The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
Format: Trade Paperback, ARC
Pages: 348
Published: Oct 25, 2011
Publisher:
Knopf CanadaGenre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: 5/5
Summary (from chapters.ca):"I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart."
So begins The Virgin Cure, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in the year 1871. As a young child, Moth's father smiled, tipped his hat and walked away from her forever. The summer she turned twelve, her mother sold her as a servant to a wealthy woman, with no intention of ever seeing her again.
These betrayals lead Moth to the wild, murky world of the Bowery, filled with house-thieves, pickpockets, beggars, sideshow freaks and prostitutes, where eventually she meets Miss Everett, the owner of a brothel simply known as "The Infant School." Miss Everett caters to gentlemen who pay dearly for companions who are "willing and clean," and the most desirable of them all are young virgins like Moth.
Through the friendship of Dr. Sadie, a female physician, Moth learns to question and observe the world around her, where her new friends are falling prey to the myth of the "virgin cure" - that deflowering a "fresh maid" can heal the incurable and tainted. She knows the law will not protect her, that polite society ignore her, and still she dreams of answering to no one but herself. There's a high price for such independence, though, and no one knows that better than a girl from Chrystie Street.
Review:**NOTE: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Knopf Canada. However, no compensations were made and this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings.**
Well, she has done it again. Ami McKay has undoubtedly written her second bestseller with a story that is even better than her first - if that's even possible.
The Virgin Cure is a historical fiction book and for me, that isn't really a genre that I tend to enjoy. However, the delicate way that Ami McKay writes doesn't make you feel like your reading a story of years gone by, but instead; a story that takes place in another city, during this past decade. A story with characters that are so believeable that you are sure you have seen them on the street just that morning.
From the very first page, I was hooked. As with her novel, The Birth House, I found that, through her words, the story actually came alive. Even though I knew that this was a fictional novel, I found it very hard to remember that and often found myself wondering what happened to these people once the story ended.
Overall, this is a must-read... if you enjoyed The Birth House, you will LOVE The Virgin Cure. Well done, Ami!! Can't wait for book number three!
In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren. The general idea is to share the books that you have purchased, that you have borrowed, or that you have found.
