History Corner: Madame Presidentess by Nicole Evelina


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge,from Lawson Gartner Publishing

for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own. 


With nothing BUT the upcoming election in the news (apparently the Louisiana flooding was abhorent, it's already pushed off national news), this new book is very timely indeed!

 Madame Presidentess cover

Synopsis:

Forty-eight years before women were granted the right to vote, one woman dared to run for President of the United States, yet her name has been virtually written out of the history 
books. 

Rising from the shame of an abusive childhood, Victoria Woodhull, the daughter of a con-man and a religious zealot, vows to follow her destiny, one the spirits say will lead her out of poverty to “become ruler of her people.” But the road to glory is far from easy. A nightmarish marriage teaches Victoria that women are stronger and deserve far more credit than society gives. Eschewing the conventions of her day, she strikes out on her own to improve herself and the lot of American women. 
Over the next several years, she sets into motion plans that shatter the old boys club of Wall Street and defile even the sanctity of the halls of Congress. But it’s not just her ambition that threatens men of wealth and privilege; when she announces her candidacy for President in the 1872 election, they realize she may well usurp the power they’ve so long fought to protect. Those who support her laud “Notorious Victoria” as a gifted spiritualist medium and healer, a talented financial mind, a fresh voice in the suffrage movement, and the radical idealist needed to move the nation forward. But those who dislike her see a dangerous force who is too willing to speak out when women are expected to be quiet. 

Ultimately, “Mrs. Satan’s” radical views on women’s rights, equality of the sexes, free love and the role of politics in private affairs collide with her tumultuous personal life to endanger all she has built and change how she is viewed by future generations. This is the story of one woman who was ahead of her time – a woman who would make waves even in the 21st century – but who dared to speak out and challenge the conventions of post-Civil War America, setting a precedent that is still followed by female politicians today.


Review:

Depsite what Hilary wants you to think, she is NOT the first woman to run for the office of President, and the record breaker was a woman with a whole lot more dedicated to CHANGING the status of women by breaking DOWN barriers, not by using the standard quo to get around them. 

Victoria learned her financial accuem from a brilliant mind- Cornelius Vanderbilt. yes, THAT Vanderbilt. From him, and other Wall Street magnates, she learned HOW the American system ran, both financially and politically. She fought for women's rights and when she ran for president, she had Frederick Douglass, yes the former slave, as her Vice President. Pause and think for a moment, about what a RADICAL idea THAT was in 1872. And you can start to see how BRAVE and brilliant Victoria was.

Many would say her story is just too far-fetched to be believed. But our younger country allowed for these type of stories- look how many rags to riches stories literally FOUNDED our country!had it not been for dramatic, and possibly too liberal personal life, Victoria might have made her goal. But n her quest she started the road to open up rights for women, that we have today. This is a superb read and one EVERY one, especially women, should read, to know how far we have come, and who really made history in the name of women's rights!

About the Author:

Nicole Evelina is an award-winning historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her most recent novel, Madame Presidentess, a historical novel about Victoria Woodhull, America's first female Presidential candidate, was the first place winner in the Women’s US History category of the 2015 Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction. Her debut novel, Daughter of Destiny, the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, was named Book of the Year by Chanticleer Reviews, took the Grand Prize in the 2015 Chatelaine Awards for Women’s Fiction/Romance, won a Gold Medal in the fantasy category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and was short-listed for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction. Been Searching for You, her contemporary romantic comedy, won the 2015 Romance Writers of America (RWA) Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests. Nicole is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. As an armchair historian, Nicole researches her books extensively, consulting with biographers, historical societies and traveling to locations when possible. For example, she traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon. Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for The Historical Novel Society, and Sirens (a group supporting female fantasy authors), as well as a member of the Historical Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, Women Writing the West, Broad Universe (promoting women in fantasy, science fiction and horror), Alliance of Independent Authors and the Independent Book Publishers Association. Her website is http://nicoleevelina.com.

Comments

  1. Thanks for the wonderful review!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping in and for writing a great book!

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  2. Sounds like my type of book. Thank you for sharing! :)

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