"This extraordinary account of a mass poisoning phenomenon in early 20th-century Hungary explores why women kill through the lens of neglect, abuse and the desperate need to escape."
Relating how a midwife in the Hungarian village of Nagyrév offered women the answer to their troubles (arsenic, so they could be rid of the cause of their suffering — their husbands), journalist Hope Reese’s The Women Are Not Fine is an immensely powerful account of impoverishment and desperation.
A chance encounter in a Budapest bar left the author with the women of Nagyrév on her mind, wondering: “Why did they do what they did? How did these murders spin out of control? How did these women get away with their crimes for two decades?” And the ultimate question: “What had it taken for these women to kill?”
As Reese points out, men are the perpetrators of 90% of partner violence, and the reasons men and women kill tend to be vastly different. Men generally murder partners as a form of punishment or control. In contrast, while some women kill for reasons of self-interest, such as financial gain, “the greatest motivator for women to kill is an impulse to survive”.
In the case of Reese’s account of the women of Nagyrev, who became referred to as “Angelmakers”, this potent book unpacks patriarchal structures, and class, through sharing transcripts of police reports, court documents and newspaper accounts, and through offering insights into what can happen when women are neglected and abused, and thrust into poverty with no means of escape.
Powerfully evocative and shot-through with humanity, The Women Are Not Fine remains astonishingly relevant in the present-day: “The women of Nagyrév lived in another time, under different conditions. Yet their stories – of poverty, isolation, lack of autonomy, abuse – will resonate with many women today.”
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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Urgent, unforgettable, and absolutely unputdownable. It made me think deeply about women's struggles, and what drives a woman to kill. It's like true crime unfolding in real time, while also transporting you to different time and place.
This is an incredible story brought to life with remarkable insight, sensitivity, and a staggering amount of research. Reese has masterfully pieced together a narrative that reads like true crime unfolding in real time, while also transporting you to different time and place. Even though it’s set in Hungary at the turn of the last century, there’s something eerily familiar about the setting.
What struck me most was how vividly this book revealed the pressures that can drive women to kill in the fight for autonomy and safety.... Read Full Review
A powerful and gripping book that brings a true story to life with empathy and depth. Thought-provoking, beautifully written, and impossible to put down. I love this book.
What makes this book especially powerful is how it goes beyond the shock of the crimes and really examines the social conditions behind them.... Read Full Review
A little Hungarian reality. The Handmaid's Tale may have been fiction, but this book is also proof of how women were treated 100 years ago. And history always repeats itself.
A little Hungarian reality from the past. It is shocking to me that today, in 2026, the situation and expected role of women is slowly sinking back to the 1920s-30s. Even though I already knew about the Tiszazug poisonings, it was a very informative book (the case was discussed in my hometown, and I did not know that until I read this book! WOW). The whole story was well put together, and I liked the writing style. Although there was a part about statistical data towards the end, which I found a little boring, it was necessary for the story to be complete. I do not defend the perpetrators, but I cannot condemn them for their actions. I would make it a must-read for every woman. The Handmaid's Tale may have been fiction, but this book is also proof of how women were treated 100 years ago.... Read Full Review
The true story of the women behind the greatest female-led mass poisoning in modern history
The women of Nagyrév are desperate.
Their husbands are abusive.
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 would be 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.
The Women Are Not Fine features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, History, True crime, True stories of survival of abuse and injustice, Violence, intolerance and persecution in history, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, True stories: general, True crime, True stories of survival of abuse and injustice, History and Archaeology, History: specific events and topics, Violence, intolerance and persecution in history
The Women Are Not Fine is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Women Are Not Fine was written by Hope Reese and published by Brazen an imprint of Octopus
The Women Are Not Fine has 304 pages
£19.80
