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lbw's review against another edition
medium-paced
By the time I got to the end, I realized this book is about people more complicated and three-dimensional than the story seems to suggest at first. None of the players in this situation was all bad or all good. However, Grover Cleveland--a tangential figure in the scandal--was awful. I even stopped listening to write a note: "Grover Cleveland was gross."
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this journalistic account of how Madeline Pollard, the mistress of a Kentucky bigshot, successfully sued him for breach of contract when he refused to marry her--having repeatedly promised to do so--after the death of his wife. Miller gets into the social and sexual politics and mores of the time, the roles and activities of women, and how Pollard's suit exposed and challenged the double standard women face. Appropriate reading for this particular point in history, and an engaging read to boot.
katel1970's review against another edition
4.0
Thoughtful, detailed history. Fascinating story. I learned a lot reading this--so many modern applications.
shoosha's review against another edition
3.0
It's the 1890s and the US is experiencing a major cultural shift. Women are leaving domestic spheres in search of work, providing for families decimated after the civil war. This new autonomy reveals the strong contrast of the moral divide in the culture. Men have mistresses without repercussions, while women become 'ruined'. Things are changing and this book takes us through a specific court case that is the stone cast that creates the ripples to suffrage and greater equality between the sexes.
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I enjoyed this enough to want to finish it, however I think that it reiterates a lot of ground and can read more like a historical thesis than a non fiction story. When Patricia pulls back and looks at where this court case fits in the historical lineage is when the book is strongest.
Women are the center of this story and you learn about three very different women in very different situations that collide in this case. I only wish it could have better built a narrative around these women to connect them to us. As it is, you get a lot of factual information without a lot of breath or air in the humans she is discussing.
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If you are interested in women studies, times of upheaval, cultural shifts in US history, I highly recommend it. .
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I enjoyed this enough to want to finish it, however I think that it reiterates a lot of ground and can read more like a historical thesis than a non fiction story. When Patricia pulls back and looks at where this court case fits in the historical lineage is when the book is strongest.
Women are the center of this story and you learn about three very different women in very different situations that collide in this case. I only wish it could have better built a narrative around these women to connect them to us. As it is, you get a lot of factual information without a lot of breath or air in the humans she is discussing.
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If you are interested in women studies, times of upheaval, cultural shifts in US history, I highly recommend it. .
classicbhaer's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this nonfiction account of the trial of Madeline Pollard vs Colonel W.C.P. Breckinridge, which took on the inequality in morality between men and women within US society. The author made this case accessible and I was interested throughout reading. I liked how the author described the history of moral judging through US history how it shifted from equal blame during colonial times, to mainly being a woman's problem. The coverage of the court case was detailed and I also really liked how the author covered the holes and inconsistencies in both arguments. On top of that, I enjoyed how the author described the effects of the court case on women, Madeline, Breckinridge and the futures they lived.
findyourgoldenhour's review against another edition
4.0
Powerful men taking advantage of women young enough to be their granddaughters? Society judging them completely differently, holding the women to an unfair set of standards? Women are supposed to be pure and undefiled, while men can’t be blamed for wanting a little action on the side?
There’s nothing new under the sun; just new people doing it.
This is a timely book in the #metoo era. Then, like now, women were preyed upon by powerful men with little to no consequence. Then, like now, women have little to no recourse to do anything about it. But at pivotal points of history, a few incidents have broken through to challenge to power structures. We are seeing that now in the #metoo era. This story tells the story of a brave woman who refused to be judged by a double standard. She took the risk and publicly declared herself a “fallen woman” (gasp!) in order to take down a sitting US Senator. And she won.
And then misogyny and sexism and the patriarchy were over! Just kidding. But she did move the needle, like brave women are moving the needle now. Progress is slow and we take a lot of steps backward; I often feel the despair of thinking we’ll never have full equality. But I was cheering for Madeline Pollard and women like her, past and present, who challenge the status quo and say No More. Their bravery and lasting impact should not be forgotten.
There’s nothing new under the sun; just new people doing it.
This is a timely book in the #metoo era. Then, like now, women were preyed upon by powerful men with little to no consequence. Then, like now, women have little to no recourse to do anything about it. But at pivotal points of history, a few incidents have broken through to challenge to power structures. We are seeing that now in the #metoo era. This story tells the story of a brave woman who refused to be judged by a double standard. She took the risk and publicly declared herself a “fallen woman” (gasp!) in order to take down a sitting US Senator. And she won.
And then misogyny and sexism and the patriarchy were over! Just kidding. But she did move the needle, like brave women are moving the needle now. Progress is slow and we take a lot of steps backward; I often feel the despair of thinking we’ll never have full equality. But I was cheering for Madeline Pollard and women like her, past and present, who challenge the status quo and say No More. Their bravery and lasting impact should not be forgotten.
smiley938's review against another edition
5.0
Especially interesting with today's politicians. Guess not much has changed.
hooliaquoolia's review against another edition
5.0
WOW. Didn't go into this with many expectations, just thought it would be a dry historical read (which I love, but from a different place in my heart), but this is hits SO MANY WICKETS for me: a Victorian-era sex scandal working its way through the American legal system, with ruined women and society attitudes just as much on trial as the (male, white, rich) defendant. This is a nonfiction version of a sensation novel. It is amazing in its dedication not just to the court case at the center of the book, but for its portraits of all the remarkable women in its orbit. Did y'all know that the first sexual harassment scandal in Congress was in the 19TH CENTURY??? This shit is not new and any man who whines about how women are SUDDENLY demanding unreasonable accommodations needs to read this book--we've been asking for basic dignity since TIME IMMEMORIAL, you dumbasses!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND for women's history month!! The narrator was excellent and she did just the right amount of acting for the voices to keep me immersed in the story. Truly can't recommend this enough.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND for women's history month!! The narrator was excellent and she did just the right amount of acting for the voices to keep me immersed in the story. Truly can't recommend this enough.
katie2047's review against another edition
2.0
The subject was inspiring but I found the writing very academic and a little dry for such an incredible story.
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Despite the dramatic music at the beginning, and the voices the reader put on that reminded me of someone reading a child a bedtime story, this book turned out to be very interesting. One of my favorite parts was the author's breadth of research surrounding major players - and related, though not immediately so, characters - as well as social context and movements so we as readers can follow along on the individual life and life of a nation scale. So many courtroom dramas are just that - centered around the pathos of the case and the tension of those days in a courthouse, and then wraps effectively, but somewhat perfunctorily afterwards. This book gives us chapters more to break down what happened and follow several of the character individually on their own paths after the jury delivers its verdict. I could see this being assigned in gender studies or women's history/US morals & sexuality courses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Rape, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Miscarriage
Minor: Chronic illness, Trafficking, and Abortion