What do you think?
Rate this book
White Dove: The Adventures of Madam Mollie Teal
Mollie Teal, the notorious historical madam of Huntsville, Alabama, is a woman determined to live fully and love freely.
Growing up amid the chaos of the Civil War, the beautiful and clever Mollie, also known as White Dove, quickly learns that not all Union soldiers are heroes. As did her mother before her, Mollie turns to prostitution to survive, but her knack for winning hearts makes her special—and leads her into danger. Some of her lovers want to own her; others offer the increasingly successful madam true love, but Mollie wants so much more. Resolved to live life on her own terms, she sets off on a daring journey filled with action and adventure, love and passion, friendship and family.
With brilliantly drawn characters and the epic appeal of women’s sagas (plus a touch of romantic erotica), White Dove, the exciting prequel to The Doughnut Tree, is an enthralling American historical romance that is sure to touch your heart
Growing up amid the chaos of the Civil War, the beautiful and clever Mollie, also known as White Dove, quickly learns that not all Union soldiers are heroes. As did her mother before her, Mollie turns to prostitution to survive, but her knack for winning hearts makes her special—and leads her into danger. Some of her lovers want to own her; others offer the increasingly successful madam true love, but Mollie wants so much more. Resolved to live life on her own terms, she sets off on a daring journey filled with action and adventure, love and passion, friendship and family.
With brilliantly drawn characters and the epic appeal of women’s sagas (plus a touch of romantic erotica), White Dove, the exciting prequel to The Doughnut Tree, is an enthralling American historical romance that is sure to touch your heart
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2019
21 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 26, 2020
White Dove, by Catherine L. Knowles; CLK: Huntsville, AL; $17.99 paperback
Research and a detailed inquiry of history can be dangerous. Dangerous because it may reveal things never sought, or better left alone. Catherine L. Knowles, author and historical researcher, has written what may be the only plausible link to a dreadful past. Dreadful because the fear of living unprotected and alone against armed enemies is what White Dove is about. This is a story about 'Madame' Miss Mollie Teal, a real citizen of Huntsville during the 19th Century who survived the horrors of war, horrors brought home by writing which deftly conveys the dread, betrayal, ruthlessness and indeed, hope of women left alone with a conquering enemy.
We discover the adventure of Southern women during the Civil War. This is not a tale for the squeamish. Their men have gone off to fight the Union Army, while they remain to await what fate sends down the road from which the Confederates left. We see this in part through hindsight, for we begin in a curious legal hearing in 1899, in which the will of Teal's last will and testament is contested. It is contested, we discover, because Teal made her money through ingenious financial management and business acumen practiced in the trade of prostitution. We find she began her life as a child sex slave, betrayed by her own mother to occupation soldiers. With this as a foundation, that she continued in any way a normal life is itself astounding.
We follow as she is variously used by a heinous villain, Colonel John Basil Turchin. This man, with an anglicized name, was from the cruel distant reaches of 'Cossack' Russia. As a Union officer, he became known for his brutal occupation of the small city of Athens, Alabama, on the then strategic railway between Huntsville, Decatur, and Nashville. He turned his men loose on the city for three hours, the standard Russian practice in those brutal days. We read not a filtered, romanticized version of this horror, but throughout the book actual accounts of brutality against women which war brings with it.
We also follow Teal as she moves across the blasted, burned and broken Southland. We see this through Knowles' pen as if we are there. Herein lies the paradox. Dread is at every step, because the women who must protect one another have no idea who to trust. An Odyssey like parade of fleshed out characters fills this work. A strange procession of slaves introduces the odd alchemy of the White Dove legend. Horrific secret assaults on women are portrayed in base brutality. And yet against this backdrop of a scorched Georgia and debauched Alabama, we find reason for hope. We find confession, forgiveness, even empathy. We find generosity brought on by general loss, a feeling not incompatible with life sharing compassion after a tornado, for that is what Civil War wrought across the South.
As an antecedent to her acclaimed ' The Doughnut Tree', we find that life 'behind the lines' was perhaps more dreadful than facing bullets. At least a soldier can shoot back.
Research and a detailed inquiry of history can be dangerous. Dangerous because it may reveal things never sought, or better left alone. Catherine L. Knowles, author and historical researcher, has written what may be the only plausible link to a dreadful past. Dreadful because the fear of living unprotected and alone against armed enemies is what White Dove is about. This is a story about 'Madame' Miss Mollie Teal, a real citizen of Huntsville during the 19th Century who survived the horrors of war, horrors brought home by writing which deftly conveys the dread, betrayal, ruthlessness and indeed, hope of women left alone with a conquering enemy.
We discover the adventure of Southern women during the Civil War. This is not a tale for the squeamish. Their men have gone off to fight the Union Army, while they remain to await what fate sends down the road from which the Confederates left. We see this in part through hindsight, for we begin in a curious legal hearing in 1899, in which the will of Teal's last will and testament is contested. It is contested, we discover, because Teal made her money through ingenious financial management and business acumen practiced in the trade of prostitution. We find she began her life as a child sex slave, betrayed by her own mother to occupation soldiers. With this as a foundation, that she continued in any way a normal life is itself astounding.
We follow as she is variously used by a heinous villain, Colonel John Basil Turchin. This man, with an anglicized name, was from the cruel distant reaches of 'Cossack' Russia. As a Union officer, he became known for his brutal occupation of the small city of Athens, Alabama, on the then strategic railway between Huntsville, Decatur, and Nashville. He turned his men loose on the city for three hours, the standard Russian practice in those brutal days. We read not a filtered, romanticized version of this horror, but throughout the book actual accounts of brutality against women which war brings with it.
We also follow Teal as she moves across the blasted, burned and broken Southland. We see this through Knowles' pen as if we are there. Herein lies the paradox. Dread is at every step, because the women who must protect one another have no idea who to trust. An Odyssey like parade of fleshed out characters fills this work. A strange procession of slaves introduces the odd alchemy of the White Dove legend. Horrific secret assaults on women are portrayed in base brutality. And yet against this backdrop of a scorched Georgia and debauched Alabama, we find reason for hope. We find confession, forgiveness, even empathy. We find generosity brought on by general loss, a feeling not incompatible with life sharing compassion after a tornado, for that is what Civil War wrought across the South.
As an antecedent to her acclaimed ' The Doughnut Tree', we find that life 'behind the lines' was perhaps more dreadful than facing bullets. At least a soldier can shoot back.
February 4, 2020
Loved i5
A beautiful story of love, family, and chosen family. Mollie Teal is a cracker jack business women in the world's oldest profession .
A beautiful story of love, family, and chosen family. Mollie Teal is a cracker jack business women in the world's oldest profession .
Want to Read
October 25, 2020Its my own stories...i like that
January 30, 2023
Ok book. Got when it was offered for free during Covid. I felt the first few chapters kept mentioning Huntsville way too many times. Overkill. Storyline ok, but at times, certain topics were very detailed, whereas others were skimmed over. There are many grammatical errors.
August 9, 2021
Great story but many grammatical errors in this book. Was it edited?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews