The Women Are Not Fine
The Dark History of a Poisonous Sisterhood
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Women Are Not Fine
Narrated by:
Alexandra Boulton
Pre-order for $26.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
-
Narrated by:
-
Alexandra Boulton
-
By:
-
Hope Reese
About this listen
'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
'A moving story of desperation, violence and survival' HELEN LEWIS, author of Difficult Women
'A feat of investigative reporting . . . This book proves that our past is present' ELIZABETH FLOCK, New Yorker writer and author of The Furies
'Enthralling . . . A fascinating read' STEPHANIE COONTZ, author of Marriage, a History
'Hugely well-researched - an intriguing (and thoughtful) antidote to stereotypes about gendered violence.' GINA RIPPON, author of The Gendered Brain
The dark history of a poisonous sisterhood
The women of Nagyrév are desperate.
They're abused by their husbands.
They are feeding their newborns to livestock.
At the turn of the 20th century, in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary, midwife Zsuzsanna Fazekas was more than a caretaker - she was a confidante. She helped poor women give birth; she assisted them with abortions; and she listened. Their stories were the same: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable.
In response, Auntie Zsuzsi asked one question: "Why bother with them?"
Her solution was arsenic. Soon, women began slipping this concoction, made by dissolving flypaper in water, into their husbands' porridge, stews, and brandy. And over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicenter of one of the deadliest poisoning epidemics of the 20th century - according to some estimates, up to 300 people in the region were murdered.
Why did they do it? How did these murders spin out of control? How did these women get away with their crimes for two decades?
In The Women Are Not Fine, journalist Hope Reese pieces together archival newspapers, court documents, police records, and the vital work of historians, sociologists, and psychologists, diving deep into the truth behind this extraordinary event. Her findings serve as a stark warning: when women in a community are pushed to the brink, the consequences reverberate through history.
The Women Are Not Fine is more than a true crime story. It's a timely, haunting exploration of what happens when women's suffering goes unanswered.©2025 Hope Reese (P)2025 Orion Publishing Group Limited
What listeners say about The Women Are Not Fine
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.