Reviews for Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West

The average rating for Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-05-05 00:00:00 Michel St-louis Picked this up to learn more about prostitution in the Old West. Despite the plethora of commas, I found the text engaging and easy to read. The pictures throughout the book really brought the stories of these women to life. One thing I thought quite telling was the author's obvious admiration for these women and their spunk. Often I felt they were defended a bit too much, their profession downplayed to make the "sinfulness" of it less an issue than the women themselves. I liked this non-judgmental approach because it really let the women themselves shine through, instead of concentrating on their vices or the aspects of their lives that led them to a life between the sheets. I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it for readers interested in learning more about particular women who dominated the Old West. Though they were prostitutes, their profession was addressed in high-level terms that could easily be processed by a younger reader.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-01-23 00:00:00 Kelli Street I read this book some years ago and have an autographed copy on my shelf. I picked it up when I lived in Montana, along with several other, similar, books about women in the west, including "High-Spirited Women of the West," also by Anne Seagraves. Both books were published by Wesanne Publications. I found this book to be interesting, loved the old photographs. It's been a keeper on my research shelf. Rather than dry, scholarly recitation, I thought each of the stories surrounding specific women felt personal and the writing captured the essence of the hard times for women of this era, especially in the west. I've had the occasion to visit Virginia City, where Julia Bulette lived and died--or rather was murdered. Have also had the occasion to visit the site of what is now a ghost town in Montana, a mining town by the name of Gilt Edge, in the mountains outside of Lewistown. The remains of two buildings still stood at the time I visited - the jail and the house of ill repute. It's said the rather infamous Calamity Jane once stayed in Gilt Edge. Both these women are portrayed in "Soiled Doves." History always means just that little bit more, I think, when one has an opportunity to visit a place where these people walked. This book is a good overview of the times and conditions under which these women had to survive and it is written in an engaging and informative manner.