Cover of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott. Image via publisher Harper Perennial.
1. Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy
Normally, puns based on other works of fiction are left to the romance genre. Karen Abbott apparently took a look at John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and thought she could work with that. As a result, we have Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War.
The book intertwines the lives of Belle Boyd, Confederate spy; Emma Edmonds, Union soldier; Rose O’Neale Greenhow, a widow who had affairs to find out Union secrets in Washington; and Elizabeth Van Lew, an abolitionist in Richmond. Overall, it paints a different look at the Civil War, but never bogs itself down. (How could it? All four women led interesting lives.)
Goodreads praises it for being really readable non-fiction, with one reviewer saying they enjoyed the book despite generally not liking the genre at all. The book’s thorough research also earned plenty of applause.
Additional reading includes the memoirs of both Belle Boyd and Emma Edmonds as well as Miss Lizzie’s War by Rosemary Agonito as well as Wild Rose from Ann Blackman.
Next: Celebrating 100 Years of Poirot
What non-fiction books about famous women do you find yourself recommending over and over? Which of these books has earned a spot on your to-read list? Let us know in the comments below!