It's the eighteenth century, and fisherman's daughter Maggie has been hanged for the death of her newborn baby. But in a twist of fate, Maggie survives. As she relates her story from its sad beginning to its tragic end, a fascinating tale of a woman determined to escape her circumstances emerges. But will Maggie cheat the hangman's noose twice?
This was a brilliant story, well-researched and with all the emotional drama you'd expect from this talented author, who explores the lives of ordinary women from bygone times, breathing them into being as if they existed side by side with you. Like us, these women were not mere ciphers of men, content to accept their lot as second-class citizens, but had the character, strength and determination to do better for themselves.
Based on a true person, our heroine Maggie is no exception. She is a feisty, ambitious girl, and though her one mistake costs her dear, she has the courage and the wits to address her own sorry plight.
The book is peopled with fascinating characters. From Maggie's mother, father and sister, caught in their life as fisher folk, to the kindly innkeeper who gives her a job, to the shady inhabitants of underworld Edinburgh - all come to life with vivid description and authentic dialogue, drawing you into bygone times.
And while tragedy underpins the book, there is humour, too, in Maggie's volatile relationship with her sister, her own self-deprecation, and her cunnng way of using opportunities to her own advantage.
As a historical novel, it's perfect, but the book appeals on another level, with its underlying feminist message that women should never be victims of circumstance, and that, sadly, often we have to fight our battles alone.
That Maggie manages to do so in the times she lived in makes her a true inspiration.

Mistress Maggie Dickinson, the Scottish fishwife, who survived her own execution in 1724 Edinburgh wakes up in her coffin, opens the lid and joins her startled family at her own wake and so starts this brilliant book. What led to her hanging? How does she escape death? Watching Maggie’s hopes and faith in others be tested I grew to love this resourceful, hopeful, tenacious and loving young woman. This is an atmospheric, funny, twisting and powerful read where Kate Foster draws her readers into 18th century life through immersive physical detail. Even more compelling is that The Mourning Necklace is based on real events.

I don't usually read historical fiction, but this isn't about kings and queens, it's about ordinary people and remarkable things happening to them, all from the point of view of an extraordinary young woman, Maggie. She makes mistakes and messes up but is determined to make her own way, despite what happens to her. The stark poverty that ordinary quite respectable people lived in comes to life throughout and there is very little evil in the characters. Maggie finds kindness from a prostitute who robs her, someone who runs a gin shop and random people in the city of Edinburgh but otherwise there is no help for her. The characters come alive with Foster's writing and although some of the modern turns of phrase jar slightly at times, I think it's the only way to write historical fiction as we don't really know how people spoke in the 1700s, so they might as well speak as we do. This is a book based on a true story, something I didn't find out until the end where it really gave quite a punch to read that. Read it if you are interested in the experience of women in history that don't have crowns on their heads and want to know more about 'Half-hanged Maggie' who escaped the gallows alive.

Magnificent in its telling from start to finish. Theres something about a historical novel based on real life events that i find addictive and immersive and this does not disappoint.

Really interesting and entertaining! I loved how the author used the real facts woven in a story full of surprises! Indeed, I didn't see a few things coming... I enjoyed the characters and felt a lot for Maggie. I was much annoyed about her parents as well as her sister. However, even though I do not condone their behaviour, one has to put the situation in at the time of the conflict.... Social and psychological concepts were so very different in the 17th century. I enjoyed this novel also reflecting the social context.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

Such a good story of Maggie Dickson or Half Hanged Maggie. This is a true story of a girl in the 1700s that conceals her pregnancy then gets accused of murder. She gets a sentence of hanging.
We go back to a year before the crime and go through all the trials and tribulations with Maggie.
This is a fantastic book that will keep you hooked and keep you turning the pages. I didn't want it to end. It's one of those books where you're I'll just read one more chapter, then all of a sudden you're at the end of the book!
I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could

This is the tale of Maggie Dickinson, the woman who survived her own public hanging and it starts with her waking up in her coffin. What follows is her account of what happened before and after her hanging.

This story reimagines the life of the real Maggie Dickinson, who lived through the first half of the 18th century and came to fame after she was convicted for killing her new-born baby. She endured a public hanging and survived it – how this happened is still a rich source of speculation.
Our Maggie is a feisty young woman of 22, not content with a predictable future of poverty, gutting fish and abuse. Maggie had different plans and her biggest dream was to make her luck in London, a place she imagined to be everything her home town Musselborough was not. She was saved a big disappointment, since she only ever made it to the English border, where events started to be taken out of her hands and led to her execution, from which Maggie emerges stronger than before and now even more determined to be the master of her own destiny.

The book’s main themes centre around the hardship endured by working-class people, especially women. It also deals with male dominance, women’s self-determination and their reproduction rights. When Maggie exclaims: ‘Motherhood is hard. All the world looking upon us waiting for us to put a foot wrong’, she speaks a universal truth that even in our times hasn’t lost any of its candour.

The book has an easy flow and you can’t help but hope that Maggie will find what she is looking for. As a historical novel it is based on real events and the laws of the time. The author makes a good fist of immersing us into Maggie’s world, which is quite narrow. Although I personally would have preferred a broadening and deepening of the historical context, I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Mantle / Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and it being based on a true story was even better, this story is about Maggie who is from a small fishing village in Scotland who with other family members works hard on the dock side., Maggie is hanged for murdering her baby, the hanging itself was not successful as Maggie wakes up in her coffin to the surprise of her family at her wake. We then go back in time to the story that lead to the hanging and what a story unfolds.
Maggie is a strong character and has her whits about her and devises a plan that unfolds within the book. A great read and will look out for more from this author.
My thanks as always to NetGalley for the early read and to Pan Macmillan | Mantle for the early read and to author Kate Foster for such a great read.

Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Kate for the opportunity to read this as an eARC. I’ve had a bad run of books in the last week, so when I finally settled on the sofa for the night I was SO glad it was time to read The Mourning Necklace. I was hooked straight away and stayed up until 2am to finish it!

In 1724 in Edinburgh, Maggie Dickinson should have died. That was to be her punishment for the crime she was accused of committing. She was hung for it. But hours later she pushes herself up out of her coffin and walks into her own wake, shocking the life (almost) out of her family.

Maggie’s story is one of truth. An old Edinburgh legend, if you like. But Kate fictionalises it and brings the story to life once again through her incredible writing - highlighting the struggles women went through at home, while working and in society in general at the time. The characters do not have extensive backstories, but it doesn’t matter in this book. Kate brings the characters to life in a beautiful way, despite their constant struggles.

What kept me reading almost non-stop was Maggie’s determination to keep going. Her outlook on life is admirable, but she’s no saint either. She does what she has to do to get by while trying not to upset others around her. This is shown through her interactions with other characters, from family members to strangers and friends she meets along the way.

I don’t usually like historical fiction, but this is an absolutely wonderful book. Heart-breaking, empowering, thought-provoking and beautifully written. I will be recommending this book to pretty much everyone!!

The book starts audaciously in the 18th century, with Maggie, a young Scottish woman waking up in her coffin on the way to her burial having been hanged for murder. However, the hangman's rope has failed. Based loosely on a real life case we are taken back into Maggie's life to discover her origins in a fishing village where her family supplement their income by holding onto smuggled goods for later collection. One man who comes to collect goods, takes a fancy to Maggie and soon her life is changing and the die cast on her trajectory to tragedy. What a great, dark tale, so expertly written. A page turner.

I LOVE Kate's books - The Maiden and The King's Witches - and so I was hoping this would be no different.

Historical is one of my most read genres and whilst I don't pretend to have read every book out there, for me, Kate is the best for writing historical novels today, especially historical novels that feel so contemporary.

I'd not heard of Maggie Dickson before this, but having looked her up it's clear that Kate has done her research. And you can tell history is her passion. Most people could write a half decent piece of work once they had all the facts, but it takes a special writer to put the meaning and emotion into that research.

This book took me a little longer to get into than her previous two. Not that that's a negative, just an observation. But once I was in, you couldn't get me our, and I read the last 80% or so in a day.

I love Kate's storytelling and character creation. But what shines most is just Kate's basic writing ability. I don't mean 'basic' as in bad. But I mean her ability to just write, to describe the mundane and the thrilling, is perfect.

I think I'd have preferred more character than plot. I loved it and everything about it, but I'm quite vocal in my preference for character development that plot. To begin with, I wanted a bit more depth to Maggie, but once it got going, it really picked up in that area. But either way, it is still a very impressive read.

Kate has become a go-to author for historical novels and I really hope she has plans to keep releasing them because she has a committed reader her.

As soon as I read the description for this book, I knew it was right up my street and it absolutely was!
Set in 1724 and inspired by the real life story of Maggie Dickson who was hanged for the murder of her newborn baby.
The story is told by Maggie and begins with her waking up in her coffin and realising that she is not dead.
She then takes us back to her early life in Musselburgh and we learn about the tragic events that led her to the gallows.
Such great writing by Kate Foster and her historical facts were well researched. Life in the 18th century was hard, especially for women and my heart ached for Maggie who wanted something better from life.
With a host of wonderful characters and a satisfying ending, I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book, well written and fantastic to read. Historically engaging and shocking at the same time, I thoroughly enjoyed readying this. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc.

The Mourning Necklace is yet another novel by Kate Foster, in which she gives voice to Scottish women overlooked in historical records, offering her own interpretations of their stories. The book's protagonist is Maggie Dickson—a real-life woman who was hanged in Edinburgh in 1724 for the murder of her newborn child—yet miraculously survived the execution. The novel presents a fictionalized account of her life, exploring not only the circumstances of her sentencing but also her experiences before and after that fateful event.

Foster’s writing is both elegant and immersive, making for a smooth and engaging read. She pays meticulous attention to historical accuracy, and while the novel is largely a work of fiction, it convincingly captures the realities of the time. Maggie’s extraordinary survival serves as a springboard for a broader exploration of the struggles faced by women in the early 18th century. The novel delves into themes of poverty, exclusion, women’s dependence on male guardians, the harsh limitations on reproductive rights, and the deep social inequalities of the era. This thematic focus shapes the novel in a way that will undoubtedly resonate with many readers.

When I first picked up the book, I expected a more in-depth character study with a stronger focus on Maggie’s inner emotions and psychological struggles. I found myself wishing that aspect had been explored more fully, as it might have left a deeper impression on me. That said, the novel remains an absorbing and thought-provoking read, even for those already well-versed in the history of women's lives in early modern times.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a feminist perspective. If you’ve enjoyed Foster’s previous works, this one is sure to captivate you as well.

What an amazing part in history. The story of Maggie, who was hanged for concealing her pregnancy, and her baby dying. This story follows her life. Highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy and leave this review voluntarily.

I would firstly like to thank the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

The Mourning Necklace is a historical novel inspired by the real-life story of Maggie Dickson, a Scottish woman from the 18th century who was hanged for concealing her pregnancy and murdering her newborn—but survived the execution. Set in 1724 Edinburgh, the novel explores themes of survival, societal judgment, poverty, and women's rights. The story begins with Maggie’s miraculous survival after her hanging. The narrative then delves into her past, revealing the struggles and events that led her to the gallows. The book touches on issues like reproductive rights, coercive control, betrayal, and the hardships faced by working-class women. Kate Foster brings historical Edinburgh to life with vivid descriptions of its sights, sounds, and smells. I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend.

The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster is everything I’ve come expect from this talented author. Beautifully written, captivating and original, full of fascinating historical detail and characters that have real depth. I was completely engrossed, racing through the pages, unable to put it down. Although I found the ending a touch too neat and sentimental, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. This is historical fiction at its best and a true delight for any fan of the genre.

As with Kate’s previous books, this is also based on a true story of a young woman who was only “half hanged”.

I could really engage with the character as we learn the history of how she came to be sentenced to hang in the first place and the struggle women rich or poor had in such a male dominated time.

If you like good historical fiction with a touch of mystery this is for you!

The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster

In The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster delivers is the brilliant historical
story based on true fact.
Set in 1724, the book is about Maggie Dickson, a woman who,was sentenced to hanging for the murder of her newborn child , but comes around in a coffin and surprising her family by going back to them.
The author writes in a way that almost transports you back to that time and you feel as if you could have,actually been there with the description of the places she sets it in Scotland.

Based on the infamous true story of Half Hanged Maggie the story tells of this young woman trying to better herself from her circumstance.
Hung for a crime but she survives! Both heartbreaking and terrifying this story weaves flesh to the bones of the true story, giving Maggie a voice and a fictional story that intertwines with the true story perfectly!
An absolutely stunning read and a must for anyone who likes historical fiction