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A review by pauwikan
The Floating Brothel: The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts by Siân Rees
3.0
"every woman who had spent time in gaol (jail) had been warped by a system in which you bribed the gaoler or starved; bribed the bullies or were mugged; and bribed the trusty or were raped."
a really interesting read about how felons were transported in the 1800s, specifically women convicted of petty crimes in england who were transported to australia by sea. tackles the double standards within the justice system, the realities of life at sea, and the treatment of women during that time. the historical detail was well researched but could be hard to keep up with, especially when recounting names, which is why i could not get into it at first. an interesting piece of history that you don't often read about and quite sad too considering the reality of their life back then and how these women were considered "a cargo so unnecessary and so unprofitable". "the only way a woman could escape...was to sell herself to a seaman from another ship in return for being smuggled away."
a really interesting read about how felons were transported in the 1800s, specifically women convicted of petty crimes in england who were transported to australia by sea. tackles the double standards within the justice system, the realities of life at sea, and the treatment of women during that time. the historical detail was well researched but could be hard to keep up with, especially when recounting names, which is why i could not get into it at first. an interesting piece of history that you don't often read about and quite sad too considering the reality of their life back then and how these women were considered "a cargo so unnecessary and so unprofitable". "the only way a woman could escape...was to sell herself to a seaman from another ship in return for being smuggled away."