Although I don’t actively seek out historical fiction, every so often a book comes along that completely transports me back in time. Such was the case with Kate Manning‘s brilliant new release, My Notorious Life.
Admittedly, I was open to experience 1860s New York on the page, based on a truly memorable visit to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum over a decade ago. It is without question the best museum I’ve been to. Ever.
But I digress. This story begins on the streets of New York with three soon-to-be orphans – Axie (Ann) Muldoon, her younger sister, Dutch, and her baby brother, Joe. Circumstances force the siblings apart and Axie, apprenticed to a female doctor, learns all there is about midwifery and ‘female complaints’.
The notoriety? According to character Anthony Comstock, founder of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, that comes with assisting women with ‘obstructions’ (performing abortions) and educating them about birth control (in those days, contraception amounted to rudimentary spermicides, ‘French letters’ and the rhythm method).
“Remember Annie love, said my teacher, – that the soul of a midwife is a broad soul and a gentle soul, and she delivers the greatest blessing the Lord bestows on us poor creatures. But a midwife must also keep comfortable with the complexities. What i call the lesser evil. You will learn not to judge too harsh on others.” Continue reading →
