Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Of the 4-women's stories, 1 was fascinating, 2 were kind of interesting, and 1 was just plain annoying. Unfortunately, the amount of time spent on each went in the opposite direction. I probably would have given it a higher rating if it had been shorter.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I haven't been reading much non-fiction so far this year, but Liar, Tempress, Soldier, Spy makes me want to leap back into the genre. Women in history is one of my favorite themes (quite predictably), so I was especially intrigued by this premise. Karen Abbot delivers a fascinating book with plenty of fun (and almost unbelievable) historical details. The four women that the book focuses on left behind heaps of personal records and papers which means the events comes to life with their own individual voices. Some of it is a bit bland, but a lot of it is very fascinating. Spy hijinks! Cross-dressing! Male politicians being idiots!
Sometimes it's as thrilling as an action movie but most of the time it's not. This was just fine in my opinion, because it was more affecting to me that all these events actually happened. Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonds, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew are a crew of impressive, intriguing women with their own voices, stories, and beliefs. They took incredible risks to do what they thought was right. Unfortunately, all of them have rather unhappy endings. Even those who survived the war faced challenges, prejudices, and suffering in peacetime. It is quite depressing to know so many of these women, who risked their lives for their causes, were for the most part forgotten during their own lifetimes.
I'm very glad Karen Abbott chose to bring to light these enthralling women and their stories. Her writing moves quickly through history. At times she switches perspective at the worst possible cliffhangers which kept me glued to the page. Not all those cliffhangers pay off (such is real life) but they certainly kept me fascinated.
I was most interested in the story of Elizabeth Van Lew. I read a historical fiction book based on her a couple years ago and I was so pleased to hear that almost all of her adventures were completely factual. I was equally intrigued by Emma Edmonds story as the cross-dressing soldier and spy. Unfortunately, her story was not as thrilling as I wished it to be but it was still interesting.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Not every moment was exciting and some storylines fizzled out, but for the most part it felt like a wordy historical fiction novel rather than some dry textbook. I am very impressed by these real life women and their daring exploits.
Sometimes it's as thrilling as an action movie but most of the time it's not. This was just fine in my opinion, because it was more affecting to me that all these events actually happened. Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonds, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew are a crew of impressive, intriguing women with their own voices, stories, and beliefs. They took incredible risks to do what they thought was right. Unfortunately, all of them have rather unhappy endings. Even those who survived the war faced challenges, prejudices, and suffering in peacetime. It is quite depressing to know so many of these women, who risked their lives for their causes, were for the most part forgotten during their own lifetimes.
I'm very glad Karen Abbott chose to bring to light these enthralling women and their stories. Her writing moves quickly through history. At times she switches perspective at the worst possible cliffhangers which kept me glued to the page. Not all those cliffhangers pay off (such is real life) but they certainly kept me fascinated.
I was most interested in the story of Elizabeth Van Lew. I read a historical fiction book based on her a couple years ago and I was so pleased to hear that almost all of her adventures were completely factual. I was equally intrigued by Emma Edmonds story as the cross-dressing soldier and spy. Unfortunately, her story was not as thrilling as I wished it to be but it was still interesting.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Not every moment was exciting and some storylines fizzled out, but for the most part it felt like a wordy historical fiction novel rather than some dry textbook. I am very impressed by these real life women and their daring exploits.
This is a fascinating look at the Civil War, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Abbott brings these four women to life and allows the reader to see the war through their eyes. I found that fascinating. I especially loved learning about Elizabeth Van Lew, because I'd never read anything about what it was like to be a Unionist in Confederate territory. My only quibble was that it relied so heavily on the memoirs of Belle, Rose and Emma, and each of the women definitely decided what character they wanted to be as they wrote their memoirs, projecting a symbol more often than a real living, breathing woman. It especially felt this way for Belle, who had such an outsized ego and hunger for attention. Still, this book gives the reader an entry into the Civil War that most of us haven't had before, and that's important. We need to know more about how war affects people, and how they cope under tremendous difficulty.
Four indomitable women, their stories deftly woven together - a fascinating, subtle read of history.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Should have been written as historical fiction
Book would have been better as historical fiction. Author tried to put too much unnecessary details which made it confusing. I had to reread many parts to clarify. Author seemed to have a tendency to want to insert her own assumptions into what a "character" saw or felt, this would not have been a problem if the book was historical fiction. Too much assuming for a work of non fiction.
Book would have been better as historical fiction. Author tried to put too much unnecessary details which made it confusing. I had to reread many parts to clarify. Author seemed to have a tendency to want to insert her own assumptions into what a "character" saw or felt, this would not have been a problem if the book was historical fiction. Too much assuming for a work of non fiction.
This nonfiction account of four women during the Civil War was good, but not great. It definitely focuses on the most sensational stories and instances surrounding these women, which does make for some interesting reading.
Since I listened to this book, I didn’t get to see the sources listed at the end, but the author does state that she uses first-hand accounts from the women who published their memoirs after the war. That is wonderful, but I wish there was more discussion about their validity, bias, and possible embellishments used to sell more copies of their books.
I also wish that that the book was broken into four sections, with each section telling one woman’s story from start to finish. Instead we constantly flip between each story, which just pulled me out of the narrative.
Since I listened to this book, I didn’t get to see the sources listed at the end, but the author does state that she uses first-hand accounts from the women who published their memoirs after the war. That is wonderful, but I wish there was more discussion about their validity, bias, and possible embellishments used to sell more copies of their books.
I also wish that that the book was broken into four sections, with each section telling one woman’s story from start to finish. Instead we constantly flip between each story, which just pulled me out of the narrative.
I’m a big fan of Civil War history and this included many events I was ignorant of. Centers around the female contribution to the war effort. Spying, covert activities, and disguises in order to participate in the war as a soldier. Very interesting stuff, I enjoyed it.