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Shop nowMary Toft; or, the Rabbit Queen
A Novel
Narrator
Susan Lyons
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Length
13 hours 1 minute
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“What I thought would be a quirky bit of historical fiction turned out to be that and more: a meditation on reason, belief, and reality. Through two parallel story lines set in 1726 England—a traveling "Exhibition of Medical Curiosities" and Mary Toft, the real-life woman who reportedly gave birth to 17 rabbits—Palmer explores what it means to be "real." Does a truly objective reality exist? Or does consensus create reality? And what tangible effects can belief have on the lives of individuals and society as a whole? This was an unexpectedly timely read that I would recommend to any fan of historical literature or philosophy.”
— Lindsey • Brilliant Books Audio
Bookseller recommendation
“This is the story of Mary Toft, a woman who gave birth to dead rabbits in 1726. She did this more than 10 times, confounding surgeons and townsfolk alike. Is this a hoax, a curse, a miracle, or something in between? Based on a true story — if you are not familiar with it, don’t look it up until you finish the book! — we follow surgeon John Howard and apprentice Zachary as they try to understand what is going on with their stunning patient. Extremely readable while still evoking the language and atmosphere of the time period, the book takes readers from the small village of Godalming, England, to London as John Howard and Zachary recruit the help of the top surgeons of the day. I highly enjoyed this disturbing novel. It is brutal, unexpected, and unputdownable.”
— Katrina Bright-Yerges • Books & Company
Summary
In 1726, in the town of Godalming, England, a woman confounded the nation’s medical community by giving birth to seventeen rabbits. This astonishing true story is the basis for Dexter Palmer’s stunning, powerfully evocative new novel.
Surgeon’s apprentice Zachary Walsh knows that his master, John Howard, prides himself on his rationality. But John cannot explain how or why Mary Toft, the wife of a local journeyman, has managed to give birth to a dead rabbit. When this singular event be¬comes a regular occurrence, John and Zach¬ary realize that nothing in their experience as rural physicians has prepared them to deal with a situation like this—strange, troubling, and possibly miraculous. John contacts sev¬eral of London’s finest surgeons, three of whom soon arrive in Godalming to observe, argue, and perhaps use the case to cultivate their own fame.
When King George I learns of Mary’s plight, she and her doctors are summoned to London, where Zachary experiences a world far removed from his small-town ex¬istence and is exposed to some of the dark¬est corners of the human soul. All the while Mary lies in bed, as doubts begin to blossom among her caretakers and a growing group of onlookers waits with impatience for an¬other birth, another miracle.