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Thoroughly researched and poignant in today's climate where women's rights in America are under attack. I learned a lot not only about Madame Restell, but also the way midwives were villainized in order for doctors to have more clout in the medical community even though women were way more likely to die during childbirth with a doctor compared to a midwife. Recommend to all.
What an incredibly enlightening read.
"Most Americans don't know her name at all..."*
I was one of those Americans and as a fiction reader, I don't normally gravitate toward this genre, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised!
'Madame Restell' is fiercely feminist and incredibly thought-provoking. The facts and statistics provided by Wright are, at times, harrowing and hard to swallow. It's a harsh look into society and women's rights (or lack thereof) in the nineteenth century.
Wright's voice is quite distinct and I found myself laughing at the blunt truth she provides.
"Not drugging your infants to keep them quiet seems like a reasonable directive for mothers who were at home with their children."*
Well, yaknow...it's pretty solid advice.
I genuinely learned a great deal from reading about Madame Restell and I was thoroughly entertained the entire time (a huge plus for a nonfiction, if I do say so myself).
It is fantastically written and seemingly very well researched.
No matter your (pro-)stance, I believe there is something to be gained from reading this book.
Huge thank you to Hachette Books (HachetteGo) for the ARC to read and honestly review.
*My review is based from an advanced copy, lines quoted may not be in the finished publication.
"Most Americans don't know her name at all..."*
I was one of those Americans and as a fiction reader, I don't normally gravitate toward this genre, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised!
'Madame Restell' is fiercely feminist and incredibly thought-provoking. The facts and statistics provided by Wright are, at times, harrowing and hard to swallow. It's a harsh look into society and women's rights (or lack thereof) in the nineteenth century.
Wright's voice is quite distinct and I found myself laughing at the blunt truth she provides.
"Not drugging your infants to keep them quiet seems like a reasonable directive for mothers who were at home with their children."*
Well, yaknow...it's pretty solid advice.
I genuinely learned a great deal from reading about Madame Restell and I was thoroughly entertained the entire time (a huge plus for a nonfiction, if I do say so myself).
It is fantastically written and seemingly very well researched.
No matter your (pro-)stance, I believe there is something to be gained from reading this book.
Huge thank you to Hachette Books (HachetteGo) for the ARC to read and honestly review.
*My review is based from an advanced copy, lines quoted may not be in the finished publication.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
✨ Review ✨ Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist
By Jennifer Wright and narrated by Mara Wilson
Wright brilliantly details the career of Madame Restell, a preeminent female surgeon and abortionist in the mid-1800s in NYC. For decades, Restell advertised openly, providing both pharmaceutical and surgical abortions, and to the best of our knowledge succeeded with incredible rates at not killing her patients. Her dynamic personal and professional life was fascinating, and I learned so much from this book.
This book so brilliantly follows the repeated rise and fall of public acceptance of abortion in NYC and the broader US throughout much of the 19th century, showing us that as religious thinking rose, repression of care providers like Restell also grew, and vice versa.
This book also explores a variety of digressions about pre-Gilded Age NYC, exploring side characters, as well as topics ranging from medical training to the apartment building Restell creates. While I enjoyed many of these digressions, sometimes these led the book to feel a little out of focus, though overall this didn't prove a problem.
I really enjoyed listening to the book - the narration was superb and I found it easy to follow via audio.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Jennifer Wright and narrated by Mara Wilson
Wright brilliantly details the career of Madame Restell, a preeminent female surgeon and abortionist in the mid-1800s in NYC. For decades, Restell advertised openly, providing both pharmaceutical and surgical abortions, and to the best of our knowledge succeeded with incredible rates at not killing her patients. Her dynamic personal and professional life was fascinating, and I learned so much from this book.
This book so brilliantly follows the repeated rise and fall of public acceptance of abortion in NYC and the broader US throughout much of the 19th century, showing us that as religious thinking rose, repression of care providers like Restell also grew, and vice versa.
This book also explores a variety of digressions about pre-Gilded Age NYC, exploring side characters, as well as topics ranging from medical training to the apartment building Restell creates. While I enjoyed many of these digressions, sometimes these led the book to feel a little out of focus, though overall this didn't prove a problem.
I really enjoyed listening to the book - the narration was superb and I found it easy to follow via audio.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I’m writing this review a few months late now so perhaps time has shifted my perspective but honestly I loved that I learned a lot. I loved that the audio book was very approachable for non-fiction and I loved that Madame Restell was an unapologetic boss ass, woman, abortion provider at the turn of the century. She was ahead of her time and while obviously had many different day to day struggles than we do today, she still experienced much of the same sexism and vilification of healthcare providers we still see today. She wasn’t a perfect person but she was a HBIC and for that I appreciate her and her contributions to the wellbeing of society.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Actual rating is 4.5 stars because a LOT of history was crammed in this, but it really drove home that the more things change, the more things stay the same. The proliferation of modern day Anthony Comstocks, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the moral panic that we're going to run out of white babies unless women stay home and accept whatever their husbands give them...women always have, and always will have, necessary abortions.
Madame Restell was honestly a fulfillment of the American Dream, by making massive amounts of wealth by doing something seemingly objectionable and yet not giving two shits what people thought about her because her services were still wildly necessary. She certainly had her anti-hero moments, but she was providing a safe medical procedure to her patients because they deserved bodily autonomy.
Also, I'm glad I was finally able to listen to a full audiobook narrated by Mara Wilson.
Madame Restell was honestly a fulfillment of the American Dream, by making massive amounts of wealth by doing something seemingly objectionable and yet not giving two shits what people thought about her because her services were still wildly necessary. She certainly had her anti-hero moments, but she was providing a safe medical procedure to her patients because they deserved bodily autonomy.
Also, I'm glad I was finally able to listen to a full audiobook narrated by Mara Wilson.
Four stars because the language was incredibly binary, even in the epilogue discussing the state of abortion and healthcare in the US.
informative
slow-paced