Scapegallows [Paperback]

Carol Birch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

As the valued servant of a wealthy family and a friend of criminals, Margaret leads a double life that inevitably brings about her downfall, and she is sentenced to hang not once, but twice. But she escapes the gallows and is transported with other convicts to Australia. This wonderful adventure story takes inspiration from the life of the real Margaret Catchpole—a woman who lived by her wits, twice a scapegallows.

Editorial Reviews

Review

** 'Birch deftly tells a story spanning several decades, with an intensity that is ... lyrical ... and evokes the period without compromising her complex diachronic concerns TLS ** '[Birch has] a first class voice ... An exciting and evocative fictional version of the life of Margaret Catchpole ... The novel is a triumph of texture and historical detail' SUNDAY TIMES ** 'Birch deftly tells a story spanning several decades, with an intensity that is ... lyrical ... and evokes the period without compromising her complex diachronic concerns' TLS ** 'A rich portrait of a shadowy world of 18th century sailors and smugglers, full of characters both charming and fatally flawed. Fans of Margaret Atwood's ALIAS GRACE will enjoy this engaging and compassionate tale' PSYCHOLOGIES ** 'Birch is a naturally literary writer who can, with a simple image, evoke the deepest emotion'

About the Author

Carol Birch is the author of Little Sister, The Naming of Eliza Quinn, and Turn Again Home, which was long-listed for the Booker Prize.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Virago UK; Reprint edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844083918
• ISBN-13: 978-1844083916
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, January 13, 2012

By 

Julian Faigan (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scapegallows (Paperback)

I wished this novel was three times as long! I have rarely read such a gripping account of an errant life, so eloquently told. In its references to colonial Australia, it reminded me in parts of the excellent "English Passengers" by Matthew Kneale. I am lost in admiration for Carol Birch, having loved her more recent "Jamrach's Menagerie". She is clearly one of the finest story tellers writing today.