This is one of the book reviews I have really enjoyed for several reasons. But more on that later.
Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich is being review for WOW-Women on Writing.
First, the business end of the review.
Book Summary
Fur, silver, and gold first lured men to Idaho Territory. Women soon followed. And what women they were! Molly B-Damn, Peg Leg Annie, Spanish Belle, Lou Beevers, Diamond Tooth Lil—the names alone promised excitement and intrigue. In fact, these madams led complex, turbulent lives. Meet Maggie Hall, a devout Catholic whose husband used her to pay off his gambling debts. Working as a prostitute, Maggie made her way west and, as Molly B-Damn, became the guardian angel of an Idaho mining camp. Or Annie McIntyre, a young girl among the prospectors and ne-er do wells of Rocky Bar who amassed a small fortune as the local madam only to lose it all—along with both her legs.
Idaho Madams uncovers the enigmatic and salacious lives of 30 women who ran brothels in the Gem State from the 1850s to the 1980s. Here are the hedonistic and sometimes heroic exploits of Effie Rogan, Jennie Girard, Nettie Bowen, Ginger Murphy, Dixie Colton, and Dot Allen, but also the unsung sagas of Carrie Young, Grace Freeman, Willow Herman, Hattie Carlton, and many more. As told by
author Milana Marsenich, the stories of these women come alive with voluptuous detail, historical photographs, and the social context of the times.
Publisher: Farcountry Press (March 3, 2023)
Print length: 160 pages
Purchase a copy of Idaho Madams on
You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123005670-idaho-madams
About the Author
Award winning author, Milana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings. As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky, her first novel.
Copper Sky was chosen as a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Historical Novel in 2018. Her second novel, The Swan Keeper, was a Willa Award finalist in 2019. Her short story, Wild Dogs, won the Laura Award for short fiction in 2020.
She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, The Moronic Ox, BookGlow, and Feminist Studies. She has four published novels, Copper Sky, The Swan Keeper, Beautiful Ghost, and Shed Girl, and one popular history book, Idaho Madams. Her popular history book, Mary MacLane: Butte’s Wild Woman and her Wooden Heart, will be out sometime in 2025.
You can follow the author at:
Website: https://milanamarsenich.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilanaMarsenichAuthor
X/Twiiter: https://x.com/milanamarsenich
Now for my opinion...
First, I was fortunate enough to spend 5 years in Montana. Helena to be exact. And I loved every minute of it. As was lucky enough to become friends with a woman who had extensive knowledge of the area and enjoyed sharing her knowledge. On a bright spring day we walked around Helena, near downtown and the South Hills. She pointed out houses which had been brothels in their day.
So when I got the opportunity to review this book, I leaped at the chance. My only complaint? It was too short!
The book highlights the choices, or lack thereof, for women at the turn of the century. Much like today, some women took up the profession to put food on the table. Others, because there was no other way to make their way.
It also points out being a madam wasn't the easiest job around. With towns becoming 'civilized', madams often found themselves on the wrong side of town and had to move. And that's just the icing on the cake of the issues they had to navigate.
I can't wait until her next book comes out in 2025.
But don't take my opinion for it, check out other opinions.
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