laneamagya's review against another edition
4.0
I read this on my trip to Chicago all those months ago. O'Faolain died last spring of cancer, and her passing made me terribly sad. She was a brave, talented writer and I hate to think we won't have more of her work to read. Her biography of the infamous May Duignan is interesting and intriguing. As is her style, O'Faolain looks beyond the details of May's actions for her animus. We see May as a prostitute and con artist, but also as a rebel and gender warrior.
raeraethelibrarian's review
4.0
I'd give this 3 and a half stars. Chicago May was truly a fascinating person but I was uncomfortable with the style of doing history O'Faolain employs. A substantial portion of the book is based on what the author thinks happened, as opposed to what can be gleaned from the documents pertaining to May's life. She doesn't always explain why she thinks May did this or that, or felt this way or that, and I don't buy this as an valid method for drawing conclusions.
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