Few of today's American young women know the history that gives them the freedoms that women in other parts of the world only dream of. The names and lives of those women who fought every convention that held them prisoners in their own homes includes Catherine Beecher, the older sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Kate's life was governed by her father, setting a path to marraige and children that was interupted when the man she loves dies before they marry. No longer sure of her future, she would seek education with no limits for herself and the women who came after. Her efforts improved the lives of so many, it's a story that should be shared and shared again in the hope that others will take up thhat torch for today.

This book is the untold story of Catherine (Kate) Beecher. Kate was an advocate for women’s education, an author, a creator of home economics, and sister to Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book reads like a novel and a history book. It was an interesting read and one could tell that the author did a lot of research. Kate’s engagement to Alexander Fisher was both frustrating and tragic because they were so compatible. I felt it shaped the rest of Kate’s life choices. If you enjoy reading biographies you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Glanderston House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A lot of research clearly went into this book, as evidenced by the acknowledgments section and the appendix. Kate Beecher was definitely a historical figure I'd not heard much of before. If you want to know more about Catherine Beecher, this is one of limited places to learn more.

I just could not get past a man writing a story about a feminist woman of the past, but doing so through the lens of her relationship with a man. Half of this story wasn't directly about Kate at all, and that was probably due to lack of relevant available research on her to make a full book with. There were also a lot of presumptions made and presented as fact (evidenced by the lack of certain citations). This book was trying to be a historical love story of sorts, but was so incredibly dry and filled with whatever filler details could be found, that it was hard to get through. I would not by any means classify this as a biography since it was through a very narrow lens, nor would I call it a love story. It was a collection of information surrounding two individuals and what remains of their relationship to one another.

Don't get me started on half of the sources from the back half of the book being from Wikipedia.

Thank you to Net Galley and Glanderston House for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This book is about Catherine (Kate) Beecher, older sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe. I had never heard of Kate, so I enjoyed learning about her. There was a lot of pressure on her to get married, so she was very happy when she became engaged to Alexander Fisher. Unfortunately, Alexander died in a shipwreck. This tragic event changed Kate's life. She became a crusader for women's education and women's rights. She also became a bestselling author. She was not a suffragette because she had her own unique view about how to improve women's lives. I really liked this book. I could tell the author did a lot of research, and I'm sure the final copy will be exceptional. I also enjoyed the information he added at the end, as well as all the photographs throughout the book. This book was a winner for me!

I really enjoyed learning about Catharine Beecher and how everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the feel of this book. R. Lee Wilson has a strong writing style and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed getting to learn about this person and am excited to read more from R. Lee Wilson.