What do you think?
Rate this book
The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century
From New York Times bestselling author Simon Baatz, the first comprehensive account of the murder that shocked the world.
In 1901 Evelyn Nesbit, a chorus girl in the musical Florodora , dined alone with the architect Stanford White in his townhouse on 24th Street in New York. Nesbit, just sixteen years old, had recently moved to the city. White was forty-seven and a principal in the prominent architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. As the foremost architect of his day, he was a celebrity, responsible for designing countless landmark buildings in Manhattan. That evening, after drinking champagne, Nesbit lost consciousness and awoke to find herself naked in bed with White. Telltale spots of blood on the bed sheets told her that White had raped her.
She told no one about the rape until, several years later, she confided in Harry Thaw, the millionaire playboy who would later become her husband. Thaw, thirsting for revenge, shot and killed White in 1906 before hundreds of theatergoers during a performance in Madison Square Garden, a building that White had designed.
The trial was a sensation that gripped the nation. Most Americans agreed with Thaw that he had been justified in killing White, but the district attorney expected to send him to the electric chair. Evelyn Nesbit's testimony was so explicit and shocking that Theodore Roosevelt himself called on the newspapers not to print it verbatim. The murder of White cast a long Harry Thaw later attempted suicide, and Evelyn Nesbit struggled for many years to escape an addiction to cocaine. The Girl on the Velvet Swing , a tale of glamour, excess, and danger, is an immersive, fascinating look at an America dominated by men of outsize fortunes and by the women who were their victims.
In 1901 Evelyn Nesbit, a chorus girl in the musical Florodora , dined alone with the architect Stanford White in his townhouse on 24th Street in New York. Nesbit, just sixteen years old, had recently moved to the city. White was forty-seven and a principal in the prominent architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. As the foremost architect of his day, he was a celebrity, responsible for designing countless landmark buildings in Manhattan. That evening, after drinking champagne, Nesbit lost consciousness and awoke to find herself naked in bed with White. Telltale spots of blood on the bed sheets told her that White had raped her.
She told no one about the rape until, several years later, she confided in Harry Thaw, the millionaire playboy who would later become her husband. Thaw, thirsting for revenge, shot and killed White in 1906 before hundreds of theatergoers during a performance in Madison Square Garden, a building that White had designed.
The trial was a sensation that gripped the nation. Most Americans agreed with Thaw that he had been justified in killing White, but the district attorney expected to send him to the electric chair. Evelyn Nesbit's testimony was so explicit and shocking that Theodore Roosevelt himself called on the newspapers not to print it verbatim. The murder of White cast a long Harry Thaw later attempted suicide, and Evelyn Nesbit struggled for many years to escape an addiction to cocaine. The Girl on the Velvet Swing , a tale of glamour, excess, and danger, is an immersive, fascinating look at an America dominated by men of outsize fortunes and by the women who were their victims.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2018
417 people are currently reading
4260 people want to read
About the author
Simon Baatz
7 books36 followersSimon Baatz received his PhD in history at the University of Pennsylvania. He now teaches legal history at John Jay College in New York.
Q & A with Simon Baatz about Girl on the Velvet Swing.
What attracted you to this subject?
It’s a sensational story that resonates with recent events in our own time. A sixteen-year-old girl arrives in New York and meets a wealthy, influential man three times her age. Stanford White lures Evelyn Nesbit to his apartment on a pretext, drugs her and sexually assaults her. Four years later she marries a millionaire playboy, Harry Thaw, who shoots and kills White in a crowded theatre. What could be more sensational than that?
What was most enjoyable about your research?
There were 14 daily newspapers in New York at the time and they all fastened on the scandal to boost circulation. The reporters interviewed everyone who had something to say about the affair and the newspaper articles were invariably written in a lively, engaging style. I have included many quotations in the book and I should say here that these quotations, including the dialogue, were always taken verbatim from contemporary newspaper accounts. I have taken great care to be faithful to the sources listed in the endnotes. Nothing has been invented or imagined.
What is new and noteworthy about The Girl on the Velvet Swing?
Previous authors have written about the murder, but their accounts have all relied disproportionately on Evelyn Nesbit’s 1934 autobiography, Prodigal Days. But Nesbit’s book, written three decades after the murder, is not entirely reliable; she confuses some details and she occasionally contradicts herself. The newspapers of the day were generally trustworthy – their accounts corroborate each other – and Girl on the Velvet Swing, because it is based on those contemporary accounts, is, I believe, the most accurate telling of the murder and its aftermath.
What relevance does this story have today?
There have been many scandalous revelations in the last decade about the behavior of well-connected, influential men – the allegations against Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein are only the most recent – and this book is a reminder that predatory behavior is not something new but has existed, unfortunately, throughout American history. The difference between our time and the last century is that everyone now has access to the Internet and it has become correspondingly more difficult to conceal sexual crimes against women. If Evelyn Nesbit, for example, had not married Harry Thaw and if Thaw had not shot Stanford White, no-one would ever have known about the sexual assault. This is not to say, of course, that our society is perfect in this regard – far from it – but only that many more people now have a way to publicize crimes against women and children.
Q & A with Simon Baatz about Girl on the Velvet Swing.
What attracted you to this subject?
It’s a sensational story that resonates with recent events in our own time. A sixteen-year-old girl arrives in New York and meets a wealthy, influential man three times her age. Stanford White lures Evelyn Nesbit to his apartment on a pretext, drugs her and sexually assaults her. Four years later she marries a millionaire playboy, Harry Thaw, who shoots and kills White in a crowded theatre. What could be more sensational than that?
What was most enjoyable about your research?
There were 14 daily newspapers in New York at the time and they all fastened on the scandal to boost circulation. The reporters interviewed everyone who had something to say about the affair and the newspaper articles were invariably written in a lively, engaging style. I have included many quotations in the book and I should say here that these quotations, including the dialogue, were always taken verbatim from contemporary newspaper accounts. I have taken great care to be faithful to the sources listed in the endnotes. Nothing has been invented or imagined.
What is new and noteworthy about The Girl on the Velvet Swing?
Previous authors have written about the murder, but their accounts have all relied disproportionately on Evelyn Nesbit’s 1934 autobiography, Prodigal Days. But Nesbit’s book, written three decades after the murder, is not entirely reliable; she confuses some details and she occasionally contradicts herself. The newspapers of the day were generally trustworthy – their accounts corroborate each other – and Girl on the Velvet Swing, because it is based on those contemporary accounts, is, I believe, the most accurate telling of the murder and its aftermath.
What relevance does this story have today?
There have been many scandalous revelations in the last decade about the behavior of well-connected, influential men – the allegations against Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein are only the most recent – and this book is a reminder that predatory behavior is not something new but has existed, unfortunately, throughout American history. The difference between our time and the last century is that everyone now has access to the Internet and it has become correspondingly more difficult to conceal sexual crimes against women. If Evelyn Nesbit, for example, had not married Harry Thaw and if Thaw had not shot Stanford White, no-one would ever have known about the sexual assault. This is not to say, of course, that our society is perfect in this regard – far from it – but only that many more people now have a way to publicize crimes against women and children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
March 15, 2018
The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder and Madness at the turn of the Twentieth Century by Simon Baatz is a 2018 Mulholland publication.
What an incredible true story!
‘These crimes, worse than murder, must be avenged. That there are men of large wealth in this city who have made it a business to degrade womanhood- backing plays and players and using art studios to procure poor young girls… is a new revelation to the public: a new story that wealth has turned its rotting force to the corruption of innocent girlhood, whose misfortune is poverty.”
Sounds eerily familiar to current events, but this story for all intents and purposes begins in 1901, when sixteen-year old actress, Evelyn Nesbit, finds herself wined and dined by one of New York’s premiere architects, Stanford White, a much older man.
One night, Stanford finally got the young beauty alone, plied her with alcohol, possibly adding something extra to her champagne.
Evelyn woke up in White’s bed, naked, obviously having been taken advantage of. She never spoke of it, and even continued what appeared to be a mutual friendship with White.
But, when Evelyn caught wealthy Harry Thaw’s attention, the two became inseparable, despite the dark rumors surrounding Harry. However, when Harry proposed, Evelyn demurred until he finally coaxed her into confessing that Stanford White had raped her.
Harry and Evelyn did marry, but Harry became obsessed with White, and what he had done to Evelyn. Fuming with rage, Harry shot and killed Stanford White in front of a crowd of theatre goers.
Thus, began a long legal battle where Evelyn was forced to publicly testify to what happened that fateful night with Stanford White, which was so shocking even Theodore Roosevelt implored the press to refrain from printing her testimony verbatim.
However, the bulk of the book is centered around the long legal battle Harry Thaw waged in the attempt to avoid both prison and the mental institution.
.
I was completely unaware of this case. I can see how it captivated the public as I too was absolutely amazed at the many shocking twist and turns the case took, before Harry Thaw's final verdit was announced, years later. It was the ‘crime of the century’ of its time and morphed into the ‘trial of the century'. It was eventually the basis for a movie made in 1955 starring Joan Collins.
While the details of the case caused a huge sensation, and understandably held the public spellbound, the lurid rumors about Harry were not common knowledge at the time. The public seemed very sympathetic towards Harry, who as they saw it, killed the man who raped his wife.
But, for me, what I found so interesting was all the legal wrangling that decided Harry’s fate, and how that decision caused even more complications years later. Harry was really an enigma, a man who did indeed appear to be demented, but was also crazy like a fox. Some may find the legalities and trials dull by comparison to all the other shocking elements of the crime, but I’ve always enjoyed the legal dramas, which is something we rarely these days.
Evelyn’s story is equally compelling, and there is much mystery surrounding her, as well. What was the truth? I believe her story was sincere, not something made up to cover for Harry, which has been suggested. Although there are large chucks of this book dedicated to the trials, mental stability, apprehension, and future of Harry Thaw, it was Evelyn and all that she endured, and the way her life played out post trial that haunted me.
There are a few issues I feel could hamper the reading experience with this book. Sadly, the author had to piece events together in an unconventional way, which had direct consequences when it came to the organization of facts and the fluidity of the writing.
Many readers have become spoiled to true crime stories that read more like a novel. Unfortunately, this book does not have that smooth quality, and as a result some readers will no doubt find areas of the book tedious, as though reading dry history from a text book.
However, because I was completely unfamiliar with these events, the book held my interest from start to finish. I thought it was a pretty wild ride and the outcome left me shaking my head.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but notice that despite the era of time in which these events took place, there are stunning parallels to current headlines, concerning men of wealth and power, taking advantage of women, which is disturbing on so many levels!!
I didn't search this book out due to recommendations or promotions. I simply stumbled across it in my Overdrive library, thought it sounded interesting and checked it out on impulse. I'm glad now that I did!
If you enjoy reading history or true crime you will want to check this book out.
4 stars
What an incredible true story!
‘These crimes, worse than murder, must be avenged. That there are men of large wealth in this city who have made it a business to degrade womanhood- backing plays and players and using art studios to procure poor young girls… is a new revelation to the public: a new story that wealth has turned its rotting force to the corruption of innocent girlhood, whose misfortune is poverty.”
Sounds eerily familiar to current events, but this story for all intents and purposes begins in 1901, when sixteen-year old actress, Evelyn Nesbit, finds herself wined and dined by one of New York’s premiere architects, Stanford White, a much older man.
One night, Stanford finally got the young beauty alone, plied her with alcohol, possibly adding something extra to her champagne.
Evelyn woke up in White’s bed, naked, obviously having been taken advantage of. She never spoke of it, and even continued what appeared to be a mutual friendship with White.
But, when Evelyn caught wealthy Harry Thaw’s attention, the two became inseparable, despite the dark rumors surrounding Harry. However, when Harry proposed, Evelyn demurred until he finally coaxed her into confessing that Stanford White had raped her.
Harry and Evelyn did marry, but Harry became obsessed with White, and what he had done to Evelyn. Fuming with rage, Harry shot and killed Stanford White in front of a crowd of theatre goers.
Thus, began a long legal battle where Evelyn was forced to publicly testify to what happened that fateful night with Stanford White, which was so shocking even Theodore Roosevelt implored the press to refrain from printing her testimony verbatim.
However, the bulk of the book is centered around the long legal battle Harry Thaw waged in the attempt to avoid both prison and the mental institution.
.
I was completely unaware of this case. I can see how it captivated the public as I too was absolutely amazed at the many shocking twist and turns the case took, before Harry Thaw's final verdit was announced, years later. It was the ‘crime of the century’ of its time and morphed into the ‘trial of the century'. It was eventually the basis for a movie made in 1955 starring Joan Collins.
While the details of the case caused a huge sensation, and understandably held the public spellbound, the lurid rumors about Harry were not common knowledge at the time. The public seemed very sympathetic towards Harry, who as they saw it, killed the man who raped his wife.
But, for me, what I found so interesting was all the legal wrangling that decided Harry’s fate, and how that decision caused even more complications years later. Harry was really an enigma, a man who did indeed appear to be demented, but was also crazy like a fox. Some may find the legalities and trials dull by comparison to all the other shocking elements of the crime, but I’ve always enjoyed the legal dramas, which is something we rarely these days.
Evelyn’s story is equally compelling, and there is much mystery surrounding her, as well. What was the truth? I believe her story was sincere, not something made up to cover for Harry, which has been suggested. Although there are large chucks of this book dedicated to the trials, mental stability, apprehension, and future of Harry Thaw, it was Evelyn and all that she endured, and the way her life played out post trial that haunted me.
There are a few issues I feel could hamper the reading experience with this book. Sadly, the author had to piece events together in an unconventional way, which had direct consequences when it came to the organization of facts and the fluidity of the writing.
Many readers have become spoiled to true crime stories that read more like a novel. Unfortunately, this book does not have that smooth quality, and as a result some readers will no doubt find areas of the book tedious, as though reading dry history from a text book.
However, because I was completely unfamiliar with these events, the book held my interest from start to finish. I thought it was a pretty wild ride and the outcome left me shaking my head.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but notice that despite the era of time in which these events took place, there are stunning parallels to current headlines, concerning men of wealth and power, taking advantage of women, which is disturbing on so many levels!!
I didn't search this book out due to recommendations or promotions. I simply stumbled across it in my Overdrive library, thought it sounded interesting and checked it out on impulse. I'm glad now that I did!
If you enjoy reading history or true crime you will want to check this book out.
4 stars
August 28, 2019
Current events, like R. Kelly's depravity and Jeffrey Epstein's heinous acts are mirrored in this true crime book set in the early 1900s in New York. A naive, clueless mother entrusts her teenage daughter to a much older, wealthy architect, named Stanford White, while the mother is out of town. White had maneuvered his way into their life gradually for months with the 16 year old as his reward. He paid for the mother's trip away from home and finally, he pounced, inviting the girl to his apartment for dinner with several others, but when she arrived, it was only the two of them.
Because the author based his whole account on newspaper stories and memoirs written by the protagonists, we never really get to know much about Evelyn Nesbit, the victim in the case. There is much more written about the two rich, influential men who fought over her. They are both disgusting individuals, each only interested in their despicable, sexual urges, and how they could take advantage of young girls to sate their deviant passions. Of the two men, Harry Shaw is the worst. He was able to hide his violent depravity for most of his life, but even the threat of the insane asylum could not curb his appetite for long.
I feel like the author does a disservice to Evelyn in his epilogue in which he discounts her rape accusation. He does base some of his opinion on Nesbit's own memoir, but considering that in those days, women had no where to turn for counseling about rape and its trauma, I don't think it unusual that she downplayed it later in life. She had been humiliated enough by the press and the courts and probably wanted it all behind her. She was an indigent 16 year old girl against a patriarchal society of the wealthy and influential.
Because the author based his whole account on newspaper stories and memoirs written by the protagonists, we never really get to know much about Evelyn Nesbit, the victim in the case. There is much more written about the two rich, influential men who fought over her. They are both disgusting individuals, each only interested in their despicable, sexual urges, and how they could take advantage of young girls to sate their deviant passions. Of the two men, Harry Shaw is the worst. He was able to hide his violent depravity for most of his life, but even the threat of the insane asylum could not curb his appetite for long.
I feel like the author does a disservice to Evelyn in his epilogue in which he discounts her rape accusation. He does base some of his opinion on Nesbit's own memoir, but considering that in those days, women had no where to turn for counseling about rape and its trauma, I don't think it unusual that she downplayed it later in life. She had been humiliated enough by the press and the courts and probably wanted it all behind her. She was an indigent 16 year old girl against a patriarchal society of the wealthy and influential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2018
Funny that we call this era "the Progressive Era" of US history -- clearly that word means something very different these days.
This book has long dry spells where all manner of excess are just listed, I suppose to be impressive, but I found it incredibly boring to read list after list of party attendance and net worth of each man in every scene. In the first few chapters, we're bombarded with name after name and place after place, many of which are meaningless to the story. Partly I'm just not interested in sensational celebrity scandals, so I suppose I should have known better than to be overly excited about a true crime novel based on exactly that a hundred years ago.
I've just read an entire book ostensibly about "the girl on the velvet swing," yet I don't feel like I know Evelyn Nesbit well at all. I know her husband, Harry Thaw too well. I know some of the men in her life, especially Stanford White (the perpetrator) and I know a lot about the social circuit in the early 1900s, but I don't know the woman about whom I wanted to learn. The writing focused on a woman through the lens of all of the men surrounding her. She was a person with a life, and if you plaster her picture on the cover and title it as such, you build a certain expectation in my mind at least. I could write a report on the husband, his trials, his treatment in jail, mental health in the early twentieth century justice system, wealthy people and the things they owned during the 1910s, but not on the main character.
I was also dismayed that in the epilogue, we get a peek of the author's (somewhat conflicting) view of "the truth." Here he denies her account of rape, though she had also done something akin to this in her own autobiography. But Simon Baatz wonders if the rape even happened, because ... wait for it... she continued to talk to the man who paid for her education and on whom her entire family was financially reliant. Well, gee. A family full of women in early 20th century New York City (expensive always) was financially dependent and rape is a violent act known to cause severe shame for the victim, so victims often continue dependance and that requires a facade of friendliness or even love. This girl of sixteen didn't have the benefit of public awareness campaigns or self-help groups to lead her down the path of self-actualization after a rape. She hadn't told her mother, so how exactly would that have worked?
And I'm not surprised that a woman who had the life she had in the era she lived it played down a long-ago rape that caused a murder which caused the rest of her life to fall apart in many ways. She had grandchildren and a son still alive. She had focused on that one event for years in public. Why would we think her shame had lessened after losing everything so many times over?
I'm glad to know some of the story. I'm not sure I know the truth, or that anyone ever will. But in future, as well as listing every wealthy socialite and their net worth, it might be worth it to interview just one rape counselor to get an understanding of the psychology at work in victim's behavior. Or hell, just read a book.
This book has long dry spells where all manner of excess are just listed, I suppose to be impressive, but I found it incredibly boring to read list after list of party attendance and net worth of each man in every scene. In the first few chapters, we're bombarded with name after name and place after place, many of which are meaningless to the story. Partly I'm just not interested in sensational celebrity scandals, so I suppose I should have known better than to be overly excited about a true crime novel based on exactly that a hundred years ago.
I've just read an entire book ostensibly about "the girl on the velvet swing," yet I don't feel like I know Evelyn Nesbit well at all. I know her husband, Harry Thaw too well. I know some of the men in her life, especially Stanford White (the perpetrator) and I know a lot about the social circuit in the early 1900s, but I don't know the woman about whom I wanted to learn. The writing focused on a woman through the lens of all of the men surrounding her. She was a person with a life, and if you plaster her picture on the cover and title it as such, you build a certain expectation in my mind at least. I could write a report on the husband, his trials, his treatment in jail, mental health in the early twentieth century justice system, wealthy people and the things they owned during the 1910s, but not on the main character.
I was also dismayed that in the epilogue, we get a peek of the author's (somewhat conflicting) view of "the truth." Here he denies her account of rape, though she had also done something akin to this in her own autobiography. But Simon Baatz wonders if the rape even happened, because ... wait for it... she continued to talk to the man who paid for her education and on whom her entire family was financially reliant. Well, gee. A family full of women in early 20th century New York City (expensive always) was financially dependent and rape is a violent act known to cause severe shame for the victim, so victims often continue dependance and that requires a facade of friendliness or even love. This girl of sixteen didn't have the benefit of public awareness campaigns or self-help groups to lead her down the path of self-actualization after a rape. She hadn't told her mother, so how exactly would that have worked?
And I'm not surprised that a woman who had the life she had in the era she lived it played down a long-ago rape that caused a murder which caused the rest of her life to fall apart in many ways. She had grandchildren and a son still alive. She had focused on that one event for years in public. Why would we think her shame had lessened after losing everything so many times over?
I'm glad to know some of the story. I'm not sure I know the truth, or that anyone ever will. But in future, as well as listing every wealthy socialite and their net worth, it might be worth it to interview just one rape counselor to get an understanding of the psychology at work in victim's behavior. Or hell, just read a book.
January 18, 2018
Delving into history and true crime is always an interesting feat for me. I'm not usually into history OR nonfiction but true crime usually tickles my curiosity bone and in this case I couldn't pass it up. As I was reading this, I realized I had read about this story before.. or watched a true crime show... or SOMETHING because it was SO eerily familiar!
An intriguing story for sure. In that era, and unfortunately still so today, when a girl is raped, molested and otherwise taken advantage of, she is the one that usually feels shameful and embarrassed to tell anyone. In this case, her own mother left her in the care of the man that took advantage of her... and yet we come to find out there are different variations to the story and really no one knows for sure what actually happened. So this story is told as best as it can be based on court documents.
While the story is based on Evelyn Nesbit and what she went through, I almost felt it was more geared toward Harry Thaw, the man who murdered the man who raped Evelyn. I was more engaged to what he had to go through. Evelyn was young, easily manipulated and unreliable as a witness, wife or reasonable person it almost seemed.
Mostly the book seemed to be about the history leading up to the main incident and the court cases that followed. Sex, Murder and Madness seemed more background to this main line. Which is fine in itself, but I think I was expecting a little more fleshing out of the details in the "backstory" of the trials - more sex, more murder, more madness please!
A decent read, but one that felt more like a history lesson for my taste.
Thank you to Mulholland Books for this copy in return for my honest review :)
An intriguing story for sure. In that era, and unfortunately still so today, when a girl is raped, molested and otherwise taken advantage of, she is the one that usually feels shameful and embarrassed to tell anyone. In this case, her own mother left her in the care of the man that took advantage of her... and yet we come to find out there are different variations to the story and really no one knows for sure what actually happened. So this story is told as best as it can be based on court documents.
While the story is based on Evelyn Nesbit and what she went through, I almost felt it was more geared toward Harry Thaw, the man who murdered the man who raped Evelyn. I was more engaged to what he had to go through. Evelyn was young, easily manipulated and unreliable as a witness, wife or reasonable person it almost seemed.
Mostly the book seemed to be about the history leading up to the main incident and the court cases that followed. Sex, Murder and Madness seemed more background to this main line. Which is fine in itself, but I think I was expecting a little more fleshing out of the details in the "backstory" of the trials - more sex, more murder, more madness please!
A decent read, but one that felt more like a history lesson for my taste.
Thank you to Mulholland Books for this copy in return for my honest review :)
March 8, 2021
3.75 actual stars.
Woops! I meant to save my review as a draft to continue later, but I inadvertently sent it through, I wanted to give this a higher rating than just my 3 stars, sorry for the confusion.
This was such a fascinating read, almost unbelievable in the later half of this case. Set in New York 1901, this was a true story scandal about a beautiful young woman named Evelyn Nesbit who caught the eye of famous architect Stanford White and went on to become a player in one of the most famous sensationalized scandals of murder and sex there ever was. Young and naive, Evelyn is working onstage in a low grade musical when a mutual friend arranges for her to meet the worldly White. Awed by her beauty and she by his wealth and fame the two become fast friends, but White has more things in his mind when he invites Evelyn to a party for two and she wakes up horrified to realize she has been raped. Despite the assault Evelyn continues her friendship with White until another wealthy admirer, Henry Thaw whom she eventually marries murders Stanford White, this is where things really take a crazy turn! As Evelyn staunchly defends her husband, Henry Thaw's sordid past emerges with it's own incredible scandal making this a read that was almost too unbelievable to fathom. I was engrossed and fascinated by this tale of wealth, scandal and the long arm of the law regarding this case.
Woops! I meant to save my review as a draft to continue later, but I inadvertently sent it through, I wanted to give this a higher rating than just my 3 stars, sorry for the confusion.
This was such a fascinating read, almost unbelievable in the later half of this case. Set in New York 1901, this was a true story scandal about a beautiful young woman named Evelyn Nesbit who caught the eye of famous architect Stanford White and went on to become a player in one of the most famous sensationalized scandals of murder and sex there ever was. Young and naive, Evelyn is working onstage in a low grade musical when a mutual friend arranges for her to meet the worldly White. Awed by her beauty and she by his wealth and fame the two become fast friends, but White has more things in his mind when he invites Evelyn to a party for two and she wakes up horrified to realize she has been raped. Despite the assault Evelyn continues her friendship with White until another wealthy admirer, Henry Thaw whom she eventually marries murders Stanford White, this is where things really take a crazy turn! As Evelyn staunchly defends her husband, Henry Thaw's sordid past emerges with it's own incredible scandal making this a read that was almost too unbelievable to fathom. I was engrossed and fascinated by this tale of wealth, scandal and the long arm of the law regarding this case.
October 5, 2019
DO NOT BOTHER.
As if it weren’t boring enough — so much detail where it wasn’t warranted — in his afterword he questions the validity of her rape claims in the most patriarchal, condescending, awful way.
“How is it possible, for example, to explain the interaction between Stanford White and Evelyn Nesbit after the rape if it had been as traumatic an event as Evelyn claimed? She admitted, on cross-examination, that she had seen White several times alone in his apartment after he had raped her, and she confessed also that she had subsequently written letters to White during her travels in Europe with Harry Thaw in 1903. Her testimony at the first trial was detailed and precise on some points but surprisingly vague on others. She could neither describe the weather on the day when she claimed the rape had occurred nor say, even to the month, when White had attacked her.”
Just fuck right off, dude.
This immediately after he writes, “It does not frequently happen that an author is unsure that an event occurred.” You’re unsure, so maybe don’t posit this crap. Maybe consult a psychologist about the many reasons someone might keep on a relationship with an abuser, or the many manifestations of repressed trauma? This book was published last year — guess the author had his head in the sand during all the Me Too conversations.
As if it weren’t boring enough — so much detail where it wasn’t warranted — in his afterword he questions the validity of her rape claims in the most patriarchal, condescending, awful way.
“How is it possible, for example, to explain the interaction between Stanford White and Evelyn Nesbit after the rape if it had been as traumatic an event as Evelyn claimed? She admitted, on cross-examination, that she had seen White several times alone in his apartment after he had raped her, and she confessed also that she had subsequently written letters to White during her travels in Europe with Harry Thaw in 1903. Her testimony at the first trial was detailed and precise on some points but surprisingly vague on others. She could neither describe the weather on the day when she claimed the rape had occurred nor say, even to the month, when White had attacked her.”
Just fuck right off, dude.
This immediately after he writes, “It does not frequently happen that an author is unsure that an event occurred.” You’re unsure, so maybe don’t posit this crap. Maybe consult a psychologist about the many reasons someone might keep on a relationship with an abuser, or the many manifestations of repressed trauma? This book was published last year — guess the author had his head in the sand during all the Me Too conversations.
August 26, 2019
If you think the crimes of Bill Cosby and Jeffrey Epstein are something new, keep George Santayana's epic quote, "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it!"
Go back to 1901. Evelyn Nesbit, a curvaceous, dark-haired simply beautiful young women whose modeling photos hold their own even today, is America's first super-model. Uneducated and unsophisticated, she is lured to New York where she comes to the attention of Stanford White, who is then one of America's most well-known men. A famous architect, he has designed Madison Square Garden and many other well-known buildings and is a socialite. But while in his 50s and married, he has a certain interest in young girls. He even maintains a private apartment in Madison Square Garden where he holds parties with young girls and one room is even equipped with a "red velvet swing" which will later be immortalized in a movie. Evelyn Nesbit soon comes to his attention, and later she claims he drugged her and raped her, though they remain interacting after.
Enter Harry Thaw, a fabulously wealthy socialite who pines after Evelyn Nesbit. Eventually he seeks to marry her, and she hesitates because of her relationship with White, and she eventually tells him the story of her sex affair with White, who personally hates Thaw. It is a love triangle of epic fate.
Without warning, one night at the theatre, Thaw suddenly sees White, and shoots him dead at point blank range. He immediately explains it is because White raped his wife years ago. The world of Stanford White collapses before his body is cold. Very much Bill Cosby 100 years later. Before White is even buried, many females come forward with horrible stories about him. His friends disappear, his name is reviled, and he can't even be buried from his home church.
Harry Thaw, while a cold-blooded murder, is acclaimed as a hero. However, there is a problem. Harry Thaw likes to beat young women with a whip!
Most books focus on this incident focus on Stanford White or Evelyn Nesbit. This book mostly focuses on Thaw's trial and his years long effort to get out of a mental institution where he is sent after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. He even escapes to Canada, creating an incident of international criminal policy.
In the end, Thaw wins he freedom and goes home still a hero. Of course, shortly thereafter, he attacks a young man... with a whip.
The only disappointing part of this book is the very brief comments on Thaw's life after winning his release. He apparently never again tangled with the law, but it defies comprehension to believe he all of a sudden ended his whipping days.
Despite happening over 100 years ago, the events in this book read like they could happen today. Or are they in fact, still happening, just with different names? As the father of 2 daughters, that men could do these things to young women infuriates me. But it is also a caution to women to not play with the fire of being a mistress and using powerful men for their money.
Go back to 1901. Evelyn Nesbit, a curvaceous, dark-haired simply beautiful young women whose modeling photos hold their own even today, is America's first super-model. Uneducated and unsophisticated, she is lured to New York where she comes to the attention of Stanford White, who is then one of America's most well-known men. A famous architect, he has designed Madison Square Garden and many other well-known buildings and is a socialite. But while in his 50s and married, he has a certain interest in young girls. He even maintains a private apartment in Madison Square Garden where he holds parties with young girls and one room is even equipped with a "red velvet swing" which will later be immortalized in a movie. Evelyn Nesbit soon comes to his attention, and later she claims he drugged her and raped her, though they remain interacting after.
Enter Harry Thaw, a fabulously wealthy socialite who pines after Evelyn Nesbit. Eventually he seeks to marry her, and she hesitates because of her relationship with White, and she eventually tells him the story of her sex affair with White, who personally hates Thaw. It is a love triangle of epic fate.
Without warning, one night at the theatre, Thaw suddenly sees White, and shoots him dead at point blank range. He immediately explains it is because White raped his wife years ago. The world of Stanford White collapses before his body is cold. Very much Bill Cosby 100 years later. Before White is even buried, many females come forward with horrible stories about him. His friends disappear, his name is reviled, and he can't even be buried from his home church.
Harry Thaw, while a cold-blooded murder, is acclaimed as a hero. However, there is a problem. Harry Thaw likes to beat young women with a whip!
Most books focus on this incident focus on Stanford White or Evelyn Nesbit. This book mostly focuses on Thaw's trial and his years long effort to get out of a mental institution where he is sent after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. He even escapes to Canada, creating an incident of international criminal policy.
In the end, Thaw wins he freedom and goes home still a hero. Of course, shortly thereafter, he attacks a young man... with a whip.
The only disappointing part of this book is the very brief comments on Thaw's life after winning his release. He apparently never again tangled with the law, but it defies comprehension to believe he all of a sudden ended his whipping days.
Despite happening over 100 years ago, the events in this book read like they could happen today. Or are they in fact, still happening, just with different names? As the father of 2 daughters, that men could do these things to young women infuriates me. But it is also a caution to women to not play with the fire of being a mistress and using powerful men for their money.
May 7, 2018
The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century by Simon Baatz examines the murder of New York’s premier architect of the Gilded Age, Stanford White by Harry Kendall Thaw. Baatz, an Associate Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, examines the events surrounding the murder with a legal historian’s eye, paying particular attention to the trial and its aftermath. Baatz provides a fascinating and provocative analysis of an event that has been largely purged from popular consciousness.
Today, the name Evelyn Nesbit has been largely forgotten by the public, but over a century ago she was at the center of the nation’s attention. At the turn of the 20th century, Nesbit’s face was everywhere: calendars, magazines, newspapers, artwork and even tourist souvenirs; she was immortalized as the embodiment of Charles Dana Gibson’s ‘Gibson Girl," and effectively stood as America’s very first supermodel. In 1900, Nesbit’s beauty had commanded the attention of photographers, artists, theatrical producers, and notably, New York’s most famous architect, Stanford White.
Stanford White was the architect of the original Madison Square Garden building and was regularly commissioned by New York’s Gilded Age aristocracy to design their dream homes. White’s professional credentials were irreprochable and his status within New York society was assured, but he also had a dark side. White was a hedonist and an ephebophile, with a fondness for teenage girls. When they were introduced, White was 47 years old and Evelyn Nesbit was only 16 years old. Nesbit would eventually recount that Stanford White invited her to dine with him alone at his apartment one evening, then proceeded to drug and sexually assault her. She kept this revelation a secret for a number of years until she was romantically pursued by Harry Kendall Thaw, an heir to a railroad and coal fortune. Nesbit confessed the assault for the first time to Thaw while the pair were touring Europe.
Thaw was known to be irreverent, eccentric and unpredictable, yet despite Nesbit’s reservations, she married him in April 1905. Thaw’s growing obsession with White to exact revenge for his wife’s lost honor came to a head on June 25, 1906 when Thaw confronted White during a theatrical performance at Madison Square Garden. Thaw shot and killed White in full view of New York’s theater-going elite. The New York Press would designate the ensuing murder trial and the unfolding drama behind it as “the trial of the century."
Nesbit typically has been a focal point in books, but much of it seems to focus on her as a caricature rather than an actual person: the beautiful, tragic victim in a twisted and sordid tale. Baatz acknowledges her reality as a young girl placed in the position of designated breadwinner for her family. Nesbit was performing on stage and modeling at an age when most of her peers were probably in school. Social expectations placed on young women at the time, and inexperience, allowed Evelyn to remain incredibly naive as she was thrust into some of New York’s most lecherous and nefarious circles. Her mother, Florence, was her only guardian but was frequently absent or sidelined from her daughter’s life, and rarely questioned the generosity of men who chose to fund the family’s expenses, and that included Stanford White. When Florence became aware that Stanford White had assaulted her daughter, she refused to believe it. She felt White’s motives could have been only altruistic, and shockingly, she cooperated with the prosecution to help undermine Nesbit’s credibility on the witness stand.
Despite being the titular 'girl,' Nesbit’s story takes a backseat to her husband in the latter half of the book. Thaw’s trial and what happened to him are quite astonishing: not one, but two criminal trials; questions regarding his sanity; a D.A. who actively placed a known perjurer on the stand in an attempt to discredit Thaw; an elaborate escape from a mental institution; an international manhunt; revelations about his sadomasochistic interests; his wealthy family’s attempt to purchase Thaw’s freedom while systematically trying to destroy the credibility of the Matteawan state hospital; legal considerations regarding both state-to-state and international extradition; and some incredibly complex legal conundrums. It is clear that Baatz is in his element when looking at the legal ramifications of the case, making the second half of the book both fascinating and thought-provoking. Baatz also raises questions about the veracity of certain aspects of the narrative that have gone unchallenged for decades. Moreover, he shows that, while the White-Thaw-Nesbit affair was certainly the same sensational tale portrayed in the press, it also was one that managed to raise some genuine questions about the law that are quite astonishing when considered today.
Reviewed by Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian, History and Genealogy Department,
Today, the name Evelyn Nesbit has been largely forgotten by the public, but over a century ago she was at the center of the nation’s attention. At the turn of the 20th century, Nesbit’s face was everywhere: calendars, magazines, newspapers, artwork and even tourist souvenirs; she was immortalized as the embodiment of Charles Dana Gibson’s ‘Gibson Girl," and effectively stood as America’s very first supermodel. In 1900, Nesbit’s beauty had commanded the attention of photographers, artists, theatrical producers, and notably, New York’s most famous architect, Stanford White.
Stanford White was the architect of the original Madison Square Garden building and was regularly commissioned by New York’s Gilded Age aristocracy to design their dream homes. White’s professional credentials were irreprochable and his status within New York society was assured, but he also had a dark side. White was a hedonist and an ephebophile, with a fondness for teenage girls. When they were introduced, White was 47 years old and Evelyn Nesbit was only 16 years old. Nesbit would eventually recount that Stanford White invited her to dine with him alone at his apartment one evening, then proceeded to drug and sexually assault her. She kept this revelation a secret for a number of years until she was romantically pursued by Harry Kendall Thaw, an heir to a railroad and coal fortune. Nesbit confessed the assault for the first time to Thaw while the pair were touring Europe.
Thaw was known to be irreverent, eccentric and unpredictable, yet despite Nesbit’s reservations, she married him in April 1905. Thaw’s growing obsession with White to exact revenge for his wife’s lost honor came to a head on June 25, 1906 when Thaw confronted White during a theatrical performance at Madison Square Garden. Thaw shot and killed White in full view of New York’s theater-going elite. The New York Press would designate the ensuing murder trial and the unfolding drama behind it as “the trial of the century."
Nesbit typically has been a focal point in books, but much of it seems to focus on her as a caricature rather than an actual person: the beautiful, tragic victim in a twisted and sordid tale. Baatz acknowledges her reality as a young girl placed in the position of designated breadwinner for her family. Nesbit was performing on stage and modeling at an age when most of her peers were probably in school. Social expectations placed on young women at the time, and inexperience, allowed Evelyn to remain incredibly naive as she was thrust into some of New York’s most lecherous and nefarious circles. Her mother, Florence, was her only guardian but was frequently absent or sidelined from her daughter’s life, and rarely questioned the generosity of men who chose to fund the family’s expenses, and that included Stanford White. When Florence became aware that Stanford White had assaulted her daughter, she refused to believe it. She felt White’s motives could have been only altruistic, and shockingly, she cooperated with the prosecution to help undermine Nesbit’s credibility on the witness stand.
Despite being the titular 'girl,' Nesbit’s story takes a backseat to her husband in the latter half of the book. Thaw’s trial and what happened to him are quite astonishing: not one, but two criminal trials; questions regarding his sanity; a D.A. who actively placed a known perjurer on the stand in an attempt to discredit Thaw; an elaborate escape from a mental institution; an international manhunt; revelations about his sadomasochistic interests; his wealthy family’s attempt to purchase Thaw’s freedom while systematically trying to destroy the credibility of the Matteawan state hospital; legal considerations regarding both state-to-state and international extradition; and some incredibly complex legal conundrums. It is clear that Baatz is in his element when looking at the legal ramifications of the case, making the second half of the book both fascinating and thought-provoking. Baatz also raises questions about the veracity of certain aspects of the narrative that have gone unchallenged for decades. Moreover, he shows that, while the White-Thaw-Nesbit affair was certainly the same sensational tale portrayed in the press, it also was one that managed to raise some genuine questions about the law that are quite astonishing when considered today.
Reviewed by Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian, History and Genealogy Department,
January 12, 2019
A true story that griped the country in the early 1900’s, but this story would be headlines no matter what the year. The story begins about a young girl Evelyn Nesbit who by the age of 16 is an actress and because of her beauty and I am thinking age she is being wined and dined by wealthy men of New York. One of the men who actually becomes enamored with her is an architect, Stanford White. One day she goes to his home for lunch and after drinking some wine, alcohol and maybe adding something to her champagne she wakes up naked in bed with White next to her calming her down saying or actually telling her everything will be okay, but don’t tell anyone. Another man became attracted to her as well and when White paid for Nesbit mother to travel with her to Europe. This trip is where she would meet her future husband Harry Thaw who would also become obsessed with her and her beauty, and where when the trail began that the district attorney would come back and use this as just one of the many ways as to try to discredit Nesbit story. Thaw would continue to follow her around and she finally agreed to his proposal of marriage, but she also told him about what had happen with Stanford White. Then a few years later when they were all at a perforce in Madison Square Garden which had been designed by White, Thaw walked up to him and shot him. Now the rest of the book is mostly the two trails of Henry Thaw. The author takes you through both but really the first one is the one that takes up most and where the young Nesbit because of her age and thinks people are in her corner and is thrown off when she is on the stand by the way the district attorney attacks her, and also her mother is no help by giving the impression that she thought her daughter was telling the truth. This goes back to the trip and the money that the mother took and that White paid the mother more money because she was poor. Thaw on the other hand and his family distanced themselves from her as well and by the time the second trail came Nesbit still stuck to her story but was not as naive, though she still would be taken advantage of by Thaw’s family attorney’s, not agreeing to the terms of the divorce. A very interesting story that had many different aspects to it. Money and power, and you must still remember women still did not have the right to vote yet, and when my grandmother graduated from college during this time she was not given a diploma like men were they, they were given certificates, women could not even sit on juries. Just things to think about. I believe Nesbit and her story and the end of the book goes into what happened to her life until her death. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
February 3, 2018
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read about freedom of the press, the Comstock laws, the intricacies and problems of an early 1900s trial, and a decadent era in United States history that was far from boring.
Read my full review here:
http://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no additional compensation.
First of all, let's judge this book by its cover. Ripped headlines of "sex, murder, and madness at the dawn of the twentieth century" pasted over a black and white photo of a beautiful girl. Well, this definitely has my attention! After a little reading into the summary I learned that in 1901, sixteen year old chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbit, dined alone with 47 year old architect Stanford White, the foremost architect of the day. After drinking a glass of champagne, Evelyn lost consciousness and awoke to fin that White had raped her. She told no one about what had happened and even continued to spend time with White. She later confided in her husband, Harry Thaw. In 1906, at a performance in Madison Square Garden (a building designed by White) Thaw shot White as an act of revenge. Shocking! But the story doesn't end there! That maybe covers what the first 1/3 of the book consists of. The remaining 2/3 of the book gets totally wild with Thaw's multiple trials. Evelyn Nesbit's testimony was so shocking that Anthony Comstock and Teddy Roosevelt tried to get the newspapers not to print it! Add to this state hospitals, payoffs, prisons, and a game of hot potato between several states and Canada with who was in charge of holding Harry Thaw! This book was fascinating in giving its glimpse into a time when New York was booming and massive fortunes were able to buy *almost* anything. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read about freedom of the press, the Comstock laws, the intricacies and problems of an early 1900s trial, and a decadent era in United States history that was far from boring.
Read my full review here:
http://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2...
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no additional compensation.
First of all, let's judge this book by its cover. Ripped headlines of "sex, murder, and madness at the dawn of the twentieth century" pasted over a black and white photo of a beautiful girl. Well, this definitely has my attention! After a little reading into the summary I learned that in 1901, sixteen year old chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbit, dined alone with 47 year old architect Stanford White, the foremost architect of the day. After drinking a glass of champagne, Evelyn lost consciousness and awoke to fin that White had raped her. She told no one about what had happened and even continued to spend time with White. She later confided in her husband, Harry Thaw. In 1906, at a performance in Madison Square Garden (a building designed by White) Thaw shot White as an act of revenge. Shocking! But the story doesn't end there! That maybe covers what the first 1/3 of the book consists of. The remaining 2/3 of the book gets totally wild with Thaw's multiple trials. Evelyn Nesbit's testimony was so shocking that Anthony Comstock and Teddy Roosevelt tried to get the newspapers not to print it! Add to this state hospitals, payoffs, prisons, and a game of hot potato between several states and Canada with who was in charge of holding Harry Thaw! This book was fascinating in giving its glimpse into a time when New York was booming and massive fortunes were able to buy *almost* anything. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read about freedom of the press, the Comstock laws, the intricacies and problems of an early 1900s trial, and a decadent era in United States history that was far from boring.
November 22, 2018
The writing was fine, I just felt duped. Judging by the title and the photo, I thought I was going to read a book about Evelyn Nesbit. Everything I know about her I know from the novel and musical Ragtime. What I know now about her life before and after "the crime of the century" is basically a Wikipedia entry. The vast majority of this book is very detailed multiple trials of Harry K. Thaw and his escape from the mental institution. If I was interested in that, I would have gotten a biography on Harry K. Thaw.
January 18, 2018
I am a bit of a history nerd, so, when #cjsreads decided to delve into a true crime/historical crime novel as one of our picks to kick off the New Year, I was intrigued. The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century, the non-fiction novel by Simon Baatz, followed the scandalous case of love, murder and betrayal by Evelyn Nesbit (the victim), Stanford White (the perpetrator) and Harry Thaw (the murderer).
I am always surprised when I read nonfiction how socially and culturally relevant many of the issues still are today. Evelyn Nesbit is raped by an older man (White) and is afraid to tell anyone based on social stigma and backlash. White seems to be untouchable due to his status and wealth. Truly, what else could be more socially relevant? Evelyn eventually marries Thaw and he, in revenge, murders White.
For the most part, the work focuses on the backstory and then Thaw’s trial after the murder was committed. While I did find this incredibly interesting, in theory, the delivery was a little confusing and dry for me at times. Lots of legislation and legal jargon was used that felt a little bit over my head and, in turn, pushed me out of the moment.
For lovers of true crime and legal non-fiction, I think this book would be a no-brainer. However, if you are looking for an on-the-edge of your seat suspense, then this would not be the case.
I am always surprised when I read nonfiction how socially and culturally relevant many of the issues still are today. Evelyn Nesbit is raped by an older man (White) and is afraid to tell anyone based on social stigma and backlash. White seems to be untouchable due to his status and wealth. Truly, what else could be more socially relevant? Evelyn eventually marries Thaw and he, in revenge, murders White.
For the most part, the work focuses on the backstory and then Thaw’s trial after the murder was committed. While I did find this incredibly interesting, in theory, the delivery was a little confusing and dry for me at times. Lots of legislation and legal jargon was used that felt a little bit over my head and, in turn, pushed me out of the moment.
For lovers of true crime and legal non-fiction, I think this book would be a no-brainer. However, if you are looking for an on-the-edge of your seat suspense, then this would not be the case.
January 24, 2018
In 1901, Evelyn Nesbit, at age sixteen, moved to New York, with her mother, and became a chorus
girl in the musical Florodora. She met and became involved with famous architect, Stanford White. More than twice her age, he drugged her, and after she was unconscious, raped her. Thereafter, they had a complicated relationship, and she told no one what had happened to her until she became involved with Harry Thaw, millionaire playboy who would later become her husband.
Years later, in June, 1906, Harry Thaw shot and killed Stanford White at a theatrical performance in Madison Square Garden. He was taken into custody, arrested, and tried twice for the murder. And the scandal didn't end there.
As a girl, I saw a movie about this crime and was captivated by it. Naturally, I wanted to read this account, as soon as it was published. It did not disappoint. This is one of those cases where the truth is stranger than fiction. This true story is a thriller.
girl in the musical Florodora. She met and became involved with famous architect, Stanford White. More than twice her age, he drugged her, and after she was unconscious, raped her. Thereafter, they had a complicated relationship, and she told no one what had happened to her until she became involved with Harry Thaw, millionaire playboy who would later become her husband.
Years later, in June, 1906, Harry Thaw shot and killed Stanford White at a theatrical performance in Madison Square Garden. He was taken into custody, arrested, and tried twice for the murder. And the scandal didn't end there.
As a girl, I saw a movie about this crime and was captivated by it. Naturally, I wanted to read this account, as soon as it was published. It did not disappoint. This is one of those cases where the truth is stranger than fiction. This true story is a thriller.
August 14, 2018
Meticulously researched but misguided--really, the author's note is going to question the validity of a naive young girl's rape because she continued to spend time with the millionaire bankrolling her family after? Ugh.
August 3, 2020
3 and 1/2 Stars
In the early 1900’s a millionaire murdered the architect of Madison Square Garden in front of New York society during a Broadway Show. Both men had a sordid history of abusing young girls and the incident draws comparisons reminiscent of the Epstein scandal.
The first half is well paced, the second half drags with the trial and many appeals.
In the early 1900’s a millionaire murdered the architect of Madison Square Garden in front of New York society during a Broadway Show. Both men had a sordid history of abusing young girls and the incident draws comparisons reminiscent of the Epstein scandal.
The first half is well paced, the second half drags with the trial and many appeals.
February 25, 2018
It's supposed to be lurid tabloid-y material. It's not written well however, making everything extremely dry. It is also repetitive, because the same things are rehashed in each of Harry Thaw's trials. None of it makes me understand why the poor girl had to testify at all. I checked wikipedia midway through the book, mostly for the John Barrymore connection, but I went ahead and checked everything because the book was boring me at the time. The data is mostly in the book, but it wasn't completely presented in the order that it should have and that made me wonder about it all.
This is timely, and pretty much why I bothered to pick this book. I have no doubt Evelyn Nesbit was jerked around pretty terribly. I think she deserved a better life, and a better career. But this wasn't a good book. I should have read Rose Byrne's Brave instead.
This is timely, and pretty much why I bothered to pick this book. I have no doubt Evelyn Nesbit was jerked around pretty terribly. I think she deserved a better life, and a better career. But this wasn't a good book. I should have read Rose Byrne's Brave instead.
July 7, 2018
Absolutely STELLAR account of this incident right at the turn of the century. This account of a naive young girl caught between 2 wealthy & powerful men, one a highly influential & well respected architect who's visions built NYC & other places, the other a wealthy but irresponsible man who never did an honest day's work in his life, but with his family's name, reputation & wealthy, didn't have to, who manipulated an innocent, and led to a spectacular legal odyssey spanning years of their lives was impeccably researched, & beautifully written. Never slow, this is a page turner that rivets you from the first page. The historical photographs add depth to the account, & leaves you at the end, both very sorry for Evelyn, & proud of her at the same time for surviving everything her life threw at her along the way.
April 7, 2025
This is a great insight into Evelyn Nesbit and her story/perspective as well as into the murder itself. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in this case!
July 22, 2019
Poor Evelyn Nesbit, the girl never stood a chance once her father died & her mother was left destitute. What options are there for a gorgeous & none-too-bright teenage girl other than to attempt to parlay your fleeting good looks into a secure future? Having a mother who is depending on you doing that too doesn't help matters.
For once, I am reading a book about a historical figure who is described as beautiful and with the photographs to back up that claim. Quite often I will read about some "ravishing beauty" and then I go google her available images and all I can think is "Yowza, standards sure were lower in those days. I guess she had all her teeth so that makes her a looker?" It's especially striking when what I am basing my reaction on is a portrait painting. You know the hired painter is making the person look better than they look in real life. So if the portrait depicts middling looks....one can only assume the IRL version was not so hot.
A good half of this book is spent on the numerous trials surrounding the murder. Jeez, did the NYC DA not have any other pressing cases? I do understand, it was a shockingly brazen murder. If someone gets away with shooting - in public! in a crowded theater designed by the victim! - a rich, powerful, well-connected white man who is a borderline celebrity - well, as the saying goes, all hell could break loose. Who is safe!? Is society going down the toilet with wanton violence? The middle class & wealthy white men in charge of the legal system identified, I'm sure, with Stanford White, and that helped motivate them to seek a conviction, no matter what.
I would have liked more about Evelyn's life after the scandal died down and less about the never-ending circus surrounding Henry Thaw but I understand. It's a lot easier to research well-documented court cases than it is a private citizen who led a rather peripheral lifestyle. I had no idea she'd been in silent movies! I need to go research and see if any of them still exist or if they have been lost. Considering the first 25 years of her life, I'm glad she ended up ok at the end, living near her grandkids, going to church, gardening, taking care of her cats.....all the grandma things. She deserved a mellow end after her tumultuous youth.
For once, I am reading a book about a historical figure who is described as beautiful and with the photographs to back up that claim. Quite often I will read about some "ravishing beauty" and then I go google her available images and all I can think is "Yowza, standards sure were lower in those days. I guess she had all her teeth so that makes her a looker?" It's especially striking when what I am basing my reaction on is a portrait painting. You know the hired painter is making the person look better than they look in real life. So if the portrait depicts middling looks....one can only assume the IRL version was not so hot.
A good half of this book is spent on the numerous trials surrounding the murder. Jeez, did the NYC DA not have any other pressing cases? I do understand, it was a shockingly brazen murder. If someone gets away with shooting - in public! in a crowded theater designed by the victim! - a rich, powerful, well-connected white man who is a borderline celebrity - well, as the saying goes, all hell could break loose. Who is safe!? Is society going down the toilet with wanton violence? The middle class & wealthy white men in charge of the legal system identified, I'm sure, with Stanford White, and that helped motivate them to seek a conviction, no matter what.
I would have liked more about Evelyn's life after the scandal died down and less about the never-ending circus surrounding Henry Thaw but I understand. It's a lot easier to research well-documented court cases than it is a private citizen who led a rather peripheral lifestyle. I had no idea she'd been in silent movies! I need to go research and see if any of them still exist or if they have been lost. Considering the first 25 years of her life, I'm glad she ended up ok at the end, living near her grandkids, going to church, gardening, taking care of her cats.....all the grandma things. She deserved a mellow end after her tumultuous youth.
February 7, 2018
For a book with such a lurid, sensational title, this was actually a bit of a snore. The writing was quite dry and focused on description. Lots of architecture details, lots of legalese, and quite a few moments of great, so you researched that but wow you really didn't need to include it here (see photo of Evelyn Nesbit with bird hat).
That said, a timely true crime tale for the #MeToo moment, but not one that actually focuses on the girl on the swing (and WTF is up with the fucking swing Stanford White?!). Instead, we get more of the trial of Evelyn Nesbit's husband for shooting her rapist in cold blood many years after the rape was committed, long before Evelyn had even met her husband Harry Thaw. I was grateful that the author acknowledge Evelyn's pawn status in this entire affair, but wasn't super pleased he decided to include a post-epilogue note that questioned the veracity of her account of the rape. Of course we can't really know whether it occurred. Can we just believe her?
The husband/murderer Thaw, a disturbed rich boy, was not super fun to read about. I was appalled by the descriptions of the "asylums" of the early 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s.
I read this to check off my 2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge "read a True Crime story."
That said, a timely true crime tale for the #MeToo moment, but not one that actually focuses on the girl on the swing (and WTF is up with the fucking swing Stanford White?!). Instead, we get more of the trial of Evelyn Nesbit's husband for shooting her rapist in cold blood many years after the rape was committed, long before Evelyn had even met her husband Harry Thaw. I was grateful that the author acknowledge Evelyn's pawn status in this entire affair, but wasn't super pleased he decided to include a post-epilogue note that questioned the veracity of her account of the rape. Of course we can't really know whether it occurred. Can we just believe her?
The husband/murderer Thaw, a disturbed rich boy, was not super fun to read about. I was appalled by the descriptions of the "asylums" of the early 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s.
I read this to check off my 2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge "read a True Crime story."
March 30, 2021
This historical story reads like fiction. Seriously, how could one girl’s life be so glamorous and scandalous? Evelyn stands out to me as one of the most innocent, and gullible, people in history. She is exposed to the world, so she’s worldly, but doesn’t seem to have the gift of discernment at all. She takes everything at face value and her mother is the same way.
Evelyn’s story is sad but also very entertaining. Harry’s story trumps hers for a bit in this story and I was left wondering what to believe. I wasn’t familiar with Evelyn’s story before I read this. I am so glad I got to know her and the other key players in her life. The world that Evelyn came up in was full of men with all the power. In this time period defending a woman’s honor might be worth a man’s life and a trial by a jury of only men was the standard. The last few chapters expound on the rest of Evelyn’s life after Thaw’s trails. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy historical/true crime.
January 27, 2018
I found the first half of this book fascinating and timely, especially given what is happening with the #Metoo movement. The next section of the book dragged as it focuses more on Nesbit’s husband and his many legal hearings. It felt repetitive. At times, it even felt that Evelyn Nesbit was being used by the author to sell a book that was much more focused on her husband and his crime. In the end, the author brought it back to Evelyn and showed the significance of the story and the ways that powerful men use and abuse women. If the book had focused primarily on Nesbit, I would have been much happier.
Read
February 11, 2019Uhhhhh American Eve was so much better. This one focuses more on Harry Thaw and I guess tries to paint his insanity as more sympathetic.
But it completely removes the incidents of abuse in Austria at the hands of Thaw?
I’ll read anything about Evelyn Nesbit, but this author completely lost me when he questions the rape accusation in the afterword. Even if Nesbit lied or exaggerated the violence of the accusations against White 1. he definitely committed statutory rape 2. those “exaggerations” were coming in response to the violence that Thaw subjected her to!
Anyway, Nesbit was a queen and I love my resilient Capricorn mom.
But it completely removes the incidents of abuse in Austria at the hands of Thaw?
I’ll read anything about Evelyn Nesbit, but this author completely lost me when he questions the rape accusation in the afterword. Even if Nesbit lied or exaggerated the violence of the accusations against White 1. he definitely committed statutory rape 2. those “exaggerations” were coming in response to the violence that Thaw subjected her to!
Anyway, Nesbit was a queen and I love my resilient Capricorn mom.
April 17, 2022
Happy Easter, I finished my murder book.
My main problem with this book was that it was advertised as detailing the story of Evelyn Nesbitt, but spent the entire second half explaining what ended up happening to her abusive husband Henry Thaw. Evelyn and her voice are missing from a large chunk of the story. This book would benefit from not simply presenting a historical narrative, but also using our modern lens to interpret the significance of these events. The afterword begins with questioning whether White actually drugged and assaulted Nesbitt or whether she made it all up, which was misogynistic and unnecessary.
My main problem with this book was that it was advertised as detailing the story of Evelyn Nesbitt, but spent the entire second half explaining what ended up happening to her abusive husband Henry Thaw. Evelyn and her voice are missing from a large chunk of the story. This book would benefit from not simply presenting a historical narrative, but also using our modern lens to interpret the significance of these events. The afterword begins with questioning whether White actually drugged and assaulted Nesbitt or whether she made it all up, which was misogynistic and unnecessary.
Read
July 19, 2018I will literally read anything about Evelyn Nesbit. Her story fascinates me — as does her role as a catalyst in shifting women’s beauty ideals. This concentrated more on the trial and aftermath of Thaw’s murder of White and its scandalous ramifications rather than on Nesbit. While I appreciated the broader perspective, she’s what fascinates me, so I continue to most highly recommend American Eve by Paula Uruburu which delves deeply into Nesbit’s life but also pans out to the sociocultural constructs that saw her victim and held her in their clutches
August 24, 2018
I really loved this book. The twists of this story are unbelievably, and I felt like I ended every chapter thinking surely that is the craziest thing that would happen. Even the epilogue left me shocked. This is such a well written piece of non-fiction, and so much fun to read.
March 14, 2024
Wow I'm really striking out today; DNF'ed at 15%. Was hoping for a decent nonfiction rundown of fact, but this appears to just be a fictionalized retelling of events instead, and not even a particularly compelling or well-written one. Not my cup of tea unless I'm specifically, intentionally looking for histfic, and I'm not impressed by authors who seem to think readers somehow can't tell the difference. Also, after glancing through a few other reviews here, it looks like the one point in which the author actually does editorialize is when he goes out of his way to deny the titular figure's rape allegation--which, on top of being a chickenshit sleazeball move, is also extra baffling given that the rape appears to be the entire crux of what happened, and thus the purpose of the fucking book? So why even write about it then? Whatever, I guess I'm at least glad to know that this is an author whose work to avoid in future.
November 21, 2021
The story of Evelyn Nesbit and Stanford White has been written about and done in movies for years. Harry Thaw and White were the subject of movies and documentaries too. This book seems to say, you know that so here is a rundown. The real story is after the murder. There are multiple trials, reputations destroyed, and bribes.
The author doesn’t do a study in the mind of Harry Thaw. He admits that he may not know the details of Nesbit and White’s relationship. When you can’t be certain that Thaw is so bad, read the epilogue. Wow.
I can t find Evelyn’s movies on the web. I’d be interested. The movie Ragtime has some of this story wrong so if you plan to skip this because you know it, there’s more.
The author doesn’t do a study in the mind of Harry Thaw. He admits that he may not know the details of Nesbit and White’s relationship. When you can’t be certain that Thaw is so bad, read the epilogue. Wow.
I can t find Evelyn’s movies on the web. I’d be interested. The movie Ragtime has some of this story wrong so if you plan to skip this because you know it, there’s more.
June 5, 2019
I can have “to read” books stacked on more or less every surface in the house and still end up at the library asking my librarian friend to please show me where I can find the book about Evelyn Nesbit. Summer reading is intense because I want to read a book that will make me give up doing anything else but lounging on the floor with the book and a pillow. The Girl on the Velvet Swing was just that- all narrative. The author went through the story of Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Thaw, including sex, murder, multiple trials, an insane asylum, and more legal battles, and still ends the book very respectfully towards Ms. Nesbit. I wouldn’t wish getting involved with two rich, older men on any teenage girl.
As a side note, I’ve had the song “Crime of the Century” from the musical Ragtime in my head for five days straight.
As a side note, I’ve had the song “Crime of the Century” from the musical Ragtime in my head for five days straight.
December 19, 2021
Non-fiction account of “me too” horrors among the socialites at the beginning of the 20th Century. I read the first three chapters and then skipped to the end. I don’t think I missed anything.
File Under: Skip It
File Under: Skip It
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews