Review: The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer

When young Zachary first became the apprentice to the village’s surgeon, John Howard, he had no idea how his life would change, and it all started when Joshua Toft came to the surgery to request assistance with his pregnant wife. Only, Mary Toft showed no signs of pregnancy and recently suffered a miscarriage.

Nevertheless, John and Zachary agree to pay the woman a visit. What they see changes everything. From the womb of Mary Toft, John Howard delivered a dead rabbit. Days later, she births another one. And another. Soon, John has no choice but to call for reinforcements from London, and once the city finds out about a country woman who births rabbits, the case is elevated to celebrity status. The king himself requests that Mary Toft travel to London, where she’ll be cared for by a team of the best medicine men. And that’s when everything goes wrong.

The Rabbit Queen is more than just a clever story – this is based on fact. For that reason, the events are all the more unbelievable. In retelling Mary’s struggles, Dexter Palmer has recreated history, and altered it to be sheer perfection. With beautiful prose and oodles of intrigue, this book literally takes your hands and guides you through old England, and all the excitement and magic that the country held.

We’re also given a first-hand insight into the evolution of medicine and belief, in an epic battle between science and religion, and the men that champion both. As Mary’s story unwinds, the line between fact and fiction blurs deliciously, until we’re also taken in by the amazing events that are unfolding. The Rabbit Queen takes history and improves it, to give a truly impressive story that will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer is published by Little Brown, an Hachette company, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.