Slammerkin

Mary Saunders, a lower-class London schoolgirl, was born into rough cloth but hungered for lace and the trappings of a higher station than her family would ever know. In 18th-century England, Mary's shrewd instincts can only take her so far, and she despairs of the plans made for her to carve out a trade as a seamstress or a maid. Unwilling to bend to such a destiny, Mary strikes out on a painful, fateful journey all her own. Inspired by the obscure historical figure Mary Saunders, Slammerkin is a provocative, often graphic, and richly satisfying historical novel. Emma Donoghue probes the gap between a young girl's quest for freedom and a better life, and the shackles that society imposes on her. "Never give up your liberty."