The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby

The Synopsis

Birmingham, 1885.
Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.
Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...?

My Review

The Conviction of Cora Burns is a mesmerising story of a young girl and her fascinating journey to understand her past. The exploration of the nature vs nurture theme is eloquently and insightfully done and I thought it was really quite powerful.
I was totally transported to the 1800’s and the feeling that I was really there didn’t falter once, it was excellently written.
Looking back at the notes I made as I was reading, I noticed that the words ‘intriguing’ and ‘unsettling’ came up an awful lot and I think this really encapsulates how I felt during this book. Parts of it were really unsettling and the sense of foreboding grows throughout. At times it was uncomfortable to read, but the intrigue keeps you gripped. Things unfold gradually with tantalising clues dropped in exactly where they’re needed and I was engrossed the whole way through.
Where I really fell in love with this book though, was the ending. I absolutely adored it, it was so beautiful and stunningly written. I don’t want to give anything away about it, but it really moved me.
Overall I’m giving The Conviction of Cora Burns 4.5 out of 5. It’s intriguing, powerful and excellently written.

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About the Author

Originally from Sunderland, Carolyn Kirby studied history at St Hilda's College, Oxford before working for social housing and then as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Her novel The Conviction of Cora Burns was begun in 2013 on a writing course at Faber Academy in London. The novel has achieved success in several competitions including as finalist in the 2017 Mslexia Novel Competition and as winner of the inaugural Bluepencilagency Award. Carolyn has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in rural Oxfordshire.