Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood tells the true story of 19th century alleged murderess Grace Marks. At age 15/16, Grace Marks was convicted of killing her employer and his mistress with a fellow member of "the help", James McDermott. Grace's trial was highly publicized across Canada, the US, and Europe (she was an Amanda Knox… Continue reading Review: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Tag: 19th century
Review: A More Perfect Union
A More Perfect Union by Jodi Daynard is the third book in the Midwife trilogy, and follows the mixed race son (Johnny) of Eliza Bolyston and Johnny Watkins. The book opens in 1794, some 15 years after the events of books 1 and 2. Johnny Watkins, "passing as white", returns to Boston from the… Continue reading Review: A More Perfect Union
Review: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Amazon blurb: From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling… Continue reading Review: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Review: A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Amazon blurb: Drawing on the diaries of a midwife and healer in eighteenth-century Maine, this intimate history illuminates the medical practices, household economies, religious rivalries, and sexual mores of the New England frontier. I love reading old diaries,… Continue reading Review: A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812