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superwritermom 's review for:
I loved Karen Abbot's Sin in the Second City. I love reading about the Civil War, particularly what the ladies where up to. I was tremendously excited to read this book, and Abbott did not disappoint.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy reads like a thriller. Oh my gosh, the skill it must have taken to weave these four stories together in such a way that they interlocked and moved apart and left the reader always wanting to read ahead. I have to confess that more than once I HAD to read ahead to make sure that things turned out okay for one or more of the heroines.
We need more books like this.
There. I said it. Women haven't even had the vote for a hundred years yet, and history still ignores the lives of women in favor of military and political moves, both of which are primarily dominated by men. Abbott has captured in this book all the ways in which women directed the outcome of the war despite not having the right to vote and despite being restricted by society's own rules of what a woman could or could not do. Emma Edmonds, in many ways bucked law and tradition the most. She impersonated a man and went to war. People forget she wasn't the only woman to do so, too. Belle Boyd and Rose O'Neale Greenhow both worked within their social positions to gather intel for the Confederacy. These were women who weren't afraid to fight dirty; they would call Yankees ungentlemanly even while they had secret letters and weapons stashed underneath their skirts. Finally, Elizabeth Van Lew used and abused the society where she lived to help the northern cause.
Now, if you're looking for even a remotely sympathetic portrayal of the Confederacy, you need to look somewhere else. At this point in time, though, I think it's past time to recognize exactly how wrong slavery was. Abbott lets Belle and Rose condemn themselves. That said, they are women who have to be admired for their bravery and ingenuity even if you're not a fan of their cause. To me, Emma was the most interesting, followed by Elizabeth.
Not a one of these ladies emerged from the Civil War happy and intact. Even those on the "winning side" still suffered ill health and/or loss of prestige and wealth. This book is a fascinating read. Oh, and did I mention we need more books like it?
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy reads like a thriller. Oh my gosh, the skill it must have taken to weave these four stories together in such a way that they interlocked and moved apart and left the reader always wanting to read ahead. I have to confess that more than once I HAD to read ahead to make sure that things turned out okay for one or more of the heroines.
We need more books like this.
There. I said it. Women haven't even had the vote for a hundred years yet, and history still ignores the lives of women in favor of military and political moves, both of which are primarily dominated by men. Abbott has captured in this book all the ways in which women directed the outcome of the war despite not having the right to vote and despite being restricted by society's own rules of what a woman could or could not do. Emma Edmonds, in many ways bucked law and tradition the most. She impersonated a man and went to war. People forget she wasn't the only woman to do so, too. Belle Boyd and Rose O'Neale Greenhow both worked within their social positions to gather intel for the Confederacy. These were women who weren't afraid to fight dirty; they would call Yankees ungentlemanly even while they had secret letters and weapons stashed underneath their skirts. Finally, Elizabeth Van Lew used and abused the society where she lived to help the northern cause.
Now, if you're looking for even a remotely sympathetic portrayal of the Confederacy, you need to look somewhere else. At this point in time, though, I think it's past time to recognize exactly how wrong slavery was. Abbott lets Belle and Rose condemn themselves. That said, they are women who have to be admired for their bravery and ingenuity even if you're not a fan of their cause. To me, Emma was the most interesting, followed by Elizabeth.
Not a one of these ladies emerged from the Civil War happy and intact. Even those on the "winning side" still suffered ill health and/or loss of prestige and wealth. This book is a fascinating read. Oh, and did I mention we need more books like it?