Women of a Promiscuous Nature - Donna Everhart - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Donna Everhart

GENRE: Historical Fiction.

PUBLICATION DATE:

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A historical fiction based on true events. Excellent character and plot development. Fabulous atmosphere and research. Graphic abuse, though it’s never sensationalised. Compelling but also highly disturbing. Definitely recommended, but only when you are in a strong headspace.

Plot Preview:

1941. Twenty-four-year-old Ruth Foster and fifteen-year-old Stella Temple find themselves enrolled at The State Industrial Farm Colony for Women in Kinston, North Carolina. Stella views it as a kind of escape while Ruth considers it a prison. Stella believes she did something wrong and hence needs to be redeemed during her stay at the Farm; Ruth is clear that she doesn’t deserve to be in the institution and wants to get out asap.

Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she is transforming degenerates and ”mental defectives” into morally worthy citizens, oversees all the training and treatment at the farm. If anyone dares break one of Mrs. Baker’s umpteen behavioural guidelines, the punishment is severe and in direct proportion to the breach of rule. But some of the residents simply refuse to be cowed down.

The story comes to us in the third-person perspective of these three women.

Bookish Yays:

🎀 The three quotes at the beginning of the novel - infuriating!

🎀 The plot concept, highlighting the relatively unknown “American Plan” and all the injustices done to women under its name.

🎀 The 1936 prologue that offers the perfect background to Dorothy Baker’s current situation.

🎀 The plot development: gripping from the start. I love the choice of presenting the story from three perspectives, with one of them being a high-ranking employee of the institution. Though written in third person, the story still captures the characters’ thought process and emotions convincingly. I like how Ruth and Stella’s chapters came under their first name but Dorothy Baker’s chapters were titled ‘Baker’, as if distancing us from her deliberately.

🎀 The depiction of two institutions (one briefly, one in detail) and of all that happened within their walls – so aggravating! It’s upsetting to know that these were actual institutions that incarcerated women against their will for all sorts of stupid reasons. The “land of the free” certainly wasn’t (and isn't) free for all of its citizens.

🎀 The three main characters: so different from each other. I loved how intricately their three personalities were sketched. Their thoughts and dialogues reflected their age and mindset. Ruth was my absolute favourite.

🎀 The characters other than the main trio. Varied in age and behaviour and even in importance for the plotline, yet their character development is such that we understand them intimately. Some of them (especially Lucy, Frances, and Nurse Crawford) left me wanting to know them more.

🎀 The writing. Though it gets a tad too lyrical at times, it is still impressive in its imagery and its impact. The brutal scenes are penned without feeling sensationalised. (They are still horrifying!)

🎀 The author's note at the end, clarifying the factual basis of the content. Gosh! I can't believe this used to happen not even a century ago.

Bookish Okays:

💄 The pacing is on the slower side, which is justified as the writing is character-oriented and it also helps heighten the dreary atmosphere. But given the anxiety and anger the plot generated, I found it very tough to read this novel at a stretch and the slow tempo didn’t help.

💄 Minor spoiler: No closure. My head knows that this ending suits the story because a HEA would have been too farfetched to accept. Plus, given that the book is based on true events and the women in real life too received no justice for going through this trauma, the ending better reflects reality. But the heart wants what it wants, and my heart wanted the satisfaction of knowing that people ultimately got what they deserved; they didn’t.

Bookish Nays:

🔥 The similarity in the names of the two doctors in the Kinston institution. It’s so easy to confuse Dr. Greene and Dr. Graham! I wish they had been given more distinct-sounding names.

Overall, I found myself simultaneously repelled by the events and captivated by the characters and the storytelling. It took me ages to finish this book because it was too harrowing, but at no point did I lose my interest in it.

This is my second book by Donna Everhart, the first being ‘The Saints of Swallow Hill’ back in 2022. Both books were equally powerful in their historical content, but this novel shows me how much further the author has developed in character development within 3-4 years. I shall keep an eye out for all further historical offerings from this writer’s pen.

Definitely recommended to those interested in historical fiction based on true events. The content is tough on the head and the heart, so prioritise your mental health before picking this up.

My thanks to Kensington Books for providing the DRC of “Women of a Promiscuous Nature” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.