Mary Toft ; or, The rabbit queen : a novel
A novel based on a true story in which in 1726 in the small town of Godalming, England, a young woman confounds the medical community by giving birth to dead rabbits.
Available Copies by Location
Location | |
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Stamford | Available |
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Genre |
Psychological fiction. Historical fiction. |
- ISBN: 9781101871935
- Physical Description viii, 319 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition First edition.
- Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2019.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Additional Information
Mary Toft; or, the Rabbit Queen : A Novel
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Summary
Mary Toft; or, the Rabbit Queen : A Novel
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 beÂcomes a regular occurrence, John and ZachÂary 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 sevÂeral 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 exÂistence and is exposed to some of the darkÂest 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 anÂother birth, another miracle.