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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
DNFed at just over halfway through. I absolutely adored The Birth House. It was such a beautiful book and I adored the way Ami McKay wrote it. This one, however, was probably, so far, the most boring book I’ve read. Moth has zero personality, and there is nothing interesting in the book to make up for the lack of intrigue and lack of a climax. I wanted to like this, but I just couldn’t get through it.
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking
Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
I was intrigued by the setup and curious to know where the story was going, when I realised there was only a chapter or so left and it wasn't actually *going* anywhere. Well written and intriguing as far as it goes, but not enough weight or interest to any of the storylines and too many loose ends left untied. The Birth House was a much better read.
I actually read this one before I did "The Birth House" and still find it a much better read. Moth suffers from some of the same indecision as Dora, but in a twelve-year-old protagonist, it makes more sense. I also found that the other women in the book were not demonized/portrayed as stupid/shallow/hypocrites like they were in TBH. Overall, a great improvement from McKay's first book.
It is no secret that Ami McKay's The Birth House is one of my all-time favourite reads. I've been eagerly anticipating McKay's new work of fiction, The Virgin Cure for what seems like years.
After finishing The Virgin Cure I am most struck by McKay's style. The story is, of course, captivating; so much so that I didn't stop once to make an annotation in my book as I am wont to do. But the novel's structure is what really causes me to stop and comment.
When I first started reading The Virgin Cure, I admit to finding the juxtaposition of plot and what seemed to be "historical clippings" rather clumsy. It broke up the story and made me focus on the fact that what I was reading is in fact a fictional representation of something historical. For a book like this, I would rather just be swept away by the narrative.
Once I realized what these breaks in the text actually were,usually the voice and notes of Dr. Sadie, I was convinced that Ami McKay was an even better writer than I had previously given her credit for. This style is, in my opinion, quite unique and gave an additional dimension to the narrative that Moth's voice alone could not accomplish.
From hearing an interview with Ami McKay and then subsequently reading the author's note that concludes the novel, I realize that McKay struggled to write the entire novel from the Doctor's perspective and only later decided to switch the focus on Moth's story and voice. I am thrilled that McKay found herself so conflicted over this, because what has come out of her is a story that is haunting and entertaining and simply stunning.
Now, when can I expect Ami McKay's next novel?
After finishing The Virgin Cure I am most struck by McKay's style. The story is, of course, captivating; so much so that I didn't stop once to make an annotation in my book as I am wont to do. But the novel's structure is what really causes me to stop and comment.
When I first started reading The Virgin Cure, I admit to finding the juxtaposition of plot and what seemed to be "historical clippings" rather clumsy. It broke up the story and made me focus on the fact that what I was reading is in fact a fictional representation of something historical. For a book like this, I would rather just be swept away by the narrative.
Once I realized what these breaks in the text actually were,
From hearing an interview with Ami McKay and then subsequently reading the author's note that concludes the novel, I realize that McKay struggled to write the entire novel from the Doctor's perspective and only later decided to switch the focus on Moth's story and voice. I am thrilled that McKay found herself so conflicted over this, because what has come out of her is a story that is haunting and entertaining and simply stunning.
Now, when can I expect Ami McKay's next novel?
Evocative and unputdownable, with a thoroughly lovable protagonist and little bits of history—New York lore—woven in, this was a tale well told, even if a touch predictable times.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you decide to read The Virgin Cure (and this review is going to try its damnedest to convince you that you absolutely must), make sure you don’t skip the Author’s Note at the end. That’s because Ami McKay’s concluding commentary is just as important – and just as haunting – as her sophomore novel itself.
There she writes that “in 1870, over thirty thousand children lived on the streets of New York City and many more wandered in and out of the cellars and tenements as their families struggled to scrape together enough income to put food on the table.” (pg. 317)
Let that sink in a moment.
Thirty thousand children. Living on the streets of New York City.
The Virgin Cure takes its title from a myth – and a very real fate that befell many young girls of this time.
“Sold into prostitution at a young age, many girls from poor families were brokered by madams (or even their own parents) as “fresh maids.” Men paid the highest price for girls who had been “certified” as virgins. At this time in New York, syphilis was an overwhelming, widespread puzzle of a disease with no remedy….An even greater tragedy than the human wreckage resulting from this disease was a deadly myth that preyed upon young girls. The myth of “the virgin cure” – the belief that a man with syphilis could “cleanse his blood” by deflowering a virgin – was without social borders and was acted out in every socioeconomic class in some form or another. In fact, the more money a man had, the easier it would have been for him to procure a young girl for this unthinkable act.” (pg. 318)
I had no idea.
A lot of people don’t, which makes this historical novel such an important one. Although Ami McKay’s main character of Moth, just 12 years old, is fictional, she represents a part of our history that should not and cannot be forgotten. She has awoken in me an interest to read and learn more about this time.
When we first meet Moth (named thus because of a whispered word that her long-gone father supposedly heard from a pear tree), her destitute and fortune-telling mother has arranged for her to be sold as a maid to the wealthy Mrs. Wentworth. Whether Moth’s mother truly believed she was giving her daughter a better life or whether she knew the hardships she would encounter is irrelevant; Moth soon becomes one of the many street urchins in the Bowery section of New York City,
Despite her hardships, Moth never forgets her mother nor gives up loving her, even when almost every other person in her life gives up on her or assigns the 12-year-old to an unimaginable fate.
“Sometimes, for a moment, everything is just as you need it to be. The memories of such moments live in the heart, waiting for the time you need to think on them, if only to remind yourself that for a short while, everything had been fine and might be so again. I didn’t have many memories like that ….” (pg. 222-223)
You know Moth is going to succumb to the temptation of prostitution because the rewards and comforts of that life are just too great. (Even if the jacket copy didn’t give away that particular plot twist, the reader easily sees that coming, despite longing to step inside the pages and prevent the inevitable from happening.)
What isn’t expected (among a few twists that Ms. McKay expertly gives us) is the kindness shown to Moth by Dr. Sadie, a female physician (a rarity in the 1870s!) who cares for the girls living at Miss Everett’s “boarding house.” And this is also where the Author’s Note section becomes especially powerful, as Ms. McKay shares that Dr. Sadie is inspired by a real person – in this case, Ami McKay’s own great-great grandmother Sarah Fonda Mackintosh, who studied under Drs. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell.
I absolutely loved this aspect – and really, every single aspect – of The Virgin Cure. I was fascinated that a Dr. Sadie actually existed, and her courage left me breathless. If I have any criticism of this novel (and this may be the only one, and it’s minor), it is that I wanted to know a little more about Dr. Sadie.
Through her precise writing, command of what must have been countless research, and evocations of emotions on every page, Ami McKay immerses her reader in every aspect of life in 1870s New York, bringing such a depressing, politically corrupt, and overall difficult time period to vivid life. She does this by including ephemera from that era alongside the narrative. Lyrics, poetry, letters, descriptions of clothing, author’s notes, and more provide more of a vivid picture (if that’s possible) of the timeframe and hardships.
I loved this additional information. As it was, I was right there in the Bowery with Moth slurping oyster stew, and with her lacing up Mrs. Wentworth’s corset, and in the hall as she was kissed. My heart broke several times in this book, over and over again. (If you have a tween-age daughter or love a girl who is that age, know that there will be parts of this that will be absolutely heart wrenching to read.)
But it is for those very reasons that I cannot emphasize how important a book The Virgin Cure is. And like much of life itself, then and as well as now, the heartbreaking parts are also what gives this novel its unparalleled beauty.
5 stars
Highly recommended read (a new designation that I am giving to those books that are truly exceptional for one reason or another and that I find myself recommending to others repeatedly)
There she writes that “in 1870, over thirty thousand children lived on the streets of New York City and many more wandered in and out of the cellars and tenements as their families struggled to scrape together enough income to put food on the table.” (pg. 317)
Let that sink in a moment.
Thirty thousand children. Living on the streets of New York City.
The Virgin Cure takes its title from a myth – and a very real fate that befell many young girls of this time.
“Sold into prostitution at a young age, many girls from poor families were brokered by madams (or even their own parents) as “fresh maids.” Men paid the highest price for girls who had been “certified” as virgins. At this time in New York, syphilis was an overwhelming, widespread puzzle of a disease with no remedy….An even greater tragedy than the human wreckage resulting from this disease was a deadly myth that preyed upon young girls. The myth of “the virgin cure” – the belief that a man with syphilis could “cleanse his blood” by deflowering a virgin – was without social borders and was acted out in every socioeconomic class in some form or another. In fact, the more money a man had, the easier it would have been for him to procure a young girl for this unthinkable act.” (pg. 318)
I had no idea.
A lot of people don’t, which makes this historical novel such an important one. Although Ami McKay’s main character of Moth, just 12 years old, is fictional, she represents a part of our history that should not and cannot be forgotten. She has awoken in me an interest to read and learn more about this time.
When we first meet Moth (named thus because of a whispered word that her long-gone father supposedly heard from a pear tree), her destitute and fortune-telling mother has arranged for her to be sold as a maid to the wealthy Mrs. Wentworth. Whether Moth’s mother truly believed she was giving her daughter a better life or whether she knew the hardships she would encounter is irrelevant; Moth soon becomes one of the many street urchins in the Bowery section of New York City,
Despite her hardships, Moth never forgets her mother nor gives up loving her, even when almost every other person in her life gives up on her or assigns the 12-year-old to an unimaginable fate.
“Sometimes, for a moment, everything is just as you need it to be. The memories of such moments live in the heart, waiting for the time you need to think on them, if only to remind yourself that for a short while, everything had been fine and might be so again. I didn’t have many memories like that ….” (pg. 222-223)
You know Moth is going to succumb to the temptation of prostitution because the rewards and comforts of that life are just too great. (Even if the jacket copy didn’t give away that particular plot twist, the reader easily sees that coming, despite longing to step inside the pages and prevent the inevitable from happening.)
What isn’t expected (among a few twists that Ms. McKay expertly gives us) is the kindness shown to Moth by Dr. Sadie, a female physician (a rarity in the 1870s!) who cares for the girls living at Miss Everett’s “boarding house.” And this is also where the Author’s Note section becomes especially powerful, as Ms. McKay shares that Dr. Sadie is inspired by a real person – in this case, Ami McKay’s own great-great grandmother Sarah Fonda Mackintosh, who studied under Drs. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell.
I absolutely loved this aspect – and really, every single aspect – of The Virgin Cure. I was fascinated that a Dr. Sadie actually existed, and her courage left me breathless. If I have any criticism of this novel (and this may be the only one, and it’s minor), it is that I wanted to know a little more about Dr. Sadie.
Through her precise writing, command of what must have been countless research, and evocations of emotions on every page, Ami McKay immerses her reader in every aspect of life in 1870s New York, bringing such a depressing, politically corrupt, and overall difficult time period to vivid life. She does this by including ephemera from that era alongside the narrative. Lyrics, poetry, letters, descriptions of clothing, author’s notes, and more provide more of a vivid picture (if that’s possible) of the timeframe and hardships.
I loved this additional information. As it was, I was right there in the Bowery with Moth slurping oyster stew, and with her lacing up Mrs. Wentworth’s corset, and in the hall as she was kissed. My heart broke several times in this book, over and over again. (If you have a tween-age daughter or love a girl who is that age, know that there will be parts of this that will be absolutely heart wrenching to read.)
But it is for those very reasons that I cannot emphasize how important a book The Virgin Cure is. And like much of life itself, then and as well as now, the heartbreaking parts are also what gives this novel its unparalleled beauty.
5 stars
Highly recommended read (a new designation that I am giving to those books that are truly exceptional for one reason or another and that I find myself recommending to others repeatedly)
"The Virgin Cure" was different from any piece of historical fiction I have read so far, in that its character comes from a place in society that is largely ignored - the desperately poor. The year is 1871, and Moth has just turned 12 when her mother, a fortune teller, sells her to a rich woman as a lady's maid for a few coins. A series of escapes and then a bit of luck bring Moth to the door of Miss Everett, the owner of a special type of brothel called an "Infant School." Here Moth becomes what is referred to as a "near-whore," a teenage girl who a rich man will pay to court and then eventually take her virginity. I found it impossible to judge Moth for her choices: for a girl of her low position in the 1800s, the choice was between a brothel with decadent food and clothing, or sleeping on a rooftop with the rats every night and picking pockets to afford scraps of food. While Moth is surprisingly level-headed for her age, her loss of innocence is heart-breaking. While she quickly learns how to act in order to appear as an experienced and sophistocated mistress, she is still quite immature, as shown in her crush on the guard of the brothel and her alarm and fear at taking her clothes off in front of a grown man. The only part of the story that felt false to me was Moth's relationship with a female doctor bent on rescuing her from the brothel. I would have preferred a more realistic ending- I liked Moth, and didn't want her to end up cast out on the streets when her time at the brothel ended, but I also felt the story veered from the author's earlier commitment to showing the truth about the life of a typical poor girl in that time period.
4.5 stars.
This book was beautifully written. I struggled, at times, with the pacing of the story, and some of the content (based on the terrible nature and basis in truth it has). I did love most of the characters, and despite the ones who showed terrible acts and treatments of others, they served their purpose in this book well.
I will continue to pick up more Ami McKay in the future. A recommended read for sure!
This book was beautifully written. I struggled, at times, with the pacing of the story, and some of the content (based on the terrible nature and basis in truth it has). I did love most of the characters, and despite the ones who showed terrible acts and treatments of others, they served their purpose in this book well.
I will continue to pick up more Ami McKay in the future. A recommended read for sure!