Book description
'Palmer spins a cracking tale that, despite its disconcerting subject, is piquantly cheerful and compassionate . . . With empathy and imagination, Palmer explores the master/apprentice relationship, first love and first rivalry, spite and kindness: conjuring a world to raise a wry smile' New York Times
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A stunning, powerfully…
Why read it?
1 author picked Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Another book based on true events, Palmer’s Mary Toft is about an 18th century woman who gave birth to a dead rabbit—and then quite a few more. Is it a hoax? Or some kind of strange miracle?
Doctors are confounded, and a sort of cult forms around Toft, as onlookers stand outside her window awaiting her next delivery. I love this book in part for its glimpse into 18th century “science”—the belief that dreaming about a rabbit would cause a woman to give birth to one, for instance.
I read Mary Toft in the spring of 2020, when the world…
If you love Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
186
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen, you might also like...
Child of Vanris
At five years old, Kasiel was found with the pointed ends of his ears cut off. Despite that brutal start, he’s lived twelve peaceful years with the man who took him in. Keeping his hair long over his mutilated ears helps him hide the fact that he is Vanrian, a…
Almost Home
Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.
In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…
