The Virgin Cure in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 26, 2013 Mary rated it it was amazing

To say that this is an absorbing novel about public health in New York City at the end of the 19th Century makes The Virgin Cure sound boring, which it most definitely is not. It is the story of Moth, a 12-year old girl from the slums who struggles to make her way in a city that cares little for the poor and less for the females among them.

Moth is sold by her mother as a ladies maid to a wealthy woman who abuses her. She flees and takes up a life of street thieving but finds she's not much good To say that this is an absorbing novel about public health in New York City at the end of the 19th Century makes The Virgin Cure sound boring, which it most definitely is not. It is the story of Moth, a 12-year old girl from the slums who struggles to make her way in a city that cares little for the poor and less for the females among them.

Moth is sold by her mother as a ladies maid to a wealthy woman who abuses her. She flees and takes up a life of street thieving but finds she's not much good at it. Along comes Mae, an "almost whore" who introduces Moth to the world of Miss Everett, a madam who specializes in training young virgins to take their places as mistresses of New York's rich and powerful men. Through the brothel, Moth meets Dr. Sadie, one of the few female physicians in New York (or anywhere else). Dr. Sadie is employed to care for the girls in Miss Everett's "infant school" (yes, there really were such businesses) and ensure that they are "clean" for their ultimate male 'sponsors.'

Through the lens of Moth, readers get a view of life and death in a metropolis that is emerging as a world city. We visit the entertainment parlors and side show circuses of the Bowery, see 'how the other half lives' in the tenements of the lower east side, peek into beer gardens and oyster bars, tour homes of the wealthy, eavesdrop on the downstairs help and witness street life at its best and worst. Overall, The Virgin Cure is a slice of social history wrapped up in an engaging story whose focus is serious indeed.

One thing that amazed me about this novel is the myth for which it is named, the 'virgin cure.' This refers to the idea that a man could cure himself of syphilis by having intercourse with a virgin. That is shocking in itself, but the thing that took my breath away is that this myth remains prevalent today in some parts of the world where HIV is rampant. Many public health workers, particularly in the developing world, decry the spread of HIV to young girls by men who have seduced them in hopes of avoiding full-blown AIDS. If only truth were as durable as this great lie.

The Bottom Line: The Virgin Cure is historical fiction at its best. And author Ami McKay, whose great, great grandmother is the model for Dr. Sadie, gets bonus points for her evocative descriptions of my favorite city. ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Nancy H rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a fascinating book. It was the story of a poor young girl in New York City in the years following the Civil War. Moth's saga begins when at age 12, her mother sells her to a very cruel lady. When Moth manages to finally escape and go back to the apartment that she had shared with her mother, she finds that her mother has moved and no one knows where she has gone. That is just the beginning as Moth has to try to find her way through poverty, corruption, cruelty, and the dangers of being ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Jacky rated it really liked it

Wanted to read more of the author's work after loving "The Witches of New York." Don't love the title, because the book is a lot more than this myth. Well written, easy to read (though hard to swallow at times), and had a main character whose strength through terrible circumstances had you rooting for her the whole way through. ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-adults

Enjoyed the historical aspect quite a bit. Felt like the title was a bit misleading as I expected the story to be centred around the title and it really wasn't. I found the little sidebars distracted from the story as it broke the flow while I was reading.
That being said I did really enjoy the story. Recommended. ...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Courtney marked it as to-read

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