Description

‘An insightful, empathetic and well-researched account of a deeply fascinating and macabre true story’ KATE MOORE , New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls

‘Compelling’ TELEGRAPH

‘Such a compelling account of a small but significant dark corner of history… Profound, angry, and tender all at once’ VIRGINIA FEITO, author of MRS MARCH

‘Fascinating and very compelling’ ZOE VENDITOZZI, co-author of HOW TO KILL A WITCH

‘A moving story of desperation, violence and survival’ HELEN LEWIS, author of DIFFICULT WOMEN

Abusive husbands. Desperate women. Poisonous solutions.

At the turn of the 20th century, the women of Nagyrev, Hungary, were in trouble. Their stories were hauntingly similar: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable.

The village midwife – their confidante – offered an answer: arsenic. Soon, women began slipping poison into their husbands’ brandy, porridge, and stews. Over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicentre of one of the deadliest series of poisonings in modern history.

In The Women Are Not Fine, journalist Hope Reese pieces together archival newspapers, court documents, police records and more to uncover the truth behind this extraordinary case. Her findings serve as a stark warning: when women are pushed to the brink, the consequences can reverberate through history.

Publisher Review

‘A meticulously researched and sensitively rendered portrait of a community of women’ — Erin Keane * author of Runaway: Notes on the Myths That Made Me * ‘Hope Reese has sleuthed out a riveting, remarkable true story that raises questions like the best dystopian fiction’ — Peggy Orenstein * author of Girls & Sex * ‘An enthralling account of how a group of poor rural women got away with poisoning family members for nearly two decades – and what their story may reveal about gender and violence. A fascinating read.’ — Stephanie Coontz * author of Marriage, a History * ‘A moving story of desperation, violence and survival.’ — Helen Lewis * author of Difficult Women * ‘A feat of investigative reporting, THE WOMEN ARE NOT FINE is a powerful sociological analysis and so illuminating of the issues of our time . . . This book proves that our past is present’ — Elizabeth Flock * New Yorker writer and author of The Furies * ‘Hugely well-researched – an intriguing (and thoughtful) antidote to stereotypes about gendered violence. Meet the Hungarian ‘angel makers’ and learn how a persecuted collective can fight back (with a little help from their fly papers).’ — Gina Rippon * author of The Gendered Brain * ‘Such a compelling account of a small but significant dark corner of history… Profound, angry, and tender all at once’ — Virginia Feito * author of Victorian Psycho and Mrs March * ‘A meticulous examination of a little-known case of collective female violence in early 20th-century Hungary. Through archival research and a modern lens, Hope Reese uncovers how war, poverty, and unspoken domestic abuse shaped the lives –and lethal choices– of the women of Nagyrev. The result is a stark meditation on gender, survival, and our enduring cultural fascination with so-called ‘black widow’ narratives.’ — Rose Hackman * author of Emotional Labor * ‘Compelling’ * Telegraph * ‘I’m constantly surprised that the murders described in The Women Are Not Fine don’t happen more frequently. The book shows strong parallels with the way women were viewed during the Scottish witch trials. Fascinating and very compelling.’ — Zoe Venditozzi * co-author of HOW TO KILL A WITCH * ‘The Women Are Not Fine is an insightful, empathetic and well-researched account of a deeply fascinating and macabre true story.’ — Kate Moore * New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls and The Woman They Could Not Silence *