The Covent Garden Ladies: Pimp General Jack & The Extraordinary Story of Harris' List by Hallie Rubenhold

3.65 AVERAGE

msnoir85's review against another edition

3.5
challenging dark funny informative slow-paced

honnari_hannya's review against another edition

3.0
Interesting, if a little dull towards the middle. A compelling narrative about some of the most notorious members of London's red light district. Though I really do wish there was a tighter focus on said Covent Garden Ladies, rather than the pimps who exploited them. The exception being Charlotte Hayes, whose story I quite enjoyed. Her rise and fall, and subsequent journey to establish her empire of iniquity is impressive, often sad, but always fascinating. Harris' List itself was not that interesting for me, and I do wish that section in the middle that listed various entries from the List had been cut down significantly.
mindforbooks's profile picture

mindforbooks's review against another edition

4.75
informative medium-paced
Really well researched and super interesting. 

Also a bit of a bummer. 

Review to follow.
gaga2203's profile picture

gaga2203's review against another edition

5.0
dark emotional informative sad fast-paced
History of the oldest trade. These women were so strong.

rosiev425's review against another edition

3.75
dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
meerathewriter_levamp's profile picture

meerathewriter_levamp's review against another edition

3.0
informative medium-paced

asbat's review against another edition

3.0
informative slow-paced
Just not what I was expecting. V factual, not stories rather a historical account. Noted history books are not for me.

ieva13's review against another edition

4.0
This was an interesting exploration of The Harris list, an annual directory of sex workers in 18th-century London. It primarily centers on three key figures involved in the sex trade of that era: Jack Harris, a pimp and brothel keeper; Samuel Derrick, the writer and editor of the Harris list; and Charlotte Hayes, a prostitute whose mother was also a brothel keeper, a role Charlotte herself eventually took on.

The sections about Charlotte Hayes were the most interesting. Though she was far from a flawless, her story is one of survival, and resilience. Her journey reveals the complexity of navigating the world as a woman in such a difficult and exploitative environment.

However, I found myself wishing the book had focused more on the women on the Harris list themselves and less on the people who exploited them.

carolinewhitten's review

5.0
informative reflective tense fast-paced
bookswithstacey's profile picture

bookswithstacey's review against another edition

4.25
challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced