The Butcher’s Daughter Review

I’m so excited to share this book with you. Let’s get to my review of The Butcher’s Daughter.

Synopsis

London, 1887. At the apartment of a missing young woman, a dossier of evidence is collected and sent to the Chief Inspector. It contains a frightening correspondence between an inquisitive journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and the woman Gibson thinks may be the infamous Mrs. Lovett—Sweeney Todd’s accomplice, “a wicked woman” who baked men into pies and sold them in her pie shop on Fleet Street. The talk of London Town—even decades after her horrendous misdeeds.

As the woman relays the harrowing account of her life in the unruly and perilous streets of Victorian London, her missives unlock an intricate mystery that brings Miss Gibson closer to the truth, even as that truth may cost her everything. A hair-raising and breathtaking novel for fans of Sarah Waters and Gregory Maguire, The Butcher’s Daughter is an irresistible literary thriller that draws richly from historical sources and shines new light on the woman behind the counter of the most disreputable pie shop ever known.

My Thoughts on The Butcher’s Daughter

The Butcher’s Daughter is one of those books that made me pause and think wait what was that in that best way possible. I ADORED this story and it’s currently sitting at the top of my favorites list. I’ve not been this shocked and enthralled by a book in a long, long time.

The story unfolds through a series of letters between journalist Emily Gibson and a woman she suspects to be Mrs. Lovett. As Emily builds a rapport with her, Margaret begins to tell her life story. This made for a quick read that I couldn’t put down.

This felt like a natural continuation of The String of Pearls. That’s normally my biggest issue with retellings. Sometimes they don’t feel like they happened in the same world, but this one had the exact same feel and vibes as the original. Granted the author took a few liberties and tweeked a few things but it still felt right.

The only note I had was there was one storyline involving a secret society that didn’t quite feel fleshed out. It didn’t affect my enjoyment because the huge twists at the end overshadowed that. Honestly, it feels like it might be set up to have a sequel so that could be addressed then. And I really, really hope that it has a sequel. *fingers crossed*

Overall, The Butcher’s Daughter was incredibly well written. I’m so glad I picked it up.

My Rating: 5/5