Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
This book follows four women throughout the years of the Civil war as they attempt to change their world for the better. These women include Belle Boyd who used her considerable charms to pass on information to the Confederacy; Emma Edmonds who disguised herself as a man named Frank Thompson and served the Union as a medic and spy; Rose Greenhow who entertained Northern men and garnered their secrets; and Elizabeth Van Lew who used her considerable wealth to help Union solidiers and the Union cause in any way she could.
The book is incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched. Abbot has created a tome that delves into the workings of these women's minds and given a name to those who history might forget otherwise.
The book is incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched. Abbot has created a tome that delves into the workings of these women's minds and given a name to those who history might forget otherwise.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.5 stars. good, but it bogged down in places.
in particular, the two confederate spies were beyond irritating, & by the end I had trouble listening to the chapters about them.
in particular, the two confederate spies were beyond irritating, & by the end I had trouble listening to the chapters about them.
beginning was confusing because of jumping between different women and everyone lowkey has the same name, because that's how it was back then.
soft dnf because i started school, so hopefully i'm able to pick it up again afterwards
soft dnf because i started school, so hopefully i'm able to pick it up again afterwards
challenging
informative
medium-paced
The two accounts of the union women were very interesting, especially Emma/Frank, and the depths of research very clear. Unfortunately the whole project was sadly undercut by how charitably the author relayed the personal accounts of Rose Greenhow and Belle Boyd, who are both virulent racists and transparent liars. (And just terrible in general, really.)
Asking readers who they most relate to in the discussion questions is laughable and makes me really wonder what the author thought she was writing.
The style guide of how free African Americans and enslaved people were referred to in the book was also extremely inconsistent and at many times I felt the terminology was inappropriate and would have been inappropriate well before the date of publication. (Also, an interesting overuse of the word 'servant' for many people such as Belle's enslaved maid Eliza.)
Asking readers who they most relate to in the discussion questions is laughable and makes me really wonder what the author thought she was writing.
The style guide of how free African Americans and enslaved people were referred to in the book was also extremely inconsistent and at many times I felt the terminology was inappropriate and would have been inappropriate well before the date of publication. (Also, an interesting overuse of the word 'servant' for many people such as Belle's enslaved maid Eliza.)
Fascinating! Weaves the four female spies, two Union & two Confederate, stories together. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Probably closer to 3.5 stars, but I'm not feeling as generous. I should really like this, since I researched it in college, but alas.
It's a good read, but the writing style isn't for me. And you definitely need at least a decent working knowledge of the Civil War to really enjoy the book. The four women that she chose to focus on were interesting, but I do wish she had expanded some of her writing into women in the Civil War in general, OR created a stronger link among the women. I didn't find what she said in her intro to be true: that all four women were each liar, temptress, soldier and spy. Just some clarification of purpose would have helped.
But it was interesting. These women each had a major role to play in the Civil War, and learning about those stories was really cool.
It's a good read, but the writing style isn't for me. And you definitely need at least a decent working knowledge of the Civil War to really enjoy the book. The four women that she chose to focus on were interesting, but I do wish she had expanded some of her writing into women in the Civil War in general, OR created a stronger link among the women. I didn't find what she said in her intro to be true: that all four women were each liar, temptress, soldier and spy. Just some clarification of purpose would have helped.
But it was interesting. These women each had a major role to play in the Civil War, and learning about those stories was really cool.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
A solid case for why histories about women should be written by women
This book gave me a different perspective on the Civil War. It follows four very different women doing what they could to support their beliefs. It definitely reads more like a novel than a history book. You really get to know the characters and why they’re doing that they’re doing.