iowabibliobibuli's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sure this book is wonderful for folks who love the civil war or non-fiction. It reads like a textbook and I just couldn't make it through. The audiobook does NOT help. Tried that.
avalydia's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3.5.
A fascinating read - perhaps because of the side they supported, I found Emma Edmonds and Elizabeth Van Lew's stories to be the most engaging, whereas I did not have much patience for Belle Boyd or Rose O'Neal Greenhow (especially the latter). I appreciated the author's choice to have the book read more like fiction than nonfiction, as nonfiction - especially historical nonfiction, where Everything Must Be Factual At All Costs - can be very dry sometimes.
A fascinating read - perhaps because of the side they supported, I found Emma Edmonds and Elizabeth Van Lew's stories to be the most engaging, whereas I did not have much patience for Belle Boyd or Rose O'Neal Greenhow (especially the latter). I appreciated the author's choice to have the book read more like fiction than nonfiction, as nonfiction - especially historical nonfiction, where Everything Must Be Factual At All Costs - can be very dry sometimes.
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't been reading much non-fiction so far this year, but Liar, Tempress, Soldier, Spy makes me want to leap back into the genre. Women in history is one of my favorite themes (quite predictably), so I was especially intrigued by this premise. Karen Abbot delivers a fascinating book with plenty of fun (and almost unbelievable) historical details. The four women that the book focuses on left behind heaps of personal records and papers which means the events comes to life with their own individual voices. Some of it is a bit bland, but a lot of it is very fascinating. Spy hijinks! Cross-dressing! Male politicians being idiots!
Sometimes it's as thrilling as an action movie but most of the time it's not. This was just fine in my opinion, because it was more affecting to me that all these events actually happened. Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonds, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew are a crew of impressive, intriguing women with their own voices, stories, and beliefs. They took incredible risks to do what they thought was right. Unfortunately, all of them have rather unhappy endings. Even those who survived the war faced challenges, prejudices, and suffering in peacetime. It is quite depressing to know so many of these women, who risked their lives for their causes, were for the most part forgotten during their own lifetimes.
I'm very glad Karen Abbott chose to bring to light these enthralling women and their stories. Her writing moves quickly through history. At times she switches perspective at the worst possible cliffhangers which kept me glued to the page. Not all those cliffhangers pay off (such is real life) but they certainly kept me fascinated.
I was most interested in the story of Elizabeth Van Lew. I read a historical fiction book based on her a couple years ago and I was so pleased to hear that almost all of her adventures were completely factual. I was equally intrigued by Emma Edmonds story as the cross-dressing soldier and spy. Unfortunately, her story was not as thrilling as I wished it to be but it was still interesting.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Not every moment was exciting and some storylines fizzled out, but for the most part it felt like a wordy historical fiction novel rather than some dry textbook. I am very impressed by these real life women and their daring exploits.
Sometimes it's as thrilling as an action movie but most of the time it's not. This was just fine in my opinion, because it was more affecting to me that all these events actually happened. Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonds, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew are a crew of impressive, intriguing women with their own voices, stories, and beliefs. They took incredible risks to do what they thought was right. Unfortunately, all of them have rather unhappy endings. Even those who survived the war faced challenges, prejudices, and suffering in peacetime. It is quite depressing to know so many of these women, who risked their lives for their causes, were for the most part forgotten during their own lifetimes.
I'm very glad Karen Abbott chose to bring to light these enthralling women and their stories. Her writing moves quickly through history. At times she switches perspective at the worst possible cliffhangers which kept me glued to the page. Not all those cliffhangers pay off (such is real life) but they certainly kept me fascinated.
I was most interested in the story of Elizabeth Van Lew. I read a historical fiction book based on her a couple years ago and I was so pleased to hear that almost all of her adventures were completely factual. I was equally intrigued by Emma Edmonds story as the cross-dressing soldier and spy. Unfortunately, her story was not as thrilling as I wished it to be but it was still interesting.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Not every moment was exciting and some storylines fizzled out, but for the most part it felt like a wordy historical fiction novel rather than some dry textbook. I am very impressed by these real life women and their daring exploits.
casehouse's review against another edition
4.0
True story of 4 women who played unusual roles in the Civil War. The author waas obviously painstaking in her research.
letterbetty's review against another edition
4.0
I’m super picky when it comes to nonfiction and picked this up in a small co-op book shop in Billings, MT, on a whim. So glad I did. The Civil War isn’t something I usually am drawn to, but this is incredibly well written, exciting, and informative. Highly recommend.
sujata's review against another edition
2.0
Barely able to finish. Not as engaging as I kept on waiting for it to be
thatjamiea's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding sorry of four women spies and their role in the American Civil War. A little slow to read, but worth the time and pages.
heather_g's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting stories of civil war female heroes and spies on both side of the war. Some of the details were a bit overwhelming but overall very interesting.
zena_ryder's review against another edition
5.0
This book is brilliant! If you have even a passing interest in the American Civil War, you will love it. It reaches fiction levels of readability. The characters are well drawn and the stories of the four main women (and supporting characters) are told very well, with plenty of exciting cliffhangers. This book should be made into a movie, so more people can learn about these fascinating people.
Elizabeth Van Lew is my particular favourite. Her network of spies was extensive and very valuable to the Union. As well as visiting Union soldiers held prisoner at Libby prison in Richmond — which was itself a risky thing to do, that made her vulnerable to suspicion — she smuggled information out of the prison. She hid escaped prisoners in her house, and helped them escape back to the North. She received "invisible ink" letters from the Union. And, while engaging in these activities, she also had to have the prison commander, John Henry Winder, live in her house for some time!
I would love to know more about Mary Jane Richards/Bowser, who was a spy in the Confederate White House. She had been a servant — that's not a euphemism for slave in this case, she was an actual paid servant — of Van Lew before she agreed to spy on Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, and report back to Van Lew. She was assumed to be illiterate, so the president's secret documents were not hidden from her, and she seems to have had an amazing memory for their contents, and for conversations she overheard. I did appreciate Abbott's epilogue in which she wraps up Mary Jane's story, telling us that after the war she went on to teach newly freed slaves, and eventually founded a school for them. Looking into Mary Jane's story online after finishing the book, it seems that there isn't too much more reliable information about her, unfortunately.
In many cases, I find that historical fiction is an "easier" gateway to learning more about historical figures, before reading non-fiction about them (and learning how the fiction differed from history). However, in the case of Van Lew, reading this book is much better than reading the fictional account in Jennifer Chiaverini's book, The Spymistress.
I recommend Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy very highly.
Elizabeth Van Lew is my particular favourite. Her network of spies was extensive and very valuable to the Union. As well as visiting Union soldiers held prisoner at Libby prison in Richmond — which was itself a risky thing to do, that made her vulnerable to suspicion — she smuggled information out of the prison. She hid escaped prisoners in her house, and helped them escape back to the North. She received "invisible ink" letters from the Union. And, while engaging in these activities, she also had to have the prison commander, John Henry Winder, live in her house for some time!
I would love to know more about Mary Jane Richards/Bowser, who was a spy in the Confederate White House. She had been a servant — that's not a euphemism for slave in this case, she was an actual paid servant — of Van Lew before she agreed to spy on Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, and report back to Van Lew. She was assumed to be illiterate, so the president's secret documents were not hidden from her, and she seems to have had an amazing memory for their contents, and for conversations she overheard. I did appreciate Abbott's epilogue in which she wraps up Mary Jane's story, telling us that after the war she went on to teach newly freed slaves, and eventually founded a school for them. Looking into Mary Jane's story online after finishing the book, it seems that there isn't too much more reliable information about her, unfortunately.
In many cases, I find that historical fiction is an "easier" gateway to learning more about historical figures, before reading non-fiction about them (and learning how the fiction differed from history). However, in the case of Van Lew, reading this book is much better than reading the fictional account in Jennifer Chiaverini's book, The Spymistress.
I recommend Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy very highly.