit of tea smuggling on the side. But Maggie has always yearned for more. Ultimately, this is a of coming of age story of a woman who has to learn that men cannot be trusted and that sometimes good is good enough.

Kate Foster writes very well, but I was missing something here. I liked her previous book “The king's witches” better I think. Not that this one was bad. It just didn't grab me as much. However, I did like how 18th century Edinburgh came to live in the second half of the book.

It's fascinating to know that Maggie Dickson did exist and that she escaped the noose. How she did that, we'll never know, but Foster brings her story to the foreground.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

The Mourning Necklace is another enjoyable historical novel from Foster, whose work uncovers stories of Scottish women little remembered by history.

The prose is compelling, but the pacing is off and I found the narrative really runs away from itself at the end. What were originally quite believeable characters suddenly undergo huge changes for what feels like the sake of a tidy ending.

It's a compulsive read, with an arresting premise, but I wish the ending didn't feel quite so forced.

Having been to Edinburgh , seen the pub commemorating this story and hearing the gruesome true tale of this woman's life made this story really come to life. The tale is fleshed out with fiction to great success. Full of important themes.

Who could resist reading on when a story starts with the hanged woman waking up in her coffin! I really felt for Maggie with so few choices in life and found it very thought provoking, with women’s place in society always very much at the mercy of men (some things don’t change).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Telling the story of ‘Half hanged Maggie’ this is the author’s reimagining of events surrounding the true events of Maggie Dickson, a woman who survived the noose in Scotland in the 1700s.

It took me a short while to get into this novel, but it crept beneath my skin and didn’t relinquish its grip. It’s a well researched tale, with characters and places which come to life vividly. Kate Foster is a must read author for those who love historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on the lives of forgotten women 4.5/5

This book is based on a true harrowing story of a young woman. The book takes place in Edinburgh, in 1724. Maggie Dickson is hung for the murder of her newborn child. Whilst her family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone as the shame of what she has done haunts them and their name. Maggie miraculously survives the noose and returns to her family home. Instead of welcoming her back into the fold they leave her out for the wolves, wanting not to be tarnished by her reputation.

Maggie is sadly a victim of circumstance and time, the author perfectly captures the harsh realities of 18th-century Edinburgh and fighting to survive not only life but the added struggle of being a woman at that time. And some woman Maggie turns out to be. Despite everything that has happened to her, Maggie manages to hold on to the hope of a new life and freedom and start again time after time.

This is the perfect work in my opinion of historical fiction. The author takes you to the narrow cobble streets with her descriptive writing and you can almost feel the damp cold chill. It is beautifully written. There is also the bonus of bringing forward a character from history who deserves to be remembered. Known locally as 'Half-hangit Maggie.' I have visited the pub named after her in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh which used to hold the gallows. I will be sure to visit again when I am in the area and pay my respects.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Mantle Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 29, 2025

This was a really lovely and very touching book to read. Loosely based on the real story of 18th century Mussleburgh fishwife Maggie Dickson also known as 'Half Hangit Maggie'. The author has used poetic licence and superb research to weave a fascinating tale around her main characters. She has included themes just as relevant today such as reproductive and women's rights and poverty. I learnt a lot from this book as well as enjoying a brilliant read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Living in Scotland and having been on walking tours of Edinburgh and hearing about maggie I was so pleased I was accepted to read this book. It’s important for every woman to have her voice and I found this book helped Maggie get her’s. I read this book within one night as I couldn’t put it down.

What a great novel this is. A historical novel loosely based on the real life of Maggie Dickson. Set in the 1700’s Maggie lives with her parents and sister Joan in Fisherrow Harbour in Musselburgh on the Firth of Forth. Hers is a hard life but she is determined to better her lot and when her chance comes she grabs it with both hands.

Briefly, Maggie stops over in Kelso on her way to London and ends up working in the River Inn, and her dreams seem in grasp until she realises she is pregnant. The baby girl is born early but dies the same day. After making an error of judgement, thinking she was doing the right thing, Maggie ends up being arrested, convicted of killing her baby and sentenced to hang. However, after the sentence is carried out and her family are taking her body home for burial, they stop at a tavern and are shocked when Maggie walks through the door!

Although largely a fictional story the book also contains a lot of detailed 18th century social history, particularly around women and their rights and treatment. They were chattels belonging to their husbands, they had little rights over their own bodies, poverty was rife and social inequality high. Some great characters, good and bad but Maggie and Mrs Rose were particularly good. Maggie’s life was hard, emotional and often distressing but she is a strong woman and she is willing to stand up for herself. I loved Maggie’s story. Brilliant read.

As always, Kate Foster has written an absolutely incredible book. The book weaves fact and fiction as it explores the life of Maggie Dickson, who was sentenced to death but ultimately, survived the ordeal. Maggie really went through it yet her determination to keep going and to live the life she deserves was admirable. It was interesting to see how her family reacted to each event and their dynamic definitely had a hand in Maggie's desire to leave town. I really despised Joan, I know she got a little redemption but overall, terrible person. In my opinion, Joan was such a big part in Maggie's downfall that I couldn't find even a drop of sympathy for her.
The last chapter, so emotional and powerful.
Such an incredibly well written book and one I won't forget for a very long time.

'Human life is cheap. They die on street corners, in rags, an empty bottle rolling around beside them. They die of poxes and plagues and starvation and hangings. They die in childbirth. Or shortly thereafter. Whispers of the afterlife are sometimes the only hope we have'.

I adored The Maiden so I was over the moon to hear that The Mourning Necklace was due to be published.

Inspired by the life of Maggie Dickson, a fishwife who was convicted of killing her newborn baby and duly hung at a public execution in Edinburgh's Grassmarket. She survived the hanging and thus became known as "Half-Hangit Maggie".

The Mourning Necklace is a strongly feminist reimagining of her story as Maggie is given her voice back.

"We are bold and brave and built for battle"

Kate writes in a way that is just so readable and authentic, and this novel is no exception. She really evokes the atmosphere of a 1700's Edinburgh, from the city to the harbour at Musselburgh. You can smell the smoke, feel the bustle, hear the call of the gulls and taste the salt in the air. It's rich and layered.

I felt every emotion and was fiercly rooting for Maggie. The scenes with her babe were heart wrenching and emotional and brought a tear to my eye.

Her characters are well fleshed out and really brought to life, leaping from the pages.

Well researched, with facts seamlessly blended with fiction, it examines the treatment that the women endured at the hands of odious men. There's many a lesson here and in the current climate reads particularly poignantly.

The Mourning Necklace is historical fiction at it's absolute finest. A compulsive read and throughly deserves a 5 star rating. I highly recommend. Just fantastic!

The story of a woman who survived hanging – inspired by real events.
The Mourning Necklace of the title refers to the rope burn around Maggie’s neck and how she wore the scar as a mark of grief for a great loss.
I don’t want to say too much about the plot, at the risk of spoilers, but Maggie is a married woman, deserted by her husband and betrayed by her sister, who leaves a harsh existence amongst fisherfolk to pursue her dreams in London. But on the road, Maggie is robbed and discovers she is pregnant. Through a lack of knowledge of the world, she falls foul of the law and is eventually condemned to be hanged.
The story follows Maggie immediately after her ‘resurrection’, travels to the events which placed her in a coffin, and then finally how she claws her way to a new and better life.
I was enthralled from the first page and as the story progressed, drawn deeper and deeper into the tale. The end is extremely touching, and although bitter-sweet, falls under the ‘happy ending’ category.
The storytelling is flawless as we see Maggie grow from a naïve young woman making poor decisions, to a purposeful figure taking risks to do the right thing. I especially liked her sympathy to other characters, such as the dastardly Mrs Rose, whose malice she declines to repay with more malice, and instead an unexpected friendship blossoms.
I am in awe of Maggie, who seemed so real and believable, a woman who refused to give in and was determined to find a place in the world. Oh, and did I mention this is inspired by the true story of Half-Hanged Maggie?
What’s not to like?
Read this book!