Blog Tour: The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Author: Sara Collins

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published by: Viking Books

Publication date: 04/04/19

Pages: 384

My rating: ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t believe I’ve done?

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning – slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.

For the first time Frannie must tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.

But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

When the email about this tour dropped into my inbox I was unsure if I should accept, I’m far more picky with adult fiction than I am with YA. I went away and thought about it and decided to go ahead and host a date, I’m so glad I did! I’m going to be honest before I start, I haven’t finished the book yet. I’ve been bogged down by cold and struggled to concentrate on anything this past week so my review is based on the first half of the book. I will add to this once I’ve finished, though I doubt anything will change.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is the incredible debut from Sara Collins. Set in 1826, London. Frannie Langton is on trial for the murder of her master and mistress, Mr and Mrs Benham. Frannie remembers nothing of that night, though she doesn’t think she did it, how could she have brutally murdered the woman she was having an affair with? (Not a spoiler as the author has mentioned this) During this time Frannie tells us her story, starting from her time as a slave in Jamaica.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this one, from the plot to the gorgeous writing style. The addition of courtroom dialogue was a nice added bonus. More than anything, I loved that not only was the story not your average one about slavery, it was also being told by Frannie. As a reader, I felt it was important that it came directly from Frannie, that her voice was heard. I won’t lie, it’s slow at times, the story and writing is so compelling you hardly notice. Overall from what I’ve read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely keep my eyes peeled for future books by Sara.

Definitely add this to your TBR, it’s one you won’t want to miss! If you’re in London 11th April, Sara will be in Covent Garden Waterstones for an event, tickets and info can be found here.

Buy from: Book Depository Waterstones