I couldn’t have written this story without my two wonderful daughters whose different personalities sparked my interest in theories about ‘nature versus nurture.’ Thank you also to my parents for a lifetime of love.
The person who really made everything possible, and whose opinion matters to me more than any other, hasn’t yet read this book. This is because I didn’t think that any of the drafts before this one were good enough for him to see. But you can read it now, love.
For information about the historical background to The Conviction of Cora Burns, please go to: carolynkirby.com
The Conviction of Cora Burns Reader’s Questions
1.How do Cora’s reactions to others change through the course of the novel? What influences have the most impact on her changing behaviour?
2.How much sympathy do you feel for Mrs Flynn? What would you have done in her position when faced with Thomas Jerwood’s offer for her daughter?
3.What do you think happens to Cora and her son after the story ends?
4.‘Cora had been made wrong from the start… cursed by her place of birth and her mother’s blood’ Can we ever separate the influences of ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’? Can you ‘turn bad into good’?
5.‘Traps, as it were, can be laid.’ Do Thomas Jerwood’s lofty intentions for his research projects justify the methods he uses?
6.If Thomas Jerwood was alive today, what kind of research might he be interested in or studying?
7.How would a child who kills be treated today? What do you think is the right approach for society to take in such cases?
8.‘House burglars are marked out by the prominence of their jaws.’ Is it possible to tell if someone is a criminal?
9.In mid-Victorian Birmingham, the prison, lunatic asylum and workhouse were built side-by-side at the edge of a growing town. What does this show us about attitudes to the poor, the mentally ill and the criminals in Victorian Britain? How have attitudes changed?
10.The original title for this book was ‘Half of You’. What other titles do you think might work for this novel?
11.Which parts of the book stood out for you? What do you think was added to the story by the extracts from ‘The Wyvern Quarterly’ and Dr Farley’s journal?
12.What does the book say about life and conditions of domestic servants in the late 1800’s?
About the author
Originally from Sunderland, Carolyn Kirby studied history at St Hilda’s College, Oxford before working in social housing and then as a teacher of English as a foreign language.
Her debut novel The Conviction of Cora Burns (previously titled Half of You) was begun in 2013 on a writing course at Faber Academy in London. The novel has achieved success in several competitions including as finalist in the 2017 Mslexia Novel Competition and as winner of the inaugural Bluepencilagency Award.
Carolyn has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in rural Oxfordshire.
noexit.co.uk/CarloynKirby
Copyright
First published in 2019 by No Exit Press,
an imprint of Oldcastle Books Ltd,
PO Box 394,
Harpenden, AL5 1XJ, UK
noexit.co.uk
Editor: Katherine Sunderland/Clare Quinliven
© Carolyn Kirby 2019
The right of Carolyn Kirby to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise) without the written permission of the publishers.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN
978-0-85730-294-6 (print)
978-0-85730-295-3 (epub)
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Ebook by Avocet Typeset, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6RT
For more information about Crime Fiction please visit @crimetimeuk
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