Review - The Lives of Diamond Bessie by Jody Hadlock
I received a free advanced copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The Lives of Diamond Bessie is an historical fiction novel set in the mid-1800s. It is based on the life of a real woman.
Bessie is actually Annie, a teenage girl who is sent away to a Magdalene laundry when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. This is where we first meet her. We quickly see the conclusion of her pregnancy and the immediate aftermath—her daughter is taken from her to be placed in an orphanage.
Annie is a poor teenager who has been cast out by her family, but she needs money in order to support her daughter, and she is determined to find a way to remove her daughter from the orphanage. Due to her past, she is unable to find employment, and ultimately becomes a prostitute who goes by the name Bessie.
The reader is privy to Bessie’s life in the brothel, her relationships with her fellow sex workers, and her quest to regain her daughter. The characters are well-written and complex. I enjoyed learning more about how and why women ended up in these types of situations, and how difficult it was for them to get out.
Bessie became successful and rich (her jewelry providing her moniker of Diamond Bessie), but she never was able to recover her daughter. This was the part of the story that gave me the most trouble. With how important her daughter seems to be to Bessie, very little time and attention is given to that portion of the story. Instead, we see her go from man to man, searching for one who will marry her and help repair her reputation. She does marry, and that is the decision that leads to her untimely death.
The book is divided into two parts--the first half of the book is her life, and the second half is after her death. I felt this structure was innovative and interesting. We stay with Bessie through both parts of the story, as she seeks to redeem herself and as she seeks justice.
There were things I enjoyed about this story. I found the subject matter interesting and the characters well developed. But I really didn’t like Bessie. And it’s hard to be sympathetic toward a protagonist that you don’t like and who makes terrible decisions. I feel that the author tried to cover too much territory, which made the side plot about Bessie’s daughter feel stilted.
The Lives of Diamond Bessie by Jody Hadlock is available now!
