Lady Unveiled: Catharine Greene Miller 1755-1814

by Pamela Bauer Mueller

During a compelling life that took her from Rhode Island to Cumberland Island, GA, Kitty Greene broke the bondage of tradition.  Married to the legendary General Nathanael Greene, this controversial, independent woman charmed and inspired living Benjamin Franklin, George and Martha Washington, Henry and Lucy Knox, “Mad” Anthony Wayne and others through the tumultuous times surrounding the Revolutionary War.Faced with challenges that would unnerve a less resourceful woman, Kitty made a name for herself.  A churning mass of contradictions―beautiful, elegant and intelligent―she also made meaningful contributions to ongoing political discussions led by her husband and his friends.  Drawn to the company of men at social gatherings, Kitty was slandered for bending the rules of propriety.  Yet this enabled her to be instrumental in the development of the age’s most remarkable invention, the cotton gin.  Because of the limitations of her era, she took no credit, giving Eli Whitney all rights of invention.  Founding Mother Catharine Greene Miller's irrepressible spirit and influence altered the history of America.

Genres: Historical Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2014

About the author

Pamela Bauer Mueller was raised in Oregon. She has worked as a flight attendant, commercial model and actress, English and Spanish teacher and a U.S. Customs Inspector. She now lives on Jekyll Island Georgia with her husband Michael and their cat Morgan Maurice.

Pamela's children and young adult books have awarded her numerous awards, including the 2006/2008 and the 2009 Georgia Author of the Year titles, three Mom's Choice and Children’s Choice gold medals, the Independent Publisher Gold Book awards and other national awards with Writer's Digest and ForeWord magazines. In her seventh historical novel, she recounts the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, an unintended and inadvertent participant in the Lincoln assassination story.

Reviews

[DonnaJo Pallini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love history and especially love Georgia history so this was right up my alley. I learned a few things also. The author did an excellent job with research and has a real knack of making the story flow.
Cumberland Island is a beautiful place I have walked around Dungeness ruins and cemeteries. Now I know more about the history and lives of people that helped create the United States.

[Esther Bouchillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a few parts that were a bit of a slog to read through, especially the chapters dealing with all her debt issues but overall I really enjoyed the read and learned a lot! She experienced a lot of difficulties in her lifetime but kept moving forward.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the Revolutionary war. And what it was like for the soldiers and their families.
I was surprised to learn that their wives were able to come and live with them or near them. Catherine Greene Miller was quite a woman guiding herself and her family through some very difficult times in their lives. She had great passion for people. Having said that I do think she could be self centered sometimes. She bought all these fine clothes and lived a very nice life and then there were money problems. Maybe she did not know because her husband may not have told her. But she certainly seemed to spend money she didn't have. Her husbands were so devoted and wonderful to her. To hear about the history on Block Island and Cumberland Island was informative. I did not know all the history of these two islands and there is still more to learn.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few books on Catherine Greene. A woman who was very different for her time. Independent and definitely thought for herself. A taboo in the 18th century. There were times I thought the author loved Catherine a bit too much, but it does appear everyone truly was in love with her. A magnetic woman. As a history buff who does revolutionary war reenactments, I really enjoyed reading about her and Nathanael. What I didn’t know was her life after him. I’ll be heading down to Cumberland Island to see her grave and final stomping grounds this month. We visited the old site of Mulberry Grove a year ago. I want to go back now after reading the author’s descriptions. Mueller meticulously studied her details. She even included which track of lands Catherine gave to her children. I have ordered three more books by this author. Well done!

[Ronda Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I discovered this book after visiting Cumberland Island. I learned a lot about the Revolutionary War times. I appreciated all the knowledge I gained in reading this book. I found Catherine Greene Miller to be an intriguing and inspiring woman. This book is well written, well researched and worth reading. I liked knowing that I had been to Cumberland Island, and walked on Grand Avenue where she had so long ago.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting accounts of life of spouse during Revolutionary War- sacrifices, family impact by absence of husband as a military leader..American revolution history from a different perspective

[Ariail Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book if you are interested in revolutionary history, fight for your independence as a woman, and a love your family unconditionally.

Catharine "Kitty" Greene is a monumental woman of American history. Standing by the side of her first husband through the entire revolution, she was a pillar not only to him but to all the soldiers who fought for American freedom. In this book we get to follow her life from marriage, to loss, to invention, and through poverty. Despite all that came at her, Kitty remained persistent in fighting for her family and her country.

This book reads exactly like a biography which as a historical fiction is extremely impressive! The story of Kitty is one I was not familiar with so getting to learn more about someone so influential was interesting. The book did drag in some areas so I think it could have been cut down in some areas but overall, I got to learn which was a win!

[Richard Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragic History

Having reveled in the military history of Nathaniel Green in the Southern Department of the Continental Army while researching the lives of ancestors, I was hoping for more on that score. However, I found Kitty Green not of the same inspiring stature as her first husband. That's life. As historical fiction, this book is enlightening and worth the time spent. As romantic fiction, it falls short. The story line was a bit of a chore to keep pressing on through detail after detail. I found it more valuable as a research work than as pleasurable reading. Even without an appendix of sources, I'd rate it a 4+, but as a romance only a 3. The writing could have used some polishing. But I'm benevolent since the suffering of our Revolutionary War heroes and there families should bear more witness.