novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4.5 STARS
After reading Jennifer Chiaverini's [b:The Spymistress|17675042|The Spymistress|Jennifer Chiaverini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1364849908s/17675042.jpg|24678777] I was really looking forward to reading this book. I was wanting to know more about Elizabeth Van Lew, and what was fact versus fiction. Women of history are not as prominent in text books and curriculums, so often their stories get lost. Not surprising, women kicked some serious ass in civil war. They helped in many ways and the four women in this book put their life on the line for their cause. Karen Abbott's writing is very easy to read. At times, I forgot that this wasn't a historical fiction novel, as the narratives flowed so well. Abbott does a great job describing the time and place - both of what America (mostly the South) was like and the political and sociological climate. Abbott also gives each women a voice by not just sharing their biographies but by letting them come to life by letting them be themselves. If you enjoy reading history, this is a great book to add to your reading pile! I definitely have Karen Abbott on my must read author list.
My Novelesque Blog
After reading Jennifer Chiaverini's [b:The Spymistress|17675042|The Spymistress|Jennifer Chiaverini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1364849908s/17675042.jpg|24678777] I was really looking forward to reading this book. I was wanting to know more about Elizabeth Van Lew, and what was fact versus fiction. Women of history are not as prominent in text books and curriculums, so often their stories get lost. Not surprising, women kicked some serious ass in civil war. They helped in many ways and the four women in this book put their life on the line for their cause. Karen Abbott's writing is very easy to read. At times, I forgot that this wasn't a historical fiction novel, as the narratives flowed so well. Abbott does a great job describing the time and place - both of what America (mostly the South) was like and the political and sociological climate. Abbott also gives each women a voice by not just sharing their biographies but by letting them come to life by letting them be themselves. If you enjoy reading history, this is a great book to add to your reading pile! I definitely have Karen Abbott on my must read author list.
My Novelesque Blog
hollyrebeccasmith's review against another edition
4.0
A stylized history. However, the inclusion of confederate women will make the reader wonder the goal, though it could be to show the plight of women and abuse by men on both sides as well as to show an honest look at who supported what atrocities.
adelita18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
lisa11111's review against another edition
4.0
Long and detailed, but very interesting. 4 strong women!
nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
An accessible, character-driven history that spotlights four remarkable women during the Civil War and the extraordinary contributions each made to her cause. I appreciated the questions this work raised about what merits note in history, why lives of women are automatically marginalized to 'women's history', and most especially some of the post-publication debate about if there is only one creditable way in which to write and study the past. Lively discussion potential.
Each of the characters chosen as archetypes is fascinating in her own way. One quality shared equally is that of brazenness, but how it manifests veers widely. The choice to structure the book chronologically, toggling among the four women, holds logic, but I struggled to keep details attributed to the correct lady. Personally, I would have preferred framing chapters that allowed each life to unfold turn-by-turn, especially since the different threads don't offer the eventual satisfaction of intertwining.
Abbott attempts to head off questions of embellishment by explaining all dialogue is lifted from diaries, letters, and other primary sources. In spite of the fact others have questioned this assertion, I did find myself marveling both at the scholarship she amassed and at the humanizing impact of incorporating such excerpts.
The style is quite easy, but there were a few stylistic choices that grated. Prime example: the descriptive note that at a certain point one character's blood literally(!) boiled in her veins. Sorry. I simply can't let that pass unremarked.
audiobook note: Karen White voices each woman's story with assurance, empathy, and understatement. Wisely letting the narrative take center stage, she trusts the storytelling and the natural drama to keep reader/listener interest.
Each of the characters chosen as archetypes is fascinating in her own way. One quality shared equally is that of brazenness, but how it manifests veers widely. The choice to structure the book chronologically, toggling among the four women, holds logic, but I struggled to keep details attributed to the correct lady. Personally, I would have preferred framing chapters that allowed each life to unfold turn-by-turn, especially since the different threads don't offer the eventual satisfaction of intertwining.
Abbott attempts to head off questions of embellishment by explaining all dialogue is lifted from diaries, letters, and other primary sources. In spite of the fact others have questioned this assertion, I did find myself marveling both at the scholarship she amassed and at the humanizing impact of incorporating such excerpts.
The style is quite easy, but there were a few stylistic choices that grated. Prime example: the descriptive note that at a certain point one character's blood literally(!) boiled in her veins. Sorry. I simply can't let that pass unremarked.
audiobook note: Karen White voices each woman's story with assurance, empathy, and understatement. Wisely letting the narrative take center stage, she trusts the storytelling and the natural drama to keep reader/listener interest.
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a highly readable and eye-opening account of the unsung role of four women "spies" in the Civil War. The narrative alternates between Emma and Elizabeth (both Union supporters), and Belle and Rose (Rebel sympathizers), and follows a chronological trajectory through the war and beyond. I recently read one of Karen Abbott's other books, [b:Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul|219780|Sin in the Second City Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul|Karen Abbott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436416153s/219780.jpg|1410651] which was teeming with interesting historical characters, but I found LTSS held together better overall. The author's tendency to extrapolate colorful, emotive, "fictional" scenes and dialogue out of primary sources (common in pop-history books) did grate on me at times. I would have liked a disclaimer or two about the veracity of the primary sources--some of memoir-based scenes, like Emma's visit home disguised as "Frank", struck me contrived--but I still appreciated the sentiment behind whatever inspired Emma herself to record such a scene to begin with. As an audiobook this felt a tad long, and the narrator's stilted tone was just this side of bearable. I also missed out on the footnotes, so this would probably be better in print.
dchaploeb's review against another edition
5.0
This book is excellent.
I'm a sucker for nonfiction books that interweave different but related stories in an effort to provide a perspective on a big picture. This book narrates basically the entire Civil War through the eyes of four women who were spies in the war. All four stories are compelling, they are well-told, and they paint a vivid picture of the war with a level of detail and humanity that I haven't encountered before.
I can't recommend this book enough. It's really well done.
I'm a sucker for nonfiction books that interweave different but related stories in an effort to provide a perspective on a big picture. This book narrates basically the entire Civil War through the eyes of four women who were spies in the war. All four stories are compelling, they are well-told, and they paint a vivid picture of the war with a level of detail and humanity that I haven't encountered before.
I can't recommend this book enough. It's really well done.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really interesting and I love history but it was dense and a long read. I thought for a non-fiction book it did really read like a novel. The women who spied for the confederacy were awful and I was surprised by how ardently the people in the south fought for their cause. A really good book but be ready for the depth and the length of time it will take to read.
kellyroberson's review against another edition
4.0
A thoroughly absorbing read, made all the better because it's true.