The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman is the story of Nora Grey, née Nairna Liath, who traveled the countryside of Scotland with her father, Tavish, who used her natural skill and some tricks and effects, to scrape by doing readings and seances at carnivals and fairs. 

Soon, her true skill becomes apparent, and she and her father are taken in by a benefactor who introduces her to a new world of mesmerist societies - and people, mostly men, who want to use her abilities for various self-serving reasons.

Told primarily from two points of view, Nora’s and her grandmother Lottie’s, with interstitial segments of newspaper clips and other reports to provide context and some foreshadowing, Nora Grey is an engaging mix of historical fiction and magical realism, about women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries trying to live free lives outside the control of others, and about the importance of family.

The Entirely True Story may not be “entirely true”, but it is entirely entertaining, especially for those with any interest in the history of mesmerism or spiritualists such as the Fox Sisters, or even Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle or in the feminist struggles of women at that time (or now).

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub. date: 7/29/25

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Edit to add: Kensington sent me these bespoke Nora Grey tarot cards which is my first physical gift since I started seriously reviewing, so I was pretty excited. Look how cool they are!