The Secret Life Of Mary Bowser (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I loved this book. The story of a girl born a slave, freed by her owner and sent to the north to be educated. When the Civil War becomes imminent she decides to return to her Richmond VA home. She becomes a spy for the Union Army and eventually gets a job working for Jefferson Davis' family. Her employer assumes that she is an uneducated slave and never suspects she is passing on military secrets. Mary Bowser and Bet Van Lew were real people, as well as an number of other characters in the book, and the story is a true story. I had the pleasure of reading Juliet's Nurse, another novel by Lois Leveen, a few weeks ago and had been dying to get my hands on any other work by the author since then. I noticed immediately that Leveen's writing style for each book varied greatly, a testament to her ability to use the dialect of each story's time period to enhance the tale. The Secrets Of Mary Bowser recounted the life of Mary Bowser as she was freed from slavery, educated in Philadelphia, and then became an integral part of the Union's network of spies. Such a storied life seemed the perfect basis for a historical fiction read. The product description made me believe that the main focus of the story would be on Mary's position as a servant in the Confederate White House of Jefferson Davis. Because that was what I most wanted to read about, I was very disappointed when only about 10% of the book revolved around those events. Instead, it took 300 pages of background before such an idea was even mentioned. I didn't find it necessary to have so much build up for Mary's decision to become a spy, and found myself anxious to move through the years spent on her education. This contributed to why I never connected with the characters, especially Mary. The author described many, many historical situations that showcased the atrocities of the Civil War, but again, I didn't find all of them necessary to the overall story. It was obvious that Leveen researched this book extremely well and that Mary Bowser was truly a remarkable and determined woman, but it appeared Leveen got too wrapped up in retelling Mary's life instead of telling an intriguing story where Mary was the main character.Although this was not my favorite book by this author, I would still read more her.
What do You think about The Secret Life Of Mary Bowser (2012)?
I loved this book. It sparked within me an interest in the civil war that wasn't there before.
—nikolight
I couldn't set this book down! What a great story.
—anonymous
Civil war spying. Constant bravery. Overlong.
—Vicky
