What Girls Are Good For: A Novel Of Nellie Bly
Written by David Blixt
Narrated by Janice L Blixt
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
From International Bestselling Author David Blixt: Nellie Bly has the story of a lifetime. But will she survive to tell it?
Enraged by a sexist article in the Pittsburgh Dispatch, Elizabeth Cochrane pens a furious letter to the editor that ends in a job offer! Taking the name Nellie Bly, she fights the male-dominated newspaper industry to report what no one else will—stories of women.
Chased out of Mexico for revealing government corruption, Bly can break into New York’s Newspaper Row if she can nab a major scoop—life inside a madhouse! Feigning madness, she is committed to the dreaded Insane Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, where matters are far worse than she dreamed. Stripped, drugged, beaten, she must endure a week of terror, reliving the darkest days of her childhood. She knows she must escape to tell the world her story. But when the week ends and no rescue comes, she fears she may be trapped in the madhouse forever...
Ripped from the true events of Nellie Bly’s life and reporting comes a novel of rage, determination, and triumph, all in the frame of a tiny Pennsylvania spitfire who refused to let the world change her, and changed the world instead.
★★★★★ - "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, Eighty Days
★★★★★ - "David Blixt pens a heroine for the ages in "What Girls Are Good For," which follows the extraordinary career of pioneer newspaperwoman Nellie Bly. This real-life Lois Lane had me cheering aloud as I turned the pages—simply a delight!" - Kate Quinn, The Alice Network
David Blixt
David Blixt's work is consistently described as "intricate," "taut," and "breathtaking." A writer of historical fiction, his novels span the Roman Empire (the COLOSSUS series, his play EVE OF IDES) to early Renaissance Italy (the STAR-CROSS'D series) through the Elizabethan era (his delightful espionage comedy HER MAJESTY'S WILL, starring Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe as hapless spies), to 19th Century feminism (WHAT GIRLS ARE GOOD FOR, his novel of reporter Nellie Bly). During his research, David discovered eleven novels by Bly herself that had been lost for over a century. David's stories combine a love of theatre with a deep respect for the quirks and passions of history. As the Historical Novel Society said, "Be prepared to burn the midnight oil. It's well worth it."Living in Chicago with his wife and two children, David describes himself as an "author, actor, father, husband-in reverse order."
More audiobooks from David Blixt
Eve Of Ides: An Audioplay Of Caesar And Brutus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sincerity: A Halloween Short Story Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to What Girls Are Good For
Titles in the series (3)
What Girls Are Good For: A Novel Of Nellie Bly Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Charity Girl: A Nellie Bly Novelette Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Clever Girl: A Nellie Bly Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related audiobooks
Charity Girl: A Nellie Bly Novelette Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Verdun Affair Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When Songbirds Returned to Paris: n/a Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bachelor Girl: A Novel by the Author of Orphan #8 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Clever Girl: A Nellie Bly Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Memory Keeper of Kyiv: A powerful, important historical novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Glovemaker's Daughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secrets We Left Behind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Murderer's Maid: A Lizzie Borden Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Physicists' Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl in the Triangle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poppy Wife: A Novel of the Great War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tiffany Girls: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Enemy's Tears: The Witch of Northampton Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Stealers: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Where Daffodils Bloom: Based on the True Story of a WWII War Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beantown Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass ChAteau: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Girl in the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stolen Beauty: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Saturday Evening Girls Club: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Orphans of Berlin: The heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel by Jina Bacarr Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tears of Amber Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Keeper of Happy Endings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Is Written on the Tongue: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girls of Ennismore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ragged Edge of Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Postcard Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Girls with No Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Contemporary Women's For You
Then She Was Gone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Idea of You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boyfriend: A Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Parable of the Talents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paradise Problem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winter Garden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where the Forest Meets the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Women: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bright Young Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Perfect Couple Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One for the Money: A Stephanie Plum Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5GO AS A RIVER: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ugly Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Mrs. Parrish: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wedding People: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Regretting You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reminders of Him: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for What Girls Are Good For
6 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely, a brave.l Individual, it would take on such a task. Well Written.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elizabeth Cochrane has always been seen as a troublemaker, questioning why things are the way they are and standing up for what she believed was right. As an adult, Lizzie takes a stand after a newspaper column by the Quiet Observer defames women. After writing a reply to the column, Elizabeth is hired by the Pittsburgh Dispatch for her unique point of view. Given the pseudonym Nellie Bly, she quickly used her new found skills to tell the stories of women's issues that were not often discussed including poverty, divorce and the stories of factory girls. Nellie eventually finds herself in Mexico then New York to write the story of a lifetime after committing herself to an asylum.
I have of course heard the name Nellie Bly and her legacy, but never knew her whole story. Written with historical accuracy and the ability to dive into Nellie's head, Nellie's story is heartfelt, intriguing and raw. Learning about how Nellie grew up, I was able to see what drove her to be impassioned to fight for women's rights and those who are underserved. Throughout the story Nellie's passion and spirited personality shown through. Going undercover with Nellie was a treat as I saw snippets of factory life, Mexico City and the asylum through her eyes. I enjoyed being able to read her articles as well as how they came to be. I also was impressed by how many times Nellie was met by failure and still persisted, a lesson that still endures for many women today. Nellie Bly not only persisted, she learned, grew and honed her talent in order to become a better reporter. Overall, an intense story of one of the groundbreaking women in journalism.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.