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Midnight Rose: a life of Maud Allan

by Wendy Buonaventura (Goodreads Author)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 6 ratings · 5 reviews

MIDNIGHT ROSE is based on the life of Edwardian dancer Maud Allan, who performed as the Bible’s most notorious temptress and paid the price for embodying men’s worst nightmares about women. Allan’s 'Vision of Salome' made her a celebrity, though the dance profession in those days was considered only a step above prostitution. In 1918 a newspaper article hinted that she was...more

Paperback, 262 pages

Published 2009 by Cinnabar Books

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Jul 17, 2012 Dani GR Motherfuqqer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, i-won-this-yay, arc

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a fantastic historical/biographical fiction. Yes the term sounds boring but I assure you this book is not boring by any means. It's very interesting reading since the author did do a lot of research about Maud Allan and while there are facts presented in this book, there is also a story around the facts that isn't true at all.
The book is based around the details of her experiences in the court room because she filed a lawsuit against a reporter for hinting in the newspaper that she was...more This is a fantastic historical/biographical fiction. Yes the term sounds boring but I assure you this book is not boring by any means. It's very interesting reading since the author did do a lot of research about Maud Allan and while there are facts presented in this book, there is also a story around the facts that isn't true at all.
The book is based around the details of her experiences in the court room because she filed a lawsuit against a reporter for hinting in the newspaper that she was a lesbian. The lawyers try to discredit her character in the book by using the fact that she is a dancer, which in the early 1900's was considered nothing short of being a prostitute. She was looked down upon in society because what she did was considered vulgar and too sexual for anybody to watch.
You get a good look at how society perceived women back then and how everyone just wanted to not be labeled a sexual deviant by adhering to strict rules and beliefs. They attorneys also try to discredit Maud by bringing up her brother who was accused and executed for killing two women. The women's deaths had sexual leanings and implications because of the way they were killed and the horrible thing that was done to one in particular after she was murdered. In those times they believed sexual abnormality and sexual deviance in any form was hereditary and passed down in families.
Maud Allan was a real person who led an interesting life as a dancer. Her life story in this particular book is presented from the point of view of a friend named Nettie, who is a fictional character, and from letters written to Nettie from Maud over the course of her time spent abroad. Nettie grew up with Maud and they are close friends that know everything about each other.
Maud was sent to Berlin to practice piano after school because it was her passion. She ended up leaving her Mother and Brother Theo behind in the states to pursue her love of music. While in music school she finds a new passion and that passion is dancing. She leaves music school and takes up training and wants to be a famous performer. Not long after she is gone, she gets news of her brother being accused of killing 2 women whom she and Nettie used to be friends with. She is distraught over the news and in the end her brother is accused of killing them both because all the evidence and witness testimony fit into the notion that he did in fact do it, his strange behavior and dates and times all seem to match up and he is imprisoned and later hung for his crimes.
Maud tries to distance herself from her family name so she is not connected with her brother's crimes and changes her last name, as she is terrified of anyone finding out and doesn't want to ruin her career before she's really even started to make a name for herself. She changes her last name to Allan.
The letters in the book are amazing accounts of Maud's time away in Europe, of her travels and her experiences and the interesting people she gets to meet. She adores Nettie and is always writing her and confiding in her about the things she is going through and the strange events in her life. She speaks of her sexual experience with a woman, her experiences trying different drugs and the sensations they bring about in her and how she felt, she even speaks of the people who have befriended her and their strange personalities and interests. She gets to meet some of the most amazing people, simply other artists and performers to English royalty and famous actors and actresses. She meets people all around the world and has some good experiences as well as some really bad ones but she takes it all in stride because she is a strong woman.
Maud also wrote Nettie about all the attention she received in the press about her performances whether it was good or bad. All the negative press releases weighed in on her and affected her performances. Like all narcissists who are performers she thrived on positive attention and praise. Through all the opinions of her dancing, she along with other dancers did a lot to change the ideas of how women were viewed who were dancers by making it mainstream. Her dancing was considered vulgar by many who were strong in their religious beliefs although by today's standards, she only showed off her arms, legs, and belly, that's less than what women wear to the beach or on magazine covers.
Wanting sex other than for procreation, masturbation, and nymphomania would get women in Maud's day a trip to the insane asylum for fear that they might be a criminal. The standards today of psychology have changed quite profoundly and it is an interesting look at how they thought the human mind worked and how sex was treated as a psychological disease.
This is an interesting and enjoyable book to read. It gives you much to think about and much to be grateful for in this day and age. You see how far women have come along since women weren't allowed to vote and the difference of opinions in both Nettie and Maud who differed in their views on it. I recommend this book to all women to read, there's much to learn from a small slice of history in here. It was a fantastic story about the strength of women and friendship. Great book. Hope you enjoy!(less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Rosary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I sincerely enjoyed this book. I had never heard of Maud Allan and was very intrigued to learn more about her. I know that not all of this book is based on fact but I found it inspired me to further research Maud and her life. It was a great perspective to read about her life from the point of view of a lifelong friend.

The contrast of her letters, diary entries, excerpts from the trial, and Nettie's thoughts provided a well-rounded glimpse into her life. I felt like I could better understand wh...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Jocelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an extremely enjoyable read about a fascinating woman, Maud Allan, who was ahead of her time but chose to live her life on her terms in a time of suffocating repression for women. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in women's roles in society during the Edwardian Era as well as those interested in a view of society from a woman's perspective in a male dominated time.

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Jan 22, 2013 Hazel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

interesting

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Jun 27, 2012 TuRtLeFaEiRe added it

Shelves: book-library, a-wish-list-book

I love reading a biography, especially if the individual overcame great obstacles.

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About Wendy Buonaventura

I am a writer, choreographer and performer. My books - mainly non-fiction - and dance theatre work explore women’s social history and the cultural myths surrounding female sensuality. I was the subject of the tv documentary 'Making Mimi' and in 2008 I founded the dance festival SIROCCO. http://www.siroccofestival.org.uk. I have taken a leap into biographical fiction with my latest book 'Midnight R...more

More about Wendy Buonaventura...

Books by Wendy Buonaventura

Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World

Something In The Way She Moves: Dancing Women From Salome To Madonna

Beauty and the East: A Book of Oriental Body Care

I Put a Spell on You: Dancing Women from Salome to Madonna

Belly Dancing: The Serpent And The Sphinx

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“What I have to tell you is this: I am resolved that dancing is to be my path. I know that to be a dancer is to be considered in our world little more than a prostitute. But you cannot imagine what is happening here in Berlin. It is different back home, but in Europe dance is being reborn as something more than cheap entertainment by loose women.” — 3 people liked it

“In today's newspaper there was a story about a married clergyman with three children who is calling for all sex to be declared un-Christian. He says lifelong virginity is the ideal for Christians. I wonder, has he told his wife and children this?” — 2 people liked it

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