Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on What Girls are Good For by David Blixt blog tour hosted by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours! Amy Bruno, owner of HFVBT, says David Blixt is one of her favorite authors, so I could not miss the opportunity to read and review this book! I also have giveaway for you so make sure to read all the way to the bottom to check it out.

My Thoughts:

Have you heard of Nellie Bly? That spitfire of a reporter important for catapulting women’s rights?

Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Cochrane in small-town Pennsylvania during the Victorian era. As an adult, she reads the article, “What Girls are Good For,” which compels her to to write a letter to the Pittsburgh Dispatch. Well, guess what? They paper hired her as a reporter, which was practically unheard of for women at the time. 

Elizabeth changes her name to Nellie Bly and becomes a champion of the issues she finds most important, the plight of women. 

Nellie Bly lives her life no-holds-barred. She does not hold back with what she thinks, and if there’s a story to tell, she’s going to uncover it.

Her biggest project comes when she pretends to be mentally ill so she can report on treatment inside an asylum. She’s successful getting inside, but once there, she is overwhelmed with what she encounters. She is imprisoned for a week when she is supposed to be rescued, but no one comes.

Blixt provides a fascinating and riveting account of Bly’s most adventurous and triumphant life. I think everyone will inspired by Nellie. She stops at nothing to uncover the wrongs in the world, and she uses her powerful voice for change. It’s hard to wrap my head around how much she was able to accomplish at a time when women were not working outside the home unless it was in service. She chooses her own path and lives life exactly as she chooses. 

Overall, Blixt’s writing is a brilliant sorcery in this account of a brave and bold woman and her heroic actions.

Thank you to the author for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

What Girls Are Good For by David Blixt

Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Creativia
Paperback & eBook; 535 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Nellie Bly has the story of a lifetime. But will she survive to tell it?

Enraged by an article entitled ‘What Girls Are Good For’, Elizabeth Cochrane pens an angry letter to the Pittsburgh Dispatch, never imagining a Victorian newspaper would hire a woman reporter. Taking the name Nellie Bly, she struggles against the male-dominated industry, reporting stories no one else will – the stories of downtrodden women.

Chased out of Mexico for revealing government corruption, her romantic advances rejected by a married colleague, Bly earns the chance to break into the New York’s Newspaper Row if she can nab a major scoop – life inside a madhouse. Feigning madness, she dupes the court into committing her to the Insane Asylum on Blackwell’s Island.

But matters are far worse than she ever dreamed. Stripped, drugged, beaten, she must endure a week of terror, reliving the darkest days of her childhood, in order to escape and tell the world her story. Only, at the end of the week, no rescue comes, and she fears she may be trapped forever…

Based on the real-life events of Nellie Bly’s life and reporting, What Girls Are Good For is a tale of rage, determination, and triumph – all in the frame of a tiny Pennsylvania spitfire who refused to let the world tell her how to live her life, and changed the world instead.

Available on Amazon

Praise for What Girls Are Good For

“Dramatic, engrossing, and spirited, What Girls Are Good For takes the reader straight to the heart of an unsung American hero–a feminist icon whose voice rings loud and true. This is a must-read for anyone who loves an underdog and celebrates justice; the perfect accompaniment for our present times.” – Olivia Hawker, international bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night

“With rich imagination and meticulous research, David Blixt has brought the hectic, exciting world of nineteenth-century journalism vividly to life. His Nellie Bly is determined, independent, crafty, irresistible — a heroine any reader would be delighted to get to know.” – Matthew Goodman, New York Times bestselling author

About the Author

David Blixt‘s work is consistently described as “intricate,” “taut,” and “breathtaking.” A writer of Historical Fiction, his novels span the early Roman Empire (the COLOSSUS series, his play EVE OF IDES) to early Renaissance Italy (the STAR-CROSS’D series) up through the Elizabethan era (his delightful espionage comedy HER MAJESTY’S WILL, starring Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe as inept spies). His novels combine a love of the theatre with a deep respect for the quirks and passions of history.

Living in Chicago with his wife and two children, he describes himself as “actor, author, father, husband. In reverse order.”

For more information, please visit David Blixt’s website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 10
Review at Bookish Rantings

Thursday, December 13
Review at Bri’s Book Nook

Monday, December 17
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Tuesday, December 18
Excerpt at Donna’s Book Blog

Wednesday, December 19
Review & Guest Post at Clarissa Reads it All
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Thursday, December 20
Review at Passages to the Past

Friday, December 21
Review at Just One More Chapter
Review at Tar Heel Reader

Saturday, December 22
Interview at Passages to the Past

Thursday, December 27
Review at A Bookish Affair

Friday, December 28
Review at Coffee and Ink
Interview at Reading the Past

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 4 paperback copies of What Girls Are Good For! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on December 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

What Girls Are Good For

Have you read What Girls are Good For, or is it on your TBR? Were you familiar with Nellie Bly before you read this review? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR