The Defiance of Frances Dickinson
By Wendy Parkins
A woman who braved public disgrace to expose a brutal marriage.
1838, England: When eighteen-year-old heiress Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, she soon discovers there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family’s estate in Scotland, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids.
Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John’s abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.
A story of gaslighting, control and one woman’s fight, The Defiance of Frances Dickinson reveals the truth behind one of the most sensational divorce trials of the nineteenth century.
About the author:
Wendy Parkins was born in Sydney and grew up on the north coast of New South Wales, in Gumbaynggirr country. After studying at the University of Sydney, she began her academic career in Perth before going on to positions at universities in New Zealand and the UK, where she was Professor of Victorian Literature at the University of Kent. Her memoir, Every Morning, So Far, I’m Alive, was published in 2019. She lives in Ĺtepoti/Dunedin.
ISBN: 9781923135031
Publisher: Affirm
Credit: https://affirmpress.com.au/browse/book/Wendy-Parkins-Defiance-of-Frances-Dickinson-9781923135031
