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189 reviews for:
The Covent Garden Ladies: Pimp General Jack & The Extraordinary Story of Harris' List
Hallie Rubenhold
3.65 AVERAGE
189 reviews for:
The Covent Garden Ladies: Pimp General Jack & The Extraordinary Story of Harris' List
Hallie Rubenhold
3.65 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
slow-paced
I’ve been aware of Harris’ list for some time, and enjoyed the series Harlots, knowing that it was based on this book, so after enjoying The Five as much as I did, it was the next non-fiction I picked up. I was certainly not disappointed. For me, a star was lost because it just didn’t have the pace of The Five, and I didn’t connect with the main ‘characters’ as much because we would step away from them and come back, which took me out of their story. I get why this happened in terms of chronology, but it was something I found difficult. That said, the research was phenomenal, and I felt that the humanity of each woman mentioned was honoured in the way that Hallie does best (and built on in The Five). Considering how little evidence would have been around regarding most of the women mentioned in the book, I still felt that they were affectionately included. There is an introduction by Hallie in my version that discussed the use of language that had been criticised following earlier editions, but I got that they were not her words and that they were the words of the time. Hallie is very active on Twitter, and a champion of women who were treated poorly or misrepresented in history, and I did not for a second think that she spoke of the women in Harris’s list in any way disrespectfully. I enjoyed this book and her upcoming book is already on my radar.
informative
fast-paced
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.5 or 4
Pretty interesting look overall at sex work in this period in London (and some London/Ireland relationship issues), though it's focused mostly on the three main players of the creation of HARRIS'S LIST, two of whom are male pimps, so while it does try to address the condition of female sex workers some, a lot of time is also spent on the biographies of the male pimps involved (as the subtitle suggests it might). (There's also just a lack of material evidence from women directly, as is often the case, since the LIST and most other surviving pieces of evidence are written by men.)
Pretty interesting look overall at sex work in this period in London (and some London/Ireland relationship issues), though it's focused mostly on the three main players of the creation of HARRIS'S LIST, two of whom are male pimps, so while it does try to address the condition of female sex workers some, a lot of time is also spent on the biographies of the male pimps involved (as the subtitle suggests it might). (There's also just a lack of material evidence from women directly, as is often the case, since the LIST and most other surviving pieces of evidence are written by men.)
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is a great little book. I'd heard of Harris's List from my studies of the period at university, and had read some extracts from it. This book traces the interweaving stories of three of the people involved in its production, and in doing so, introduces a lot of other personalities and explores a lot of the issues.
There are a lot of the usual problems in writing social history of the poor - the relative lack of documentary evidence, and the propensity of people to change their names, does make it hard to piece together people's lives - and sometimes the author is forced to rely on conjecture. None of her conjectures are unreasonable but some are longer reaches than others, especially when it comes to what one or other of the people must have felt.
But these are quibbles. It's an engaging, accessible account, which is sensitively written. It is compassionate to the women (and men) who found themselves drawn - or forced - into prostitution. It acknowledges that for some it was a good career choice, while recognising that for many it was exploitative and horrid. It explores the prevailing gender stereotypes that drove the trade and the attitudes towards prostitutes and their clients, and in a move that made my feminist heart glad, it includes an appendix, listing four pages of names of men who regularly used prostitutes - the men who, as the author points out, have been able evade the scrutiny and judgement heaped on the women who serviced them.
It did strike me how much our sexual 'morality' has changed. We regard the 18th century - especially in terms of high society - as a time of rigid sexual morality compared to our own. Certainly, any breath of impropriety could ruin a woman's reputation - and chance of a decent life - forever. Same sex relationships were illegal and harshly punished. But by modern standards, many of the men on that list - who no doubt felt themselves blameless and were pillars of society - would be regarded as criminals. Many of these girls were children. Many 'seductions' were, in fact, rapes. Many of these 'filles de joie' were no more than indentured slaves. People who condemn modern morality and long for a return to old fashioned values would do well to remember that.
This book is a welcome antidote to the over-romanticisation of the Regency period. I like a Regency romance as much as anyone, but this provides a good companion piece.
There are a lot of the usual problems in writing social history of the poor - the relative lack of documentary evidence, and the propensity of people to change their names, does make it hard to piece together people's lives - and sometimes the author is forced to rely on conjecture. None of her conjectures are unreasonable but some are longer reaches than others, especially when it comes to what one or other of the people must have felt.
But these are quibbles. It's an engaging, accessible account, which is sensitively written. It is compassionate to the women (and men) who found themselves drawn - or forced - into prostitution. It acknowledges that for some it was a good career choice, while recognising that for many it was exploitative and horrid. It explores the prevailing gender stereotypes that drove the trade and the attitudes towards prostitutes and their clients, and in a move that made my feminist heart glad, it includes an appendix, listing four pages of names of men who regularly used prostitutes - the men who, as the author points out, have been able evade the scrutiny and judgement heaped on the women who serviced them.
It did strike me how much our sexual 'morality' has changed. We regard the 18th century - especially in terms of high society - as a time of rigid sexual morality compared to our own. Certainly, any breath of impropriety could ruin a woman's reputation - and chance of a decent life - forever. Same sex relationships were illegal and harshly punished. But by modern standards, many of the men on that list - who no doubt felt themselves blameless and were pillars of society - would be regarded as criminals. Many of these girls were children. Many 'seductions' were, in fact, rapes. Many of these 'filles de joie' were no more than indentured slaves. People who condemn modern morality and long for a return to old fashioned values would do well to remember that.
This book is a welcome antidote to the over-romanticisation of the Regency period. I like a Regency romance as much as anyone, but this provides a good companion piece.