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Madam May: A tale of madams, morphine, moonshine, and murder
Madam May is pure Southern drama with a touch of humor and spice. In spite of her foibles, you will find yourself cheering for May as she strives to become an independent woman in early 1900s Atlanta.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2015
6 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Janet Hogan Chapman
7 books25 followersAbout the Author
Janet Hogan Chapman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has worn many professional and personal hats but throughout them all she has been a writer. She has published professional education materials, essays, poetry, novels, and a memoir. She is a founder of Southern Crescent Literature and Libations literary group, an award winning independent author, member of several professional writer’s associations and has been a featured speaker at book clubs, festivals, and other literary events. Janet holds five college degrees including a doctorate in education. She enjoys spending time with family, travel, reading, and genealogy. Her writing is inspired by real life events. As the saying goes, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and nowhere is that more true than in the South. Learn more about Janet as The Bohemian Southern Belle at www.georgiajanet.com.
Janet Hogan Chapman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has worn many professional and personal hats but throughout them all she has been a writer. She has published professional education materials, essays, poetry, novels, and a memoir. She is a founder of Southern Crescent Literature and Libations literary group, an award winning independent author, member of several professional writer’s associations and has been a featured speaker at book clubs, festivals, and other literary events. Janet holds five college degrees including a doctorate in education. She enjoys spending time with family, travel, reading, and genealogy. Her writing is inspired by real life events. As the saying goes, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and nowhere is that more true than in the South. Learn more about Janet as The Bohemian Southern Belle at www.georgiajanet.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 23, 2015
Fun Southern Tale
How much is history and how much is GRANNY? A fun read that shows that bad girls have been around forever! It's entertaining to read about Atlanta, it's growth, inhabitants and corruption back in the day.
How much is history and how much is GRANNY? A fun read that shows that bad girls have been around forever! It's entertaining to read about Atlanta, it's growth, inhabitants and corruption back in the day.
June 1, 2017
In my quest to spread the word about my own books, Intoxic, Purgus, and Icara (due out June 2017) I have participated in several author showcases in the area. I met Janet Hogan Chapman
at one of these events and had the pleasure of spending a quiet moment talking about her book. Janet is an avid genealogist and in her research she came across a grandmother, from the early 1900's, with secrets. She caught the trail and started piecing the sketchy details together and was amazed at where it led. She was so taken by the tale of misconduct, independence, and ruthlessness, that she wrote a book based on that ancestors adventures. The book is based on true events, and backed up with resources and even occasional snapshots of the newspaper clipping.
Chapman writes in a journal fashion from several different character respective. Each character has a disrinct voice and there was no difficulty keeping track of them. I enjoyed the journal effect, it made me feel like I was in time with them. Chapman's descriptions of Atlanta at the turn of the century feel accurate and congruous. I never questioned her details because it all came so naturally from her characters experiences.
May is a small town girl with big city aspirations and she plans and connives her way from her family home to the city of Atlanta where she encounters other people with questionable morals and strong ambitions. Her greatest friend, Maude, tries to look out for her and even encourages May to keep on the straight and narrow. May can't do it, she tries again and again to make the right choices but her ambition drives her. She is a lovely character, full of conflict and contradiction.
I came to this book with an idea of what to expect, based on my conversation with the author, but I was still caught off guard as I walked with May through her labyrinth. If you love Atlanta, or enjoy history, or skeletons in a closet, this is a book to get lost in.
I'm looking forward to the sequel. I am anxious to see if May ever finds her straight and narrow. Hope you are writing, Janet!
Madam May is available on Amazon and by request at your favorite book store.
You can visit the author's website to be updated on her projects. Take some time to enjoy her poetry, blogs and photography.
at one of these events and had the pleasure of spending a quiet moment talking about her book. Janet is an avid genealogist and in her research she came across a grandmother, from the early 1900's, with secrets. She caught the trail and started piecing the sketchy details together and was amazed at where it led. She was so taken by the tale of misconduct, independence, and ruthlessness, that she wrote a book based on that ancestors adventures. The book is based on true events, and backed up with resources and even occasional snapshots of the newspaper clipping.
Chapman writes in a journal fashion from several different character respective. Each character has a disrinct voice and there was no difficulty keeping track of them. I enjoyed the journal effect, it made me feel like I was in time with them. Chapman's descriptions of Atlanta at the turn of the century feel accurate and congruous. I never questioned her details because it all came so naturally from her characters experiences.
May is a small town girl with big city aspirations and she plans and connives her way from her family home to the city of Atlanta where she encounters other people with questionable morals and strong ambitions. Her greatest friend, Maude, tries to look out for her and even encourages May to keep on the straight and narrow. May can't do it, she tries again and again to make the right choices but her ambition drives her. She is a lovely character, full of conflict and contradiction.
I came to this book with an idea of what to expect, based on my conversation with the author, but I was still caught off guard as I walked with May through her labyrinth. If you love Atlanta, or enjoy history, or skeletons in a closet, this is a book to get lost in.
I'm looking forward to the sequel. I am anxious to see if May ever finds her straight and narrow. Hope you are writing, Janet!
Madam May is available on Amazon and by request at your favorite book store.
You can visit the author's website to be updated on her projects. Take some time to enjoy her poetry, blogs and photography.
September 18, 2019
Not the stereotypical southern belle
Move over Scarlett O'Hara. Interesting biography of author's grandmother. Bootlegging and morphine plus ambition combined with a fearless feminist approach makes for quite unusual tale.
Move over Scarlett O'Hara. Interesting biography of author's grandmother. Bootlegging and morphine plus ambition combined with a fearless feminist approach makes for quite unusual tale.
July 31, 2018
hard to like these characters...
January 23, 2016
This is a book written in the view of a number of people. It was one of the best free books I have ever read these past few Years. May is a women you will not forget. No question that women like May made life in our country interesting. Don't miss this book, a really fun read as well as very well written. The author shows her education in her ability to write a great story about women in the early days of the south.
Don"t miss this story and then make up your mind if you would be a friend of May.
Hank Wolfla
Don"t miss this story and then make up your mind if you would be a friend of May.
Hank Wolfla
May 29, 2023
Imagine working on your family history and finding out that your grandmother was a Madam in the early 1900s, was addicted to morphine, AND was on trial for murder! That is what happened to the author. She found out that her grandmother had an early life that she never knew of. May left her home in rural Georgia to go to Atlanta. She had tenacity and did what she had to do to survive. She does eventually find love but her happiness is short-lived. The saga of Madam May is one that you will not be able to put down.
January 12, 2016
Good story
I don't read many books but this is a wicked story of a very powerful women which you never heard of in 1900 highly recommended bring on other books
I don't read many books but this is a wicked story of a very powerful women which you never heard of in 1900 highly recommended bring on other books
January 27, 2016
Intriguing premise and compelling story, but the editing was so poorly done it distracted.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews