A review by donaldleitch
The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America by John Sweet

informative mysterious medium-paced

5.0

The Sewing Girl’s Tale is a masterful look at attitudes towards women and the justice system in 1790s New York City.  Author John Wood Sweet accomplishes a rare feat in writing an academic history book that is highly readable while engaging the reader with suspenseful outcomes.
 
Sweet’s book tells the story of a young woman, Lanah Sawyer - the “sewing girl”, and the subsequent rape and seduction trials that she endures to defend herself while seeing through the prosecution of the upper class man accused of the offences.  Sweet takes the reader to the streets and into the buildings of New York City in the decade after the revolution.  Scenes are described in detail setting the mood and furthering the reader’s understanding of conditions of the time.
 
The Sewing Girl’s Tale combines well researched, documented history with a compelling narrative and suspense to present a fascinating glimpse of an aspect of life in post-revolution New York City.
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