Heavy but a great read for those who are interested in this very dark part of US history. Audio was the best way to consume this for me.

Very interesting story, I went into this blindly as I didn't know anything about it and I found this a fascinating and captivating audiobook. Highly recommend.

First of all the audiobook narration is amazing. It is pleasant to listen and definitely highly recommended.

Secondly I would like to congratulate and thank to the author for the tremendous and thorough research that was put into this book to exist. Many thanks and kudos.

I didn't know anything about Madame Restell and after listening to this book, I know why. The patriarchal society and government and abortion condemning religious beliefs would never want you to know about such a woman who existed in 1800s.

"There was little new knowledge related to pregnancy but there were new practitioners. These were the men who had every incentive to insist that they and they alone were experts on pregnancy and women body."

Can you believe that so many years habe passed and yet so little or nothing at all has changed? Do you know that there are many reasons for abortion - medical ones other than just " not wanting to have baby?" Babies are huge responsibility, what if you can't really provide for it? What if baby is result of a sexual abuse? What if baby is born out of wedlock but with a promise of marriage that is unfulfilled?Hypocrisy is being a pro life, not caring for a woman bearing child but the baby who's existence is solely dependant on that woman?

Who gets to decide what a woman want to do with her body? Why is propaganda driven politicians and religious beliefs make someone suffer from a fate they can easily change just by taking some pills? Do you know that birth control pills were unavailable to unwed women till 1972. When Restell began her business there was hardly any illegality to abortion, it was mostly to surgical abortion.

When the gynaecology and obstetrics medicine first came to exist, males were the one who started practicing it as profession as they did not see women capable of "handling" women's issues. That's laughable.

As we move on into the life of Madame Restell, her trials come into the view. It is sad and scary that more than the women's health the laws concerning abortion came to exist because everyone was concerned about women's character and sexual promiscuity. How making abortion facilities available to everyone especially the unmarried woman will lead society into dismay and disruption. How sexual morality is always a job of a woman and never a man's.

Anyways my point is this book can be infuriating to listen to. Not because of narration or the content but the views of hypocrites that still stand tall even in this date too. How a woman pregnant out of wedlock is treated with shame and guilt but then supposed to bring the kid into this world who will again shame both the mother and child? The hypocrisy is blinding.

This is one of the most important books to read to know more about abortion laws and how they actually came into existence. Thank you very much Netgalley, author and narrator and dreamscape media for making this book available in exchange of an honest review. I'm definitely be going to own a copy of this book in future and will give it a present to every pro life person.

A very interesting listen. A part of history I had no prior knowledge about. I liked the narrator and felt like it had a good pace.

4 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I read this book in an audiobook format, and I am really happy they chose to have a woman narrate it. I think if it had been told my a male narrator, it would have a different impact.

Madame Restell lived an extraordinary life practicing crucial medical procedures for woman at a time (and still is) when it was dangerous to do so. I have never once heard of Madame Restell and I am shocked that her name and legacy are not more popularized. I am so happy I had the opportunity to read about her life through this ARC and reflect on the work done by women before me that give me access to such important medical procedures.

I was worried the book would drag on or feel dense because the story is told majority through court records and evidence but I would argue the exact opposite. This book did take me a little short of a month to get through but this was mostly due to the heavy nature of the book, and I wanted to break it up into chunks so I could fully absorb and reflect on the information presented.

I’m so happy this author took the time to research and write about the life of Madame Restell. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read more about trailblazers in women’s health and abortion rights.

This book was fascinating and full of the history of birth, abortion, and adoption in antebellum NYC. It was a great read that was full of court documents, newspapers, and testimony of the time. The author does a good job of pointing out how class and race affected not only who was looking for these services, but how they were viewed in the courts, both of law and of public opinion.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to find out more about the history of abortion in the US or interested in women's movements in the US.

Nicholas L. Syrett clearly did his research on the life of Madame Resetell. The insights into the times and social issues is very interesting, but I feel like the book could do with a bit of editing. Often times the book jumps around in time and across characters in a way that can be difficult to keep track of without close attention. The book is definitely one for the times and provides an interesting lens through which to view current times.

I knew nothing about Madam Restell prior to listening to this audiobook and it was fascinating to take a deep dive into her life and times. Part biography part history of abortion and reproductive healthcare itself this book begins as Restell makes her way to America and takes us through her tumultuous legal battles. In addition to covering the story of Restell's life the author also illustrates the experiences women from many different walks of life from sex worker to society lady might have had as they sought to obtain obstetric and gynecological care. Learning about the birth of formalized doctoring and professionalized ob/gyn's (almost entirely men) and the practices they used to push midwives and folk practitioners like Restell out of the business was interesting not only as a curious reader but as a woman living in the United States today where maternal healthcare is still abysmal in far too many ways. The accounting of the political evolution of American ideology around abortion is unsettlingly similar to some of the battles we are experiencing today. I would love to see this book adapted into a film or tv series. What a fascinating era in American history and an incredibly compelling figure to focus on.

While the story of Madame Restell was very interesting the structure of this book felt haphazard at times

This is a well-researched, detailed history of female reproductive rights and a woman who unabashedly rocked the boat of the traditionally male-controlled field of medicine.
I found the book very informative and interesting. At times, I felt the author went heavy on the quotes which made the writing move much slower in those parts, especially when recounting the trials. Overall, though, a worthwhile listen.
3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a fascinating story! I would recommend The Trials of Madame Restell for any history buffs, feminists looking to deepen their historical understanding, or anyone interested in early political discourse around women's reproductive rights.

I've heard of the main character but not of much of the background, so it was interesting to learn about. It seems especially poignant considering the times we are living in and the attack on reproductive rights.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*

I downloaded this audiobook because I wanted a different type of Nonfiction title and I was keen to break away from memoirs for a bit. As a feminist, and an unapologetic liberal, I was drawn to this story because I had never heard of Madame Restell nor any of the other foundational women who paved the way at extraordinary cost for women to have autonomy over their own bodies.

It was astounding to me to see the parallels between the puritanical male leaders in the 19th century and the religious right today using societal norms to force a political agenda that strips women of the right to control their own destinies with regard to reproductive rights.

This story was beautifully researched and written and I applaud Nicholas Syrett for hiring a female narrator. Somehow, hearing this story told by a man would have felt wrong.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

‘...respectable, white, married ladies, the people who should be producing the next generation of upstanding American citizens were reneging on their duties in favour of family limitation. If they had fewer children, while the poor and immigrants continued to have such large families, would old stock Americans be outnumbered? Even replaced altogether?’

In the mid-nineteenth century, women were beginning to work out of the house more, to take up more independent lives and restrict the number of children they were having. For those with means, or those willing to work off a debt, the likes of Madame Restell (and numerous counterparts) would assist women (and men) with limiting the size of families, the trauma of childbearing out of wedlock and preventing conception in the first place. Madame Restell was, likely, the most famous female physician in America, primarily because she was seen as a murderess, killer of babies, and in some sense, the American family.

I was fascinated with this story, knowing nothing about Madame Restell or women like her prior to picking up this audio ARC. What was most interesting was to learn some of the data related to abortion and midwifery practice in the 1800’s, compared with early gynaecological practice, which was being pioneered at the time. The likes of Madame Restell, who is acknowledged within this text as a highly skilled female physician, who is never recorded as having lost a patient, were far safer to entrust with delivering a child or performing an abortion than their degree possessing counterparts. This, of course, angered male doctors, who resented sharing the name physician with these uneducated women, and between these men and a religious zealot or two, the anti-abortion movement was born. It was truly a gift to learn about the beginnings of this movement and its, likely, deep seeded misogyny and resentment of women both who were baring children as they saw fit and those willing to assist them. While this book did circle back on itself a few times and was occasionally dry, I found it to be overall informative and engaging. I was saddened by the end which befell Madame Restell, and which indicates I had engaged with her both as a character, as well as a historical figure. If you have an interest in history, particularly relating to the freedoms of women or feminist movements, this book may give you an insight into the genesis of one of these causes.

Madeline Maby’s narration was engaging and very well suited to the subject matter, I very much enjoyed her reading.

Author Nicholas L. Syrett details, the legal trials and tribulations of Madame Restell, the most infamous of the 19th centuries female abortionists.

Starting from the beginning of her life, with her parents, in England, it shows how she meets her first husband and immigrate to New York, and soon becomes a Widow. Living in poverty with her orphaned daughter she meets Charles Loman, who will be by your side and her second in command as they create their empire of midwifery and female care in New York City.

Full of legal details, Syrett tells the history of all the trials and legal battles that Madame Restell finds herself in, finally ending with her death.

I found this history to be very legally focussed in not as personal as some of the other histories I have read of her. Perfect for the historian who wants to know the nitty-gritty behind the doors of the court room.

Madeleine Maby narration was a good fit for this book being a female protagonist. She did an excellent job, breathing in some extra life into some very historical and detail focussed moments of this history. As I’m points through the wording, I could tell that this was a history written from a male perspective, but Maby was able to insert a feminine side to Madame Restell’s story telling.

Overall the story of Madame Restell legal battles, are worth knowing in order to prevent the history that has unfolded from repeating again today. Sadly, we are too late in some places for these lessons to take heart. Female rights to their own body need to be respected and feminine health care needs to be provided for all circumstances.

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for this ALC. Opinions are my own.

I thought that this was a very interesting listen, the subject matter is so very important to the political conversation right now. It was especially cathartic because of the division of this in the US and how opinions against abortion are changing legislation and impacting people's lives, physical well being, and economics of the country. Forced motherhood should be illegal and this book made it clear that people have known that for a long time and the reasons people rally against it are more to do with control than to do with life.

Madame Restell...a forward thinking Woman committed to helping Women have autonomy over their own bodies, or the baby killing, baby farming monster of New York City....

The Trials of Madame Restell tells of a woman who went by the pseudonym Madame Restell in order to work as a women's physician in the late 1800s, providing women with birth control and abortions. This book truly is about the trials - I am an appellate attorney and I very much enjoyed the detail that this book went into regarding legal proceedings. (Reversed and remanded!) However, at times I do think it gets a bit in the weeds about it for casual readers. This book is very academic, and goes into great detail regarding the topic. I think this book will be highly cited, particularly as the Right continues to attempt to criminalize reproductive rights.

For being so academic, I think this book was a very easy read in audio form. I would recommend it for more casual readers.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This biography highlights the 19th-century reproductive healthcare provider known as Madame Restell. Operating clinics in New York City, she offered services including contraception, pregnancy care, childbirth, and abortions. As society shifted, she drew criticism as a threat to traditional views on women's roles. New abortion restrictions put her at legal risk. Her numerous trials parallel today's battles over reproductive freedom.

This easy-to-read book is full of factual information about Madame Restell, her competitors, and her critics, effectively recreating the era when men increasingly sought to take over women's healthcare from traditional female providers. The audiobook narration is well done.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thoroughly researched and still accessible, The Trials of Madame Restell contextualizes the woman herself, her legal battles, and her immense impact (the reverberations of which are still very much felt today). Syrett follows Ann Lohman as she becomes the notorious midwife/abortionist Madame Restell, offering glimpses into her life and detailing the social and political influences that may have affected her career choice. She becomes a sympathetic, almost heroic, figure in Syrett's telling, though there are indications that color this interpretation (e.g. her detrimental competition with other female physicians).

Syrett is incredibly even-handed and does a remarkable job of linking Restell's legal trouble to modern cases like Roe and Dobbs; a rather bleak picture unless you are Anthony Comstock.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC.