Josephine and Harriet

by Betty Burton (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2004

  $28.28

  A novel of two very different women, trying to live their own lives in Victorian London Josephine's background isn't exactly privileged, but she's always had an indomitable spirit and is determined to make her own luck. Her chosen path is far from easy, as women journalists are almost unheard of in Victorian England, let alone ones who specialise in crime reports. Harriet is content to drift from one opportunity to another, from man to man, living by her singing,ending up in prostitution before meeting a tragic end. Josephine is horrified and fascinated by the case; they would have been the same age, from not dissimilar families. What made one life turn out this way? Betty Burton turns her considerable storytelling talents to this exploration of what it means to be a woman in a man's world - be it the ultimate victim with no control or the one who dares to try to break the mould.

• Used

  Paperback
  2011

  $3.29

  Two women, two lives, two very different fates.

  Josephine is one of the very few female journalists in Victorian England - not a job for a respectable young woman. Her chosen path is far from easy but she's determined and courageous.

  Harriet is content to drift from one opportunity to another, from man to man, living by her singing, resorting to prostitution when times get tough. It's a turbulent, unpredictable life - a way of life which ultimately leads to her untimely end.

  Josephine is horrified and yet fascinated by the case. If circumstances had been different, Harriet's fate could have been her own. The two women are close in age, their families not so very different. What made one life turn out this way?

  Betty Burton has based this novel on a real-life tragedy and turns her storytelling talents to exploring the background. She writes of what it means to be a woman in a man's world - be it the ultimate victim with no control or the one who dares to try to break the mould.