Slammerkin

SLAMMERKIN (London: Virago, 2000; hardback ISBN 1-86049-828-0, paperback ISBN 1-86049-899-X) (New York: Harcourt, 2000; hardback ISBN 0-15-100672-5, paperback ISBN 0-15-600747-9).  Inspired by a murder that took place in the Welsh Borders in 1763, SLAMMERKIN (meaning a loose dress, and a loose woman) is Donoghue's first historical novel, a gripping study of a prostitute obsessed with clothes. It was a Main Selection of the Book of the Month Club and the Quality Paperback Book Club, a finalist in the 2001 Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Fiction, a Barnes and Noble Discover Selection, a Book Sense 76 Selection, and one of the Notable Books of 2001 chosen by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and the NEW YORK TIMES.

TRANSLATIONS

(Athens: 2004), ISBN 960-221-284-5
LICHTEKOOI(Amsterdam/Antwerpen: Atlas, 2001), ISBN 90-450-0471-2

US edition:

 

Canadian edition:

UK edition:

‘What a great read this book is: Think Forever Amber skewed with an elegant noir twist and informed by a high literary intelligence. … This absorbing, bawdy novel gives new meaning to the term costume drama.  By all means, try it on for size.’ – WASHINGTON POST

‘Emma Donoghue’s heady, colorful romp of a novel [is] almost impossible to resist.’ – NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

‘Absorbing, moving and intelligent… her writing is suffused with sensuality and sharp emotion.’ - TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

‘Donoghue has made of an ‘obscure and brutal story’ a compelling novel, her best to date, and a brilliant historical variant on the ‘girl about town’ novels that currently fill the bookshops.’ – FINANCIAL TIMES

‘A rock-solid novel of class conflict and desire.’ – NOW MAGAZINE

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