Mary S. Hartman

In this 1976 book, historian Mary Hartman does a deep dive investigation of thirteen French and English women accused of murder during the nineteenth century. While the crimes and the charged perpetrators’ guilt or innocence are fully explored, she widens the scope by layering on a social history that went a long way in explaining why juries found each woman innocent or guilty. In each case, the murders were headline news in their respective countries (and beyond), with their trials show more drawing large audiences, usually composed of women. Most were sympathetic with the accused women. The victims were husbands, lovers, or other women having affairs with their husbands.

The author does a great job of puzzling together the facts of each case and then providing a detailed history of the period to describe the public’s often strong support of the women charged. The book captures a time when women’s roles in marriage and their ability to choose a spouse was rapidly changing, as was too the domestic relationship between a husband and a wife. Women were beginning to become dissatisfied with forced marriages and were awakening to their own sexual needs. Each chapter of this book features two murder cases, one English and the other French. While Hartman profiles these trials from a feminist perspective, she resists the suggestion that their actions meant these women were protofeminists. Rather, her detailed investigation supplies a more nuanced explanation. While written in a scholarly manner, this book will be a good place to start for those wishing to get a better understanding of women’s rights in marriage and outside of it as well as their sexual desires during the Victorian era. show less

This is a well-researched book detailing the murders committed by several English and French women during the Victorian era. The author takes a look at some aspects of the crimes in relation to the era in which they were committed. While the dastardly deeds may be milder than those we often hear about in 21st century news, the crimes were "unspeakable", as the subtitle suggests during the time in which they were committed. It bogs down a bit in places, but it is still a fascinating look at show more the subject. I would have preferred footnotes to end notes, particularly since the author often elaborates a bit more in those. This review refers to Dover's 2014 edition which I received from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. show less

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Normally I never really read a lot of true crime books as I find them mostly speculative or just looking for the scandals in the stories. I'd read some reviews about this book before requesting it and they told me that this book was a lot more than just a mere retelling of the presumed crimes of this show more women...

I'm quite interested in the Victorian era and this book really helps to understand the society in which these crimes took place and the shifting roles for women in this society. I was actually surprised to learn that women were sent to prison for shorter times and had far greater chances of being acquitted.

If you're looking for scandal, this book probably isn't for you. But if you want a well-researched account on the lives of thirteen women in Victorian England and France as well as the story of their crimes, I can recommend this book. I liked it more than I anticipated. show less

A really interesting examination of crime in the context of gender and class. Some of Hartman's conclusions seem a little stretched to me, but she presents them well with plenty of evidence.

Two of the women in this book I'd read about in detail in other books. These other writers drew different conclusions to Hartman and they are worthwhile companion books- [b:The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective|1747896|The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher show more A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective|Kate Summerscale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312021413s/1747896.jpg|3254095] and [b:Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England|89829|Death at the Priory Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England|James Ruddick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349064277s/89829.jpg|979180].

Be aware, that the text is very small and means a lot of close reading.

(Book fans may wonder where I bought it, since it's out of print. AbeBooks is a great place to look for out of print works) show less