I was really looking forward to this book but honestly it didn't answer any questions that hang over the case like I was hoping it would.

It was interesting in parts though to hear more about her life and the whole story around her arrest and execution and I guess it kind of leaves you to make your own conclusion as to her guilt or innocence or is it somewhere in between. I still came out of their book believing she should never have been executed and most likely neither should have her husband. I guess we will never know for sure if these 2 were truly spies or just scapegoats so I will say I think they were innocent.

Orlagh Cassidy's narration was very well done she laid out the book well.

A good book looking at Ethel's life.

3 stars

This book was extremely informative. We think we know the story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, but this book showed me how little I really knew. The book provides insight into the biographical background of Ethel as well as the political and judicial issues that were at the heart of the Rosenberg’s case. The book contains a variety of villains, but none of them were named Rosenberg. The book leaves the reader understanding Ethel as wife, mother, sister, and independent woman with her own identity and ideals.

I already love this book, and read the physical ARC already. My generation (millennial) grew up hearing references to the Rosenbergs, but we never actually learned anything about them (only that they were spies against America), So, this book is a great resource to learning about who they were and why Ethel was likely just an unwilling—and tragic—bystander in her family's conspiring with Russia during the Cold War.

The narration is great and holds your attention, but the quality of the audio on the tech-side seemed a bit glitchy. I tend to listen to audiobooks at 1.5 speed, and whenever changing speed or coming back to the book after awhile or hitting play after a short pause seemed to make the audio sound choppy. I can't fully describe it, but it wasn't smooth and would stay that way for about 10 minutes before smoothing out.

Ethel Rosenberg An American Tragedy, by Anne Sebba, focuses primarily, (to the extent possible), on Ethel Rosenberg alone, as opposed to the couple, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. By looking SINGULARLY at Ethel, (HER childhood, HER parents), AND society's expectations FOR HER (and all women), as a wife and a mother, in the mid 40's to 50's, Anne Sebba clearly demonstrates that Ethel faced an impossible situation, even more impossible then what was thought before.

One can not help but agonize for Ethel Rosenberg after reading this book. Her family, turned their backs on her, including her mother (who never loved her), and her siblings. Her brother David lied in his testimony to incriminate her and save himself and his own wife, Ruth. Any friends she had, dropped her, in fear of incriminating themselves, even when the lives of her children, who were left without any one to care for them. To think, that the government substantiated not offering clemency because she defied all the expectations for women in 1950, thus painting her as EVIL, and so she MUST be GUILTY, is so painstaking to believe. In the end, it was a Rabbi who stood by her on the way to her execution. There was no one else in the world for Ethel.

If this topic interests you, THIS is definitely THE BOOK to read. I was not able to put it down. Anne Sebba goes so far as to write about what happens to Ethel's children and grandchildren (so interesting)..

If it is not obvious already, I give this book and the audiobook 5 stars. I am so thankful to @stmartinspress for the ebook, @macmillanaudio for the #audiobook, and #netgalley for both. The narration for the audiobook by Orlagh Cassidy was on point.

In June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed after being convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. Since their execution, numerous authors have penned tomes on the couple and the US government’s case against them. However, this is the first biography that endeavors to place the primary focus on Ethel Rosenberg, whose guilt on the charges unlike that of her husband remains a question of controversy. The book is also the first to draw extensively on the letters that Julius and Ethel exchanged while imprisoned. The incorporation of these letters allows the author, Anne Sebba, to provide a more nuanced and intimate account of Ethel’s relationship with Julius, her children, her mother, and her brother than has previously appeared in print—one, which readers are sure to find compelling.

As the subtitle indicates, Sebba portrays Ethel’s conviction and subsequent execution as an “American tragedy”—the product of a perfect storm of injustice, intense societal fears of Communism, antisemitism, preconceived notions of womanhood to which Ethel failed to conform, familial betrayal, bad luck, and bad decisions on the part of the couple. While earlier biographies of the couple have certainly highlighted how McCarthyism, antisemitism, and the choices made by the couple contributed to the harsh decision handed down by the court, they left unexplored how 1950s notions of femininity also played a role in the lack of public sympathy for the couple. Sebba’s exclusive focus on Ethel allows this dimension to come to the forefront. Ethel, as the author shows, was lambasted by the press for failing to conform to 1950s expectations about how women should present themselves in public. The shoddy, less-than-stylish clothing in which she appeared at trial was portrayed by reporters as a clever disguise by a manipulative woman. In contrast, her sister-in-law, Ruth Greenglass, against whom there was substantial evidence of spying but who was never arrested, was praised by the press for her stylish appearance. In fact, it was Ruth’s damning testimony, along with that of her husband David (Ethel’s brother), that placed Ethel at the center of the conspiracy. In the case of Ethel’s brother, this testimony was a complete about-face from what he had told FBI agents following his arrest. Worse yet, Ethel’s mother not only sided with Ethel’s brother, but also took great pains to tell FBI agents that she knew that her daughter was guilty. This betrayal, about which Ethel initially remained silent during the trial, is broached in her post-conviction letters to her husband. The depth of her hurt at these betrayals as well as her concerns about her children’s future are brought home to the reader through these letters. The end result is a highly sympathetic and convincing portrait of Ethel Rosenberg as a woman who had abandoned political activism by the early 1940s in favor of studying child psychology in an effort to overcome her self-perceived shortcomings as a mother.

Yet despite these insights into family dynamics and the role played by gender stereotypes in Ethel’s convictions, there are times in this narrative where Ethel seems to recede into the background—most likely, precisely because unlike her husband, Ethel was not involved in espionage. Thus, to tell the espionage story, the author by necessity must shift the lens to other actors in this drama, including Julius Rosenberg, David Greenglass, the prosecutors Irving Saypol and Roy Cohn, and J. Edgar Hoover. Moreover, on occasion, the author makes claims or inserts opinion without providing any supporting evidence or making any convincing argument. For example, at one point, the author asserts that communism inevitably leads to totalitarianism, thus seemingly conflating Stalinism with communism—a debatable thesis, at best. At another point, she claims that certain phrasings in letters between Ethel and Julius were obviously written for public consumption but does not tell the reader how she reached this conclusion. These shortcomings, however, are minor and do not detract significantly from what is otherwise a thoughtful and intimate portrait of Ethel Rosenberg.

As for the narration of this audiobook, Orlagh Cassidy does a superb job. Unlike many narrators for works of nonfiction, Cassidy does not confuse projecting an objective tone with using a monotone voice that drones the reader into sleep. She also does not try to infuse the letters with drama by using a more theatrical tone; instead, she allows the words of Ethel’s letters to communicate the angst that she felt in those final days before her execution, knowing that she would not live to see her children grow up.

Ethel Rosenberg follows the life and times of Rosenberg, and her eventual demise after being accused of being a spy with her husband.

This was a great read! I've always been curious about the Rosenbergs, and this book was excellent at taking a deep dive into the personal history of Ethel. and details of what happened around the trial. The narrator was excellent. There were moments of the book that felt a bit slow, but it was a satisfying book to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ethel Rosenberg by Anna Sebba
Narrator - Orlagh Cassidy
Genre - Biography
Rating - 4 out of 5 stars
Narration - 5 out of 5 stars

This book takes a deep dive into the life and death of Ethel Rosenberg. It starts with her childhood and takes it all the way until her death. It was a different version of the story than I have ever heard.

Ethel was a devoted mother and loving wife. While the book does not say exactly what the writer thought about whether or not she was guilty or not guilty. It gives a good look about both sides of the story. We will probably never know which was the truth.

The thing that I could not believe is that it was her own brother and sister-in-law that ultimately brought her down. The brother has since done several interviews and has a biography of his own. To learn whether or not he was telling the truth is revealed in this book but I won’t tell what it is as I do not like to many spoilers

I absolutely loved it. It shows what life was like for the Rosenberg’s. It was very well written although a bit slow in places. I think all biographies have slow places in them. Things that you really didn’t need to know about but they put them in anyway.

The narration was great. The narrator kept you wanting to listen even though it might be a dry subject. I was approved to list to this book on NetGalley on May 27th and am now writing the review on the 28th. It is a 10+ hour book but like I said the narrator kept me so interested I couldn’t stop listening.

The great thing about this book was that it went on to tell about what happened to her children than on to future generations. It also told about what happened with other key players in the story.

This audiobook will be released on June 7 2021! I highly recommend it for lovers of history. Especially those who like things about the Cold War and World War 2.

Ethel Rosenberg was executed by electrocution on June 19, 1953, at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. She was considered an American spy along with her husband, Julius.

Anne Sebba delves into Ethel's life from her upbringing with the mother she never emotionally connected with or felt loved by to the moment she met her husband and fell in love. From the moment they met, Ethel and Julius were inseparable. Ethel would support her husband in anything he chose to do, including being a part of the Communist party. When Julius is brought in for questioning Ethel is called in shortly behind. She continues to be supportive of Julius despite the fact that her life is at risk.

Sebba gets into the details of how Ethel's brother and sister-in-law turned her in and lied about her work for the Communist party. Through it all, Ethel continues to support her husband. Ethel and Julius are found guilty and sentenced to death. Ethel's maintained her innocence until the very end.

I found this book to be extremely interesting. I have long wanted to read about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and found this to give a wonderful background story on Ethel's life and ultimate death. There were times the story felt a little drawn out but they were few and far between. Anne Sebba did a wonderful research job and told a very thorough story.

This was an interesting read on the historical Ethel Rosenberg and her demise as the wife of a soviet spy. The author did a great job presenting questionable evidence to the contrary but fell short for me as the story progressed. At times I felt I knew what was going on but other times I felt lost trying to figure things out.
The book started out great but dragged a bit in the middle. Ultimately ending on a very sad note. I had to opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook which was easy to listen to due to great narration.
Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity for the ARC.
I hope my honest review helps others and would recommend this book to others who enjoy historical fiction of this type.

The biography of Ethel Rosenberg by Anne Sebba is well researched and she does fight Ethel's case quite well. I can't say that she changed my mind on the subject. She states well and I agree, that Ethel probably didn't deserve the death sentence. But I am unconvinced of Ethel's innocence, and part of the is Sebba's convincing argument about how smart Ethel was and her unquenchable search for knowledge. That said, I think this is a well written book and worth your thought and time.
I want to thank #NetGalley for allowing me to give my voluntary and honest opinion on #EthelRosenberg. I had the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this book. Orlagh Cassidy did a wonderful job with her narration and she was easy to listen to. I did have to speed up the book a little, but I always do.

A fascinating story matched by top-notch writing. Recommended.


Review copy provided by publisher.

This opens with the executions. Julian first, then Ethel. Never recanting, they calmly walk to their death.
This whole trial was built on fear and assumptions. It made me crazy.
I saw no evidence that they should of been executed.
Ethels life was difficult and she was always worthy of love. And the way her family treated her broke my heart. This was hard for me because it was real and I just can’t believe it happened, in America.
The author did an amazing job walking me through Ethel’s life. The writing was great and I can only hope as Americans that we’ve learned something from this terrible travesty.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley.
This audiobook was narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and she did this story justice. I highly recommend listening to this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and author Anne Sebba for gifting me with an ARC of Ethel Rosenberg, An American Tragedy. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

The title says it all/ An American Tragedy. Ethel Rosenberg’s only “crime” was being a devoted wife to Julius Rosenberg, a known communist sympathizer. This book is an in depth study of Ethel’s life, beginning with her sad childhood on the Lower East Side to the final seconds of her life. Ethel remains the ONLY women in US history put to death for a non violent crime. The biggest victims in this story are Ethel’s two young sons, left orphaned by a corrupt government and a country overtaken by political paranoia. This book was dense, filled with so many shocking details, it really broke my heart. Justice was not served and the real criminals, Ethel’s own family, have blood on their hands. I split this book between print and audio. Both were excellent. Strongly recommended for lovers of history, biography, scandal and Jewish interest.