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Bowery Girl
NEW YORK, 1883: Gamblers and thieves, immigrants and street urchins, Do-Gooders and charity houses, impossible goals and impossible odds. The Bowery is a place where you own nothing but your dreams. And dreams are the only things that come cheap for pickpocket Mollie Flynn and prostitute Annabelle Lee.
Pleasure is fleeting - and often stolen. Nights at Lefty Malone's saloon, sneaking into the Thalia Theatre. Then it's back to their airless, windowless tenement room and the ongoing struggle to keep a roof over their heads and bread in their stomachs.
The Brooklyn Bridge is nearing completion, and things are changing in New York City. The two women fantasize of starting a new life across the East River. Nothing but a flight of fancy, perhaps, until wealthy Do-Gooder Emmeline DuPre, who has opened the Cherry Street Settlement House, steps into their lives with her books, typewriters, and promises of a way to earn a respectable living. Despite Mollie and Annabelle's fascination with the woman and what she offers, is Emmeline helping or meddling?
Is it really possible to be anything other than a Bowery Girl? Mollie and Annabelle will have to decide exactly who they are, and what sort of women they want to be.
“lends credence to the millions of historical and contemporary girls who dare to dream in the face of extraordinary challenges.” - Starred Review, Kirkus
“compelling, gritty, and sometimes brutal view of life on the streets.” - Barnes and Noble
“Gang violence, raucous carousing, sex, accidental pregnancy, and crime–not what most will expect from Victorian-era historical fiction. But that’s exactly what they’ll find in this tightly plotted novel…” – Booklist
Pleasure is fleeting - and often stolen. Nights at Lefty Malone's saloon, sneaking into the Thalia Theatre. Then it's back to their airless, windowless tenement room and the ongoing struggle to keep a roof over their heads and bread in their stomachs.
The Brooklyn Bridge is nearing completion, and things are changing in New York City. The two women fantasize of starting a new life across the East River. Nothing but a flight of fancy, perhaps, until wealthy Do-Gooder Emmeline DuPre, who has opened the Cherry Street Settlement House, steps into their lives with her books, typewriters, and promises of a way to earn a respectable living. Despite Mollie and Annabelle's fascination with the woman and what she offers, is Emmeline helping or meddling?
Is it really possible to be anything other than a Bowery Girl? Mollie and Annabelle will have to decide exactly who they are, and what sort of women they want to be.
“lends credence to the millions of historical and contemporary girls who dare to dream in the face of extraordinary challenges.” - Starred Review, Kirkus
“compelling, gritty, and sometimes brutal view of life on the streets.” - Barnes and Noble
“Gang violence, raucous carousing, sex, accidental pregnancy, and crime–not what most will expect from Victorian-era historical fiction. But that’s exactly what they’ll find in this tightly plotted novel…” – Booklist
198 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2006
412 people are currently reading
1128 people want to read
About the author
Kim Taylor Blakemore
10 books571 followersKim writes historical novels that feature fierce, audacious, and often dangerous women. She writes about the thieves and servants, murderesses and mediums, grifters and frauds - the women with darker stories, tangled lies and hidden motives.
She is the author of the historical thrillers THE DECEPTION, Silver Falchion Award winner AFTER ALICE FELL, THE COMPANION, and the historical novels BOWERY GIRL, and CISSY FUNK, a WILLA Award winner for Best Young Adult novel. She also writes historical fiction featuring wild-willed women of the West under the pen name K.T. Blakemore.
She is a developmental editor, and founder of Novelitics, which provides workshops and community to writers in the United States and Canada.
She lives with her family and passel of rescue cats and dogs in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the rain, is afraid of scary movies, and thinks the best meal consists of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
She is the author of the historical thrillers THE DECEPTION, Silver Falchion Award winner AFTER ALICE FELL, THE COMPANION, and the historical novels BOWERY GIRL, and CISSY FUNK, a WILLA Award winner for Best Young Adult novel. She also writes historical fiction featuring wild-willed women of the West under the pen name K.T. Blakemore.
She is a developmental editor, and founder of Novelitics, which provides workshops and community to writers in the United States and Canada.
She lives with her family and passel of rescue cats and dogs in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the rain, is afraid of scary movies, and thinks the best meal consists of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
August 5, 2016
The stark reality of The Bowery is described in sharp detail. The people the environment the harshness of day to day life. Scratching to survive, the ongoing struggle, dreams so far out of grasp. Thieving, prostitution, gambling all part of the dark environs of The Bowery, nothing out of question in order to cope.
Blakemore crafts a gritty narrative. The times, the limited options in 1883, especially for women, the life and decisions forced upon our two female protagonists is rough, escaping virtually impossible. A cruel glimpse into the difficulties of surviving and escaping poverty. This is not a pretty read, rather it's a snapshot in time and in some instances a look at present day socio-economics as well. Prostitution, thieving common trades not a guarantee of providing food and shelter.
Mollie and Annabelle are two colorful protagonists. Uneducated, no family, enveloped in the arms of a brutal climate. These two are rough, tough and tumbley, however, beneath the hard exterior, sensitivity and empathy lurks - a true byproduct of their surroundings. Both characters are frustrating and on a few rare occurrences delightful. In order to truly relate to these two you are forced to keep your distance mindful of the time and circumstances. Both stubborn and prideful as you question if this is the major obstacle preventing them from making a break. Facing various challenges, their close friendship provides some means of comfort and support.
Not your run of the mill historical fiction read, a read entailing tough times in an equally severe neighborhood. Doubtful you will become emotionally connected to the characters but you are granted full access to intimate details of their life and dubious choices. A full frontal view of two women trapped in the depths of poverty with few options allowing them to flee the dark whirlpool engulfing them.
Blakemore crafts a gritty narrative. The times, the limited options in 1883, especially for women, the life and decisions forced upon our two female protagonists is rough, escaping virtually impossible. A cruel glimpse into the difficulties of surviving and escaping poverty. This is not a pretty read, rather it's a snapshot in time and in some instances a look at present day socio-economics as well. Prostitution, thieving common trades not a guarantee of providing food and shelter.
Mollie and Annabelle are two colorful protagonists. Uneducated, no family, enveloped in the arms of a brutal climate. These two are rough, tough and tumbley, however, beneath the hard exterior, sensitivity and empathy lurks - a true byproduct of their surroundings. Both characters are frustrating and on a few rare occurrences delightful. In order to truly relate to these two you are forced to keep your distance mindful of the time and circumstances. Both stubborn and prideful as you question if this is the major obstacle preventing them from making a break. Facing various challenges, their close friendship provides some means of comfort and support.
Not your run of the mill historical fiction read, a read entailing tough times in an equally severe neighborhood. Doubtful you will become emotionally connected to the characters but you are granted full access to intimate details of their life and dubious choices. A full frontal view of two women trapped in the depths of poverty with few options allowing them to flee the dark whirlpool engulfing them.
October 30, 2020
Kim Taylor Blakemore says about her novel Bowery Girl
”This is not a novel about pain or poverty. It is a story of friendship and survival, and the ability to dream in the midst of insurmountable odds.”
This is no romance but a realistic account of 4 months out of the lives of pickpocket Mollie Flynn and prostitute Annabelle Lee, and their daily struggle to survive in The Bowery. The Bowery is a place where you own nothing but your dreams and Mollie has dreams a plenty. One day, when they have saved enough money, she and Annabelle will cross the East River to Brooklyn (by way of the newly built bridge), where they hopefully find a better life.
From their dingy tenement house at 32 Oak Street they make their daily plans, stealing and whoring and drinking with the boys from the Growler gang. When Annabelle turns out to be pregnant, it all gets so much harder to hold on to their dreams.
Then wealthy Do-Gooder Emmeline DuPre, who has opened the Cherry Street Settlement House, steps into their lives with her books, typewriters, and promises of a way to earn a respectable living. Despite Mollie and Annabelle's fascination with the woman and what she offers, is Emmeline helping or meddling?
I really like Blakemore’s skillful writing, it grabbed me when reading The Companion (my introduction this author) and it also happened with this one. Her research is meticulous and her descriptions are rich and evocative. Mollie and Annabelle’s friendship is full of heart. You will love them!
Themes: New York 1883, Brooklyn Bridge, gangs, life is hard, especially for women.
4.8 Stars
”This is not a novel about pain or poverty. It is a story of friendship and survival, and the ability to dream in the midst of insurmountable odds.”
This is no romance but a realistic account of 4 months out of the lives of pickpocket Mollie Flynn and prostitute Annabelle Lee, and their daily struggle to survive in The Bowery. The Bowery is a place where you own nothing but your dreams and Mollie has dreams a plenty. One day, when they have saved enough money, she and Annabelle will cross the East River to Brooklyn (by way of the newly built bridge), where they hopefully find a better life.
From their dingy tenement house at 32 Oak Street they make their daily plans, stealing and whoring and drinking with the boys from the Growler gang. When Annabelle turns out to be pregnant, it all gets so much harder to hold on to their dreams.
Then wealthy Do-Gooder Emmeline DuPre, who has opened the Cherry Street Settlement House, steps into their lives with her books, typewriters, and promises of a way to earn a respectable living. Despite Mollie and Annabelle's fascination with the woman and what she offers, is Emmeline helping or meddling?
I really like Blakemore’s skillful writing, it grabbed me when reading The Companion (my introduction this author) and it also happened with this one. Her research is meticulous and her descriptions are rich and evocative. Mollie and Annabelle’s friendship is full of heart. You will love them!
Themes: New York 1883, Brooklyn Bridge, gangs, life is hard, especially for women.
4.8 Stars
January 15, 2020
3.75 Stars
This was a sad, gritty read about Mollie and Annabelle, 2 brash young women doing everything they can to survive the streets in the dreaded Fourth Ward of New York where crime, poverty and violence is rampant.
This was a sad, gritty read about Mollie and Annabelle, 2 brash young women doing everything they can to survive the streets in the dreaded Fourth Ward of New York where crime, poverty and violence is rampant.
May 2, 2015
Molly is content in her world. Who cares if there’s a dead horse at the end of her street? Or if her boyfriend isn’t schooled in perfect mannerisms?
She’s from the streets, and she’s a survivor. She not stupid enough to dream of more.
But that’s what Annabelle is doing. When Molly’s friend and roommate gets out of lockup, all she can talk about is a different life. A better one.
And she’s even foolish enough to put her faith in the cryptic lady from the charity house, with her sign full of rules.
No way an outsider is going to save Annabelle. Or Molly.
It’s taken me much too long to knuckle down and write this review (due to my own writing crunch time). But I did want to say that I appreciated the conflict--not only within Molly but within the values of the streets and the settlement house. There is no “perfect” set of values in this book. And that makes Molly’s dilemma--and decisions--far more real.
She’s from the streets, and she’s a survivor. She not stupid enough to dream of more.
But that’s what Annabelle is doing. When Molly’s friend and roommate gets out of lockup, all she can talk about is a different life. A better one.
And she’s even foolish enough to put her faith in the cryptic lady from the charity house, with her sign full of rules.
No way an outsider is going to save Annabelle. Or Molly.
It’s taken me much too long to knuckle down and write this review (due to my own writing crunch time). But I did want to say that I appreciated the conflict--not only within Molly but within the values of the streets and the settlement house. There is no “perfect” set of values in this book. And that makes Molly’s dilemma--and decisions--far more real.
May 31, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
In Bowery Girl, Mollie and Annabelle struggle with day-to-day life in the streets of New York at the end of the nineteenth century. The girls live in poverty, and the circumstances they live in are far from ideal. Mollie is the rational, practical type while Annabelle is the dreamer of the two of them, although they do share the fantasy of starting a new life across the river. Both of them have an unique personality, and together, their dynamics are intriguing. I found Annabelle the most interesting of the two of them. Being pregnant, she wanted to turn her life around, and she was brave and a good friend, and wanted to do what was right for her unborn child, all admirable traits.
My favorite part of the book was no doubt the setting and the author’s attention to historical detail. Reading this book made me feel like I left in New York in 1883s. The characters are portrayed well, and with historical accuracy too (as in, they don’t act totally out of character for how women would behave in that age). Too often I see contemporary characters thrown in a historical setting and half-expect them to dig out their cellphones halfway through the book, but not here.
The writing is pretty decent, and overall, it’s an enjoyable story about daring to dream even when your dream doesn’t seem that likely of coming true.
In Bowery Girl, Mollie and Annabelle struggle with day-to-day life in the streets of New York at the end of the nineteenth century. The girls live in poverty, and the circumstances they live in are far from ideal. Mollie is the rational, practical type while Annabelle is the dreamer of the two of them, although they do share the fantasy of starting a new life across the river. Both of them have an unique personality, and together, their dynamics are intriguing. I found Annabelle the most interesting of the two of them. Being pregnant, she wanted to turn her life around, and she was brave and a good friend, and wanted to do what was right for her unborn child, all admirable traits.
My favorite part of the book was no doubt the setting and the author’s attention to historical detail. Reading this book made me feel like I left in New York in 1883s. The characters are portrayed well, and with historical accuracy too (as in, they don’t act totally out of character for how women would behave in that age). Too often I see contemporary characters thrown in a historical setting and half-expect them to dig out their cellphones halfway through the book, but not here.
The writing is pretty decent, and overall, it’s an enjoyable story about daring to dream even when your dream doesn’t seem that likely of coming true.
March 26, 2015
Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor - Blakemore is a first reads win ad I am hiving my honest opinion. Molly Flynn is best friends with Annabel Lee. Annibel just got out of the toombs (JAIL) after serving 4 months. She was pregnant. They went to the dance hall so Annibel. Could see the love of ber life Tommy. A fight broke out between Tommy's gang and a rival gang. Molly and Annibel went to the bath house.they were changing g the name to the Settlement House where they would teach skillsike reading writing childcare etc. The year was 1883. The Brooklyn Bridge was built. Annabel was carry 2 pails of oysters and she fell. She made it back up the stairs to te bed and she passed out
Laming. What happens to the baby? Does Madam Du Ore help them.
Laming. What happens to the baby? Does Madam Du Ore help them.
July 12, 2020
This is a slim little novel…Okay, no; I read it on my phone, on which it is as ”slim” as Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa. Let’s just say it’s shorter than most historical fiction—something I appreciated, even if I enjoy the scope of Big Historical Sagas, too. Bowery Girl reads more like a novella, a vignette of life in the 1880s Lower Eastside of New York; but rest assured that its brevity by no means detracts from the richness of its descriptive passages, or the complexity of the main characters.⠀
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On the contrary, the format seems peculiarly suited to evoking a few months in the life of a teenage pickpocket; for all its grit and chiaroscuro lighting, Bowery Girl reads like a coming-of-age narrative. ⠀
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Certain things, too, herald the author’s 2020 novel The Companion: there’s the preoccupation with the labyrinthine names and aliases, the close to visceral scrutiny of material details (ink dripping onto a page, the feel of different types of fabric, the smell of cabbage and brine), and, as it says in the About the Author section, the keen interest in ”fierce and often dangerous women … with darker stories, tangled lies and hidden motives.”
⠀
On the contrary, the format seems peculiarly suited to evoking a few months in the life of a teenage pickpocket; for all its grit and chiaroscuro lighting, Bowery Girl reads like a coming-of-age narrative. ⠀
⠀
Certain things, too, herald the author’s 2020 novel The Companion: there’s the preoccupation with the labyrinthine names and aliases, the close to visceral scrutiny of material details (ink dripping onto a page, the feel of different types of fabric, the smell of cabbage and brine), and, as it says in the About the Author section, the keen interest in ”fierce and often dangerous women … with darker stories, tangled lies and hidden motives.”
April 18, 2015
A good but sad book. The two girls in the story live hard and immoral lives on the streets of New York, dreaming some day of living a happy and safe life. A nearby settlement house offers hope, but will the lure of the streets be too much? I was rooting for them, and enjoyed the period details.
April 16, 2021
Loved this story. I just wish there was more back story about the "do gooder" Miss Dupre who practiced reform without penance.
January 16, 2015
In 1883, as the Brooklyn Bridge nears completion, two women of little means design a dream for a better life. The relationship between Molly, a pickpocket, and Annabelle, a prostitute, is both warm and brusque. In a world where industrial progress and innovation were the apex of success, too many women were left unable to leverage their dreams to escape the poverty, the abuse and crime that made the Bowery area of New York so infamous. And Molly and Annabelle’s “career” complications prove adversity can make mere survival trump dreams.
In this expertly-crafted novel, with its tight plot and allegiance to the language and life of this era in this place, Blakemore has styled a memorable story of friendship, diffusively articulated love and a modified redemption that conjure up more reality than romance. And that’s how it should be for the mean streets of a city where lack of education led to lack of opportunity for the penurious populace, especially women. But Molly and Annabelle have their dream, a sad little determination to move to Brooklyn where they think life will be better. They don’t know much about getting there—they only know they want out of where they are. Extricating themselves from the depravity and danger of their tenement house, however, proves a challenge for two women unfamiliar with the niceties (and necessities) of power, rank and privilege.
Things change up a bit when the women meet a former resident of the Bowery, Emmeline DuPre, who establishes self-help classes in her own tenement house and encourages the young women to avail themselves of the books, the typing classes and other programs designed to help them become self-sufficient in legitimate ways. Ever suspicious of everyone’s motives, Molly becomes less than enthusiastic when Annabelle decides to take a class. By now, Annabelle has found herself in a “delicate” position, and Molly’s pickpocket fingers (and psyche) aren’t as nimble as they once were. We see that from the simplest dreams of the two women to the noble hopes of Miss DuPre’s programs, being there and getting there are two different things.
The authenticity of this book is its strong point, but being so, it’s not your dreamy-eyed romance; instead, we get a moving chronicle of life as it really was, penned by an author whose compunctions for detail are matched by her portrayals of the characters who embody that detail. We may not like who the two women are, but we feel empathy for their determination to be something better. Blakemore manages to allow us to see the simple dreams, raw instinct and drive of women who wanted out, even as we see the deck is stacked and the con artists are everywhere. Still, though the story ends in the way it must, we get a glimpse of where those lofty dreams of a better life led the lucky ones. Highly recommended for readers who want turn-of-the-century realism in a story that is eccentrically romantic without being Romance.
In this expertly-crafted novel, with its tight plot and allegiance to the language and life of this era in this place, Blakemore has styled a memorable story of friendship, diffusively articulated love and a modified redemption that conjure up more reality than romance. And that’s how it should be for the mean streets of a city where lack of education led to lack of opportunity for the penurious populace, especially women. But Molly and Annabelle have their dream, a sad little determination to move to Brooklyn where they think life will be better. They don’t know much about getting there—they only know they want out of where they are. Extricating themselves from the depravity and danger of their tenement house, however, proves a challenge for two women unfamiliar with the niceties (and necessities) of power, rank and privilege.
Things change up a bit when the women meet a former resident of the Bowery, Emmeline DuPre, who establishes self-help classes in her own tenement house and encourages the young women to avail themselves of the books, the typing classes and other programs designed to help them become self-sufficient in legitimate ways. Ever suspicious of everyone’s motives, Molly becomes less than enthusiastic when Annabelle decides to take a class. By now, Annabelle has found herself in a “delicate” position, and Molly’s pickpocket fingers (and psyche) aren’t as nimble as they once were. We see that from the simplest dreams of the two women to the noble hopes of Miss DuPre’s programs, being there and getting there are two different things.
The authenticity of this book is its strong point, but being so, it’s not your dreamy-eyed romance; instead, we get a moving chronicle of life as it really was, penned by an author whose compunctions for detail are matched by her portrayals of the characters who embody that detail. We may not like who the two women are, but we feel empathy for their determination to be something better. Blakemore manages to allow us to see the simple dreams, raw instinct and drive of women who wanted out, even as we see the deck is stacked and the con artists are everywhere. Still, though the story ends in the way it must, we get a glimpse of where those lofty dreams of a better life led the lucky ones. Highly recommended for readers who want turn-of-the-century realism in a story that is eccentrically romantic without being Romance.
September 22, 2011
The year is 1883 and the Bowery section of NY thrives with a seedy sub culture of gangs, prostitutes, pickpockets and hustlers who do what they can to simply survive.
The streets are a tough place to live. The tenement houses team with rats. Filth, vulgarity and obscenities reside with the masses. Urine slides down alleywayswhere in dark corners prostitutes provide services which hardly pay for the day's food.
Two orphan teenagers Annabelle, a prostitute and Mollie, a pickpocket live together in slum housing. Barely eking a living, they have unrealistic dreams of escaping to Brooklyn where they believe life will be better. Instead of rags, they will dress in finery. Against incredible odds, they long for a life of respectability.
When Annabelle becomes pregnant the odds of escape seem insurmountable. Strong willed Emmeline DuPre runs a settlement house wherein the girls can learn to type and speak proper English. As Annabelle and Mollie try to better themselves they must choose to obey the rules or return to the only life they have ever known.
With the backdrop of the building of the Brooklyn bridge, this book is an excellent reflection of a hard scramble life and the hope of a new pathway out of darkness.
While categorized as YA, because of the obscenities and vivid descriptions, I would not recommend this to some age groups. It is clearly for adult population.
The streets are a tough place to live. The tenement houses team with rats. Filth, vulgarity and obscenities reside with the masses. Urine slides down alleywayswhere in dark corners prostitutes provide services which hardly pay for the day's food.
Two orphan teenagers Annabelle, a prostitute and Mollie, a pickpocket live together in slum housing. Barely eking a living, they have unrealistic dreams of escaping to Brooklyn where they believe life will be better. Instead of rags, they will dress in finery. Against incredible odds, they long for a life of respectability.
When Annabelle becomes pregnant the odds of escape seem insurmountable. Strong willed Emmeline DuPre runs a settlement house wherein the girls can learn to type and speak proper English. As Annabelle and Mollie try to better themselves they must choose to obey the rules or return to the only life they have ever known.
With the backdrop of the building of the Brooklyn bridge, this book is an excellent reflection of a hard scramble life and the hope of a new pathway out of darkness.
While categorized as YA, because of the obscenities and vivid descriptions, I would not recommend this to some age groups. It is clearly for adult population.
March 29, 2015
I would have liked this more, I think, with a few tweaks.
For all that, this is still a 4/5. Why? Because there was promise. Because I did eat up the amount of story we got. I'd read a sequel. I liked the nuance that was present. Plus, how often do I find a novel about a freakin' settlement house? This was only the beginning of human services in the United States. Nothing major for my profession. A mere bagatelle.
Rarity of subject matter and busting of stereotypes will get me every time.
For all that, this is still a 4/5. Why? Because there was promise. Because I did eat up the amount of story we got. I'd read a sequel. I liked the nuance that was present. Plus, how often do I find a novel about a freakin' settlement house? This was only the beginning of human services in the United States. Nothing major for my profession. A mere bagatelle.
Rarity of subject matter and busting of stereotypes will get me every time.
January 27, 2013
Kim Taylor is a true artist and I loved her book. THE BOWERY GIRLS is the story of two girls trying to scrape together the means to survive in the squalid backstreets of New York in the 1800's. It is a small story, about ordinary people but in its own way it tells a story that is so powerful that it transcends time and space. It is the story of triumph of the human spirit. The world is rich with beautifully researched historical detail. Characters and dialogue are skilfully crafted in a way that reminds me strongly of Steinbeck and forms a literary Young Adult novel that stands in a class of its own. If you are interested in this period of American History, this book is a must.
February 5, 2015
Good, short read. I loved the bond between the two main characters. The author paints a detailed story of two girls in unfortunate circumstances that try to better themselves, only to befall hardships.
February 26, 2015
Bowery Girl gives us a personal, detailed view of the pitiful existence of the poverty-stricken of the era. A quick read.
January 9, 2022
The author says this is a novel about friendship and survival and the ability to dream. It is, perhaps all of those things, but lacks hope, which is what it needs to shine. The lives of those living in New York's tenements in the late nineteenth century were hard and tough and gray and this book does an incredible job of depicting that. But it never rises above that. It never shows there is a pathway out, and so it leaves the reader as hopeless as the characters... Characters who dreamed but never realized those dreams
April 10, 2021
An historically harrowing portrayal of the bleak surroundings and poverty of an existence in The Bowery. Without self- pity, with heart and friendship the main characters do the best they can to survive and attempt to thrive in the harsh environment they were born into.
Exactly what I have come to expect and respect from Kim Taylor Blake. If you like reading social history blended with your fiction it will be your cup of tea.
Exactly what I have come to expect and respect from Kim Taylor Blake. If you like reading social history blended with your fiction it will be your cup of tea.
January 29, 2022
Bowery Girls are Tough Ladies
Always interesting to read about how other females managed in another era and circumstances different from how I lived at their age. A Bowery Girl had to be made of tough stuff to survive. Hoping Mollie made a big difference in her life! And ended up with the life she dreamed of even if she never moved to Brooklyn.
Always interesting to read about how other females managed in another era and circumstances different from how I lived at their age. A Bowery Girl had to be made of tough stuff to survive. Hoping Mollie made a big difference in her life! And ended up with the life she dreamed of even if she never moved to Brooklyn.
January 2, 2022
Beautifully written
The stark ,gritty reality of growing up in the Bowery,is how it all began. That is also where it ends..But,it's what happens in between that makes everything change.
The stark ,gritty reality of growing up in the Bowery,is how it all began. That is also where it ends..But,it's what happens in between that makes everything change.
January 6, 2022
Well done historical fiction about tenament life in early New York city. Having visited the Tenament Museum myself, the feel of the environment seems to ring true and the spirit and friendship of the two main characters in light of their circumstances made for a good read for me.
February 11, 2022
Bowery Girl
I really enjoyed this story. My dad grew up in hells kitchen . Cold water flats with just 2 rooms . Two parents and four boys. It was a tough place to live. I could actually picture the two girls trying to make a living.
I really enjoyed this story. My dad grew up in hells kitchen . Cold water flats with just 2 rooms . Two parents and four boys. It was a tough place to live. I could actually picture the two girls trying to make a living.
August 6, 2022
People were stronger!
The era of the Bowery was harsh. These two very young girls making it on their own. The very honest look at the past. The closing message is clear. We are responsible for what we do to make things better for ourselves and the world in general.
The era of the Bowery was harsh. These two very young girls making it on their own. The very honest look at the past. The closing message is clear. We are responsible for what we do to make things better for ourselves and the world in general.
February 2, 2017
A good, quick, enjoyable read. The relationship between the two main characters was lovely and the story itself was full of hope. Really enjoyed reading it.
January 17, 2019
Very good historical depiction of the time (slums of New York, late 19th century) but the characters did not feel fully fleshed out or original, and thus I wasn't really interested in the plot.
September 8, 2019
It looked like a good premise, but there wasn't much to the plot, and I couldn't relate to any of the characters. At least it was short.
April 2, 2021
Liked the story, historical surface touches. Would like to read author's other (less YA) books
January 6, 2022
This was one of the best I have read in a long time. You really know and understand the main characters.
January 17, 2022
This was a quick easy read. Although there were disturbing conditions in the tenements, it was heartwarming to watch the deep sisterly love of the two teenage girlfriends.
January 23, 2022
Great read
The characters are well described. The scenes a real ! You f as if you are in the story. The plot moved along very well. Can't wait for the next one.
The characters are well described. The scenes a real ! You f as if you are in the story. The plot moved along very well. Can't wait for the next one.
August 9, 2022
Interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews