Scan barcode
gardenreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
annabelws23's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated the foreword provided for the 2020 reissue of The Covent Garden Ladies where Rubenhold addresses the shifts in discourse over women’s bodies and sexualities even in the 15 years since the book was first published in 2005. In it, many of my would-be-criticisms to the book are prefaced, such as the book’s use of perspective, language and the voices it presents. It let me read the book as a product of its own history as much as the recounting of history, and framed the masculine Georgian language Rubenhold mimics (such as that of “seduction”, calling the ladies “harlots”, “whores” etc) within these dual contexts.
With all this in mind, while I enjoyed the narrativisation of the characters and circumstances surrounding Harris’ list of Covent Garden Ladies, a technique Rubenhold employs to tell the story of the list’s creation, I did wish there was more of an investigation of the daily lives and realities of the ladies of the Georgian sex trade. Not necessarily instead of, but as well as, her three protagonists: Jack Harris, Samuel Derrick and Charlotte Hayes. This may be due to a certain set of expectations I had going into this book- my interest in the topic was fostered by my enjoyment of the show “Harlots”, itself inspired by this book, and which explores the experiences of the Covent Garden ladies from a distinctly female perspective. Perhaps I expected the show to be closer to its source material, which cannot be a fault of the book itself. Nevertheless, for a book to call itself “The Covent Garden Ladies” and have 2/3 of its protagonists be men created a distinct, and at times dissonant, shift towards the male perspective. This was demonstrably a deliberate choice, Rubenhold by no means panders to the male perspective, rather mirrors it’s misogyny to highlight the hypocrisies of men toward the women they effectively used and abused for their own gratification.
The shift of focus back to the women of the list to close the book provided a welcome reframing of the narrative back to the realities of daily life as a Georgian prostitute, often snatched from poverty and childhood, living under the shadow of disease, sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies. I do understand that historical books are a product of the sources available, this might have been all the historical material could have provided on these women’s lives at the time Rubenhold was writing. Many of the women were illiterate and, therefore, unable to recount their stories in their own words. This is the tragedy of women’s history, it is so often authored by men.
Overall, despite a few tonal discrepancies, and read with all the above in mind, this book was a riotous romp through the illustrious underworld of Georgian society.
With all this in mind, while I enjoyed the narrativisation of the characters and circumstances surrounding Harris’ list of Covent Garden Ladies, a technique Rubenhold employs to tell the story of the list’s creation, I did wish there was more of an investigation of the daily lives and realities of the ladies of the Georgian sex trade. Not necessarily instead of, but as well as, her three protagonists: Jack Harris, Samuel Derrick and Charlotte Hayes. This may be due to a certain set of expectations I had going into this book- my interest in the topic was fostered by my enjoyment of the show “Harlots”, itself inspired by this book, and which explores the experiences of the Covent Garden ladies from a distinctly female perspective. Perhaps I expected the show to be closer to its source material, which cannot be a fault of the book itself. Nevertheless, for a book to call itself “The Covent Garden Ladies” and have 2/3 of its protagonists be men created a distinct, and at times dissonant, shift towards the male perspective. This was demonstrably a deliberate choice, Rubenhold by no means panders to the male perspective, rather mirrors it’s misogyny to highlight the hypocrisies of men toward the women they effectively used and abused for their own gratification.
The shift of focus back to the women of the list to close the book provided a welcome reframing of the narrative back to the realities of daily life as a Georgian prostitute, often snatched from poverty and childhood, living under the shadow of disease, sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies. I do understand that historical books are a product of the sources available, this might have been all the historical material could have provided on these women’s lives at the time Rubenhold was writing. Many of the women were illiterate and, therefore, unable to recount their stories in their own words. This is the tragedy of women’s history, it is so often authored by men.
Overall, despite a few tonal discrepancies, and read with all the above in mind, this book was a riotous romp through the illustrious underworld of Georgian society.
humphreads's review against another edition
4.0
A book on history? That you enjoyed? Are you feeling okay. Yes, I am, thank you. The reason for this shock is that there’s only one type of history book which I enjoy, and that is history books about sex. Genuinely.
As you could guess from the title, this book is about the Covent Garden Ladies. These ladies are the known sex workers of the area which Harris and Derrick detailed in a pocket book in 1759. This book spread the women to avoid, the women to seek, those who specialised in certain things.
Historian Hallie Rubenhold, who also wrote The Five, provides a crisp overview of this. This is absolutely not some dry textbook Source A shit that you’d have to analyse in your history exam. This is a fun and full of life story that almost feels like a fiction to read.
I enjoyed this so much. Like, a surprising amount. It was a charity shop spot that I could’ve easily walked past but obviously I am very glad I didn’t.
This is an engaging and genuinely interesting insight into history and an essential read for feminist legends. It’s sex positive in its account, but hoe sex positivity should be- not screaming YES SEX and making a huge thing over it. Instead, it simply normalises this profession. Some came into this industry through horrible circumstances, some passionately choose this industry. Some have good experiences, some have bad experiences. They seem neither dramatised or romanised, and just told from historical records.
As you could guess from the title, this book is about the Covent Garden Ladies. These ladies are the known sex workers of the area which Harris and Derrick detailed in a pocket book in 1759. This book spread the women to avoid, the women to seek, those who specialised in certain things.
Historian Hallie Rubenhold, who also wrote The Five, provides a crisp overview of this. This is absolutely not some dry textbook Source A shit that you’d have to analyse in your history exam. This is a fun and full of life story that almost feels like a fiction to read.
I enjoyed this so much. Like, a surprising amount. It was a charity shop spot that I could’ve easily walked past but obviously I am very glad I didn’t.
This is an engaging and genuinely interesting insight into history and an essential read for feminist legends. It’s sex positive in its account, but hoe sex positivity should be- not screaming YES SEX and making a huge thing over it. Instead, it simply normalises this profession. Some came into this industry through horrible circumstances, some passionately choose this industry. Some have good experiences, some have bad experiences. They seem neither dramatised or romanised, and just told from historical records.