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The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime
The biography of one of the most famous abortionists of the nineteenth century—and a story that has unmistakable parallels to the current war on reproductive rights
For fifty years in the mid-nineteenth century, “Madame Restell,” the nom du guerre of the most successful female physician in America, sold birth control medication, attended women during their pregnancies, delivered their children, and performed abortions in a series of clinics run out of her home in New York City. It was the abortions that made her famous. “Restellism” became the term her detractors used to indict her.
Restell began practicing when abortion was largely unregulated in most of the United States, including New York. Vilifying her became one strategy for controlling women and criminalizing abortion and birth control. But as a sense of disquiet arose about single women flocking to the city for work; greater sexual freedoms; a changing view of the roles of motherhood and childhood; and an unease about fewer children being born to white, married, middle-class women, Restell came to stand for everything that threatened the status quo. From 1829 onward, restrictions on abortion began to put Restell in legal jeopardy. For much of this period she prevailed—until she didn’t.
A story that is all too relevant to the current attempts to criminalize abortion in our own age, The Trials of Madame Restell paints an unforgettable picture of the changing society of nineteenth-century New York and brings Restell to the attention of a whole new generation of women whose fundamental rights are under siege.
For fifty years in the mid-nineteenth century, “Madame Restell,” the nom du guerre of the most successful female physician in America, sold birth control medication, attended women during their pregnancies, delivered their children, and performed abortions in a series of clinics run out of her home in New York City. It was the abortions that made her famous. “Restellism” became the term her detractors used to indict her.
Restell began practicing when abortion was largely unregulated in most of the United States, including New York. Vilifying her became one strategy for controlling women and criminalizing abortion and birth control. But as a sense of disquiet arose about single women flocking to the city for work; greater sexual freedoms; a changing view of the roles of motherhood and childhood; and an unease about fewer children being born to white, married, middle-class women, Restell came to stand for everything that threatened the status quo. From 1829 onward, restrictions on abortion began to put Restell in legal jeopardy. For much of this period she prevailed—until she didn’t.
A story that is all too relevant to the current attempts to criminalize abortion in our own age, The Trials of Madame Restell paints an unforgettable picture of the changing society of nineteenth-century New York and brings Restell to the attention of a whole new generation of women whose fundamental rights are under siege.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 8, 2023
20 people are currently reading
2911 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas L. Syrett
6 books92 followersBorn and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Nicholas L. Syrett is a historian of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century US and Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of The Company He Keeps: A History of White College Fraternities (2009); American Child Bride: A History of Minors and Marriage in the United States (2016); and An Open Secret: The Family Story of Robert and John Gregg Allerton (2021). He is also a coeditor of Age in America: The Colonial Era to the Present (2015). His most recent book is The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America's Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime (2023).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
2023
October 16, 2025Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press
May 14, 2024
frick anthony comstock, all my homies hate anthony comstock
September 30, 2023
I have never heard of this woman and it's too bad because all women should know her story! She was a pioneer in the field of women's medicine and condemned for it. She fought most of her life for the rights of women and their rights to their choices for their bodies. The author painstakingly did his research and gives light to a remarkable woman. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
November 6, 2023
‘...respectable, white, married ladies, the people who should be producing the next generation of upstanding American citizens were reneging on their duties in favour of family limitation. If they had fewer children, while the poor and immigrants continued to have such large families, would old stock Americans be outnumbered? Even replaced altogether?’
In the mid-nineteenth century, women were beginning to work out of the house more, to take up more independent lives and restrict the number of children they were having. For those with means, or those willing to work off a debt, the likes of Madame Restell (and numerous counterparts) would assist women (and men) with limiting the size of families, the trauma of childbearing out of wedlock and preventing conception in the first place. Madame Restell was, likely, the most famous female physician in America, primarily because she was seen as a murderess, killer of babies, and in some sense, the American family.
I was fascinated with this story, knowing nothing about Madame Restell or women like her prior to picking up this audio ARC. What was most interesting was to learn some of the data related to abortion and midwifery practice in the 1800’s, compared with early gynaecological practice, which was being pioneered at the time. The likes of Madame Restell, who is acknowledged within this text as a highly skilled female physician, who is never recorded as having lost a patient, were far safer to entrust with delivering a child or performing an abortion than their degree possessing counterparts. This, of course, angered male doctors, who resented sharing the name physician with these uneducated women, and between these men and a religious zealot or two, the anti-abortion movement was born. It was truly a gift to learn about the beginnings of this movement and its, likely, deep seeded misogyny and resentment of women both who were baring children as they saw fit and those willing to assist them. While this book did circle back on itself a few times and was occasionally dry, I found it to be overall informative and engaging. I was saddened by the end which befell Madame Restell, and which indicates I had engaged with her both as a character, as well as a historical figure. If you have an interest in history, particularly relating to the freedoms of women or feminist movements, this book may give you an insight into the genesis of one of these causes.
Madeline Maby’s narration was engaging and very well suited to the subject matter, I very much enjoyed her reading.
In the mid-nineteenth century, women were beginning to work out of the house more, to take up more independent lives and restrict the number of children they were having. For those with means, or those willing to work off a debt, the likes of Madame Restell (and numerous counterparts) would assist women (and men) with limiting the size of families, the trauma of childbearing out of wedlock and preventing conception in the first place. Madame Restell was, likely, the most famous female physician in America, primarily because she was seen as a murderess, killer of babies, and in some sense, the American family.
I was fascinated with this story, knowing nothing about Madame Restell or women like her prior to picking up this audio ARC. What was most interesting was to learn some of the data related to abortion and midwifery practice in the 1800’s, compared with early gynaecological practice, which was being pioneered at the time. The likes of Madame Restell, who is acknowledged within this text as a highly skilled female physician, who is never recorded as having lost a patient, were far safer to entrust with delivering a child or performing an abortion than their degree possessing counterparts. This, of course, angered male doctors, who resented sharing the name physician with these uneducated women, and between these men and a religious zealot or two, the anti-abortion movement was born. It was truly a gift to learn about the beginnings of this movement and its, likely, deep seeded misogyny and resentment of women both who were baring children as they saw fit and those willing to assist them. While this book did circle back on itself a few times and was occasionally dry, I found it to be overall informative and engaging. I was saddened by the end which befell Madame Restell, and which indicates I had engaged with her both as a character, as well as a historical figure. If you have an interest in history, particularly relating to the freedoms of women or feminist movements, this book may give you an insight into the genesis of one of these causes.
Madeline Maby’s narration was engaging and very well suited to the subject matter, I very much enjoyed her reading.
November 12, 2024
This is a book by an academic, but it reads like a novel. I learned so much in this book about the criminalization of contraception and abortion in the US, a history that will be all too relevant in the coming years. Syrett uses the case of Ann Lohman, aka Madame Restell, as a lens to examine how anti-abortion forces grew out of the American Medical Association's desire to professionalize medicine and usurp women's historical knowledge of women's bodies. Anthony Comstock and his crusade against "vice" is a major player in this history as well, and his 1872 act is still being used to block women's access to healthcare. If you want to have a better understanding of the debate over who controls women's bodies today, this book is required and fascinating reading.
October 14, 2023
This was a very interesting book - more so because I knew little of the topic. I had never heard of Madame Restell, but found it fascinating to learn of women’s health practices in the past. The era featured was the 1800’s, yet I’m surprised that so little has changed. I remember when birth control became available and had assumed it became available because science had just created it. No, it was because of regulations. Married women could use birth control in 1965. Unmarried women were not given access until 1972. Shocking, and just one example of many. I appreciate that I now know more.
Read
February 27, 2024not much new info for me -- pretty bland writing style
January 13, 2024
This book fairly warns that it will not end in the way you expect and I can confirm I was surprised. I listened to this on audio book and it's quite dense but very rich in information. It's frustrating to hear the battle of women bodily autonomy still has not progressed far from what it was in the 1800s. And invigorating story about Madame Restell and early american/new York life!
October 22, 2023
Nicholas Syrett provides an academic rendering of the legendary and infamous Madame Restell who defied society’s conventions by brashly advertising her contraceptive and abortion services in New York newspapers beginning in 1839. By the mid-century, with rising opposition to women’s reproductive care, she had been arrested multiple times and spent a year in prison. Despite the clamor of voices who decried her practice, clients streamed to her door, and no client ever died in her care.
Syrett examines the evolution of the struggles over women’s reproductive rights, explaining how abortion had been unregulated until 1830 when New York laws criminalized the procedure. Syrett notes how traditionally women trained with skilled midwives to assist one another in birth, but that changed when male doctors in the United Kingdom and France developed the medical fields of obstetrics and gynecology and argued that their scientific training was superior to the midwifery practiced by women. Syrett makes clear that the right to choose has been used by men as a tool to control women for centuries. It is a battle that continues today.
Syrett draws a detailed portrait of Madame Restell — feminist, social justice warrior, mother, wife and shrewd businesswoman — set against the backdrop of antebellum and Gilded Age New York. Thank you The New Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advance copy of this timely biography of a remarkable woman lost to history.
Syrett examines the evolution of the struggles over women’s reproductive rights, explaining how abortion had been unregulated until 1830 when New York laws criminalized the procedure. Syrett notes how traditionally women trained with skilled midwives to assist one another in birth, but that changed when male doctors in the United Kingdom and France developed the medical fields of obstetrics and gynecology and argued that their scientific training was superior to the midwifery practiced by women. Syrett makes clear that the right to choose has been used by men as a tool to control women for centuries. It is a battle that continues today.
Syrett draws a detailed portrait of Madame Restell — feminist, social justice warrior, mother, wife and shrewd businesswoman — set against the backdrop of antebellum and Gilded Age New York. Thank you The New Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advance copy of this timely biography of a remarkable woman lost to history.
December 9, 2023
First of all the audiobook narration is amazing. It is pleasant to listen and definitely highly recommended.
Secondly I would like to congratulate and thank to the author for the tremendous and thorough research that was put into this book to exist. Many thanks and kudos.
I didn't know anything about Madame Restell and after listening to this book, I know why. The patriarchal society and government and abortion condemning religious beliefs would never want you to know about such a woman who existed in 1800s.
"There was little new knowledge related to pregnancy but there were new practitioners. These were the men who had every incentive to insist that they and they alone were experts on pregnancy and women body."
Can you believe that so many years have passed and yet so little or nothing at all has changed? Do you know that there are many reasons for abortion - medical ones other than just " not wanting to have baby?" Babies are huge responsibility, what if you can't really provide for it? What if baby is result of a sexual abuse? What if baby is born out of wedlock but with a promise of marriage that is unfulfilled? Hypocrisy is being a pro life, not caring for a woman bearing child but the baby who's existence is solely dependant on that woman?
Who gets to decide what a woman want to do with her body? Why is propaganda driven politicians and religious beliefs make someone suffer from a fate they can easily change just by taking some pills? Do you know that birth control pills were unavailable to unwed women till 1972. When Restell began her business there was hardly any illegality to abortion, it was mostly to surgical abortion.
When the gynaecology and obstetrics medicine first came to exist, males were the one who started practicing it as profession as they did not see women capable of "handling" women's issues. That's laughable.
As we move on into the life of Madame Restell, her trials come into the view. It is sad and scary that more than the women's health the laws concerning abortion came to exist because everyone was concerned about women's character and sexual promiscuity. How making abortion facilities available to everyone especially the unmarried woman will lead society into dismay and disruption. How sexual morality is always a job of a woman and never a man's.
Anyways my point is this book can be infuriating to listen to. Not because of narration or the content but the views of hypocrites that still stand tall even in this date too. How a woman pregnant out of wedlock is treated with shame and guilt but then supposed to bring the kid into this world who will again shame both the mother and child? The hypocrisy is blinding.
This is one of the most important books to read to know more about abortion laws and how they actually came into existence. Thank you very much Netgalley, author and narrator and dreamscape media for making this book available in exchange of an honest review. I'm definitely be going to own a copy of this book in future and will give it a present to every pro life person.
Secondly I would like to congratulate and thank to the author for the tremendous and thorough research that was put into this book to exist. Many thanks and kudos.
I didn't know anything about Madame Restell and after listening to this book, I know why. The patriarchal society and government and abortion condemning religious beliefs would never want you to know about such a woman who existed in 1800s.
"There was little new knowledge related to pregnancy but there were new practitioners. These were the men who had every incentive to insist that they and they alone were experts on pregnancy and women body."
Can you believe that so many years have passed and yet so little or nothing at all has changed? Do you know that there are many reasons for abortion - medical ones other than just " not wanting to have baby?" Babies are huge responsibility, what if you can't really provide for it? What if baby is result of a sexual abuse? What if baby is born out of wedlock but with a promise of marriage that is unfulfilled? Hypocrisy is being a pro life, not caring for a woman bearing child but the baby who's existence is solely dependant on that woman?
Who gets to decide what a woman want to do with her body? Why is propaganda driven politicians and religious beliefs make someone suffer from a fate they can easily change just by taking some pills? Do you know that birth control pills were unavailable to unwed women till 1972. When Restell began her business there was hardly any illegality to abortion, it was mostly to surgical abortion.
When the gynaecology and obstetrics medicine first came to exist, males were the one who started practicing it as profession as they did not see women capable of "handling" women's issues. That's laughable.
As we move on into the life of Madame Restell, her trials come into the view. It is sad and scary that more than the women's health the laws concerning abortion came to exist because everyone was concerned about women's character and sexual promiscuity. How making abortion facilities available to everyone especially the unmarried woman will lead society into dismay and disruption. How sexual morality is always a job of a woman and never a man's.
Anyways my point is this book can be infuriating to listen to. Not because of narration or the content but the views of hypocrites that still stand tall even in this date too. How a woman pregnant out of wedlock is treated with shame and guilt but then supposed to bring the kid into this world who will again shame both the mother and child? The hypocrisy is blinding.
This is one of the most important books to read to know more about abortion laws and how they actually came into existence. Thank you very much Netgalley, author and narrator and dreamscape media for making this book available in exchange of an honest review. I'm definitely be going to own a copy of this book in future and will give it a present to every pro life person.
January 26, 2025
A fascinating legal account of a mid 19th century abortionist and the social issues of the time…
The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime by Nicholas L Syrett chronicles how abortion has long been a controversial act…though for very different reasons than they are today…
Rather than be a biography of Madame Restell…aka Ann Trow Lohman, a midwife and abortionist active in 19th century New York, this book instead follows the legal cases she was involved in (either in violation of limited laws against abortion and even child abduction), the figures that pushed for these cases, and the aftermath (including news reporting).
Other chapters cover the activities of “competitors” that also engaged in the trade, the assistance that Madame Restell’s brother and second husband both provided to her business, and the activities of Anthony Comstock (the reformist that brought about the final case of her career).
I want tot vie a special shoutout to a particular terrible person in this book, George Washington Dixon, a writer and “moralist” that seemed to live his life as a conman and critic of anyone to try to gain himself fame. He was essentially the Ben Shapiro or Jordan Peterson of his time…and hopefully like them he will be largerky forgotten from history. He spent a lot of time condemning the “crimes” of Madame Restell…I guess because he thought it might gain himself fame credibility or moral outrage.
The book covers a lot of material on each case, and the added knowledge of 19th century New York as well as the backgrounds of many folks involved was highly fascinating.
Definitely worth a read…
The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime by Nicholas L Syrett chronicles how abortion has long been a controversial act…though for very different reasons than they are today…
Rather than be a biography of Madame Restell…aka Ann Trow Lohman, a midwife and abortionist active in 19th century New York, this book instead follows the legal cases she was involved in (either in violation of limited laws against abortion and even child abduction), the figures that pushed for these cases, and the aftermath (including news reporting).
Other chapters cover the activities of “competitors” that also engaged in the trade, the assistance that Madame Restell’s brother and second husband both provided to her business, and the activities of Anthony Comstock (the reformist that brought about the final case of her career).
I want tot vie a special shoutout to a particular terrible person in this book, George Washington Dixon, a writer and “moralist” that seemed to live his life as a conman and critic of anyone to try to gain himself fame. He was essentially the Ben Shapiro or Jordan Peterson of his time…and hopefully like them he will be largerky forgotten from history. He spent a lot of time condemning the “crimes” of Madame Restell…I guess because he thought it might gain himself fame credibility or moral outrage.
The book covers a lot of material on each case, and the added knowledge of 19th century New York as well as the backgrounds of many folks involved was highly fascinating.
Definitely worth a read…
October 8, 2023
As I've gotten older, I've really liked reading about historical events and people. I like both digging deeper into well-known events as well as finding out about new items I haven't heard about. This book is the latter for me.
Madame Restell AKA Ann Lohman was a physician that attended to women's reproductive health issues, including most infamously abortion, during the middle of the 19th century in New York. There were others that were competing with her in this field, but she is probably the most famous. It was very interesting to learn about peoples' thoughts at this time on abortion, birth control, adoption, and women in general. She had to go through a lot to get her clients the help they needed.
As far as the writing, I have a couple of little things that irked me. The author used two words a couple times that didn't fit with the rest of the writing style - "specious" and "antebellum". They both sounded out of place to me the first time they were used. Then when they appeared again, I thought the author (and editor) definitely should've used another word. The other thing I noticed was mentioning something twice in the exact same way. The best example of this was the passage of seduction laws in New York, where a man could be charged with a crime when he promised a favor to a woman in exchange for sex, but then he wouldn't follow through on his part. The first time mentioning this was fine. However, it came up once more with the exact same language and I seriously thought something went wrong with the audiobook I was listening to.
Overall, this was an interesting book and I got to learn more about an aspect of New York history I hadn't heard of before.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Madame Restell AKA Ann Lohman was a physician that attended to women's reproductive health issues, including most infamously abortion, during the middle of the 19th century in New York. There were others that were competing with her in this field, but she is probably the most famous. It was very interesting to learn about peoples' thoughts at this time on abortion, birth control, adoption, and women in general. She had to go through a lot to get her clients the help they needed.
As far as the writing, I have a couple of little things that irked me. The author used two words a couple times that didn't fit with the rest of the writing style - "specious" and "antebellum". They both sounded out of place to me the first time they were used. Then when they appeared again, I thought the author (and editor) definitely should've used another word. The other thing I noticed was mentioning something twice in the exact same way. The best example of this was the passage of seduction laws in New York, where a man could be charged with a crime when he promised a favor to a woman in exchange for sex, but then he wouldn't follow through on his part. The first time mentioning this was fine. However, it came up once more with the exact same language and I seriously thought something went wrong with the audiobook I was listening to.
Overall, this was an interesting book and I got to learn more about an aspect of New York history I hadn't heard of before.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2023
More than a biography, this book is the story and history of abortions in New York and the shift in medical care from midwives to men with MDs, told through the life and work of one extraordinary woman who bravely advertised and procured all services one could need to safely prevent, deliver, or end a pregnancy.
Sometimes you learn something new and wonder how you spent the rest of your life not already aware of this information. I had never read about the many negative consequences of the development of the OBGYN field, how doctors fought millennia old knowledge and expertise from midwives, and caused useless pain and deaths.
I also didn't know how recent it is in the history of the United States that people started arguing against abortions, especially in the first trimester.
An absolutely important book, both for the value in knowing and understanding the past but also for its ability to reframe and explain the current state of abortion rights in the country, and the politics of pregnancies.
Review of the book:
5 stars
The book is so interesting, the pacing keeps you hooked the whole time wondering what will happen to Madame Restell and how the laws are going to change or be applied.
Review of the audiobook:
5 stars
The narrator's voice is very easy to understand and listen to, even at speeds up to 2.5x.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Sometimes you learn something new and wonder how you spent the rest of your life not already aware of this information. I had never read about the many negative consequences of the development of the OBGYN field, how doctors fought millennia old knowledge and expertise from midwives, and caused useless pain and deaths.
I also didn't know how recent it is in the history of the United States that people started arguing against abortions, especially in the first trimester.
An absolutely important book, both for the value in knowing and understanding the past but also for its ability to reframe and explain the current state of abortion rights in the country, and the politics of pregnancies.
Review of the book:
5 stars
The book is so interesting, the pacing keeps you hooked the whole time wondering what will happen to Madame Restell and how the laws are going to change or be applied.
Review of the audiobook:
5 stars
The narrator's voice is very easy to understand and listen to, even at speeds up to 2.5x.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this ARC.
January 2, 2024
The Trials of Madame Restell by Nicholas L Syrett is a detailed look at the campaign (still ongoing today) to limit female autonomy and increase male control by focusing on the many trials and public attacks on a prominent "female physician" of the period.
Earlier in the year I read another book about Restell (actual name was Ann Trow Summers Lohman) that was a lighter but also very good read but this volume by Syrett offered more detail and less cheerleading (though I didn't find the more popular approach of Wright's book at all off-putting). It is in the details, particularly concerning the public campaigns and the trials, where we can see the parallels with our current political and social environment.
There is a great deal of discussion of the legal battles, from basic theory to precedents and where they were applied or ignored, but not so much that a person with no legal training will be turned off. There also is not a lot of jargon and where such terms need to be used, they are explained quite well.
This will be of obvious interest to those concerned with human rights (I mean actual living human beings, not collections of cells that could potentially become a living breathing human being) and women's rights in particular. From historical and sociological interests to activism there is plenty here for a reader to learn and incorporate.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Earlier in the year I read another book about Restell (actual name was Ann Trow Summers Lohman) that was a lighter but also very good read but this volume by Syrett offered more detail and less cheerleading (though I didn't find the more popular approach of Wright's book at all off-putting). It is in the details, particularly concerning the public campaigns and the trials, where we can see the parallels with our current political and social environment.
There is a great deal of discussion of the legal battles, from basic theory to precedents and where they were applied or ignored, but not so much that a person with no legal training will be turned off. There also is not a lot of jargon and where such terms need to be used, they are explained quite well.
This will be of obvious interest to those concerned with human rights (I mean actual living human beings, not collections of cells that could potentially become a living breathing human being) and women's rights in particular. From historical and sociological interests to activism there is plenty here for a reader to learn and incorporate.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
November 2, 2023
3.5⭐️
Author Nicholas L. Syrett details, the legal trials and tribulations of Madame Restell, the most infamous of the 19th centuries female abortionists.
Starting from the beginning of her life, with her parents, in England, it shows how she meets her first husband and immigrate to New York, and soon becomes a Widow. Living in poverty with her orphaned daughter she meets Charles Loman, who will be by your side and her second in command as they create their empire of midwifery and female care in New York City.
Full of legal details, Syrett tells the history of all the trials and legal battles that Madame Restell finds herself in, finally ending with her death.
I found this history to be very legally focussed in not as personal as some of the other histories I have read of her. Perfect for the historian who wants to know the nitty-gritty behind the doors of the court room.
Madeleine Maby narration was a good fit for this book being a female protagonist. She did an excellent job, breathing in some extra life into some very historical and detail focussed moments of this history. As I’m points through the wording, I could tell that this was a history written from a male perspective, but Maby was able to insert a feminine side to Madame Restell’s story telling.
Overall the story of Madame Restell legal battles, are worth knowing in order to prevent the history that has unfolded from repeating again today. Sadly, we are too late in some places for these lessons to take heart. Female rights to their own body need to be respected and feminine health care needs to be provided for all circumstances.
Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for this ALC. Opinions are my own.
Author Nicholas L. Syrett details, the legal trials and tribulations of Madame Restell, the most infamous of the 19th centuries female abortionists.
Starting from the beginning of her life, with her parents, in England, it shows how she meets her first husband and immigrate to New York, and soon becomes a Widow. Living in poverty with her orphaned daughter she meets Charles Loman, who will be by your side and her second in command as they create their empire of midwifery and female care in New York City.
Full of legal details, Syrett tells the history of all the trials and legal battles that Madame Restell finds herself in, finally ending with her death.
I found this history to be very legally focussed in not as personal as some of the other histories I have read of her. Perfect for the historian who wants to know the nitty-gritty behind the doors of the court room.
Madeleine Maby narration was a good fit for this book being a female protagonist. She did an excellent job, breathing in some extra life into some very historical and detail focussed moments of this history. As I’m points through the wording, I could tell that this was a history written from a male perspective, but Maby was able to insert a feminine side to Madame Restell’s story telling.
Overall the story of Madame Restell legal battles, are worth knowing in order to prevent the history that has unfolded from repeating again today. Sadly, we are too late in some places for these lessons to take heart. Female rights to their own body need to be respected and feminine health care needs to be provided for all circumstances.
Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for this ALC. Opinions are my own.
March 20, 2025
Somehow, women having control over their own bodies has always been about supremacy. The patriarchy can't stand on women having bodily autonomy and freedom of choice. White supremacy can't stand if "upstanding American citizens die out" (I think we all know who the upstanding American citizens in that sentence are). And 19th/20th century men couldn't feel superior to women who actually knew more about female bodies when those women were allowed to demonstrate their ability and knowledge over and over again.
A non-fiction book that reads like a novel. Well written and highly interesting with what felt like, to me, pretty objective recounting of history. Some parts were a bit disturbing, ngl. But I liked that while the main focus is on Madame Restell, some of her competitors are also mentioned and there's at least some dragging of the ridiculous men who were obsessed with bringing these women down.
As someone who had no idea any of this happened in history, I would definitely recommend this book for a thorough overview of this important part of history and feminism. It's pretty sad that nothing of this is taught in schools.
I'm so over men deciding for women. Over a hundred years later and we're still debating whether women should be allowed to decide what happens in and with their own body. It's a disgrace.
A non-fiction book that reads like a novel. Well written and highly interesting with what felt like, to me, pretty objective recounting of history. Some parts were a bit disturbing, ngl. But I liked that while the main focus is on Madame Restell, some of her competitors are also mentioned and there's at least some dragging of the ridiculous men who were obsessed with bringing these women down.
As someone who had no idea any of this happened in history, I would definitely recommend this book for a thorough overview of this important part of history and feminism. It's pretty sad that nothing of this is taught in schools.
I'm so over men deciding for women. Over a hundred years later and we're still debating whether women should be allowed to decide what happens in and with their own body. It's a disgrace.
November 21, 2023
4 ⭐️
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
I read this book in an audiobook format, and I am really happy they chose to have a woman narrate it. I think if it had been told my a male narrator, it would have a different impact.
Madame Restell lived an extraordinary life practicing crucial medical procedures for woman at a time (and still is) when it was dangerous to do so. I have never once heard of Madame Restell and I am shocked that her name and legacy are not more popularized. I am so happy I had the opportunity to read about her life through this ARC and reflect on the work done by women before me that give me access to such important medical procedures.
I was worried the book would drag on or feel dense because the story is told majority through court records and evidence but I would argue the exact opposite. This book did take me a little short of a month to get through but this was mostly due to the heavy nature of the book, and I wanted to break it up into chunks so I could fully absorb and reflect on the information presented.
I’m so happy this author took the time to research and write about the life of Madame Restell. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read more about trailblazers in women’s health and abortion rights.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
I read this book in an audiobook format, and I am really happy they chose to have a woman narrate it. I think if it had been told my a male narrator, it would have a different impact.
Madame Restell lived an extraordinary life practicing crucial medical procedures for woman at a time (and still is) when it was dangerous to do so. I have never once heard of Madame Restell and I am shocked that her name and legacy are not more popularized. I am so happy I had the opportunity to read about her life through this ARC and reflect on the work done by women before me that give me access to such important medical procedures.
I was worried the book would drag on or feel dense because the story is told majority through court records and evidence but I would argue the exact opposite. This book did take me a little short of a month to get through but this was mostly due to the heavy nature of the book, and I wanted to break it up into chunks so I could fully absorb and reflect on the information presented.
I’m so happy this author took the time to research and write about the life of Madame Restell. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read more about trailblazers in women’s health and abortion rights.
November 7, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*
I downloaded this audiobook because I wanted a different type of Nonfiction title and I was keen to break away from memoirs for a bit. As a feminist, and an unapologetic liberal, I was drawn to this story because I had never heard of Madame Restell nor any of the other foundational women who paved the way at extraordinary cost for women to have autonomy over their own bodies.
It was astounding to me to see the parallels between the puritanical male leaders in the 19th century and the religious right today using societal norms to force a political agenda that strips women of the right to control their own destinies with regard to reproductive rights.
This story was beautifully researched and written and I applaud Nicholas Syrett for hiring a female narrator. Somehow, hearing this story told by a man would have felt wrong.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.
I downloaded this audiobook because I wanted a different type of Nonfiction title and I was keen to break away from memoirs for a bit. As a feminist, and an unapologetic liberal, I was drawn to this story because I had never heard of Madame Restell nor any of the other foundational women who paved the way at extraordinary cost for women to have autonomy over their own bodies.
It was astounding to me to see the parallels between the puritanical male leaders in the 19th century and the religious right today using societal norms to force a political agenda that strips women of the right to control their own destinies with regard to reproductive rights.
This story was beautifully researched and written and I applaud Nicholas Syrett for hiring a female narrator. Somehow, hearing this story told by a man would have felt wrong.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.
October 11, 2023
Considering the reversal of roe vs wade in the USA, I was curious to learn more of the history of abortion in North America. I am well aware of the pro-choice and pro-birth sides, considering I have been on both sides of it. In the end, women are the ones who pay the price for men’s decisions on the legality of their health care.
I found this story of Madame Restell interesting. She put her life on the line to help women, both with contraceptives and abortions. A true feminist, helping women have a choice in their life and fate.
It took a while for me to get into this book, and I almost stopped. But after a while I got more interested.
It’s good to learn more of the history of abortion health care, and contraception, to ensure we do our best not to repeat history.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
I found this story of Madame Restell interesting. She put her life on the line to help women, both with contraceptives and abortions. A true feminist, helping women have a choice in their life and fate.
It took a while for me to get into this book, and I almost stopped. But after a while I got more interested.
It’s good to learn more of the history of abortion health care, and contraception, to ensure we do our best not to repeat history.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
October 16, 2023
Thoroughly researched and still accessible, The Trials of Madame Restell contextualizes the woman herself, her legal battles, and her immense impact (the reverberations of which are still very much felt today). Syrett follows Ann Lohman as she becomes the notorious midwife/abortionist Madame Restell, offering glimpses into her life and detailing the social and political influences that may have affected her career choice. She becomes a sympathetic, almost heroic, figure in Syrett's telling, though there are indications that color this interpretation (e.g. her detrimental competition with other female physicians).
Syrett is incredibly even-handed and does a remarkable job of linking Restell's legal trouble to modern cases like Roe and Dobbs; a rather bleak picture unless you are Anthony Comstock.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC.
Syrett is incredibly even-handed and does a remarkable job of linking Restell's legal trouble to modern cases like Roe and Dobbs; a rather bleak picture unless you are Anthony Comstock.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC.
October 22, 2023
This biography highlights the 19th-century reproductive healthcare provider known as Madame Restell. Operating clinics in New York City, she offered services including contraception, pregnancy care, childbirth, and abortions. As society shifted, she drew criticism as a threat to traditional views on women's roles. New abortion restrictions put her at legal risk. Her numerous trials parallel today's battles over reproductive freedom.
This easy-to-read book is full of factual information about Madame Restell, her competitors, and her critics, effectively recreating the era when men increasingly sought to take over women's healthcare from traditional female providers. The audiobook narration is well done.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This easy-to-read book is full of factual information about Madame Restell, her competitors, and her critics, effectively recreating the era when men increasingly sought to take over women's healthcare from traditional female providers. The audiobook narration is well done.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
October 28, 2023
The Trials of Madame Restell tells of a woman who went by the pseudonym Madame Restell in order to work as a women's physician in the late 1800s, providing women with birth control and abortions. This book truly is about the trials - I am an appellate attorney and I very much enjoyed the detail that this book went into regarding legal proceedings. (Reversed and remanded!) However, at times I do think it gets a bit in the weeds about it for casual readers. This book is very academic, and goes into great detail regarding the topic. I think this book will be highly cited, particularly as the Right continues to attempt to criminalize reproductive rights.
For being so academic, I think this book was a very easy read in audio form. I would recommend it for more casual readers.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For being so academic, I think this book was a very easy read in audio form. I would recommend it for more casual readers.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2024
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book a while ago, and just found the time to read it. Thanks to New Press for that.
Syrett's coverage of Madame Restell and other female reproductive healthcare persons during the mid to late 19th century echoes so much of what is happening today since Dobbs. The misogyny, the attitudes of men who wish to control women, the fear of a brown America, and the denial by those in charge that women can't handle their own health decisions, plus the fact that making abortion illegal will never end it, for many reasons.
The evolution of laws leading to the Comstock Act is part of the story. Restell's courage and refusal to back down is a sight to behold.
Highly recommended.
Syrett's coverage of Madame Restell and other female reproductive healthcare persons during the mid to late 19th century echoes so much of what is happening today since Dobbs. The misogyny, the attitudes of men who wish to control women, the fear of a brown America, and the denial by those in charge that women can't handle their own health decisions, plus the fact that making abortion illegal will never end it, for many reasons.
The evolution of laws leading to the Comstock Act is part of the story. Restell's courage and refusal to back down is a sight to behold.
Highly recommended.
November 3, 2023
This is a well-researched, detailed history of female reproductive rights and a woman who unabashedly rocked the boat of the traditionally male-controlled field of medicine.
I found the book very informative and interesting. At times, I felt the author went heavy on the quotes which made the writing move much slower in those parts, especially when recounting the trials. Overall, though, a worthwhile listen.
3.5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I found the book very informative and interesting. At times, I felt the author went heavy on the quotes which made the writing move much slower in those parts, especially when recounting the trials. Overall, though, a worthwhile listen.
3.5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 30, 2023
I loved this book. In telling the story of Madame Restell, Syrett tells the story of the origins of abortion laws in the US. But it is not just a legal history here. This is also a great history of medicine. There was so much I hadn’t known. The storytelling was great and the pacing was very good overall, but the book did lag sometimes with too much detail. Overall, this is a great read. Thank you to Edelweiss and The New Press for the digital review copy.
November 28, 2023
This book was fascinating and full of the history of birth, abortion, and adoption in antebellum NYC. It was a great read that was full of court documents, newspapers, and testimony of the time. The author does a good job of pointing out how class and race affected not only who was looking for these services, but how they were viewed in the courts, both of law and of public opinion.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to find out more about the history of abortion in the US or interested in women's movements in the US.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to find out more about the history of abortion in the US or interested in women's movements in the US.
January 14, 2024
Impeccably researched and engaging, but I wish we had more on the record of what Madame Restell was thinking/feeling (or even those around her). The book does a great job of drawing parallels between emerging anti-abortion language at the time and our current landscape. I was just hoping it would illuminate a little more of who the woman was as a person.
January 28, 2024
This book was very interesting. I was a lot of information but also very historical and descriptive almost too much at times. However, I don't think that you could describe the trials and tribulations without being so descriptive. I believe that this happened so much during this time and maybe even much worse. It was a very good book.
January 23, 2024
This is a very timely and important topic. However , I dont think that it was a great book. As with most books about lesser known historical figures, there was a lot of filler that I dont think was really necessary. I received an ARC of this work from Netgalley for my honest review.
May 13, 2024
Started reading the wrong book for my book club, it's shorter and covers the same material with less emphasis on Lady Restell's lifestyle. It's a decent read, but I only finished half, I'm a bit overdosed on 19th century sex and sinning.
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