Rae's review
The Dress Lodger (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by Sheri Holman
Rae's review
The Dress Lodger (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Sheri Holman
Rae's review
rating:
bookshelves:
mystery
Had I known waht a dress lodger was, I probably would not have even picked up this book to read. A dress lodger is a type of prostitute whose pimp is usually the owner of a boarding house. She is given a nice dress to wear and sent out to earn money, including her keep. An old woman is usually assigned to follow her around to keep her from cheating.
That being said, I found the book bizarrely interesing. The author portrays the poor and seedy underbelly of 19th-century England. She creates a triangle of characters which include a doctor, the dress lodger, and a "lady." No character can be cast aside as the plot is circular.
There are descriptions of the working poor, pottery houses, prostitution, body-snatching and early efforts to detail anatomy, and the quite common cholera outbreaks. The book made me glad to be alive today with all the modern conveniences we have.
That being said, I found the book bizarrely interesing. The author portrays the poor and seedy underbelly of 19th-century England. She creates a triangle of characters which include a doctor, the dress lodger, and a "lady." No character can be cast aside as the plot is circular.
There are descriptions of the working poor, pottery houses, prostitution, body-snatching and early efforts to detail anatomy, and the quite common cholera outbreaks. The book made me glad to be alive today with all the modern conveniences we have.
