Madame Restell: Book Review

Madame Restell

By Jennifer Wright

Library Copy 

 Jennifer Wright where have you been?! I have been looking for a book on the history of women's reproduction for a few years. Finally, Jennifer Wright has done it, sort of.   

So knowing that you will know I couldn’t wait to read it. It wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought it would be biographical. It wasn’t. It was much more.

I have been wanting to know the history of reproductive rights from the colonial period in America to the present moment.  The book is an eye opener and fascinating. Not only is it a biography. It’s the story of society, culture, and class, gender, and the times from 1840’s till the gilded age, and the present time 2023. 

The book is not just an eye opener how the world viewed reproductive rights. But, how uppity religious zealots forced their views to the rest of us. The men had the rights. The men expected for women to just take it.

But, not Madame Restell. She found a different path after her husband died. She had to find something to support her, and her daughter. She found herbals and abortions would keep her from poverty.

There were several times she was brought into controversy. A time or two. I felt she was wrong what she did. But, all in all the author still brought justification what she did. She was by no means an advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Far more she was a business woman making her millions. She did make it into upper society. But, she was never accepted. She was always considered a criminal.

The book was not just biographical. The author used cultural, political, societal issues into the book to show all aspects, and angles to look at the total picture.
The Book also weaves the story of today with the past. And how we should look at it. I was expecting a one sided story. No! She brings recent history and brings the historical context in.

Personally I never thought of men deliberately taking our rights away for a reason. It’s just how life worked. In the book the author show how men deliberately were afraid of women. Doctors felt threatened by women practicing abortions. Doctors in the 1800’s were not licensed. Many women died from infection. Because doctor’s never thought about sterility. Then Midwives and abortionists came around and they felt threatened. Why you ask? You will have to read the book to find out.

It must have been scary, and horrible for women giving birth. Not knowing if you will live or die. In such poor sanitary conditions in the hospitals. Or doctors not having any medical knowledge about a woman’s anatomy. And just winging it.

Living in 1840’s were pretty horrible. Remember no birth control. One baby after another. You had no control of your body. Men deliberately telling you otherwise. Women didn’t want anymore children. Too many mouths to feed. Either the children end up in an orphanage. Or worse, thrown away. As there weren’t any laws protecting children then. Only other alternative was searching out Madame Restell.

Laws about abortion in 1840 America was lax. By 1870’s laws were starting to get tighter with the Comstock Act in 1973. Life was more difficult for women to obtain medicinal, and abortions. Spoilers: This was the end of Madame Restell's aristocratic life. 

The book is rich in detail, heavily researched. But, also wonderful to learn about life in the 1800’s for women. I could picture the scenes in my head living in NYC in the finery, and a beautiful gilded mansion.

I was a teen when Roe vs. Wade happened in 1973. Never thought it would be overturned. Never in my lifetime. I was not into politics. I didn’t realize politics was slowly taking our rights away. I hope the young people read this book and you get fired up.

 

The Guide: Book Review

The Guide

By Peter Heller

My copy 

 I have been looking forward to reading. I am the moderator for my book club. I was looking for a book written by male authors. We haven't read many male authors. I also wanted to read something out of our genre. One we haven't read are nature/wilderness novels. I have been eyeing his novels for a few years.

Unfortunately the book didn't measure up to my expectations. I have seen others comments. They enjoyed reading his novels. I did to a point. I enjoyed reading his surroundings in nature. The writing was wonderful. The story didn't connect for me at all. I wish it did. I learned after reading the same characters in this book was also in his previous novel, The River. I wish I knew this before. Even though it was said this is really a stand alone. I may have enjoyed the previous novel more. The reason I may have not connected was because I am not into fishing. I fished when a was a little kid on the coast. I didn't fish in a lake or a river. Maybe that is the reason I didn't connect to well to the story. But the writing was beautiful and poetic.

The novel takes place in Colorado at a Fishing Resort for the elite. With plenty of wilderness, lakes, and rivers surrounding the lodge. It is catered to the rich and famous. Sheltered by the virus.( not covid- it is a virus that has been around for years). Jack is hired as a guide at the fishing lodge, Kingfisher Lodge. Jack has past issues of grief he is still struggling with. He is there to cater to one guest, a singer. They venture out and see a sign, a warning stay out. And then later on.. A scream. Both Jack and his companion realize something sinister is happening. I had a difficult connecting to the characters. I didn't care for any of the characters or the story line itself. The ending was a bit off the top with a taste of science fiction. I did love the writing describing the surroundings of the fishing lodge.

Book Review: Lies I Tell

 

The Lies I Tell

By Julie Clark

My Copy 

The Lies I Tell is the second novel I have read by Julie Clark. I enjoyed The Lies I Tell better than her previous novel. First off my issue to call it a thriller, specifically, domestic. I didn't feel the novel was domestic. Domestic to me is a husband/ wife conflict.  There wasn't a husband and wife conflict at all. Then to call it a thriller. I didn't think it was either.  The book was revenge rather than thriller.  A thriller to me is where the novel picks up the pace and has twists and turns. There was heart thumping moments. But I would expect twists, and turns, and climax. There weren't any. There one part of the novel wasn't credibily obvious this couldn't happen in a real situation. I had the same issue in her last book. She should have thought it through. Other than that. If you overlook this part. I still enjoyed reading. 

 The novel has two main characters, Meg and Kat. Meg is a con-artist and goes with three different names depending where she is.  Kat, is a journalist that doesn't realize their lives will connect later after ten years. Meg herself was duped as a teen. As her mother got involved with  a man who her mother trusted. But soon after realized she and her Mom were conned from their home out from under them. After their home was taken from them they became homeless and her Mother died of Cancer soon after.

The book goes back and forth in time, and back and forth with the characters. It is not one of these novels that you have to keep track of who is who. Meg becomes romantically involved with the high school principle.  She was originally looking to con and take advantage of her new boyfriend. It is better than she expected. She doesn't only clean out his bank account. She contacts a journalist. The journalist is none other than Kat.  The story becomes public and he is forced to give up his job. His reputation is ruined, Sweet Revenge! I won't go any further. But to say, the novel continues with con after con and sweet revenge. Meg isn't  just looked to con people. She is a white knight as well. You will understand what I am talking about once you are half way through the book. 

If you have been  faced with sexism, me too, rape, swindled, conned, lied to.  You will or maybe feel better after reading the novel. The novel will give you a sweet tooth of just desserts after finishing and feeling satisfied. The book wasn't just about revenge. Although the book is fiction it addresses wealth, power, corruption, and white collar crime, and real estate laws, escrow.  And of course social justice. 

I kept thinking about someone in particular I wished the conclusion would have happened to. And the end of the book. I don't know if anyone else would figure out who I was speaking about after I finish the book. Or I just have a one track mind front and center. It seemed the author was sending a message to white collar crime. People who commit white crimes or any crimes should be accountable. Most people don't think of white crime as a crime as much as murder. I think this is why white crime isn't taken seriously. 

Ashton Hall: Book Review

 

Ashton Hall

By Lauren Belfer

My copy

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 Ashton Hall is different than previous novels I have read. Yes, I have read mysteries, suspense, and  thrillers. But, what is different is threading through the story is historical fiction, family issues, and research, and fact finding in history through the manuscripts. 

The novel is atmospheric while reading. Which makes the novel a page turner.  Even though at time it is slow moving which adds to the suspense. If you think it will be a ghost story, it's not. It's gothic and atmospheric  in nature.  Surprisingly, history based in time, and culture. It is not history of real characters. But the period of Tudor England from 1650's-1690's. 

Hannah and Nicky arrive in Britain from the US. Her Uncle Christopher is dying. He asks Hannah to take sometime from her marriage and take care of him at his estate in Cambridge, England. 

Soon after they arrive. Nicky finds a skeleton of a woman in a walled-off part of the mansion.  Which drives the entire book. Forensics discovers her birth during Tudor England(from 1550's and died  in 1590's). The big questions are, who is she? Why was she in a blocked off room?  Hannah, and Nicky, starts digging and digging in the house looking for clues.  Old ledgers, manuscripts, old letters, old medieval books are found and archaeology and forensic are used. 

It was interesting to see the story unraveling and all the clues come together to find out who the skeleton was. How the research materials, forensics, and archeology used to form the theories, and eventually the facts

. For instance the plague wiped out a entire village in Tudor England. How did the author put it all together you ask. Believe it library registries in the manor. The books were meticulously counted for by each family member. How money was spent and for each item. Remember this is Tudor England in the 1500's. What was going on during the period. Roman Catholic vs. Protestant. In history it was a bloody period. Queen Mary was imprisoned. Society hidden away religious books to prevent them from being killed, imprisoned, or both. 

We, the reader do find out who the remains belong to. It is slowly revealed and researched by forensics. It is gloomy, creepy, and gothic, and atmospheric feel throughout the novel. What I felt was different was the family issues interspersed of Hannah and Nicky. But also Hannah's own story of the holocaust in her family history.  What was also revealed is the dark passages of Ashton Hall their stories hidden in Tudor England and modern day.

I loved reading about the English gardens, the bubbling brooks, the large English estates, the British countryside, The smell and tastes of the English bakeries. The differences of the British and American culture was written about. It was not heavy handed but a touch. Have you heard of an "electric shower"? I haven't. I learned a bit of English culture and society of English vs. American society. 

I enjoyed reading but you have to take it in slowly. You can't read the novel fast or you will not enjoy it as much

After reading I will be reading more books like this. I enjoyed the gothic feel. But, not many ghosts. If you want to read about ghosts you will have to read a different novel. If you like history and Tudor England and modern day England mixed in with family issues. I would pick it up.