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littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
A look at the lives of several of the influential women leading up to and just after the Civil War. Informative as usual with her books but a bit disjointed at times.
maryehavens's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this, read by the author, and enjoyed it when I had large chunks of time to listen. My 15 minute commute made it harder to concentrate on all the different names.
It was a very interesting book, if for no other reason than to understand the incredible hardships of loss during that time period. So much life loss in regular life, much less these battles where tens of thousands of men lost their lives. It's so hard to imagine losing so many children.
Roberts presented factual information in a captivating manner. You felt like you got to know these women as much as you could without reading their own diaries/biography. There were so many women too so I felt like there was a good representation of women from both sides of the time period.
It was also interesting how war escalates the advancement of women. We tend to think of WWII as the only time that war gave women opportunities but the Civil War was also a time of advancement. The Clara Bartons and Dorothea Dixs of the country found their calling and their opportunity. It would have been nice if they hadn't all ended up in poverty...
Mary Todd Lincoln - I really thought she received a bad rap prior to this book but it seems like some of it was deserved a little. Like most public figures, she was unfairly judged frequently but she also brought on some of that. You can't help feel a little bad for her.
Solid book, looking forward to her other works! I pictured Candy Finnegan from Intervention as the narrator the entire time :)
It was a very interesting book, if for no other reason than to understand the incredible hardships of loss during that time period. So much life loss in regular life, much less these battles where tens of thousands of men lost their lives. It's so hard to imagine losing so many children.
Roberts presented factual information in a captivating manner. You felt like you got to know these women as much as you could without reading their own diaries/biography. There were so many women too so I felt like there was a good representation of women from both sides of the time period.
It was also interesting how war escalates the advancement of women. We tend to think of WWII as the only time that war gave women opportunities but the Civil War was also a time of advancement. The Clara Bartons and Dorothea Dixs of the country found their calling and their opportunity. It would have been nice if they hadn't all ended up in poverty...
Mary Todd Lincoln - I really thought she received a bad rap prior to this book but it seems like some of it was deserved a little. Like most public figures, she was unfairly judged frequently but she also brought on some of that. You can't help feel a little bad for her.
Solid book, looking forward to her other works! I pictured Candy Finnegan from Intervention as the narrator the entire time :)
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This book offers a look at lives of the women in Washington during the Civil War. It inspires me to read more about these incredible ladies. I recommend.
agruenbaum's review against another edition
4.0
This is another one I listened to. I liked this book because it brought this difficult time in our country's history to life through the eyes of the women of the era.
hannah_em's review against another edition
5.0
I love Cokie Roberts, and this book was not exception. It's easy to read and has a great perspective. As (at least I thought) the title suggests, it's mostly high class, prominent women who feature in this story.
coffeebuff22's review against another edition
3.0
Well researched, but a bit bogged down with minute details...some quite interesting, some not so much.
thebookchubi's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic compilation of stories from the wives, daughters, and independent women of the Civil War. Their stories shine a light on a different side of the war, that fought in the home and not on the battlefield. It tells of the strong minded women who both helped and hurt the causes of the men around them and how they influenced the direction of the war. It also highlights the circumstances that would give rise to women's suffrage in the United States.