Book Review | Fannie by Rebecca F. John - A Beautiful Woman Historical Fiction

I felt a mix emotions when I first received this proof copy. The book cover itself is beautiful and the story sounded so intriguing, however it was so far from my comfort zone of crime / mystery books. But oh my, I am so happy I pushed out of my comfort zone as this book is as beautiful on the inside as on the outside! 

Fannie is a short-story, feminist reimagining of Les Miserables’ Fantine. It follows Fannie, a unmarried single mother, as she navigates her way through life. After being fired from her factory job, Fannie must find new, creative ways to raise money for her sick daughter. It tells the hopeful tale of the extremes a mother will go to to provide for her daughter. 

I love Johns writing style throughout this entire book. Every inch is so delightfully described that it paints such a vivid image in your brain of what Fannies world would have looked like. It also helped me fall madly in love with Fannie. I was rooting for her every step of the way! She had every reason to give up and to fall victim to her circumstances but she never did. It never damped her spirits and that was so inspiring. 

And how do I even begin with the ending of this book? Amazing! To not give anything away, all I will say is that the ending was everything this book needed and more. Very uplifting and joyful, despite all the doom and gloom. 

There were a few quotes throughout this book that really spoke to me. I can’t fully explain why, but they’ve stayed in my brain ever since and I would love to share them with you;

“Her gentleman, after all, had not opened up a vast new world she might explore, but only made her smaller within the one she already inhabited.”

“Love, she knows, transforms even the most sensible people into fantasists.”

“to love is to embrace fear, isn’t it?”

Although this isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up in a bookstore, I am so glad I was given the chance to read it. It has truly changed my perspective on historical fiction and has encouraged me to want to read more, and I certainly want to read more by Rebecca F. John. If you are a fan of Les Mis or historical fiction please pick up Fannie by Rebecca F. John!! Published 24/02/2022 - pre-order / order here

Thank you so much to Honno and Rebecca for gifting me a proof copy of this book, it was so beyond appreciated!