The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
hidingzeus's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look into a very brief and intriguing part of history.
sarahcoller's review against another edition
4.0
I read this on the heels of Nellie Bly's Ten Days in a Mad-House. After finishing that one, I knew the name sounded familiar so I dug through my TBR shelf and, sure enough, I did have this! Yay!
I learned a LOT reading this book, but my main take-away was a reminder that there are many facets to Feminism. I saw a children's book the other day promoting Bly as a Feminist. I'm not totally sure she fits what our culture would call Feminist, but in many ways, she represents the kind of Feminist I would have been in those days. I doubt modern ones who would label her this way have read her take on Susan B. Anthony: "When she met Susan B. Anthony, president of the (National Woman Suffrage) convention, she did not hesitate to tell her that, 'if women wanted to succeed they had to go out as women. They had to make themselves as pretty and attractive as possible.'"
Speaking of controversial topics, I was a little shocked at the behaviour of the boatmen in Egypt who rowed up to the ship to help take passengers to land. They coerced/forced the English passengers into their boats, sometimes violently, and then held them captive in the water for payment. Westerners of those days are now looked down on for their prejudices toward people from other parts of the world, but if stories like these, as well as those about being swarmed by beggars when stepping off the boat, circulated back to home, it's no wonder they took this view. This is definitely barbaric behaviour.
On the other hand, I learned a lot about the British empire, what they did to acquire their empire, and the general arrogance of imperialism. I was not impressed.
There were not nearly as many details about Bisland's trip as Bly's. Perhaps it's because Bisland didn't keep as detailed a diary. Much of the portions of the book devoted to Bisland were padded with related info about someone or something else.
People were shocked that Bly could get by with so little luggage---yet she did have the advantage over Bisland of having some time to think things through. I think it's crazy rotten that Bisland literally had a couple hours between learning she was going to being put on a train. My surprise was with the fact that Bly, this popular reporter known for fighting injustice, didn't report on any of the inhumane issues she saw. Perhaps she was only an advocate when there was a clear safety net nearby.
I spent almost the entire book rooting for Bly, only to be so disgusted by her arrogance and dishonesty at the end that I switched my loyalty to Bisland. I lost quite a bit of respect for Bly---especially when she made up stories that Bisland had attempted to sabotage her. To make matters worse, Bisland's boss later blamed her losing on her inexperience and ineptitude. Poor girl didn't even want to make the trip in the first place!
The book lost me a couple times when it became heavy on the war talk and there were several instances of repeated details, but overall, I really did enjoy reading this and will likely hold on to it for awhile in case I choose to use it with my high schoolers.
My favorite quote was this one describing Bisland's thoughts while riding through the English countryside: "It was a landscape she felt she already knew from books; riding through it she was not learning but remembering." That's how I feel, too, when I'm in England.
I learned a LOT reading this book, but my main take-away was a reminder that there are many facets to Feminism. I saw a children's book the other day promoting Bly as a Feminist. I'm not totally sure she fits what our culture would call Feminist, but in many ways, she represents the kind of Feminist I would have been in those days. I doubt modern ones who would label her this way have read her take on Susan B. Anthony: "When she met Susan B. Anthony, president of the (National Woman Suffrage) convention, she did not hesitate to tell her that, 'if women wanted to succeed they had to go out as women. They had to make themselves as pretty and attractive as possible.'"
Speaking of controversial topics, I was a little shocked at the behaviour of the boatmen in Egypt who rowed up to the ship to help take passengers to land. They coerced/forced the English passengers into their boats, sometimes violently, and then held them captive in the water for payment. Westerners of those days are now looked down on for their prejudices toward people from other parts of the world, but if stories like these, as well as those about being swarmed by beggars when stepping off the boat, circulated back to home, it's no wonder they took this view. This is definitely barbaric behaviour.
On the other hand, I learned a lot about the British empire, what they did to acquire their empire, and the general arrogance of imperialism. I was not impressed.
There were not nearly as many details about Bisland's trip as Bly's. Perhaps it's because Bisland didn't keep as detailed a diary. Much of the portions of the book devoted to Bisland were padded with related info about someone or something else.
People were shocked that Bly could get by with so little luggage---yet she did have the advantage over Bisland of having some time to think things through. I think it's crazy rotten that Bisland literally had a couple hours between learning she was going to being put on a train. My surprise was with the fact that Bly, this popular reporter known for fighting injustice, didn't report on any of the inhumane issues she saw. Perhaps she was only an advocate when there was a clear safety net nearby.
I spent almost the entire book rooting for Bly, only to be so disgusted by her arrogance and dishonesty at the end that I switched my loyalty to Bisland. I lost quite a bit of respect for Bly---especially when she made up stories that Bisland had attempted to sabotage her. To make matters worse, Bisland's boss later blamed her losing on her inexperience and ineptitude. Poor girl didn't even want to make the trip in the first place!
The book lost me a couple times when it became heavy on the war talk and there were several instances of repeated details, but overall, I really did enjoy reading this and will likely hold on to it for awhile in case I choose to use it with my high schoolers.
My favorite quote was this one describing Bisland's thoughts while riding through the English countryside: "It was a landscape she felt she already knew from books; riding through it she was not learning but remembering." That's how I feel, too, when I'm in England.
minty's review against another edition
3.0
an enjoyable dive into history. in this one I appreciated the additional detail about the forms of travel, the publishing industry, and other elements that gave the book a very well-rounded feel. (often those details feel extraneous.)
leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
This book is full of information, some of it being the "history making race around the world." I had not heard of either women or this race before seeing an advertisement for the book. I could have gone for more information on their trip and less extra information about people and things that had some connection to them or the place they were. Interesting story but, for me, not a page turner.
vejohnson's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
2.5
Interesting source material, but the author focused too much on the minutiae and made the book longer than it needed to be. I also wanted to see more contextualization about the era of journalism in which this race took place, i.e. the penny press, yellow journalism, industrialization, etc.Â
meagangrace's review against another edition
loved the story but the writing style is so wordy it was hard for me to get throughÂ
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
If you ever stop in the town of Jerome, AZ, you will likely wander into the wonderful and curious kaleidoscope shop called "The Nellie Bly." Supposedly it is the "worlds largest" of such venues, and even features a handpained sign of the once-famous "world girdler" wearing with her signature checked coat and gripsack. I had heard of Bly mainly from her expose of a New York Psychiatric hospital, which was published by the World newspaper in 1887, and had wondered about her connection to a quaint, if remote, part of the desert southwest. After reading this book, I'm 95% sure she at least passed through it on her trip around the world.
This book is an intriguing portrait of two very different--and yet, surprisingly similar--women who caught up in what I like to think of as the Victorian Age "Steampunk" Effect. With this sudden surge of new technology, suddenly barriers were being broken, humanity is pushing itself faster, further, closer, louder, and becoming more efficient. Social barriers began to crack along with the physical restraints on speed and distance. Women could be reporters? Travel around the world? With fewer than seventeen trunks? No, with ZERO trunks?! What science fiction!
Nellie Bly is still relatively well known today, but I had never heard of Elizabeth Bisland, Bly's rival "world girdler," and I'd be remiss in not mentioning her. She was also a writer, but instead of Nellie's dare-devil stunt-girl journalism, Bisland was an introvert, an idealist, and Poe-reading romantic. Both dealt with their respective celebrity in different ways, and both changed for life by their respective journeys, for good and ill. I can't help but admire both of them, even if I have the feeling they didn't care for one another (though it's not clear to me if they ever actually met).
Overall I found the book perhaps a tad long and somewhat repetitive in places, yet was also surprised by some of the unexpected action sequences, my personal favorite being the crazy engineer who careens his train--and Miss Bisland--down the back of the Wasatch Mountains for a record-breaking speed run, with the locomotive careening up on two wheels around the curves. As both a dual-memoir of some boundary-breaking ladies and as a send-up to the late 19th Century and the emergence of the modern world, I heartily recommend it.
This book is an intriguing portrait of two very different--and yet, surprisingly similar--women who caught up in what I like to think of as the Victorian Age "Steampunk" Effect. With this sudden surge of new technology, suddenly barriers were being broken, humanity is pushing itself faster, further, closer, louder, and becoming more efficient. Social barriers began to crack along with the physical restraints on speed and distance. Women could be reporters? Travel around the world? With fewer than seventeen trunks? No, with ZERO trunks?! What science fiction!
Nellie Bly is still relatively well known today, but I had never heard of Elizabeth Bisland, Bly's rival "world girdler," and I'd be remiss in not mentioning her. She was also a writer, but instead of Nellie's dare-devil stunt-girl journalism, Bisland was an introvert, an idealist, and Poe-reading romantic. Both dealt with their respective celebrity in different ways, and both changed for life by their respective journeys, for good and ill. I can't help but admire both of them, even if I have the feeling they didn't care for one another (though it's not clear to me if they ever actually met).
Overall I found the book perhaps a tad long and somewhat repetitive in places, yet was also surprised by some of the unexpected action sequences, my personal favorite being the crazy engineer who careens his train--and Miss Bisland--down the back of the Wasatch Mountains for a record-breaking speed run, with the locomotive careening up on two wheels around the curves. As both a dual-memoir of some boundary-breaking ladies and as a send-up to the late 19th Century and the emergence of the modern world, I heartily recommend it.
mattyzmom's review against another edition
4.0
This is a true story of two women who raced against time to circumnavigate the world in under 80 days. I liked the story because it did not just highlight the women but also the countries, the people, the world at the time, and it also criticized the women. The story flowed. At times it was hard to put down. Now, people don't want to race around the world but want to see all that they can from other countries and cultures. Bly, and those like her were critical of other countries because they did not have what America has. I think sometimes that still resonates with travelers, instead of appreciating the differences, people tend to be more aware of the deficits.
I would recommend this book to all travelers.
I would recommend this book to all travelers.
heatherinjapan's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.75
I thought this was a well written nonfiction on these women and this journey. I have heard of Nellie Bly ONLY because of Drunk History and their rendition of her stay at an asylum but I never knew about this journey! I've seen some reviews saying that this book is biased towards Elizabeth Bisland so I was expecting to see more of that but honestly I feel this book was evenly weighted towards talking about both women and pointing out both of the flaws they had (cough racism and imperialism and privilege cough). Bisland was a fangirl for the Brits while Bly was an American fed up with the way Brits and Europeans view Americans (though she was very much dipping her toe into enjoying the upcoming American imperialism). I find that both of these types of American exist today. Those who love anything British and those who live abroad or actively travel for work and deal with people shitting on Americans the whole time. While I'm very critical of American imperialism and our issues as a country, the UK and so many European countries really have a lot of people who look down on Americans for the problems we have, while they have their own blatently obvious problems just like us (I 100% accept and expect countries that America has fucked over royally to not have a good view of us and don't expect people to be happy to interact with me and other Americans though). So while others might've found the author being biased towards Bisland and what he said about Bly and her views of the Brits to be negative, I can't say that it wholly was negative. But on the other hand WHEW, the racist undertones throughtout Bly's whole trip .... yikes. I did like that Bisland was more appreciative of the cultures she was experiencing, but it was still clear where she stood and privileges she held.
makraemer's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the book, especially the insertion of historical information regarding the logistics of the time; however, the actually accounting of the race was just OK, interesting, but not very insightful or exciting.