THE WORD-OF-MOUTH INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
'Born of No Woman proves that fiction can still amaze'
Le Monde
'A vivid, mesmerizing tale'
L'Express
'A choral novel radiating with black light'
Elle
Nineteenth-century rural France.
Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under the woman's dress he will find the notebooks in which she confided the abuses she suffered and the twisted motivations behind them.
And so Rose's terrible story comes to light: sold as a teenage girl to a rich man, hidden away in a old manor house deep in the woods and caught in a perverse web, manipulated by those society considers her betters.
A girl whose only escape is to capture her life - in all its devastation and hope - in the pages of her diary...
Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud
THE HIT NOVEL RECOMMENDED BY FRENCH BOOKSELLERS:
'The most beautiful French novel of the year'
'Love at first sight for a book is rare. But this novel left me speechless'
'Dive in: you'll come out feeling utterly alive'
'One of the most beautiful books I've ever read'
'The best book I have read for a long time'
'This story has something powerful, animal, carnal and terrible too. A punch in the gut'
Genre: Literary Fiction
'Born of No Woman proves that fiction can still amaze'
Le Monde
'A vivid, mesmerizing tale'
L'Express
'A choral novel radiating with black light'
Elle
Nineteenth-century rural France.
Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under the woman's dress he will find the notebooks in which she confided the abuses she suffered and the twisted motivations behind them.
And so Rose's terrible story comes to light: sold as a teenage girl to a rich man, hidden away in a old manor house deep in the woods and caught in a perverse web, manipulated by those society considers her betters.
A girl whose only escape is to capture her life - in all its devastation and hope - in the pages of her diary...
Translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud
THE HIT NOVEL RECOMMENDED BY FRENCH BOOKSELLERS:
'The most beautiful French novel of the year'
'Love at first sight for a book is rare. But this novel left me speechless'
'Dive in: you'll come out feeling utterly alive'
'One of the most beautiful books I've ever read'
'The best book I have read for a long time'
'This story has something powerful, animal, carnal and terrible too. A punch in the gut'
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Born of No Woman is a dazzling, heart-wrenching tale of cruelty and mercy, secrets and horrors. The novel is deeply immersive, gothic, and taut with dread; the prose sings and the characters burn in the heart. Easily my favorite book of the year. Not to be missed." - Kim Taylor Blakemore
"Born of No Woman is beautifully and quietly haunting. Rose’s triumph over human weakness, cruelty, and her own powerlessness as a woman without means or status deeply resonates, and the strength of her dignity and resilience lingers long after the pages are turned." - Megan Chance
"One of the most disturbing yet lyrically exquisite novels I’ve read in a long time. The poetic and pastoral beauty of the nineteenth-century French countryside is vividly contrasted with the often-brutal treatment of breeding livestock on the farms—which in its turn mirrors the treatment of the fourteen-year-old Rose when she is sold by her poor father to the master of a manor. Once enslaved in her new home, Rose is tormented and abused, soon forced to contemplate the horrors concealed within some hidden chambers where she discovers the true fate of her master’s absent wife. Brave, sometimes horrific, Born of No Woman is one of the most compelling novels I have read in many years. Infused with lurid elements of the most gothic fairy tales, it explores the darkest realms of human sexuality." - Essie Fox
"A haunting, suspenseful Gothic tale set in nineteenth-century France that weaves many layers, from the plight of women in that era to class distinctions that lead to oppression of the vulnerable. The story also challenges ethical and religious boundaries of what might be considered justifiable responses from those who suffer relentless cruelty. The tragic Rose arrives at the home of a wealthy man and his mother. Immediately, their cruel welcome is ominously coupled with the mysterious, sickly wife who is locked in a room that Rose is forbidden to ever enter. Betrayed at every turn by her father, her employer, and her lover, Rose endures a string of abuses. She finds the strength to fight back and retain her sanity. Ultimately, this is a book of hope and the resilience of the human spirit to overcome tragedy. The narrative is elegant, and the viewpoint of every character is compelling and credible. Highly recommended!" - Debbie Herbert
"Born of No Woman is beautifully and quietly haunting. Rose’s triumph over human weakness, cruelty, and her own powerlessness as a woman without means or status deeply resonates, and the strength of her dignity and resilience lingers long after the pages are turned." - Megan Chance
"One of the most disturbing yet lyrically exquisite novels I’ve read in a long time. The poetic and pastoral beauty of the nineteenth-century French countryside is vividly contrasted with the often-brutal treatment of breeding livestock on the farms—which in its turn mirrors the treatment of the fourteen-year-old Rose when she is sold by her poor father to the master of a manor. Once enslaved in her new home, Rose is tormented and abused, soon forced to contemplate the horrors concealed within some hidden chambers where she discovers the true fate of her master’s absent wife. Brave, sometimes horrific, Born of No Woman is one of the most compelling novels I have read in many years. Infused with lurid elements of the most gothic fairy tales, it explores the darkest realms of human sexuality." - Essie Fox
"A haunting, suspenseful Gothic tale set in nineteenth-century France that weaves many layers, from the plight of women in that era to class distinctions that lead to oppression of the vulnerable. The story also challenges ethical and religious boundaries of what might be considered justifiable responses from those who suffer relentless cruelty. The tragic Rose arrives at the home of a wealthy man and his mother. Immediately, their cruel welcome is ominously coupled with the mysterious, sickly wife who is locked in a room that Rose is forbidden to ever enter. Betrayed at every turn by her father, her employer, and her lover, Rose endures a string of abuses. She finds the strength to fight back and retain her sanity. Ultimately, this is a book of hope and the resilience of the human spirit to overcome tragedy. The narrative is elegant, and the viewpoint of every character is compelling and credible. Highly recommended!" - Debbie Herbert
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Used availability for Franck Bouysse's Born of No Woman