Legend signs Parkins' 'inspiring' novel about gaslighting in the 19th century

Legend Press has signed a "moving and powerful historical novel" An Idle Woman by Wendy Parkins, based on true events.

Commissioning editor Lauren Wolff-Jones acquired world rights from Nadine Rubin Nathan, High Spot Literary. The novel will be published on 14th June 2024.

An Idle Woman is based on the story of Frances Dickinson, who "braved public disgrace to expose a brutal marriage". Told from numerous points of view through meetings, letters and diary entries, the novel recreates the events leading to one of the most sensational divorce trials of the 19th century.

The synopsis said: "Frances, an 18-year-old heiress, marries John, a retired army officer, but soon finds there is much about her husband that she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation at his ancestral home in Scotland, while spending all her money and preying upon their maids.

"Weakened by repeated births and miscarriages, Frances yearns to break free from her marriage, but it is only when John’s abuse escalates into acts considered criminal in the 1840s that she is able to set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom."

Parkins is the author of Every Morning, So Far, I’m Alive: A Memoir (Otago University Press). A former professor of Victorian literature at the University of Kent in the UK, she is now a writer and researcher in Dunedin, New Zealand. 

Parkins comments: "I’m thrilled that my novel, An Idle Woman, will be published by Legend Press, joining their strong list of historical fiction. It is based on the true story of a woman’s attempt to escape the coercive control of her husband that has haunted me since I first discovered it in 19th-century newspapers while researching another topic entirely!

"I think it still has much to say to us today about whose voices can be heard and the courage required to challenge the insidious power of ‘gaslighting’."

Wolff-Jones added: "An Idle Woman is a completely absorbing read that is about heart, humanity and standing up for what you believe is right. This incredible, well-crafted story of one woman’s strength is inspiring. I was racing through the pages, willing Frances on against the overwhelming injustice of her time. A story of strength and resilience that you can’t help but feel empowered by."