This was a 5/5 for me. A dark and thrilling twist on the Sweeney Todd legend, this audiobook dives deep into the life of Mrs. Lovett — and she finally gets to tell her side. Told in epistolary format with rich detail and haunting emotion, the story traces every chilling turn of Mrs. Lovett’s life, from family life to love and loss to something far more sinister. Each stage unveils a fresh layer of horror, drawing you in deeper. The narration was spot-on for the time period, expressive, unsettling in the best way, and completely immersive. I was hooked from first listen.

If you love twisted retellings, morally grey women, and gothic horror with heart, this one’s for you.

Check your triggers, among others there is graphic violence, cannibalism, pregnancy-related horror, and cruelty.

Thank You to NetGalley, David Demchuk, Corinne Leigh Clark and RMedia for providing me with an ALC in exchange for review.

This gothic, blood-soaked feminist retelling of Sweeney Todd will have you celebrating women's wrongs.

The set up of this book as a series of letters between a journalist trying to find an aging Mrs. Lovett after the famous events of her pie shop and the barber shop above it, is really interesting. The authors are already assuming we know a little of the dark deeds that happened, but give Mrs. Lovett the time and space to tell the entire story from her perspective - including how she got her name.

I love feminist retellings and this was the right amount of dark and dreadful. This isn't a fast-paced story, which is fine because I liked seeing what terrible tragedy was going to happen to Lovett next and how she'd endure.

While Lovett was surrounded by terrible things happening to her, I never felt like she was a victim of her circumstances. She always had agency and like black mold, she thrived.

Our narrators are AMAZING. I'm so glad they brought in a male voice for the announcements/letters that help to separate the voice of Mrs. Lovett and our journalist. I was absolutely transported

Pick this up if you want
🔪 Feminist retelling of Sweeney Todd
🔪 Sapphic Gothic Horror
🔪 Supporting women’s wrongs
🔪 Epistolary
🔪 Cannibalism
🔪 Meat pies
🔪 Amazing audiobook

This book is best read while sitting in an empty kitchen, cleaning blood from your butcher’s knife.

Surprising and Addictive
I enjoyed hearing the Pie Makers story on how she ended up becoming the willing or unwilling (depends on if you feel like she had choices in what happens to her) partner to Sweeney Todd.
The connections made between characters were creative and sometimes shocking.
Marjorie’s tragic story of love and loss kept me gripped and pondering how it could end. The end had me gasping in surprise.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

CN. A lot. Things you would usually assume with Sweeny Todd and Victorian London

I had so much fun with this!

First things first, Sweeny Todd and the Lovett pie shop don't feature until the final third if that's an issue for you, but it really shouldn't because this is an enchanting and tragic tale that is perhaps more bitter bildungsroman than horror.

This is the untold tale of Mrs Lovett, the woman who made use of Sweeny Todd's victim's and how she found herself to be in such a position. It is told through letters initially dictated to nun, and later in her own hand, as part of a correspondence with a journalist making enquiries about the infamous events, as well as the bungling 'Beakies' collating the case.

It is a tale of butchery, destitution, abuse, escape, love, loss, and making do in a world filled with monsters easily the equal, if not surpassing, the monstrousness of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

I couldn't help but think of The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes when reading this. An equally brilliant example of fictional historical fiction that does a wonderful job of exploring the life and experiences of a woman so important to a story, but very much a bit part compared to the leading men. I adored both books for their grounding of these heightened fictional characters and reflecting incredibly real experiences and emotions.

I'm also an absolute sucker for a tragic sapphic tale.

Absolutely cracking and rather morish.

In this gothic reimagining, The Butcher’s Daughter by David Demchuk and Corinne Leigh Clark gives Mrs. Lovett—of Sweeney Todd fame—her own voice. Told through gripping letters set in 1887 London, the novel explores her dark past, survival, and the blurred lines between villain and victim. Atmospheric, smart, and hauntingly intimate.

a bloody (pun intended) good time 🩸
3.5 stars rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so excited to read this book, especially in an audiobook format and I'm so glad this was the format I chose because the narrators really bring the characters to life in this tale of Mrs Lovett, who we famously know for her role in Sweeney Todd.

'The Butcher's Daughter' takes you on a journey of the life of Margaret/ Margery/ Peggy (she has many names during many phases of her life) and her fight to survive in a world where the odds are ever against her. What I love, is though even though her circumstances are dire, she is never portrayed as a victim, in fact, she knows she is not good and just needs to do what she needs to do to survive.

There are definitely moments of her life that are more fascinating than others, so much so that you feel like you are reading different stories. Her time at the Doctor's was the most intriguing to me, but the less exciting times (like the brothel), also play a part in shaping the more human side of her and are important too.

I've seen that a lot of people find the epistolary format hit or miss - I found that because I read it as an audiobook, it didn't affect me too much, but if I read it as a physical book, I could see how it could encourage an element of detachment from the characters.

Sweeney Todd doesn't actually appear until towards the end of the book and I enjoyed this part the most as I got to hear a lot of familiar names. The twists were pretty good, with some leaving me audibly gasping.

I'm definitely in the mood to rewatch Sweeney Todd after this and have an even greater appreciation for the character of Mrs. Lovett.

Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for the audiobook ARC!

This audiobook was disturbing and sad. The narrator was a good fit for the story. The story was well written and kept me engaged from start to finish. If you like cannibalism in your books, definitely give this one a listen!

🥧🔪🩸A pie for two pennies🩸🔪🥧

"For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because if mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed." Psalms 31:10

Dripping with gothic atmosphere, this was chilling, mysterious and thrilling tale told in an exchange of letters, the way the book is formatted with letters, reports, newspapers clippings, recipes and other inserts just aid to make this a true experience. Blending it all with the audiobook, curtesy of RB Media and NetGalley, this was an immensely immersive read. The way the narrators set the tone and following the pages was like walking the alleys along with Mrs. Lovett, in her tale on how she came to be, and what made her that way.

The evolution of a story of Mrs. Lovett, from victim to victimizer.

It's a lifelong story, where we follow her from youth and what drove her to make the choices she made. With a diverse cast of characters, compelling story, a mystery being investigated, and an enveloping atmosphere that absorbed me from beginning to end.

🩸I would say this is a book that you would love if you blend the book and audio because the cast of narrators push this to be over the top!

🩸I was able to purchase a copy early from Barnes and Noble, and I cannot tell you how beautiful the illustrations and formatting is.

🩸 Recommend if you loved Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito and The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen.

***some of the descriptions in this book are graphic, so be aware of that***

I would love to thank NetGalley, Hells Hundred for the e-book ARC, and RB Media for the audiobook ALC. I can't wait to see what this duo of authors come up with next!

I really enjoyed this and was so pleasantly surprised by it. I found Meg to be a fascinating protagonist and was thoroughly entranced by her various trials and tribulations. With some despicable characters and truly horrific moments throughout the narrative , I actually thought the part dealing with Mrs. Lovett was the least compelling and was sometimes taken out of the story a little by it's epistolary nature. Nevertheless, I had a great time with this and would highly recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

When the Chief Inspector of the London Metropolitan Police discover a dossier of evidence in an abandoned apartment, they don't expect what they find -- evidence and correspondence, ordered chronologically, between a journalist and a woman who is believed to be the infamous Mrs. Lovett. The same Mrs. Lovett who was the accomplice to Sweeney Todd -- the demon barber of Fleet Street. But in there isn't just an account of everything that went on in that infamous pie shop, but the account of her entire life. And the truth is absolutely horrifying.

Sweeney Todd was one of my favorite shows -- the weird obsession of a woman over a serial killer who literally chops up the bodies to feed to the unsuspecting public. That being said, reading this book was definitely interesting for me because of the changes that were made to certain characters. I very much enjoyed seeing Mrs. Lovett's story, and I started piecing things together really quick as to how her father being a butcher and her living with a mad doctor factored into the inevitable butchering of people and making them into pies (which, if you don't know that then I guess spoiler alert? But you maybe you should go read up on Sweeney Todd). I was waiting for the moment she meets Todd and I felt like that was such a climactic moment in the story and I was gripping my seat as we went from there straight through towards the end. I thought the author did a good job with their interpretations of the characters, and I like the way it was explained how it was twisted to create the play. Overall this was a fantastic book with a lot of horror elements, and I would definitely recommend this to anybody who loves the show, loves historical horror/thrillers, or who just wants a well written book... about feeding people meat pies made of humans.

Update: Posted to TikTok May 5.
This is an imaginative tale about Mrs Lovett that centers on her unfortunate background with a bit at the end about her time with Sweeney Todd. The voice performances by the three narrators are expressive and help to distinguish between the many characters. I rounded up my rating to 3.5 stars for the audio quality and excellent vocal performances. I greatly enjoyed hearing the Butcher's Daughter in their accents.
I strongly recommend the audio version for this book. Mrs Lovett's history is told in letters and other documents decades after the events, undermining its potential suspense. The performances add life to the epistolary narrative.

She's a complex character and there are lots of loathsome men. This will be fun for readers who enjoy a ‘good for her’ book. Unfortunately, the many coincidences near the end didn’t work for me, and the Sapphic interludes felt contrived. Overall, the gothic vibes, aspects of the historical settings, and the handling of the restrictions on women shine. The funeral details are outstanding. The writing is smooth. The authors wove in a few of the worst kinds of crimes of this time and place.

With greater immediacy, the book could have been a high-impact, immersive experience. To me, it felt distant, and I never became engaged with the reporter storyline. Many other readers are thrilled by it, and it's a wonderful project. I appreciate the research and all the work put into highlighting the status of women during this era. The Butcher's Daughter might be your next favorite book.

Recommended for non-squeamish readers who enjoy historical novels told in letters and those interested in gritty women's history or crime novels. My thanks to RBMedia for the ALC via NetGalley for consideration.

The Butcher's Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett by David Demchuk, Corinne Leigh Clark. Unfortunately it takes too long to get to the heart of the story. The audiobook narration by Jill Tanner, Steven Crossley, and Amy Scanlon is fantastic and that kept me more entertained than the story itself. The first part is disjointed with the letters but it’s an interesting but overextended setup. There is not enough meat to the story. I enjoyed it but wanted more. ALC was provided by RB media/Recorded Books via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beautiful !

Narrated and written engrossingly, this tale draws you in and keeps you enthralled.

The narrative style of letters and documents worked out well with the narration’s use of male and female readers so it was easy to separate them out.

Overall a great audiobook and book to keep one occupied!

The Butcher's Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett follows the correspondence between Margaret and Emily Gibson, a journalist. Mrs. Lovette tells her story from the very begining at working at her father's butcher shop on Butcher’s Row to the pie shop on Fleet Street where her and Sweeney Todd wrecked havoc on the unsuspecting victims that they killed and then baked them into meat pies and sold in her shop. The novel goes into the reason why both Margaret and Sweeny Todd did what they did and how they were finally caught for their crimes. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Recorded Books for letting me listen to an advanced recording of this audiobook.

4.5 stars! Horror at its finest! Everyone knows Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. But what was Mrs. Lovett's background? Well, this is her story and what a story it is!
The novel unfolds around letters penned back and forth between a journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and the mysterious Mrs. Lovett. Mrs. Lovett relates a pretty horrendous tale of her life through her correspondence, and Miss Gibson may find out more than she bargained for. The ending is delicious!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books, Inc. for this digital audio e-arc.*

If you are familiar with Sweeney Todd at all the story of Mrs. Lovett will definitely hold your attention. The butchers daughter is definitely going to be a reread for me when it comes out. This audiobook I completed in two days when I say hooked, I was hooked. The characters are just so well written so thought out you get this spooky Victorian era vibe through throughout the whole plot. There is definitely something here for everyone even those not typical horror readers will love this story however it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. But it was a good story.

A reimagining of the Sweeney Todd’s infamous Mrs. Lovett story. Here we have a lot of meat and character development, gothic vibes and savage people. The writing style was very interesting, its mixed media, told through news articles and letters. I feel like it will be better to read it physically, for the stylization and the distinctive POV’s. But the narrators were exceptional, so good; I really enjoyed listening to them. The ending was also good, although the book felt longer than it needed to be, slower in some parts. There are some tropes that I really enjoy and some that could be very triggering, but this was not as horrific as I’ve expected. It’s more historical and literary than horror. I recommend it if you generally enjoy retellings. I needed something more original and unexpected to enjoy it more, or some deeper emotional connection to form with the characters, but unfortunately I couldn’t immerse myself in the story completely.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for providing me with the ALC.

DNF @ 60% – Still no Sweeney Todd.
Normally, I wouldn't review a book I DNF'd but I got a free copy from NetGalley and therefore owe anyone interested in buying it a review/warning.

This reads like a book that the author couldn't sell, so they added a few references to Mrs. Lovett just to market it that way. As someone who picked it up solely for the Sweeney Todd connection, I’m pretty disappointed.

I need a strong plot, and this is one of those books where the character just wanders from place to place with little consequence,past events don’t seem to matter, and I have no confidence that the current ones will either.

You might enjoy this if you’re just looking for something set in the same era as the musical. Otherwise, I’d suggest staying far away.

The search for Mrs. Marjorie Lovett.
A wonton woman.
A murderess.
Whose name we daren’t speak aloud for its profanity.

Epistolary novels are very hit or miss for me, but this one was executed perfectly. It’s easy to get off the rails in this format but Demchuk and Clark did a great job keeping it focused and keeping the alternating correspondence from spiraling out of control.

Not a huge Sweeney Todd guy - never saw the film or any stage adaptation or read anything about him really but somehow had enough knowledge to know the basic gist of the Todd and Lovett story, so I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t “get it”. But I did. 100% due to the skillful storytelling on display here. The pacing and timing, the growing sense of unease, the depth of character development. It all worked. And worked well.

5 Stars and highly recommended.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc. The honest review is all mine."

I had high hopes for this book and it didn’t disappoint.

It started a bit slow for me and it took a few chapters to realize what was happening , and who was who, but after that it picked up and I just couldn’t put it down. The narrators were phenomenal! I was transported back to 1887, and felt like a firsthand witness to all events.

The book is intense and dark, gruesome at moments, and that ending is absolutely brilliant!!!

I didn’t see the ending coming and it made me gasp out loud!