My Notorious Life

by Kate Manning

[Lianne]

The strength of My Notorious Life lies in the issues that it presents: pregnancy, sex, women’s roles and rights in late 19th century, abandoned and orphaned children, early journalism and business. There are not a lot of options for women during this period and the author captures the struggles and the lengths that women take regarding their pregnancies and other social and sexual issues they are confronted with.

Despite of the historical aspects of this novel, it was very difficult for me to get into the novel. On the one hand I understand why the author would have chosen to write in the manner of the period. However, it made the reading experience laborious, detracting me away from the story and focusing a bit more on whatever was censored out. Additionally, the novel does go through some lull periods where the things are happening are not as interesting as other cases or events; coupled together, my mind just wandered at times.

My Notorious Life overall was had a fascinating premise and sheds light on some major issues affecting women during 19th century America that in many ways still resonate today. The opening few pages were quite a punch and brings the reader into Axie’s world but in the end, while I felt for the characters’ plights, the course of their stories remained repetitive/monotonous for the most part. Readers of women’s fiction and historical fiction set in America in the 19th century may enjoy this novel.

You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/09/02/review-my-notorious-life/