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Daughters of Chaos
Award-winning author Jen Fawkes's DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS is an epic novel about Civil War-era Nashville’s “public women,” an age-old secret society, and the earth-shaking power of the female.
In 1862, after a tragedy at home, 22-year-old Sylvie Swift parts ways with her twin brother to trace the origins of an enigmatic playscript that’s landed on their doorstep. This text leads her to Nashville, the Union Army’s western headquarters, bustling with soldiers, saboteurs, powerful men––and powerful women.
Sylvie works on a translation of the playscript by day, but at night, under the direction of the Army’s Secret Service Chief, she acts as a Union spy. Both endeavors acquaint her with a sisterhood whose members--including Hannah, a fiery revolutionary to whom Sylvie is increasingly drawn--possess uncanny, and potentially monstrous, powers. Sylvie soon becomes entangled in the Cult of Chaos, a mystical feminist society steadfast in its ancient mission to confront and eradicate the violence of men.
Inspired by both Aristophanes’ LYSISTRATA and the true story of Nashville’s attempt to exile its prostitutes during the Civil War, DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS weaves together "found" texts, fabulism, and queer themes to question familiar notions of history and family, warfare and power.
In 1862, after a tragedy at home, 22-year-old Sylvie Swift parts ways with her twin brother to trace the origins of an enigmatic playscript that’s landed on their doorstep. This text leads her to Nashville, the Union Army’s western headquarters, bustling with soldiers, saboteurs, powerful men––and powerful women.
Sylvie works on a translation of the playscript by day, but at night, under the direction of the Army’s Secret Service Chief, she acts as a Union spy. Both endeavors acquaint her with a sisterhood whose members--including Hannah, a fiery revolutionary to whom Sylvie is increasingly drawn--possess uncanny, and potentially monstrous, powers. Sylvie soon becomes entangled in the Cult of Chaos, a mystical feminist society steadfast in its ancient mission to confront and eradicate the violence of men.
Inspired by both Aristophanes’ LYSISTRATA and the true story of Nashville’s attempt to exile its prostitutes during the Civil War, DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS weaves together "found" texts, fabulism, and queer themes to question familiar notions of history and family, warfare and power.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2024
30 people are currently reading
4460 people want to read
About the author
Jen Fawkes
4 books75 followersJen Fawkes is the author of MANNEQUIN AND WIFE (LSU Press), a 2020 Shirley Jackson Award Nominee, winner of the 2023 Phillip H. McMath Post-Publication Book Award, and Foreword INDIES gold medalist. Her collection TALES THE DEVIL TOLD ME (Press 53) was a Foreword INDIES silver medalist, one of Largehearted Boy’s Favorite Collections of 2021, and a finalist for the 2022 World Fantasy Award for Single-Author Story Collection.
Locus has called Jen’s work “witty and dark, extravagant and savage,” and according to Library Journal, she is “a writer to watch.” Her short fiction has won numerous awards, including the 2021 Porter Fund Literary Prize, and has appeared in One Story, Lit Hub, The Iowa Review, Crazyhorse, Best Small Fictions, and many others. A two-time finalist for the Calvino Prize for fabulist fiction, Jen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her debut novel, DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS, is coming in July 2024 from Abrams Books.
Locus has called Jen’s work “witty and dark, extravagant and savage,” and according to Library Journal, she is “a writer to watch.” Her short fiction has won numerous awards, including the 2021 Porter Fund Literary Prize, and has appeared in One Story, Lit Hub, The Iowa Review, Crazyhorse, Best Small Fictions, and many others. A two-time finalist for the Calvino Prize for fabulist fiction, Jen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her debut novel, DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS, is coming in July 2024 from Abrams Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 22, 2025
3.5 Have you ever get the sense that a book is way smarter than you? It's fascinating at first, but gradually you start to feel inferior and when the dialogue is full of obscure historical details, you start to notice little things that don't connect. What about when you have a sharp novel, full of grad-school level analysis of ancient literature which is itself shapeless? You're grateful for the gift of its being but subconsciously, some part of you takes out the red pencil.
This is an interesting feminist historical fiction novel about an educated young woman who becomes a courtesan and sometimes a spy during the American Civil War. It moves from scene to scene, debating philosophy and Greek literature, but rarely offers much of a dramatic story. It's provocative and surprising, commenting on gender politics and sexuality, grappling with the ideas instead of regurgitating the usual self-help affirmations. This is a distinctly feminine novel that uses the era and historical references to bounce modern concepts off of, seeking something timeless.
But it's almost more like an anthology of essays. I found most of the sexuality a little repulsive. I was often made aware that I was a man reading this. Men remain strange, tragic, and undefinable; seemingly led by lusts for different types of power. The author's previous book Tales the Devil Told Me wrestled with the idea of men, but here they are not the focus. It seems to be about a more womanly connection, the bonds between the sisters and lovers of the courtesans, and the inscrutable nature of feminine sexuality. A philosophical treatise on gender cobbled together on a frame of historical adventure, I felt like an outsider reading it.
Jen reposted a post about Bjork I made like four years ago, so I felt like I owe her an honest review. I picked up her first book in an actual print version, and read her second on Kindle, and this third I bought an actual, well-produced audiobook. I've found each book to be very intelligent and thoughtful and I think it's great to see her work finding a larger audience. But also, I don't think, normally, a historical fiction feminist think piece would have jumped out at me the way Mannequin and Wife, a collection of dark short stories, did.
This is an interesting feminist historical fiction novel about an educated young woman who becomes a courtesan and sometimes a spy during the American Civil War. It moves from scene to scene, debating philosophy and Greek literature, but rarely offers much of a dramatic story. It's provocative and surprising, commenting on gender politics and sexuality, grappling with the ideas instead of regurgitating the usual self-help affirmations. This is a distinctly feminine novel that uses the era and historical references to bounce modern concepts off of, seeking something timeless.
But it's almost more like an anthology of essays. I found most of the sexuality a little repulsive. I was often made aware that I was a man reading this. Men remain strange, tragic, and undefinable; seemingly led by lusts for different types of power. The author's previous book Tales the Devil Told Me wrestled with the idea of men, but here they are not the focus. It seems to be about a more womanly connection, the bonds between the sisters and lovers of the courtesans, and the inscrutable nature of feminine sexuality. A philosophical treatise on gender cobbled together on a frame of historical adventure, I felt like an outsider reading it.
Jen reposted a post about Bjork I made like four years ago, so I felt like I owe her an honest review. I picked up her first book in an actual print version, and read her second on Kindle, and this third I bought an actual, well-produced audiobook. I've found each book to be very intelligent and thoughtful and I think it's great to see her work finding a larger audience. But also, I don't think, normally, a historical fiction feminist think piece would have jumped out at me the way Mannequin and Wife, a collection of dark short stories, did.
November 19, 2024
This felt like two entirely separate stories that got all mashed together? The first 3/4 was incredible and engaging. The last 1/4 where things got more fantasy based was also amazing but made zero sense to me in relation to the rest of the book?
February 12, 2025
This had all the ingredients that might shape into my new favorite book: Greek comedies, lesbians, mythology, epistolary form, water monsters, and the American Civil War but it just didn’t come together right. It struck me as magic-vagina, glass-ceiling, white feminism where trans-exclusionary gender essentialism felt too too close one too many times.
“‘All acts of writing,’ I finally said, ‘are acts of translation’”(2).
“In that moment…I understood that we…were fighting warlike men and the worlds they think they’ve made” (123).
“…nothing teaches us who we might be better than trying on the face of another” (176).
“‘All acts of writing,’ I finally said, ‘are acts of translation’”(2).
“In that moment…I understood that we…were fighting warlike men and the worlds they think they’ve made” (123).
“…nothing teaches us who we might be better than trying on the face of another” (176).
did-not-finish
September 19, 2024Imagine having to write a defensive article “In Praise of Tumultuous, Unruly Storytelling” because your novel is that much of a mess.
DNF @ 54%
DNF @ 54%
November 9, 2024
I was intrigued by the premise of this book because I love historical and literary fiction, especially queer characters in history, and it reminded me quite a bit of Herland. Sylvie is born a twin to Silas, a birth that results in the death of their mother and sends their father into alcoholism.
The first half of the book had beautiful prose and some wonderful insights into the art of translation. Sylvie gets a job in war-torn Nashville to translate an ancient Greek play, Lysistrata, about women who change the tide of conflict by using sex as a game. The insights into compulsory heterosexuality and queerness at the time of the Civil War were compelling.
Sylvie is enlisted to spy on an organization the Union suspects of aiding Confederates, but she soon becomes wrapped up in the cause of this ancient cult to disrupt the natural order of warlike men on both sides and falls for one of its members, a revolutionary named Hannah.
The second half of the book left me more annoyed though. It quickly descended into Man vs. Bear misandry and the gender essentialism of if women were the oppressers there'd be no war. The story flowed in a quite choppy manner, jumping between places and times with snippets of script that left it an unfinished, confused feeling. It was a story told in fragments about a compelling life with an unconventional narrative structure that didn't work for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The first half of the book had beautiful prose and some wonderful insights into the art of translation. Sylvie gets a job in war-torn Nashville to translate an ancient Greek play, Lysistrata, about women who change the tide of conflict by using sex as a game. The insights into compulsory heterosexuality and queerness at the time of the Civil War were compelling.
Sylvie is enlisted to spy on an organization the Union suspects of aiding Confederates, but she soon becomes wrapped up in the cause of this ancient cult to disrupt the natural order of warlike men on both sides and falls for one of its members, a revolutionary named Hannah.
The second half of the book left me more annoyed though. It quickly descended into Man vs. Bear misandry and the gender essentialism of if women were the oppressers there'd be no war. The story flowed in a quite choppy manner, jumping between places and times with snippets of script that left it an unfinished, confused feeling. It was a story told in fragments about a compelling life with an unconventional narrative structure that didn't work for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 20, 2025
I thought this book was really brilliant. A whole new take on historical fiction, it invents in a way that both makes no sense at all, and fits perfectly. The writing is striking and the characters are confusing and compelling. I’m still not clear on the details, so this will be one that I am happy to re-read many times.
Favourite quote:
“Do not let your lives- your stories- be written by a third party… your lives are yours for the taking.” 265
Favourite quote:
“Do not let your lives- your stories- be written by a third party… your lives are yours for the taking.” 265
August 28, 2024
My only real downside on this one is long stretches of script recitation that I tend to find hard to follow in audio (I'm not sure why, it's not THAT different listening to it vs prose). Otherwise a very unique read.
Read
June 12, 2024(No rating because I am currently working on this title)
July 30, 2024
7/28/2024 2.5 stars grudgingly rounded up because I don't think it's harmful, exactly, which is what 2 stars usually means from me. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
7/30/2024 Oh dear. This book starts out so promisingly, as a woman on her deathbed makes her lover swear to speak with the daughters the latter gave up for adoption. A grief-stricken Sylvie Swift has no idea how to approach the two girls she gave up as babies, so decides to write them a series of letters instead, chronicling her own history and the events that led her to flee Kentucky for Tennessee before settling down with her lover in California.
Sylvie's own mother died shortly after giving birth to her and her twin brother Silas. Their older sister Marina helps raise them, as their father Horatio has never been the most practical man. After the twins turn fourteen, Marina abruptly leaves for Nashville. Horatio is devastated, refusing to speak of her. Following his death, the twins grow more distant from one another. With the Civil War breaking out, Silas decides to enlist with the Confederacy while Sylvie chooses to follow Marina to Nashville from their Kentucky home.
Nashville has recently been captured by the United States government. The few clues Sylvie has as to where Marina might be now lead her to a high end brothel called the Land Of Sirens. The denizens take her in, encouraging her work in translating Apocrypha, the alleged final work of Aristophanes, from French to English. As she begins to learn more about her own roots, she's recruited by a United States colonel to infiltrate the charitable Ladies' Aid Society, which he suspects of sabotaging Union forces to provide for the Confederacy. But the more time she spends with the charity, and especially with the beautiful Hannah Holcombe, the more she becomes entangled in the machinations of the Cult of Chaos, an ancient society of women who believe that overthrowing the violent rule of men is the only way to save the world.
Okay, look, I'm a proud feminist, but I am not, crucially, a gender essentialist. Even before I became better educated about gender fluidity and trans rights, I was never the kind of person who believed that if women ruled the world, it would become some sort of utopia. Newsflash: women are human beings just as susceptible to anger and shame and fear and prejudice and poor judgment and self-justification as any man or nonbinary person. Social conditioning has made it easier to silo traits among genders, but it's deeply silly to think that turning the tables of injustice so that one kind of people are on top is anything more than a) a power fantasy that also happens to be b) a continuance of injustice. The point of feminism is to make the world a better place for everyone. If you're actually fighting for a better world, you should strive to be inclusive of those who have similar goals and values, no matter their background. People should always be judged by the content of their character, by what they deliberately do, not by how they look or the circumstances into which they were born.
Which, ofc, leads to my biggest beef with this novel: the absolutely wild choice to frame the Civil War as just men fighting for power. Yes, the United States government should have done a better job of providing for the newly emancipated, but the implication that no cause besides undermining patriarchy is worth warfare is a slap in the face not only to Black Americans but to anyone who's ever fought back against injustice. It's the kind of bullshit bootlicker thinking that seeks to appease tyrants and dictators, as if the people fighting for human rights are just as guilty as those violently oppressing them. And for a book rife with sex workers, the weird "well, she was only pretending to be a whore" attitude throughout feels very disdainful and classist.
Problematic social issues aside, this book felt like a series of set pieces looking for a plot. There's so much cool stuff here that's never explained, which irritates me as a fervent reader of speculative fiction. What's the deal with the bloody package? How do the Sirens manage to enthrall all those men, or was that just a hallucination on Sylvie's part? Throwing all these elements together isn't clever without a throughline of logic, even if that logic relies on a magic system. You can't just shoehorn inexplicable events into your historical novel and be all "well, it's a fantasy novel." That's literally not how it works. All successful fantasy novels have rules, it's not just whatever the author feels like shoehorning in because they're too lazy to think up a logical explanation.
"Oh but Doreen," I'm sure someone is thinking, "the point of the book is Chaos! Therefore--" Look, stfu. First off, the idea that women are inherently chaotic while men are inherently orderly is deeply insulting (see: my loathing of gender essentialism above.) Secondly, Chaos as a concept is fine as a plot device -- the Leviathans are cool! -- but a story without cohesion isn't art, it's just uninteresting rambling. People in general are interesting, but their day to day lives are filled with mundanity that doesn't necessarily need to be shared with a wider audience for profit: threshing off the chaff makes it worth sharing with other people, especially if the story is trying to make a point. I know that this can seem hard to believe in a world obsessed with social media trivialities, but editing really does matter, whether self-imposed or otherwise. Order is what shapes a mass of potential into something with actual utility.
Also, as a book nerd, I was deeply offended at the slight to classicists throughout, as the author conveniently forgets that the Greeks, whose entire cosmology she bases this book on, had two gods of war, male and female, Ares and Athena respectively. Ares was, ironically, the embodiment of the chaos and brutality of war, whereas Athena was the embodiment of military order and strategy. This is, ofc, a much smaller complaint than the others but wow, it's just the cherry on this disaster sundae otherwise.
I'm also annoyed because I really wanted this book to succeed, especially after the neat thoughts in the first few chapters about the act of translation. I spent two days on this when I could have been enjoying one of the dozens of other books on my TBR-mountain. I am genuinely resentful.
Daughters Of Chaos by Jen Fawkes was published July 9 2024 by Overlook Press and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
7/30/2024 Oh dear. This book starts out so promisingly, as a woman on her deathbed makes her lover swear to speak with the daughters the latter gave up for adoption. A grief-stricken Sylvie Swift has no idea how to approach the two girls she gave up as babies, so decides to write them a series of letters instead, chronicling her own history and the events that led her to flee Kentucky for Tennessee before settling down with her lover in California.
Sylvie's own mother died shortly after giving birth to her and her twin brother Silas. Their older sister Marina helps raise them, as their father Horatio has never been the most practical man. After the twins turn fourteen, Marina abruptly leaves for Nashville. Horatio is devastated, refusing to speak of her. Following his death, the twins grow more distant from one another. With the Civil War breaking out, Silas decides to enlist with the Confederacy while Sylvie chooses to follow Marina to Nashville from their Kentucky home.
Nashville has recently been captured by the United States government. The few clues Sylvie has as to where Marina might be now lead her to a high end brothel called the Land Of Sirens. The denizens take her in, encouraging her work in translating Apocrypha, the alleged final work of Aristophanes, from French to English. As she begins to learn more about her own roots, she's recruited by a United States colonel to infiltrate the charitable Ladies' Aid Society, which he suspects of sabotaging Union forces to provide for the Confederacy. But the more time she spends with the charity, and especially with the beautiful Hannah Holcombe, the more she becomes entangled in the machinations of the Cult of Chaos, an ancient society of women who believe that overthrowing the violent rule of men is the only way to save the world.
Okay, look, I'm a proud feminist, but I am not, crucially, a gender essentialist. Even before I became better educated about gender fluidity and trans rights, I was never the kind of person who believed that if women ruled the world, it would become some sort of utopia. Newsflash: women are human beings just as susceptible to anger and shame and fear and prejudice and poor judgment and self-justification as any man or nonbinary person. Social conditioning has made it easier to silo traits among genders, but it's deeply silly to think that turning the tables of injustice so that one kind of people are on top is anything more than a) a power fantasy that also happens to be b) a continuance of injustice. The point of feminism is to make the world a better place for everyone. If you're actually fighting for a better world, you should strive to be inclusive of those who have similar goals and values, no matter their background. People should always be judged by the content of their character, by what they deliberately do, not by how they look or the circumstances into which they were born.
Which, ofc, leads to my biggest beef with this novel: the absolutely wild choice to frame the Civil War as just men fighting for power. Yes, the United States government should have done a better job of providing for the newly emancipated, but the implication that no cause besides undermining patriarchy is worth warfare is a slap in the face not only to Black Americans but to anyone who's ever fought back against injustice. It's the kind of bullshit bootlicker thinking that seeks to appease tyrants and dictators, as if the people fighting for human rights are just as guilty as those violently oppressing them. And for a book rife with sex workers, the weird "well, she was only pretending to be a whore" attitude throughout feels very disdainful and classist.
Problematic social issues aside, this book felt like a series of set pieces looking for a plot. There's so much cool stuff here that's never explained, which irritates me as a fervent reader of speculative fiction. What's the deal with the bloody package? How do the Sirens manage to enthrall all those men, or was that just a hallucination on Sylvie's part? Throwing all these elements together isn't clever without a throughline of logic, even if that logic relies on a magic system. You can't just shoehorn inexplicable events into your historical novel and be all "well, it's a fantasy novel." That's literally not how it works. All successful fantasy novels have rules, it's not just whatever the author feels like shoehorning in because they're too lazy to think up a logical explanation.
"Oh but Doreen," I'm sure someone is thinking, "the point of the book is Chaos! Therefore--" Look, stfu. First off, the idea that women are inherently chaotic while men are inherently orderly is deeply insulting (see: my loathing of gender essentialism above.) Secondly, Chaos as a concept is fine as a plot device -- the Leviathans are cool! -- but a story without cohesion isn't art, it's just uninteresting rambling. People in general are interesting, but their day to day lives are filled with mundanity that doesn't necessarily need to be shared with a wider audience for profit: threshing off the chaff makes it worth sharing with other people, especially if the story is trying to make a point. I know that this can seem hard to believe in a world obsessed with social media trivialities, but editing really does matter, whether self-imposed or otherwise. Order is what shapes a mass of potential into something with actual utility.
Also, as a book nerd, I was deeply offended at the slight to classicists throughout, as the author conveniently forgets that the Greeks, whose entire cosmology she bases this book on, had two gods of war, male and female, Ares and Athena respectively. Ares was, ironically, the embodiment of the chaos and brutality of war, whereas Athena was the embodiment of military order and strategy. This is, ofc, a much smaller complaint than the others but wow, it's just the cherry on this disaster sundae otherwise.
I'm also annoyed because I really wanted this book to succeed, especially after the neat thoughts in the first few chapters about the act of translation. I spent two days on this when I could have been enjoying one of the dozens of other books on my TBR-mountain. I am genuinely resentful.
Daughters Of Chaos by Jen Fawkes was published July 9 2024 by Overlook Press and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
May 16, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Speculative and historical fiction meet in this story following a little-known piece of American history from the Civil War era. Wonderfully written through the lenses of narrative, letters, newspaper clippings, and Greek translation, the novel tells the story of Sylvie Swift, a woman born into a long lineage of strong female characters, with a link to the distant past. The mix of real historical events with Greek myth and monsters of old made for an engaging, fresh new twist on historical fiction.
Reading this felt somehow both grounding and dreamlike. Amazing focus on women’s rights throughout the ages tied with an individual woman’s journey towards inner peace and familial mysteries solved.
I can’t believe this is a debut novel! Very much looking forward to whatever Fawkes pens next.
Speculative and historical fiction meet in this story following a little-known piece of American history from the Civil War era. Wonderfully written through the lenses of narrative, letters, newspaper clippings, and Greek translation, the novel tells the story of Sylvie Swift, a woman born into a long lineage of strong female characters, with a link to the distant past. The mix of real historical events with Greek myth and monsters of old made for an engaging, fresh new twist on historical fiction.
Reading this felt somehow both grounding and dreamlike. Amazing focus on women’s rights throughout the ages tied with an individual woman’s journey towards inner peace and familial mysteries solved.
I can’t believe this is a debut novel! Very much looking forward to whatever Fawkes pens next.
July 18, 2024
I have read books where it's difficult to give a star review, but I think this is the ultimate. It's such a unique book! Jen Fawkes did a lot of research and took a lot of care writing Daughters of Chaos, but...
...yeah. This book has a lot going on. There are so many threads, but few of them get fleshed out to the level they deserve. I really think this is a story that needed a longer book. I liked the parallel between Apocrypha and Sylvie's experience. I wish we learned more about sister Marina.
As a former Nashvillian, I loved the alt-history take on the "public women" and connecting the city to classic Greek theater and ancient Roman mystery cults.
Even if this one didn't hit with me, it's an intriguing debut and I'm interested to read more from Fawkes.
Thank you, Abrams/Overlook Press and Netgalley, for an advance ebook in exchange for a fair review.
...yeah. This book has a lot going on. There are so many threads, but few of them get fleshed out to the level they deserve. I really think this is a story that needed a longer book. I liked the parallel between Apocrypha and Sylvie's experience. I wish we learned more about sister Marina.
As a former Nashvillian, I loved the alt-history take on the "public women" and connecting the city to classic Greek theater and ancient Roman mystery cults.
Even if this one didn't hit with me, it's an intriguing debut and I'm interested to read more from Fawkes.
Thank you, Abrams/Overlook Press and Netgalley, for an advance ebook in exchange for a fair review.
December 28, 2023
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This text was... not my favorite. Chaotic is a good word to describe it. Flimsy and unbelievable plot that made little sense, unlikable characters, and it felt rushed.
May 24, 2024
2/5 Stars
TL;DR - A super interesting premise, and that’s about it. Boring, mostly-nonsensical, with a tissue paper-thin plot and little resolution or explanation. I wanted to like it, but it really let me down in the end.
Big thanks to Abrams, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!
***Trigger Warnings for: death of a partner due to illness, mentions of suicidal ideation, mentioned death due to childbirth, death of a parent, mentions of domestic violence, an alcoholic parent, racism, pyromania and arson that includes mentioned deaths by fire, mentions of eugenicist rhetoric and white nationalism, minor self harm, mentioned self-harm with a blade, mentioned child sex trafficking, mentioned statutory rape, mentioned traumatic abortions, mild gore, mentioned stillborn birth, mentioned incest, implied drowning, death of a sibling, and attempted suicide.***
‘Daughters of Chaos’ by Jen Fawkes is a historical fantasy (please note I’m using ‘fantasy’ very lightly) that takes place in the American South during the Civil War. It follows the story of Sylvie Swift, from the tragic circumstances of her birth, through her childhood and adolescence, and then through her tumultuous and war-torn early 20s in Nashville, Tennessee. Recounted in a memoir-manifesto penned 15 years after the main events of the book, interspersed with newspaper clippings, encyclopedia excerpts, and Sylvie’s own translation of a lost Greek comedy, we watch as she navigates womanhood and comes into her power. (Allegedly, she doesn’t really do much.)
So, this was aggressively mid at best, and I don’t have a lot to say about it.
The prose is average, but super heavy-handed, both in its discussions on sexism, misogyny, and gender (more on that below), as well as in the parallels drawn between Sylvie and the important women who came before her. The latter is so heavy that it practically gives most of the plot away before the book really even gets going, which was not a fun time. There is very little plot, no real character development or character arcs, and the climax is pretty much non-existent. (Tension? Never met her!) It’s just a bunch of coincidences and non-explanations, and very, very little substance. There’s also a lot of phrases and descriptions repeated over and over, which I never enjoy.
(From my notes: Sylvie says ‘my stars’ 10000x GIRL SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!)
The magical realism/fantasy is very light, and not explained at all by the end of the book. There was so much potential, and none of it is harnessed, and yes, I am salty about it. A lot of cool ideas that go exactly nowhere, and are given criminally little page-time for how the blurb promised me “fabulism”.
The main character is bisexual, which I very much appreciate, but even that is underutilized - and definitely not enough to justify the blurb saying this book explores “queer themes”. (This book also does employ the trope, sadly.) There is a non-speaking minor character, which I also appreciated, but they’re so minor I can’t even count that as a plus.
And then, related to the heavy-handed issue I mentioned above, there’s this pervasive vibe of gender essentialism that I did not enjoy. It’s hard to put into words, but this book just harps on and on about “all women are superior in these ways and that makes them good, all men are inferior in these ways and that makes them bad”, over and over, ad nauseum. It overgeneralizes the alleged differences between genders as a way to “lift up” women, when all it really accomplishes is to espouse the same divisive rhetoric weaponized against women, but with a shoddy coat of misandrist paint slapped over the top. I’m the brand of feminist who doesn’t need to tear down and alienate men to pursue equity and equality, so this really did not speak to me. For such a fascinating premise that’s inherently rife with feminist possibilities, this was an absolute let-down. I was looking for a feminist feast, what I got was a very shallow bowl of gender-essentialist soup. Minus one star for that alone, no thank you.
Final Thoughts:
This really should have been a hit for me, but overall, it’s shallow and underwritten, and I should have DNF’d, but hey, here we are. I will not be purchasing a physical copy.
TL;DR - A super interesting premise, and that’s about it. Boring, mostly-nonsensical, with a tissue paper-thin plot and little resolution or explanation. I wanted to like it, but it really let me down in the end.
Big thanks to Abrams, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!
***Trigger Warnings for: death of a partner due to illness, mentions of suicidal ideation, mentioned death due to childbirth, death of a parent, mentions of domestic violence, an alcoholic parent, racism, pyromania and arson that includes mentioned deaths by fire, mentions of eugenicist rhetoric and white nationalism, minor self harm, mentioned self-harm with a blade, mentioned child sex trafficking, mentioned statutory rape, mentioned traumatic abortions, mild gore, mentioned stillborn birth, mentioned incest, implied drowning, death of a sibling, and attempted suicide.***
‘Daughters of Chaos’ by Jen Fawkes is a historical fantasy (please note I’m using ‘fantasy’ very lightly) that takes place in the American South during the Civil War. It follows the story of Sylvie Swift, from the tragic circumstances of her birth, through her childhood and adolescence, and then through her tumultuous and war-torn early 20s in Nashville, Tennessee. Recounted in a memoir-manifesto penned 15 years after the main events of the book, interspersed with newspaper clippings, encyclopedia excerpts, and Sylvie’s own translation of a lost Greek comedy, we watch as she navigates womanhood and comes into her power. (Allegedly, she doesn’t really do much.)
So, this was aggressively mid at best, and I don’t have a lot to say about it.
The prose is average, but super heavy-handed, both in its discussions on sexism, misogyny, and gender (more on that below), as well as in the parallels drawn between Sylvie and the important women who came before her. The latter is so heavy that it practically gives most of the plot away before the book really even gets going, which was not a fun time. There is very little plot, no real character development or character arcs, and the climax is pretty much non-existent. (Tension? Never met her!) It’s just a bunch of coincidences and non-explanations, and very, very little substance. There’s also a lot of phrases and descriptions repeated over and over, which I never enjoy.
(From my notes: Sylvie says ‘my stars’ 10000x GIRL SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!)
The magical realism/fantasy is very light, and not explained at all by the end of the book. There was so much potential, and none of it is harnessed, and yes, I am salty about it. A lot of cool ideas that go exactly nowhere, and are given criminally little page-time for how the blurb promised me “fabulism”.
The main character is bisexual, which I very much appreciate, but even that is underutilized - and definitely not enough to justify the blurb saying this book explores “queer themes”. (This book also does employ the trope, sadly.) There is a non-speaking minor character, which I also appreciated, but they’re so minor I can’t even count that as a plus.
And then, related to the heavy-handed issue I mentioned above, there’s this pervasive vibe of gender essentialism that I did not enjoy. It’s hard to put into words, but this book just harps on and on about “all women are superior in these ways and that makes them good, all men are inferior in these ways and that makes them bad”, over and over, ad nauseum. It overgeneralizes the alleged differences between genders as a way to “lift up” women, when all it really accomplishes is to espouse the same divisive rhetoric weaponized against women, but with a shoddy coat of misandrist paint slapped over the top. I’m the brand of feminist who doesn’t need to tear down and alienate men to pursue equity and equality, so this really did not speak to me. For such a fascinating premise that’s inherently rife with feminist possibilities, this was an absolute let-down. I was looking for a feminist feast, what I got was a very shallow bowl of gender-essentialist soup. Minus one star for that alone, no thank you.
Final Thoughts:
This really should have been a hit for me, but overall, it’s shallow and underwritten, and I should have DNF’d, but hey, here we are. I will not be purchasing a physical copy.
July 2, 2024
I don’t know if anyone else has had this experience, but do you ever find ‘answers’ or insight into personal struggles while you’re reading fiction – from novels that appear to have nothing at all to do with your situation?
Because, let me tell you – a story set during the Civil War in a Tennessee brothel, heaped with Greek mythology and magic and many-headed monsters – doesn’t sound at all like my personal plight against a foreign mining company, except for the ‘monster’ part (yes, this is something that has permeated my life and will continue throughout my lifetime.)
And yet… This book was just what I needed. It is filled with kick-ass, warrior women. It’s a book about the human race’s history of pillage and war and its constancy of being on the edge of disaster, but also mankind’s desire to tame and control the world. From the book: “Man has been trying to order, organize, and categorize the universe for centuries; let us see what happens when we embrace disorder, when we make peace with disorientation, when we dwell – at least in part – in Chaos.”
It’s also the story of a woman during the Civil War, orphaned at first by a mother, then a lost father – who comes to realize just how much power she has. The novel includes the translation of an ancient play that links women - and their strength - from time immemorial; it’s about a secret society of these women and how they band together to effect change. It parallels and includes Greek mythology (which I honestly wondered if I’d enjoy).
But, oh DID I! There were so many drink-worthy lines of prose and so many quotable passages that I cannot include them all. The first two, however, I felt related to my own life, as I take on a board position with a local group fighting for our beloved San Pedro watershed against foreign mining interests:
"No one knows the future,” said Evangeline, “or even the past. We have only the present, and we must strive to discover what lessons this moment can teach us.”
“Once you’ve made up your mind to take control of your own shape – your own story – you’ll know exactly what to do.”
Then there are the other pearls of wisdom scattered throughout:
“Can’t you see, he said, “that strength and power aren’t the same thing? Power requires other people. Strength, one has when one is alone.”
Others will see us as they see us, Apollo. Trying to control one’s image is a waste of time and energy.
Change is inevitable; patience must be cultivated, but it enables one to adapt, to adjust- to survive.
"Woman is the universe. We are the cosmos. We are the landscape. We’re the forest, the bear, the mountain, the beehive, the sea. And it is our ability to change, to adapt, to wear a series of faces that gives us our strength, that enables us - in spite of how we’re fettered by society- not only to survive but to prevail.”
Again, isn’t that what good books do: speak to us? No matter their topic, they connect to their readers. They inspire. A single line reaches out and offers guidance or insight. Beyond that serendipitous way books whisper in our ears, this is just a wildly intelligent novel. It’s superbly written, has fantastic thematic and metaphorical parallels and is written in a way that, if you are not familiar with Greek mythology and are sorely deficient in those stories (like me), you can still follow along without issue.
This is an “I am woman, hear me roar” kind of book. When I finished, I wanted to grab up every woman I know and hug her – because it made me think about the different ways females are freakishly strong: the single mom who does it all, the woman who learns to truly forgive a cheating husband, the one who breaks through the glass ceiling, the one who survives the loss of a child, the one who looks meek but has sustained trauma no human should ever experience, and yet… she goes on.
I feel fortunate to have read two stellar books in a row. I’m excited to read more from this author. Those who enjoy historical fiction, literary fiction, Greek mythology, and lovely writing will find a winner in this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Abrams/The Overlook Press for an advance reader copy.
Because, let me tell you – a story set during the Civil War in a Tennessee brothel, heaped with Greek mythology and magic and many-headed monsters – doesn’t sound at all like my personal plight against a foreign mining company, except for the ‘monster’ part (yes, this is something that has permeated my life and will continue throughout my lifetime.)
And yet… This book was just what I needed. It is filled with kick-ass, warrior women. It’s a book about the human race’s history of pillage and war and its constancy of being on the edge of disaster, but also mankind’s desire to tame and control the world. From the book: “Man has been trying to order, organize, and categorize the universe for centuries; let us see what happens when we embrace disorder, when we make peace with disorientation, when we dwell – at least in part – in Chaos.”
It’s also the story of a woman during the Civil War, orphaned at first by a mother, then a lost father – who comes to realize just how much power she has. The novel includes the translation of an ancient play that links women - and their strength - from time immemorial; it’s about a secret society of these women and how they band together to effect change. It parallels and includes Greek mythology (which I honestly wondered if I’d enjoy).
But, oh DID I! There were so many drink-worthy lines of prose and so many quotable passages that I cannot include them all. The first two, however, I felt related to my own life, as I take on a board position with a local group fighting for our beloved San Pedro watershed against foreign mining interests:
"No one knows the future,” said Evangeline, “or even the past. We have only the present, and we must strive to discover what lessons this moment can teach us.”
“Once you’ve made up your mind to take control of your own shape – your own story – you’ll know exactly what to do.”
Then there are the other pearls of wisdom scattered throughout:
“Can’t you see, he said, “that strength and power aren’t the same thing? Power requires other people. Strength, one has when one is alone.”
Others will see us as they see us, Apollo. Trying to control one’s image is a waste of time and energy.
Change is inevitable; patience must be cultivated, but it enables one to adapt, to adjust- to survive.
"Woman is the universe. We are the cosmos. We are the landscape. We’re the forest, the bear, the mountain, the beehive, the sea. And it is our ability to change, to adapt, to wear a series of faces that gives us our strength, that enables us - in spite of how we’re fettered by society- not only to survive but to prevail.”
Again, isn’t that what good books do: speak to us? No matter their topic, they connect to their readers. They inspire. A single line reaches out and offers guidance or insight. Beyond that serendipitous way books whisper in our ears, this is just a wildly intelligent novel. It’s superbly written, has fantastic thematic and metaphorical parallels and is written in a way that, if you are not familiar with Greek mythology and are sorely deficient in those stories (like me), you can still follow along without issue.
This is an “I am woman, hear me roar” kind of book. When I finished, I wanted to grab up every woman I know and hug her – because it made me think about the different ways females are freakishly strong: the single mom who does it all, the woman who learns to truly forgive a cheating husband, the one who breaks through the glass ceiling, the one who survives the loss of a child, the one who looks meek but has sustained trauma no human should ever experience, and yet… she goes on.
I feel fortunate to have read two stellar books in a row. I’m excited to read more from this author. Those who enjoy historical fiction, literary fiction, Greek mythology, and lovely writing will find a winner in this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Abrams/The Overlook Press for an advance reader copy.
April 5, 2024
DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS by Jen Fawkes gets all the stars. This book is flawlessly written. It’s a combination of Greek mythology and little-known history - Civil War era prostitutes in Tennessee. It comes together via a unique structure: letters to the main character’s daughters plus other documents we don’t usually see in a novel, and it all works well. The structure is an outgrowth of the main character’s passion, translation. Even the letters to the daughters are an act of translation. For me, the delivery of the story was intriguing in and of itself and made perfect sense for this novel. At the end of the book, I was happy to see the author includes a note about her inspiration and how this book came together in this unique way.
This is a wonderful novel with a great feminist message, strong female characters, and unforgettable monsters. I felt like this book was written for me, that I am a daughter of Chaos.
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this novel free of charge via NetGalley.
For a review on this book specific to writing craft: https://www.tonjamatneyreynolds.com/p...
This is a wonderful novel with a great feminist message, strong female characters, and unforgettable monsters. I felt like this book was written for me, that I am a daughter of Chaos.
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this novel free of charge via NetGalley.
For a review on this book specific to writing craft: https://www.tonjamatneyreynolds.com/p...
November 24, 2024
I picked up this book because it takes place in Nashville during the Civil War and follows a secret society of women trying to end the violence of men. After finishing it, I'm not entirely sure what I read, but it was fascinating nonetheless.
DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS reminded me of another book I read last year called LONE WOMEN. It's historical fiction, but it also veers into surreal/magical realism/horror territory. I think this could lose some readers if you're not prepared for it.
The novel follows Sylvia Swift when she moves to Nashville after her twin brother joins the Confederate Army and Sylvie is called to a brothel where she's being asked to translate an ancient Greek playscript. The references to Aristophane's Lysistrata were interesting, although it felt at times the book was trying to do too much it and kind of lost the plot. I wanted to spend more time with Sylvie as a spy for the Union Army than with some of the historical excerpts that punctuated the chapters.
Overall, I am intrigued by this theme of feminist reimagining of historical fiction. So if you're up for strange, monstrous occurrences in historical settings, give DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS a try.
DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS reminded me of another book I read last year called LONE WOMEN. It's historical fiction, but it also veers into surreal/magical realism/horror territory. I think this could lose some readers if you're not prepared for it.
The novel follows Sylvia Swift when she moves to Nashville after her twin brother joins the Confederate Army and Sylvie is called to a brothel where she's being asked to translate an ancient Greek playscript. The references to Aristophane's Lysistrata were interesting, although it felt at times the book was trying to do too much it and kind of lost the plot. I wanted to spend more time with Sylvie as a spy for the Union Army than with some of the historical excerpts that punctuated the chapters.
Overall, I am intrigued by this theme of feminist reimagining of historical fiction. So if you're up for strange, monstrous occurrences in historical settings, give DAUGHTERS OF CHAOS a try.
May 20, 2025
unflinching and light-headed, messy and stuttering, swirling and suffocating, bright and hollow, stubbornly untethered, and 90% of that is complementary. god i love when a novel fucks with the form. the multimedia elements were honestly the strongest parts of this book, i really wish it had leaned into it heavier tbh- could’ve added an even more tragic element. the world feels alive but manageable, the characters read as wise players in a mythic saga, the narrative meanders then reflects on its own meandering. opted down to 4 from 4.5 bc i do think some of the themes and messages come off clumsily and for the fact that like. an entire storyline gets abandoned like 2/3 of the way through (i wanted to see them do the orpheus play :< ) and, all that being said, the gender essentialism is weird! that’s just true! the mechanics of the physical translations and the lore of the cult of chaos are the one thing that kinda turned me off because it feels a little too defined if that makes sense….. but it didn’t come off as intentionally terf-y or harmful so i could look past it? the multimedia is what really made this book stand out to me shout out multimedia
September 22, 2024
Captivating.
First, just read it. This is an extraordinary interweaving of historical fact and fiction, with just a touch of the fantastical. Jen Fawkes addresses womens' experiences and the feminist perspective in a way that brings us into, and connects us to emotions of strength, power, loss, bereavement, triumph, sexuality, sadness, joy, and longing. She explores the multidimensionality of humans -- how we grow, learn, and change through time, both historical time and an individual's lifetime. It is also a smart and complex book, not something that you want to read in an afternoon, but a story to take time with and savor. It is so captivating that it is tempting to devour all at once, but like an extraordinary meal that delights the senses, I felt compelled and grateful to enjoy every morsel of this brilliant novel. Daughters of Chaos is simply a fabulous read, and we need to all keep our eye on Fawkes, a rising literary star.
Miranda Warburton, Ph.D.
First, just read it. This is an extraordinary interweaving of historical fact and fiction, with just a touch of the fantastical. Jen Fawkes addresses womens' experiences and the feminist perspective in a way that brings us into, and connects us to emotions of strength, power, loss, bereavement, triumph, sexuality, sadness, joy, and longing. She explores the multidimensionality of humans -- how we grow, learn, and change through time, both historical time and an individual's lifetime. It is also a smart and complex book, not something that you want to read in an afternoon, but a story to take time with and savor. It is so captivating that it is tempting to devour all at once, but like an extraordinary meal that delights the senses, I felt compelled and grateful to enjoy every morsel of this brilliant novel. Daughters of Chaos is simply a fabulous read, and we need to all keep our eye on Fawkes, a rising literary star.
Miranda Warburton, Ph.D.
November 20, 2024
I adored this whipsmart novel about Sylvie Swift, a bold and brilliant young woman who, in 1862, lights out for Nashville, Tennessee, where she is immediately recruited to work as a spy for the chief of the Union Army's Secret Service while also chasing down a mysterious manuscript that may or may not be a version of Aristophanes' Lysistrata. Not only that -- she also becomes absorbed in the threatened world of the city's prostitutes, who offer her company and shelter, and who really were threatened with exile by Nashville's government during the Civil War. Such a rich and complex story would be impossible to tell in the hands of a lesser storyteller, but Fawkes handles the multiplying characters and storylines with admirable ease. (via shepherd.com)
December 10, 2024
had great potential, but fell flat for me. I wish there was more with the relationship between Hannah & Sylvie, as it quickly turned into the bury your gays trope. I like books that take on different forms, which I think Fawkes did successfully. I just wasn't impressed with everything else. It didn't feel fleshed out at all, it was very gender essentialist, and the fantasy aspect wasn't explained very well imo
Might change rating to 2 stars, idk
update: I did change it to two stars. The more I thought about it, the more disjointed it felt. I just wanted more Hannah and Sylvie. I also wanted more connection to Sylvia's daughters, as the whole book is written as letters to them. I like weird and chaotic, but it still has to have a formula of sorts when it's being published. At the very least, a good ole beginning, middle, and end. However, this didn't feel like it at all
Might change rating to 2 stars, idk
update: I did change it to two stars. The more I thought about it, the more disjointed it felt. I just wanted more Hannah and Sylvie. I also wanted more connection to Sylvia's daughters, as the whole book is written as letters to them. I like weird and chaotic, but it still has to have a formula of sorts when it's being published. At the very least, a good ole beginning, middle, and end. However, this didn't feel like it at all
January 14, 2025
Did not like this book. Was hopeful based on the blurb that it would be a mostly truthful recollection of women during the Civil War. Instead it was a messy, fictional fantasy that didn’t make much sense.
I absolutely hated the “monster” elements that kept getting tied in — I wish the Greek mythology and Civil War-era sections were kept separate. The way they were combined made the book confusing to read.
The plot was like an idea that might be cool when you first think of it, but then realize would be horrible in execution. There were too many elements that weren’t artfully tied together.
I was also left with questions at the end.
Overall would not recommend.
I absolutely hated the “monster” elements that kept getting tied in — I wish the Greek mythology and Civil War-era sections were kept separate. The way they were combined made the book confusing to read.
The plot was like an idea that might be cool when you first think of it, but then realize would be horrible in execution. There were too many elements that weren’t artfully tied together.
I was also left with questions at the end.
Overall would not recommend.
July 2, 2024
I think this book will have an audience, but that audience does not include me. This story is interesting and well-written, but, at the same time, it meanders and lacks any buildup or payoff. It has many interesting ideas, but they often feel uncoordinated and incomplete.
I did enjoy the feminism, sapphic MC, and getting to learn a bit of history
#NetGalley
I did enjoy the feminism, sapphic MC, and getting to learn a bit of history
#NetGalley
October 4, 2024
I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was fantastical and far-fetched, but a beautiful story with Greek Mythology woven throughout. As a massive Mythology nerd, it was so fun to explore this world where it’s so fluidly integrated. I will say it was clunky at times, and the plot was hard to follow here and there, but overall an enveloping experience.
October 17, 2024
I’m a huge fan of Fawkes’ tender, imaginative short stories, where fairytales are re-spun and monsters reimagined. So I was very excited to dive into her first novel. Wow, what a wild ride—Greek goddesses and magic, and a sacred scribe, all against the backdrop of the Civil War. The narrative has much to say about freedom and rebellion, and only Jen Fawkes could say it like this.
March 29, 2025
On one hand, this is an intricately plotted novel about how women have found and exerted their own power throughout history. On the other, it’s a character-driven exploration of one woman’s search for purpose, family, and home, as well as her struggles with the same. Fawkes is an ambitious and highly original thinker, and her work is both smart and deeply emotionally engaging. Highly recommend.
April 4, 2025
I gave this book several chances, picking it up and putting it down, but in the end, I couldn’t make it past 40%. I really wanted to push through because I don’t like to DNF a book, but sadly, I’ve realized it’s just not for me. That said, I know there’s definitely an audience for it; it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
July 20, 2024
4.5 stars. This is the best novel I’ve read in quite a while. It’s inspiring and thought-provoking and I highly recommend it, particularly to anyone who gets bogged down in the details of an ordered life.
August 18, 2024
A fantastical visionary story, multilayered and surprising in how disparate-appearing elements come together in this intricately woven novel. The author’s note is very informative about the creation of the story. I love a good author’s note.
I do confess I forgot why I wanted to read this book in the first place—I’m pretty behind in my reviewing. So I started the book but put it down again, confused. Once I re-read the summary, I was all in again.
From Nashville during the Civil War, a secret society of women, a Greek play within a play, and Renaissance Venice, peopled with friends, family, and monsters. Letters from The Hunley, dreams and visions of magical twins, mothers, and daughters….
I’m describing it like a collage, but that’s how I feel about it. From reading other NetGalley reviews, I think you either get it or you don’t. This is an extremely original story, organic, and steeped in women’s history and myth with excellent writing. I also love historical speculative fiction and highly recommend this novel.
thank you netgalley for a copy of this book to review
I do confess I forgot why I wanted to read this book in the first place—I’m pretty behind in my reviewing. So I started the book but put it down again, confused. Once I re-read the summary, I was all in again.
From Nashville during the Civil War, a secret society of women, a Greek play within a play, and Renaissance Venice, peopled with friends, family, and monsters. Letters from The Hunley, dreams and visions of magical twins, mothers, and daughters….
I’m describing it like a collage, but that’s how I feel about it. From reading other NetGalley reviews, I think you either get it or you don’t. This is an extremely original story, organic, and steeped in women’s history and myth with excellent writing. I also love historical speculative fiction and highly recommend this novel.
thank you netgalley for a copy of this book to review
September 2, 2024
Skip it. This book appeared promising, with lots of elements I like, including historical fiction about women’s lives in Civil War era Nashville, references to Greek mythology and radical feminism. However, it was a hot mess and the supernatural stuff was just so nuts it lost me for good.
September 15, 2024
This is the book you should get if you like speculative fiction. Non-formulaic, very daring in terms of structure and expectations of the reader. I'm rounding up a little to give it 5 stars, but definitely worth the read.
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