My thanks to Spark Press, as well as to @NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Lives of Diamond Bessie.

4.5 Stars

This fascinating book was inspired by the true story of sixteen-year-old Annie Moore. Few job opportunities are available to a woman in the 1860s, and after failing to find a respectable job, she resorts to prostitution in order to survive. She becomes known by the name Bessie and receives many expensive gifts from her admirers. So many diamonds, in fact, that she starts being known as Diamond Bessie. When she begins a relationship with Abe Rothschild, the charming son of a well-known jeweler, it seems as though her dreams of getting out of sex work are finally about to be realized. From there, it's difficult to write more without spoilers. I will just say that the parts about Bessie's relationships to her Catholic faith and Irish roots made her feel more human, as did her love of reading. (Especially her love of reading!)

There is a paranormal twist to the book that I felt was a brilliant way to tell what happened in the last part of the book! To do otherwise might have led to some dry explanations.

I also found the acknowledgments at the back of the book very interesting to read. The amount of research was astonishing. The documentation was engrossing. I definitely recommend The Lives of Diamond Bessie!

I had no idea what to expect with this book, but expect the unexpected. I was pleasantly surprised as this book had it all love, lust, mystery, history… you name it. Poor Bessie endured it all but remained a fighter and everyone who every loved her used and/or betrayed her, yet her resilience is remarkable. Absolutely and wonderfully written.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was a good story, based on a true event with a little bit of paranormal thrown in. It was well written and a very enjoyable read.

I would easily recommend this to anyone who loves an intense read with some thriller edge to it.

I really enjoyed this book. Based loosely on a true story, The Lives of Diamond Bessie starts in the mid 1800s when Annie, young and pregnant, gets sent to a convent to have her baby. This begins the unsettling events of her life afterwards and what she must do to survive in a world where women have no rights, are shamed for their choices, and watch men suffer no consequences for their actions. Annie is the daughter of poor Irish immigrants and has no support from her family or her community. After running away from the convent, where her baby was taken from her, Annie is found on the street unconscious and bleeding, when she is found and taken in by a courtesan and nursed back to health with the help of the madame and the women of the house. With few options in life, Annie is resigned to staying on and entering into this life of entertaining wealthy men for money. This is a sad and tragic story with a bit of the paranormal that will have women contemplating all the injustices that they have suffered in the past and into the present day.

This was a good story, based on a true event with a little bit of paranormal thrown in. We meet Annie who lives in a convent for fallen women (a polite term for an unwed girl/woman who is pregnant), she gives birth to her daughter who is promptly taken away. This motivates Annie to run away, though there are very few positions available for a young female in the 1860's, she eventually finds herself destitute and very sick. She's rescued (I would use that lightly) by the Madam of a brothel who also saves her life. Eventually Annie has no choice but to join to oldest profession in the world working for the Madam that saved her. She adapts to her new role and finds herself with funds to assist her family (who had disowned her) and she's able to purchase items for herself. She eventually meets Abe Rothschild (no relation to the really rich ones) and they begin an off/on tumultuous relationship. I had known that life in the 1800's was hard, especially for women, there is such pressure to remain a virgin, marry and have lots of children. The choices for those women who do not follow that path are almost non existent. Annie renames herself Bessie and forges a name for herself becoming independent to a degree. Her relationship with Abe though is sad and tragic. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and SparkPress for the ARC.

I loved that this was based on a true story. I found Bessie's (Annie's) early life to be typical for her situation. Preganant at 16, unwed and sent away to a convent. The way she ended up living her life, as a high end courtesan was not so uncommon except for the high end part. Unfortunately Bessie made some really poor choices during her life which ended in her murder. The best part about the book for me was that it was set against the backdrop of woman's suffragist events. Unfortunately the second part of the book, who killed Bessie takes a paranormal twist and completely looses me. I reluctantly slog through to the end in order to make a fair review. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
3*

I just finished this book. At first I was really into it, loved the characters, the setting, and the story line, until I got to the chapter where Bessie was murdered. The whole book shifted to the "after" life, from then on, I felt the story line went down hill. I got this book free on my kindle, so this is my honest opinion on this book.

This novel is based on a true story about a woman wronged by her husband. It's steeped in history and clearly well researched, and well written.

Bessie makes her way through life as a courtesan but decides to take her chances as a wife with Abe. I enjoyed the accurate portrayal of women's rights, or lack thereof, and the hypocrisy of the time with regards to how women who are sexually active vs how men in the same situation were treated. Bessie is a strong character who knows the onky chance to break way from her current lifestyle is through marriage. Knowing this was based on a true story did not make her choice in a husband any less frustrating.

For me the sorry lost steam and started to drag and feel more procedural after the crime. The device of having Bessie become a ghost who haunts her husband and witnesses the trial(s) was an interesting one but somehow still fell short for me.

That said, this novel was intriguing and enjoyable. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Spark Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC.

Sixteen year old Annie Moore gets pregnant out of wedlock, and her family is ashamed, so they send her away to a nunnery where she is treated poorly. She runs away, and after realizing she has no real choices, she becomes a prostitute - Diamond Bessie.

I really enjoyed reading this book, which was set in the time of the women's movement,. So in addition to her story, you learned a little more about how little rights women had, and what life was like. I always enjoy a good historical fiction story because it brings the history to life. I KNEW women had very few rights and were dependent on men, but this really brings it home.. It makes you wonder what choices you might have made in her place. I spent half the book questioning some of the choices she made, but it's easy as a reader to judge.

I really liked the writing - it really made me picture the times, and the people. I liked the story, and the background. Overall, it was a very enjoyable, but sad book.

Thanks to #Netgalley, Spark Press and #JodyHadlock for the ARC which did not impact ,my review.

This book is quite literally the Lovely Bones, but set in the late 1800s. Bessie is an Irish Catholic girl who becomes pregnant outside of wedlock. She is sent to a religious work house to have her daughter. After the birth, she runs away and is taken in by a prostitute. This sparks a new career for Bessie, and 2/3 of the book is spent detailing her time as a sought after paid woman. She dreams of one day getting married and being a respected member of society, which might be why she blindly falls for a man with serious red flags. I won't give away spoilers, but if you've read the Lovely Bones, you can pretty much figure out how the book ends. It was nice that this book was based on a true story, but this book was a slog to get through--I nearly considered not finishing the book. In the end, I can't say that I'm glad I kept going, just that I'm glad I don't have to read the book anymore. This felt more like reading a history book than a novel, and not in a good way.

I really enjoyed reading The Lives of Diamond Bessie, it's extremely well written and relatable. This book is well researched and compelling and I liked reading it.

Sixteen year old Annie Moore finds her life completely derailed when gets pregnant out of wedlock. Her Catholic, Irish immigrant parents and her married sister no longer want her, blaming her for destroying their hard-earned good reputation, and Annie finds herself shipped off to a nunnery. When the nuns take away her last remaining link to the world - her newborn daughter - Annie escapes, determined to find her own way in the world. But the world of the 1860s is harsh to young women with no reputation, no family and no money. Left with no other choice, Annie becomes a prostitute - Diamond Bessie - and there she rises through the ranks, reinventing her life at each turn and becomes highly sought after, and wealthy in her own right.

Jody Hadlock's The Lives of Diamond Bessie is based on a real story as it follows the journey of Annie Moore through the reinventions of her life. Set against the background of the Women's Rights movement, the story paints a starkly realistic picture of what life was like for a woman in their absence. Hadlock' makes the story of Annie Moore relatable to the modern reader, leading them through a rollercoaster of emotion as they follow the story through the eyes of the heroine.

Thanks to Netgalley, Spark Press and Jody Hadlock for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

HELL YEAH THIS BOOK!

First of all, I had no idea this was based on a true story until I came to write this review, which totally amplifies the awesomeness. Diamond Bessie is a G E M.

Annie is dealt one blow after another in her young life --- pregnant and abandoned by her lover and her family at fifteen, forced to give up her daughter by the nuns who took her in, and then with nowhere to turn but a career of prostitution in cities across the country to provide for herself. She thinks she's found her ticket out of the life in the form of Abe Rothschild, a charming client who promises her a better life only to deceive and betray her. Her entire story unfolds during an era where women are just beginning to question their role in society and demand for more.

All I can say is ---- SO HERE for the ability to come back and haunt the men who have wronged us.

Jody Hadlock has a way with words and I look forward to more from her.

The Lives of Diamond Bessie, easily snuck its way to the top of my favored books of 2021. This book is absolutely incredible and original .

What I loved most is that it was actually inspired by a true story. Jody Hadlock's talent shines through on every page. I easily became addicted to each turn of the page and I was unable to put this book down once I had started.

I would easily recommend this to anyone who loves an intense read with some thriller edge to it.

This was a great telling of the life of Bessie Moore. I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but it took a turn that I was not expecting. I know this is based on something that actually happened in the past, so there is no fault for said turn happening. However, I found the story a bit difficult to finish after that point. It was just chapters and chapters of court happenings. All in all I did enjoy this book. It was very well-written in my opinion.

The Lives of Diamond Bessie by Jody Hadlock is a book based on a true story. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a page turner for me. I am an avid fan of psychological suspense but ventured into the historical fiction genre and enjoyed it. The story had me turning the pages to see what would happen next to Bessie. It is an eye-opening story into the hardships women had to endure without the protection of a man in the mid to late 1800’s.

Bessie ends up working in a brothel as a prostitute, but the story does not go into any sordid details. I very much liked that aspect as I do not want to read smut. If you expect to read about the actual immoral behavior/acts of the prostitutes don’t read this book. It is well written and takes you into the life of a woman who found herself pregnant out of wedlock and with no alternatives for any sort of job. She does what she must in order to survive. Sadly, she will still give into a man who will lead her down a path that ends in the death of one of them leaving the other to face the judicial system of the times.

It has an unusual twist to it which I won’t spoil for you. I am pleased to give this book 5 stars.

#TheLivesofDiamondBessie #NetGalley

Fantastic book. It is very well written. I was up most of the night to finish this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by author.

I randomly stumbled on this book browsing Netgalley. The cover and the story line seemed interesting and intriguing. I was hooked from Page 1. An engrossing tale of an Irish immigrant who falls pregnant at sixteen and finds herself in a convent. She manages to escape but in the 1860's the options for a single woman with no fortune or references are next to none and she finds herself in a house of pleasure. She makes a success of her profession but once again finds herself constantly short-changed when it comes to love. And then comes an interesting twist.

Based on a true story, the book gives interesting insight into the lives and struggles of women in those times. A novel of unrequited love, betrayal, revenge and redemption, I had a difficult time putting it down till the very end.

Very much enjoyed this period piece about a young girl who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant and alone, until she's taken to a convent for "fallen" women. Annie/Diamond Bessie is a great character, and I so wanted her to achieve her goals of finding her daughter and living as something other than a demi-mondaine (a career path she did not choose, but finding it the only way to survive, she made the best of it, and then some). The twist about halfway threw me, but I found I enjoyed the path Bessie took. Times were so hard for women for SO long, sometimes we forget all the strides that have been made. Be sure to read the afterword!

P.S. Many thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

“Do you know why most of us are here? Because we’ve been betrayed by the men who wanted to enjoy the pleasure of our company, who lead us down the primrose path, promising to defend our reputations, to marry us, but then abandon us because they’re engaged or married to someone else. Then they claim they’ve never known us (…).”

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Domestic violence, mentions death, sexual assault, suicide, and drug abuse.

“The Lives of Diamond Bessie” follows the story of Annie Moore, a woman in the 1860s who, after getting pregnant out of wedlock, is sent to a convent to pay for her sins and not bring shame upon her family. After giving birth and having the baby taken away from her by the nuns, she runs away in hopes of being reunited with her daughter. With no references, she can’t find a decent job and is left with no other option but to resort to prostitution. This is essentially what’s given to us by Jody Hadlock through the book’s description, but I must say this isn’t even one-eighth of the story.

You build so many preconceptions about what will happen in this book based on its summary… and then Jody takes them all and rips them apart. Annie, Elisabeth, Bessie, you were such an amazing character, such a resilient woman. Once you learn why they call her Diamond Bessie, you’ll be devastated and hoping it’s all a dream or some kind of premonition.

This book is very fast-paced, and maybe to a reader that enjoys extensive details and narrative, it may seem like it skips through some steps. I think it was paced differently from other books I’ve read, and so I enjoyed it very much.

I would recommend this book to any reader who thinks sex work is real work (because it is) and to readers who like historical fiction and true crime.