Out of the Shadows: Six Visionary Victorian Women in Search of a Public Voice

by Emily Midorikawa

Extraordinary tales of women and the supernatural during the Victorian era that illuminate a radical history of female influence on social issues that has been—until now—confined to the dark.

Queen Victoria’s reign was one of breathtaking social change, yet roles for most women remained rigid and narrow. The “angel in the house” rarely expressed an opinion, and certainly not one that challenged the status quo.

But not so within the social sphere of the seance–a mysterious, lamplit world dominated by enterprising women whose apparent ability to move between the realms of the dead and the living rewarded them with otherwise unthinkable fame and power. Such talents allowed them to cross rigid boundaries of gender and class, and to summon unique political voices–voices capable of reaching some of the era’s most famous personalities, including even Victoria herself.

Out of the Shadows, which draws on original diaries, letters, and memoirs, tells the stories of six such visionary Victorians. The clairvoyance of Kate, Leah, and Maggie Fox, three sisters from upstate New York, inspired some of the era’s best-known female suffrage activists and set off an international séance craze. British performer Emma Hardinge Britten left behind a career on Broadway for the life of a “trance lecturer,” whose oration on the death of Abraham Lincoln was celebrated by tens of thousands. The meteoric rise of Victoria Woodhull, born into poverty in Ohio, took her from childhood medium to Wall Street broker to America’s first female presidential candidate. And Georgina Weldon, whose interest in spiritualism nearly saw her confined to an asylum, went on to become a favorite of the press and a successful campaigner against Britain’s archaic lunacy laws.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Biography, Womens, Victorian, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

Emily Midorikawa is the author Out of the Shadows: Six Visionary Victorian Women in Search of a Public Voice, which tells the stories of six enterprising women of the nineteenth century, whose apparent abilities to contact the dead brought them astonishing levels of fame, fortune and social influence. She is also the coauthor of A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontё, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf, co-written with Emma Claire Sweeney and with a foreword by Margaret Atwood. (The UK title is A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Brontё, Eliot and Woolf.)

Emily is a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Her journalism has been published in the Paris Review, TIME, The Times (of London), the Washington Post, and others.

https://emilymidorikawa.com/
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Reviews

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the rise of popularity on both sides of the Atlantic of séances in the 19th century, and the surprising outcome of that rise. A page turner you that is hard to put down. This book is full of the history of some incredible women that changed women's lives forever more. Highly recommend. If you enjoy reading about the Victorian Era you will enjoy this book.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very quick and readable, but left me feeling distinctly unsatisfied. Basically, it's a set of interlinked biographies of the three Fox sisters and three other women, both American and English, who were significant figures in nineteenth century Spiritualism. While the book was helpful in exploring some of the origins of Spiritualism, along with the ways in which the movement ended up linked to issues of women's rights and various social reform causes in the second half of the century, it glosses over all the stuff I really wanted to hear about.

For one thing, there was almost no discussion of the phenomena recorded at Spiritualist seances, what the materialistic explanations are (after all, at least the majority of it must have been fraudulent), the religious/philosophical tenets of the faith, whether/how and to what degree its practitioners believed in the stuff they were peddling, and so on. I wanted more of a look at the commentary and interpretation surrounding this historical movement, rather than archly non-committal repetition of the women's claims.

No doubt the author felt this was beyond the scope of the work, but I would have thought it relevant because of my other beef with the book. Midorikawa does a decent job of proving her thesis, that Spiritualism enabled Victorian women to enjoy social influence far beyond the accepted sphere of feminine activity. Women channeling the spirits of dead men were able to speak authoritatively to social issues, campaign for female suffrage, and in one memorable case, run for President. I honestly have pretty severe moral objections to all this. The younger Fox sisters, for instance, were ruthlessly exploited by their eldest sister Leah as a ticket to wealth. That the men in their lives who tried to free them from Leah's exploitation thought women belonged in the kitchen, doesn't justify Leah's exploitation; and that Leah used her sisters to promote genuinely good and progressive causes, shouldn't be allowed to gloss over the fact that the progressive thinkers she joined were also the first people she scammed. Abolition of slavery was absolutely a good cause, but it seems that Leah joined that cause out of calculating greed. Then, there's Victoria Woodhull's support for eugenics. While the motivations of these women are relatable, I found myself wondering if the author was trying to cast them as subversive heroines while glossing over the ways in which many of them exploited and deceived people on a grand scale.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unaware of how involved most spiritualist women were in the women's rights movement. I guess it made sense since they were some of the few women that had money. I enjoyed listening to the complex personal lives of turn of the century women. Free Love advocates, presidential hopefuls, and stock market profiteers. An interesting read.

[The Starry Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Out of the Shadows' is a series of short biographies of Victorian women who used the Spiritualist movement to spearhead another dimension to the suffragist campaign. Detailed accounts of these women's lives on the cusp of two worlds- the mundane and supernatural provided the backdrop and context to which these ladies were able to advocate for women's rights.

It was incredibly compelling to learn about the suffragist movement from a psychical perspective. By communicating with spirits they were able to give themselves a voice and a platform that gained momentum for both the spiritualism and women's liberation movements. Even though some of these women did have men as their backers, it did seem as though the women knew exactly what they were doing by advocating for their rights via a supernatural ability that ironically involved the invisible...a realm that Victorian women were all too familiar with. I believe there was some ambiguity in each biography as to whether their spirit contact abilities were real? The uncertainty about this does make me question whether these ladies were psychic or fraudsters? Does their work to enfranchise women lose its credibility if it was promoted using fraudulent paranormal abilities?

Overall an illuminating look at a piece of history that has been kept in the shadows that will surely shed some light on the power of women's voices...otherworldly or not.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[V. Briceland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Spiritualism Movement was born in 1848, when the Fox family of New York state received a volley of non-stop rapping of unknown origin shortly after moving into a house with a reputation of being haunted. When more and more of their neighbors gathered to observe the phenomenon, the two youngest Fox sisters communicated with the spirit of 'Mr. Splitfoot.' They announced that a peddler had there been murdered. In the frenzied weeks that followed, the Fox family found itself pushed out of the house as its cellar was unearthed, a few pieces of (probably animal) bone were found, and one of the house's former tenants found himself treated as the murderer of a traveling salesman who (very likely) never existed.

The spirit raps followed the Fox sisters wherever they went, however, and from the supernatural activity surrounding an eleven- and fourteen-year-old grew a movement that swept storm-like across not only the United States but into Great Britain and Europe as well. Spiritualism was democratic in its appeal. Its seances, automatic writing sessions, and its promises of communion with the dead—particularly in an era in which science seemed able to make anything possible—were embraced alike by the highborn (Queen Victoria was a fan) and the obscure, by the educated and the illiterate, by the wealthy and by the destitute.

In Out of the Shadows: Six Visionary Victorian Women in Search of a Public Voice Emily Midorikawa weaves an exciting and compelling narrative not only of the two youngest Fox sisters whose knockings more or less single-handedly convinced hundreds of thousands to believe in the notion of communication from beyond the grave, but also of their much older sister Leah, who joined in with the seances and elevated the family's fortune and clout by taking her sisters onto the stage and giving them a unique platform in a period that suppressed women's voices.

It's no coincidence that the narratives of Spiritualism and the women's rights movement are thoroughly intertwined; the inaugural U.S. women's right's convention took place a mere twenty miles from the Foxes at the same time the sister's seances became the hottest events in the northeast. Midorikawa carries the interlaced stories forward with the tale of Emma Hardinge, a British immigrant and former actress whose devotion to Spiritualism grew out of a drive to debunk it completely. Hardinge's famous 'trance lectures' offered her an authority and fame few women achieved in the nineteenth century, and culminated when she addressed an unprecedented three hundred thousand people assembled in New York City to mourn the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Likewise, spiritualist Victoria Woodhull managed, along with her younger sister, to become the spiritual advisor to Cornelius Vanderbilt. With his insider knowledge, the sisters made a fortune capitalizing upon a collapsing gold market. They then used the funds to form the first female-owned brokerage on Wall Street, to start their own popular weekly newspaper through which they promoted feminist views, and then to bankroll Woodhull's own unexampled run for the United States Presidency.

Finally Midorikawa leaps across the Atlantic to tell the hilarious tale of Georgina Weldon, whose bastard of a husband decided to use her mild interest in Spiritualism as a pretext to commit her to an institution—and save himself the trouble of having to support her, while moving on with a new hussy. Having to fight for her independence electrified Weldon; she led the doctors attempting to throw her into an asylum on a merry chase for the entire duration of the warrant for her detention, only showing herself once it expired. Then, in a matchless example of giving everyone who wronged her an extended middle finger, she spent the next decade suing them all into submission and bankruptcy—all while representing herself in court, without any form of official male counsel—and even forced one of the doctors who wanted to lock her up into joining her drive for reforming the so-called lunacy laws. Hell hath no fury, y'all.

When late in the century one of the younger Fox sisters confessed that she and her sister had cracked their toe joints to produce the spooky spirit messages of their youth, the admission somewhat hobbled the reputation of soothsayers claiming to communicate with the dead. By then, however, Spiritualism had moved on beyond mere raps and seances to encompass an entire movement of women finding new ways to speak in a male-dominated society. Midorikawa's eminently-readable tale brings to life decades in which almost anything seemed possible—even the prospect of women asserting themselves to extents never before tested.

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book on an interesting topic. I found everything very informative and learned a lot. I took my time reading it so I could absorb each woman's story.

[Mae Clair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Counterpoint Press and NetGalley for this wonderful ARC. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to read it, and I was not disappointed.

I developed a fascination with the workings of spirit mediums of the nineteenth century while conducting research for a series of novels some years back. Since that time, I continue to read anything I can find related to the Spiritualist movement of the Victorian age. I’m fascinated by how these mediums commanded fervent followings and packed lecture halls. Many were gifted theatrical performers able to communicate through spirit rapping, table tilting, channeled writing, and conjuring. Some were escape artists. When Spiritualism was at its peak during the Victorian age, it clashed with medicine and science, fields dominated by men.

The author of Out of the Shadows, doesn’t set out to judge one way of another if the women in her book were fraudulent swindlers preying on a gullible public, true believers of their cause, or a little of both. She examines their lives from family background through the rise of their fame—for each of these ladies certainly obtained it—and, in two cases, to their ultimate downfall. Throughout, we see the mark these women made on society during a time when females were relegated to existing in the shadow of men. Or, as Midorikawa says in the book—in the attitude of the day, men were the “lofty pine,” women viewed as the “clinging vine.”

Anyone familiar with the Spiritualist movement knows it began with the Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York. Two young teenage girl—Maggie and Kate—who began communicating with spirits through rapping sounds. Thus it’s only fitting Midorikawa starts her research there, fleshing out how both girls went from obscurity to fame under the guidance of their older sister, Leah (who would eventually join their act when the sisters packed lecture halls for their performances). We see the growth of the movement as other mediums follow, not only in America but across the Atlantic in Britain, too.

As the author shows us, Spiritualism gave voice to women who were able to combine the supernatural with more pressing concerns of their day. We meet Emma Hardinge Britton who addressed the need for equality between men and women along with her talks on spiritualism. Georgina Weldon championed the Lunacy Laws of Britain, after almost being unjustly incarcerated in an asylum herself (anyone associated with spiritualism could easily be seen as demented). Georgina's relentless pursuit of those who sought to have her committed would ultimately help bring reform.

Each woman’s life is meticulously detailed, yet shared in a manner that keeps the reader flipping pages. This is a fascinating and in-depth look, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the development of spirit mediums, or even the morals and attitudes of the Victorian era.

[Samantha Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me there's nothing more fascinating than learning about the long-ago lives of everyday people. For this reason I loved Out of The Shadows. It tells the stories of notable women in the Victorian-era Spiritualist movement, who bucked tradition by doing things like public speaking, embarking on their own careers, political activism, and even opening a brokerage firm.⁠
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It's not hyperbole to say I enjoyed every minute reading this book. Victorian era + regular people + something offbeat is a combo that's right up my street anyway, but what really sucked me in was the nuanced and compelling way the six women are portrayed. This book shows not only the fruits of meticulous research, but Midorikawa displays true compassion and respect for these women despite their core belief in something most of us would find laughable today. ⁠
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Books like this are a perfect example of why I firmly believe history can never be boring.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nineteenth Century was not a good time for outspoken women, but Emily Midorikawa finds, in the Spiritualist Movement of that period, a group of women who used the movement to gain a voice in a male-oriented society that was not interested in what women had to say.
She starts with Maggie, Kate and Leah, the three Fox sisters of upstate New York, who used "rappings" to convince people that they were communicating with the spirit world. Next she tells the story of Emma Hardinge Britten, a clairvoyant who was born in England, but who became one of the leading authors of the American Spiritualist Movement.
Victoria Woodhull and her sister Tennessee Claflin are the next women of the Spiritualist Movement that Midorikawa presents. Woodhull claimed to be advised by spirit guides throughout her life and became the president of the American Association of Spiritualists. Claflin was a healer, and together they started the first stock brokerage on Wall Street to be run by women. They also published a leading liberal newpapers the Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly when it was rare to have women in the press. Woodhull was for a while a leading spokesperson for women's suffrage, addressing a Congressional committee and being the first woman to run for president of the United Staes. Her views on Free Love and Euthenasia make her a difficult figure, both in her time and the present.
Midorikawa's last spiritualist is Georgina Weldon, a British singer who ran orphanages, and whose husband tried to get her involuntarily committed for her spiritualist beliefs. The book ends with a chapter on the waning of the Spiritualist Movement at the end of the 19th century.
Midorikawa's research separates the sensationalistic rumors from the knowable facts, and presents a well-balanced approach to the lives of these women to whom Spiritualism provided a way for them to make a name and space for themselves in a restrictive society.

[Jillian Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are already love the Lore podcast, or enjoy the books that have come forth from it – then you will adore this book as well!

This instantly immersive narrative starts off with the infamous Fox sisters; legends of their time, and just like the other women highlighted in this account, all buried it by history.
Focusing on the spiritual movement of the late 1800s, this deeply researched history illustrates how incredible women changed the path for women going forward~ without owning that legacy.

Today, we have a brilliant hindsight how our history books lack so many accounts that indeed change our present lives- this is a very fun, and consumable look at some of those hidden figures.

Galley borrowed from the publisher.

[Natalie Alane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I requested an ARC of this book because my senior thesis was on British Victorian Women Writers’ Supernatural Short Stories, and in my research, spiritualism, of course, came up frequently, and many studies in the stories were through a feminist lens as well. So I was very interested to learn about women’s roles in spiritualism through this book! Focusing on 6 prominent female spiritualists, most practicing mediums, this book shows how these women used spiritualism to exert independence and be seen and heard in a way most Victorian women weren’t allowed. Their independence wasn’t limited to spiritualism; many became great orators, businesswomen, and politicians, although their success in these fields was largely due to their involvement in and approach to spiritualism. It was quite fascinating! I rarely grew bored and it didn’t seem too long/short. The last chapter discussed the downfall of spiritualism in the late 1800s and people trying to disprove mediums, spiritualists, etc, but I would have liked more commentary on if/how these events were faked. However, I can see why Midorikawa might have left more information out as she obviously wanted to focus on the women.
Overall it was a really fascinating read, but for me personally, 5 star books (and even 4.5 star books) are books that I absolutely love, know I will reread many times, and want to own. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but this book doesn’t quite hit that mark for me. If I did want a reread, I’d get it from the library.

[Andrea Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores women's fights to be heard and to increase their rights from a very unique perspective. I discovered the lives of some formidable women, most that I hadn't previously heard of, through the lens of their involvement in spiritualism. It was really interesting to learn about the way spiritualism developed under their influence and how they used this to create secure lives and to make changes to public policy. In some ways, this book continues work the author began in her previous book, A Secret Sisterhood (with Emma Claire Sweeney) - that book revealed the ways women writers supported each other through literary friendships, whereas this book shows how these forgotten Victorian women supported improved conditions in society and/or inspired other women through their public voices. I read this book as someone interested in women's issues, women's lives and in the occult - there is much of interest for anyone interested in any of these things. The author has clearly done her research, but the book is easy and enjoyable to read.

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I loved everything about this! It was such a fantastic idea for a book, taking six women, British and American, that I had never heard of before, and describing their explosive careers in the world of Spiritualism that, for some of them, spawned a second career in politics and even in the stock market. These women led extraordinary lives and dealt with great success and great sadness and danger at a time when women were not encouraged to speak about themselves or for themselves. Meticulously researched and well-written, I am going to miss reading about these early accidental feminists. Highly recommend it!

[Annette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never equated the Spiritualist movement with the struggle for women's rights. Yet it seems that society was willing to listen to women if they spoke in the voices of spirits. Like Joan of Arc, they used this ruse to legitimize their agendas.
This book is amazingly well researched and while I knew of the Fox sisters, the other biographies in this were equally or more fascinating.
I hope this is used as reading in future womens' studies programs.

[Catherine Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look at the intersection between spiritualism and feminism. The women in the book used their platform as part of the community of spiritualism in different ways and to accomplish different things, but they all strayed from the roles expected of them and put themselves in the public eye. A nice slice of history showcasing women who were both celebrities and voices for reform.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was most invested in Victoria Woodhull and her sister Tennessee Claflin.

[Alicia Primer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where have I been and why didn’t I know more about the women described in this very readable book? From the Fox sisters to Victoria Woodhull to Georgina Weldon, worthy each of more research.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy, due to issues reading PDF file.
I’ve read a bit about the suffragette movement, but it was interesting to get to know some the figures that aren’t as talked about in basic history classes, with exception of Victoria Woodhull, thanks to her political career. It was also interesting to see the ties to the spiritualist movement, especially since that was frequently discredited by “men of science.” Each woman chafed against the patriarchal norms and pushed for change in intriguing ways.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph]

I was already interested in this book because of the topic, but the fact that the worst reviews so far are vague grumbling pompous reviews by men seals the deal. Absolutely going to read this now!

[Glen Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into Out of the Shadows with, perhaps, the same preconceptions of Victorian Spiritualism held by many—lamp-light rooms, parlour tables rattling, and women fainting. A long-gone fad which held little relevance today. But Midorikawa’s enthralling book traces the lives of six female clairvoyants on both sides of the Atlantic; women driven not by a desire to deceive or entertain, but to confront the limited agency afforded their gender. And in this, they all succeeded spectacularly.

Their individual stories are gripping. In America, the Fox sisters rise from rural anonymity to Transatlantic fame after becoming the focus for ‘Spirit Rappings’. Emma Hardinge Britten becomes a famed political speaker—gaining the ears of powerful men—by channelling male spirits. Victoria Woodhull harnesses The Beyond to pull off a series of Wall Street heists worthy of a Hollywood film, becoming in the process America’s first female candidate for President of the United States. In London, Georgia Weldon’s connection to the world of the dead is used against her by an unscrupulous husband who leverages the masculine worlds of medicine and law against her, an incredible story which ultimately leads to sweeping legal changes in the Houses of Parliament.

Midorikawa presents these women from disparate origins, but what they all have in common is their attempts to tackle the suffocating patriarchal institutions of the day. Reading their incredible stories, the question presents itself—did these women truly believe, or were they using the ‘feminine’ space of the séance parlour to gain entry into the masculine spheres of politics, high-finance and public speaking? Midorikawa wisely doesn’t take sides. Instead, she deftly weaves the lives of these women together to create a compelling—and frequently miraculous—page-turning narrative, but one which also pulls into focus the wider history of the fight for women’s rights during the 19th Century. In Out of the Shadows, Midorikawa marries meticulous research with the skill of a seasoned novelist, resulting in a remarkable book that throws new light onto a subject that has been, in our collective consciousness, reduced to a handful of tired tropes. In fact, the book amounts to a feat of spiritualism in itself—Midorikawa has become a conduit for these long-dead women, allowing them to tell their stories to modern audiences; stories that resonate with issues that are just as prevalent today as they were then.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six astonishing women in Europe and North America with varying spiritualism gifts and skill sets took the Victorian era by storm in their own ways. Sceptics and believers alike were drawn to the ambitious women, often paying unheard of amounts of money to see the women "perform" on stage or in hotel/private rooms. Crowds measured in the hundreds to watch the table rapping, spiritual healing and calling on departed spirits and at times crowds became unruly and aggressive as spiritualism really divided. These women, so very different in personality, were all drawn to making money (usually out of necessity) and notoriety. Some used their fame to influence in other ways such as speaking and changing laws. Despite criticism and accusations of trickery and quackery the women forged ahead. However, several grieving people found solace through these women.

Some ladies were more successful in life than others. A few died broken. While all were fascinating to read about, the one which stood out most in my mind is Georgina Weldon who went to great lengths to avoid being forced into an asylum for her spiritualism. Due to this she became an advocate against lunacy laws. Emma Hardinge became a powerful speaker, even delivering a funeral oration on Abraham Lincoln!

I like that the author gave thorough biographies of all these women which gives super context and perspective. The amount of research for this book must have been staggering! You need not be into spiritualism to get something from this book. I read it simply to learn more about history and these unique women.

My sincere thank you to Counterpoint Press for allowing me the privilege of reading this enthralling book!

[Ashley Rossetto · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great testament to a non-fiction book if I can finish it! With that said, I enjoyed this book and the premise was not something I knew much about prior to reading it.


3 of the 6 women we learn about in Out of the Shadows

I've heard of Spiritualists from this time, and read a little about them in Mary Roach's book Stiff about the afterlife (where she tells us about seances with ghostly ectoplasm!) This book focuses more on the women who made a living as Spiritualists, and the effect of the era on their lives.

In a time when epilepsy was considered either a mental illness or a sign of demon possession, these women made names for themselves by communing with the dead. In a time when women couldn't vote, Victoria Woodhull (one of the Spiritualists we learn about), became the first female presidential candidate because of the "opportunities afforded her by her involvement with Modern Spiritualism." In a time when a woman's husband could have her carted off to an insane asylum by signing a piece of paper, Georgina Weldon (another Spiritualist featured) was able to create the Lunacy Law Reform Association and later see the passing of the Lunacy Act of 1890.

One of my favorite facts was how Georgina advocated for her Lunacy Law reforms (after her husband tried to have her sent to an asylum). She hired men with sandwich-boards to stand outside the offices and asylums of the doctor who schemed with her husband to have her locked up, had hot-air balloons drop leaflets across Britain, and lectured to huge crowds. All I could think on this page was of Samantha Jones papering New York City with pictures of Richard Wright after her cheated on her in Sex and the City.


Georgina was lightyears head of her time

Learning how two of the youngest Spiritualists, Kate and Maggie, did what they did in the last part of the book was very interesting, and I wish we had more information about how each of these women did what they so vocally claimed was communing with spirits.

Overall, very enjoyable and full of great facts. In a time when women were not allowed to speak to men (but they had dead men speaking through them, so that was okay ?? ), these women found a way around that and make a name and a living for themselves in an incredibly unique way.

[Bethany DuVal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midorikawa is a talented storyteller. Honestly, what engaged me was less the historical significance and more just all the details she pulled and how she wove the stories together. I feel like I would enjoy her writing on any historical topic.

That said, it is a fascinating look at how women managed to break social boundaries by crediting “the spirits” with their success. I loved the story of Victoria Woodhull who made it big on Wall Street and even advised Commodore Vanderbilt—but had to credit it all to “the spirits.” There’s also a strong tie-in with Elizabeth Cary Stanton because many of these women advocated for women’s suffrage and other rights.

One quibble is the praise Leah Underwood gets at the end of the book. Though she exploited her much younger sisters and disowned her own (still a minor) daughter for not supporting their fraud, she’s credited with giving her sisters “opportunities,” and her abandoned daughter is pretty much forgotten. A bold act is not automatically a feminist act just because it’s done by a woman. I would argue that Leah benefitted greatly from a patriarchal system that gave her sisters few options but to go along with a soul-crushing scam.

[Magdalena Morris]

I didn't really like this which is rubbish because I really wanted to (and thought I would) and because it's like £16 US edition. The concept is great, the women Midorikawa writes about are fascinating, so there's so much potential (even though I've read *tons* of stuff on the Fox sisters already), yet the execution is not great. I just found the writing dull and not engaging which, again, is ridiculous when your subject is fascinating. There was a bit about the women, a bit about Spiritualism, a bit about finding and using their voice, but it was not enough and not at all well executed. MEH. You'll be better off reading books like Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism or Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances.

[Ashley Herrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if the main issue here is the writer not adding commentary and analysis or if the issues stem from a lack of source material. I found these stories fascinating but I felt a lot of time like most of the events were possibilities. What I mean is that, based on the conflicting or lack of sources the author seemed to give many noncommittal suggestions as to why the women did certain things. Most of the stories and background information on the women seemed to be shrouded in mystery except those which had been published.

Lectures, newspaper articles, and events were treated as definite happenings but all other material seemed to be treated as mysterious or lacking in concrete proof. This made it hard to discern the motives of some of the women when they embraced spiritualism. I found the Fox sisters section to be the most unsatisfying which is a shame because it opens the book.

Overall, I gave this book three stars because I still did learn quite a bit of history but overall it was not a satisfying read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not much of a nonfiction reader, but couldn’t resist picking up this piece of feminist revisionist history. And I’m so glad I did! This reads fairly academically (the “thesis” is present throughout, the structure is clear, the conclusion summarizes the main arguments), but the writing is really engaging, and I couldn’t get enough of the lives of these colorful characters! This feels like a series of six biographies, but the similarities across the decades were well displayed and theorized by Midorikawa. While the end result was less feminist history than chronology of the transatlantic Spiritualist movement, Midorikawa compellingly presents the two in parallel and brings new stories to light with a contemporary feminist lens. Fun!

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly informative book about real women who found a way to have a voice...and sadly how often it was other women who tried to take their voices away.
It was interesting not learn more about Virginia Woodhull who was the first woman to run for US President....and even more enlightening to learn that, contrary to what we are often told, her loss had more to do with her age (she wasn't legally old enough to run) and her shocking policy stances than her gender.

It is sad however that out of the 6 women, only one actually brought about real social change....and that was Georgina Weldon. She managed, though unending force and refusing to be quiet, to change the Lunacy Laws in Britain for the benefit of ALL.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful, readable account of how six very different women found their voices and their life's work through the Spiritualist movement. I thought I knew a lot about 19th Century America; but Emily Midorikawa taught me something new on almost every page. Her writing weaves her extensive research into a fast-paced, fabulous set of life stories. The facts don't take away from the story. The story doesn't get away from the facts. It contains real life stories of the fad of spirit manifestations and the scandals that come from women speaking truth. The parallels between their times and ours were fascinating. If you love history, and love narrative, you won't be able to put it down. GREAT!

[Anne Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we look for Victorian women who trailblazed, spoke out, and tried to forge their own independent way in the world, Spiritualism isn't usually where we start. Here, author Emily Midorikawa argues that Spiritualism offered many women the oppotunity to find fame and fortune, finding their voice in public life. Many gave lectures at a time when speaking in public was considered "unfeminine". The Fox sisters used it as a way out of their small town lives into the fortunes of Wall Street where they were able to start their own investment company. Victoria Woodhull used it as a springboard to campaign as the first female candidate for president of the United States.

From campaigning for voting rights for women to changing the lunacy laws in Britain, this book explores the lives of 6 women who used the popularity of Spiritualism to make their own voices heard. Well-written and well-researched, this is a side of women's fight for equality that shouldn't be overlooked and Midorikawa does an excellent job of bringing it out of the shadows.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting first book for me about Spiritualism. I had never associated Spiritualism with “Feminism” but I can see the author’s association. Looking back at the lives of these women described in the book, I have mixed feelings. Sad because of how horrible life must have been for women, especially ones that were In some way different or didn’t feel like conforming. Proud that they were women who found their own ways of living life outside the norms. I only gave this 3 stars as I felt the book was a little difficult to keep up with but it held my interest throughout. This definitely won’t be my last book on the subject!