Harriet and Isabella [Kindle Edition]

Patricia O'Brien (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Smooth flashbacks carry this inventive romp through a 19th-century New England scandal, which opens at the deathbed of Henry Ward Beecher, the most brilliant preacher in America, in March of 1887. Around him are his many siblings, notably his famous sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The deathwatch mirrors the moment when, 15 years earlier and further on in the book, the clan assembles to discuss a front-page story in Victoria Woodhull's newspaper that, in veiled language, accuses Henry of having an affair with parishioner Elizabeth Tilton, in which the two conduct orgies in front of her children. The result is (among other things) a punishing church committee hearing. Three years later, Henry's former protégé and parishioner, Theodore Tilton, files suit against Henry, charging alienation of affections. O'Brien (coauthor of I Know Just What You Mean) takes the reader into the courtroom, a scene of such twists, betrayals and revelations that it will entertain even those who know how it ended-a tricky business since even Elizabeth, who has confessed, denied and confessed, wonders, Which of my stories was true? That the question remains just makes the telling juicier, and O'Brien delivers just enough history to make a reader feel virtuous while savoring the gossip. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This intriguing novel illuminates the era's political and social struggles as well as the stresses within a celebrity family." -- Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 320 KB
• Publisher: Touchstone; Reprint edition (January 8, 2008)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0012D1DN2
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,818 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Kennedys of the 19th century!, January 6, 2008

By 

Cloe Logan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harriet and Isabella (Hardcover)

This terrific story really brings the Beecher family back to life. We all know who Harriet Beecher Stowe was and have read "Uncle Tom's Cabin," but didn't know that the Beechers were the Kennedys of their time. What I loved about this book is that it's a 19th and 21st century story at the same time, about sex and religion, sisters and sisterhood.
All the scandals and family troubles that we think we invented were happening back in the 19th century. The preacher, Henry Ward Beecher was caught in a sex scandal. When he denied it and the case went to trial, his sisters took sides. Harriet chose family loyalty over everything, and Isabella chose truth over loyalty.
The story that Patricia O'Brien wrote takes place after the sisters had been estranged for a long time and their brother is dying. I loved the real life cast of characters! Victoria Woodhull and Susan B. Anthony. It's a great book group read because it sets off so many conversations!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La plus ca change, January 14, 2008

By 

Margaret K. Koval (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harriet and Isabella (Hardcover)

This book has it all: timeless themes of truth and loyalty... family psychodrama... guilty pleasures (gossip)... and a fascinating historical backdrop of one of the most important periods in American life. But what I loved most was how the passions and issues of the scandal O'Brien writes about resonate so well both backward and forward across time. She tells the story of Henry Ward Beecher's adultery trial in 1875. It feels completely modern to me. And at the same time, it strikes me as only a slight variant of moral dilemma Sophocles wrote about in "Antigone." Does family loyalty trump standards of public virtue? Or vice verse? But this is no philosphy tract: it's a gripping page turner of a novel. A terrific read. And all the more satisfying because the two women -- one a prominent suffragette, the other, author of the most influential anti-slavery book perhaps of all times -- were fascinating characters in their own right. They were also spokespersons for two huge social movements. All in all, this book is a smashing libretto for a real-life operatic drama.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History comes alives in "Harriet and Isabella", January 8, 2008

By 

Jo Wareham (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harriet and Isabella (Hardcover)

"Harriet and Isabella" is an engrossing, compelling page-turner that animates the past in ways few historical novels manage to do. It is many things at once: a timeless family saga, a gripping tale of pride, betrayal and redemption, and a vivid recreation of a fascinating, tumultuous era in America. O'Brien's characters seem to leap off the page, their story as relevant today as it was in the 19th century. I couldn't put this book down!