Book review
Can two women get the lowdown on high society?
Louisa Delafield and Ellen Malloy didn’t ask to be thrown together to bring the truth to light. But after Ellen witnesses the death of a fellow servant during an illegal abortion, Louisa, a society columnist, vows to help her find the truth and turn her journalistic talent to a greater purpose.
When I agreed to review this book, I did not know how inspiring this book would be. The synopsis and book cover alone were enough to convince me to read. Debut novelist Trish MacEnulty’s has written such a compelling story it left me in awe.
This historical fiction is based on true events and factual persons that lived during this period. This was a turnkey period that opened so many doors for us womenfolk. Sometimes we forget how great the struggle was, but it is authors like Ms MacEnulty that remind us again of the sacrifices and the sheer will that drove these women to speak up.
The topics she touches on are not an issue for the poor, but one that touched every woman from the highest to the lowest in society. Even today, it is still a much debated topic with no straightforward answers to the problem. But theses women refused to be silent. Refused to lie down and accept it. They did something; and that alone makes this a powerful story.
The whispering women take you back to 1913 where gangsters made a living from poverty and the political, legal and power hungry rich ruled the world. (Nothing has changed, but today we see them for who they are.)
The Garrett’s, and Bloodgoods are prominent families in this plotline. Their goodness heralded on the front pages of the newspapers. But once Ellen Malloy sees the reality of who they are, she had to run for her life. When she met up with Louisa Delafield, hell was at their doorstep.
Louisa Delafield was one of the high society but also shun because of a murdered father whose failed investments left them destitute. However, her choice of work kept he doors open and with her pen and paper and the knowledge of this society she revealed what these people tried to hide. Her naivety quickly faltered when she experience how the other women lived. What they struggle with and the means to cope with unwanted pregnancies. And, when a policewoman is killed, she found her purpose.
Together, they set out to find the proof to bring the culprits to justice, and fight against an enemy out to destroy them.
The world of gangsters and suffrage, illegal abortions and sex trafficking is an ugly reality that cannot be ignored.
Especially Louisa had to realize who her so-called friends were. And the lengths they would go to protect their money and power. In the end, money doesn’t buy you peace when trouble knocks on your door and the women you try to silence refuse to be quiet.
With the help of an Irish police officer, and Teddy Roosevelt’s input, and a very handsome publisher, these two women find their way in a world so different from what they believed in. Their belief system challenged with each new door that opens, which leads to truths they cannot unlearn.
The author’s writing is crisp and clear. The fast-paced tempo takes you through the streets of New York at such a speed that your fingers struggles to keep up. Each moment a revelation of strength and determination as they built a friendship and grew in their own right. Both women’s characters are relatable. Their sheer will that drives them to the truth is a testimony of the courage each woman possessed. Their voices refused to be silent, no matter what curveballs life (the author) throws at them.
Even the supportive characters’s roles carried the weight of the story and emphasises their most vulnerable moments with honesty.
Synopsis
Can two women get the lowdown on high society?
Louisa Delafield and Ellen Malloy didn’t ask to be thrown together to bring the truth to light. But after Ellen witnesses the death of a fellow servant during an illegal abortion, Louisa, a society columnist, vows to help her find the truth and turn her journalistic talent to a greater purpose.
Together, these unlikely allies battle to get the truth out, and to avenge the wrongful death of a friend.
What will our heroes do when their closest allies and those they trust turn out to be the very forces working to keep their story in the dark? They’ll face an abortionist, a sex trafficking ring, and a corrupt system determined to keep the truth at bay.
Was change possible in 1913?
To find out, read THE WHISPERING WOMEN today!
See the book on Amazon here.
About the author
- http://trishmacenulty.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/trishmac_historicalfiction/
- https://www.tiktok.com/@trish_macenulty
- https://twitter.com/pmacenulty
Excerpt
Louisa entered the thick, overheated air inside the hospital. The charity tour had already started.
She removed her coat and hat, left them in the cloak room, and then found a hospital assistant to take her to the tour.
She caught up with the ladies as they followed the doctor through the maternity ward. Lining the walls were beds with tired new mothers, holding babies. Some of them, ignoring the parade of strangers walking by, nursed their babies, their large veiny breasts fully exposed.
Dorothy lingered at the back of the tour with her mother, Natasha. Natasha had the austere look of Russian nobility with her ivory skin and long slender nose. When she saw Louisa approaching, a bright smile lit up her face.
Unlike Amelia Garrett, Natasha Bloodgood always made Louisa feel welcome at any social gathering. Of course, Natasha had been like a second mother to her after her family’s downfall. She’d brought Louisa into her home every day so she could continue her education with Dorothy’s tutors and encouraged Louisa to apply for a scholarship at Barnard.
“Good afternoon, Natasha,” Louisa said, warmly.
“Louisa,” Natasha said.
“Dorothy tells me you’re going to the soirée for the princess tomorrow night, after all.”
“Yes, dear Hattie invited me,” Louisa said. Natasha winked at her.
“Your article was quite flattering.”
“I suppose I’m temporarily in Amelia’s good graces.”
“Oh, look at that darling baby. I cannot wait to be a grandmother,” Natasha said as a nurse walked by, holding one of the swaddled infants. Dorothy, in green velvet, stared up at the ceiling. It was obvious the sight of these women and their squalling babes repulsed her.
Just then Hattie in a dress with a bit too many ruffles sidled up next to Louisa. Her hair was pulled back in a plain bun.
“Your hair…” Dorothy said with raised eyebrows.
“Don’t say a word. My lady’s maid went missing,” Hattie complained.
“Did she?” Louisa said. “What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know, but she and one of the house maids just disappeared. Didn’t even take their belongings. Mrs. Strauss is fit to be tied. And Mother says that immigrants are as useless as American girls. She promises we’ll find someone else in London, but I liked Ellen,” Hattie huffed.
Ahead of them, Natasha and Amelia were deep in conversation. Natasha was probably sympathizing with Amelia over her servant problems. There were few things that women of society liked to do more than complain about how unreliable or incompetent their servants were.
Louisa turned her attention to the doctor at the front of the group. He was a well-dressed man in his forties with an urbane air about him. The women hung on his every word, Amelia smiled obsequiously at him, and Louisa realized he was as popular as his cause.
“Poor women still have their babies at home. They use untrained midwives and the results are often disastrous,” the doctor informed the ladies. “But we are encouraging them to come to the hospital if there are any complications.”
“Everyone knows those midwives are criminals,” Amelia announced. The surrounding women murmured their agreement, and the tour continued.
After the tour, Louisa went back to the office to file her column. She sat at her desk and began to type up the details, but she kept making mistakes and had to rip out one sheet of paper after another. Finally, she stopped what she was doing and looked into her bag. The silver cross with its broken chain nestled at the bottom. She pulled it out and let the chain dangle from her finger. She wondered if this necklace belonged to one of the missing maids.
