Megan L. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this (thanks BookSirens!) and it BLEW ME AWAY. I will admit
I didn't realize Diamond Bessie was an actual person but in doing so I didn't
know the twists and turns the book was going to take and I feel that helped me
enjoy it more (and I encourage all readers to wait til after reading to look
her up). I thoroughly enjoyed Bessie's life and the challenges she went
through. It was also fascinating to see the lives of women in the 1860s, 70s,
and 80s. Great book!
R.C. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In this retelling of the life of diamond Tessie, a.k.a. Annie
Moore, Hadlock takes a unique approach to capture the life of this young Irish
immigrant who gets pregnant out of wedlock and is forced to look into a life of
sex work. Bessie longs for a life that she could be proud of, but instead
continually faces difficult circumstances and people until the ultimate
betrayal by a man she loved. With an unexpected twist the story kept me
captivated yet frustrated on behalf of women of the era who had so few choices.
Jody Hadlock is a talented writer whose characters and Rich historical
background kept me firmly engaged in the time period. Just excellent.
Ellen Y. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this book for my book club meeting a few days ago, and I'm
so glad I did! It was such a great book, well written, fast paced, and
captivating. It was eye opening reading about the details of Diamond Bessie's
life that the author drew upon, set in the 1870's mostly...knew so little about
this time, and the challenges women faced on a daily basis.
We had such an interesting discussion in our women's book group,
and could have talked for many hours, so many themes to discuss. Luckily for
our group, we are located in North Texas, and we were honored to have Jody
Hadlock, the author, come and discuss the book with us. It was a fascinating
evening, and I can't wait to read any of her future books to come!
|