The Mad Girls of New York
A Nellie Bly Novel, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Eva Kaminsky
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By:
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Maya Rodale
About this listen
One of Amazon’s Best Books of 2022 So Far!
“Gloriously recommended.” —Historical Novel Society
A gripping and compelling novel based on the true story of fearless reporter Nellie Bly, who will stop at nothing to prove that a woman’s place is on the front page.
In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she'd be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for women.
For months, rumors have been swirling about deplorable conditions at Blackwell’s but no reporter can get in—that is, until Nellie feigns insanity, gets herself committed and attempts to survive ten days in the madhouse. Once inside, Nellie befriends her fellow patients who help her uncover shocking truths about the asylum. It’s a story that promises to be explosive—but will she get out before rival reporters get the scoop?
From USA Today bestselling author Maya Rodale comes a witty, energetic and uplifting novel about a woman who defied convention to become the most famous reporter in Gilded Age New York. Perfect for fans of hidden histories about women who triumph.
©2022 Maya Rodale (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Rodale crafts an adventure yarn worthy of a 19th-century bildungsroman, but there’s still heaps of her signature wit and banter.”—Entertainment Weekly
“The talented Rodale does full justice to intrepid girl reporter Nellie Bly and her trail-blazing exposé in this lively fictionalization. … Rodale’s Nellie is bold, inventive, and quick on her feet, remorseless in her ambition but tender in her empathy. Rodale breathes vivid life into Bly’s biography and incredible spirit as she battles her way into a publishing scene that barely offers a toehold for females. Combine crack writing and nail-biting suspense with humor, pathos, a dash of mystery, and a hint of romance, and you have an entertaining, intensely imagined glimpse into the making of Bly’s Ten Days in a Madhouse and the life of women in New York’s Gilded Age. Gloriously recommended.”—Historical Novels Review
“Rodale’s affinity for writing about powerful women is clear, and she aptly records the lengths they would go to in order to overcome their societal boundaries….An energetic and bold tale of one of history’s most enterprising journalists.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Story
Jack the Ripper begins his reign of terror. Miss Sarah Bain, a photographer, supplements her meager income by taking illicit boudoir photographs of the town's local ladies of the night. But when two of her models are found gruesomely murdered within weeks of one another, Sarah begins to suspect it's more than mere coincidence.
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Really not a good book.
- By Robin Thompson on 08-25-17
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Ask Me No Questions
- A Lady Dunbridge Mystery
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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A modern woman in 1907, Lady Dunbridge is not about to let a little thing like the death of her husband ruin her social life. She's ready to take the dazzling world of Gilded Age Manhattan by storm. From the decadence of high society balls to the underbelly of Belmont horse racing, romance, murder, and scandals abound. Someone simply must do something. And Lady Dunbridge is happy to oblige.
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A Creative Mystery
- By Victoria J. Mejia-Gewe on 02-28-19
By: Shelley Noble
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Modern Girls
- By: Jennifer S. Brown
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1935, Dottie Krasinsky is the epitome of the modern girl. A bookkeeper in midtown Manhattan, Dottie steals kisses from her steady beau, meets her girlfriends for drinks, and eyes the latest fashions. Yet at heart, she is a dutiful daughter, living with her Yiddish-speaking parents on the Lower East Side. So when, after a single careless night, she finds herself in a family way by a charismatic but unsuitable man, she is desperate: unwed, unsure, and running out of options.
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Super annoying voiceover
- By Amazon Customer on 04-25-17
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A Fall of Marigolds
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries...and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she's made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?
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Beautiful!
- By R. Burnham on 03-29-15
By: Susan Meissner
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The Magnolia Palace
- A Novel
- By: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
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This isn't my favorite but entertaining
- By Linda on 02-01-22
By: Fiona Davis
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Beguiling the Beauty
- By: Sherry Thomas
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Duke of Lexington meets the mysterious Baroness von Seidlitz-Hardenberg on a transatlantic liner, he is fascinated. She’s exactly what he’s been searching for - a beautiful woman who interests and entices him. He falls hard and fast - and soon proposes marriage. And then she disappears without a trace.… For in reality, the "baroness" is Venetia Easterbrook - a proper young widow who had her own vengeful reasons for instigating an affair with the duke. But the plan has backfired. Venetia has fallen in love with the man she despised - and there’s no telling what might happen when she is finally unmasked….
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Worth multiple listens
- By anonymous on 09-10-19
By: Sherry Thomas
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The Agency 1: A Spy in the House
- By: Y. S. Lee
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In Victorian England, orphan Mary Quinn lives on the edge. Sentenced as a thief at the age of 12, she’s rescued from the gallows by a woman posing as a prison warden. In her new home, Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, Mary acquires a singular education, fine manners, and a surprising opportunity. The school is a cover for the Agency — an elite, top secret corps of female investigators with a reputation for results — and at 17, Mary’s about to join their ranks.
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yes, it's YA-but credible for genre for any age
- By connie on 02-25-11
By: Y. S. Lee
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The Bastard
- The Kent Family Chronicles, Book 1
- By: John Jakes
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the colorful tumult of events that gave rise to our fledgling nation, this novel of romance and adventure introduces Phillipe Charboneau. The illegitimate son of an English nobleman, Phillipe flees Europe and, as Philip Kent, joins the men who set our course for freedom. The Bastard is the first volume in the Kent Family Chronicles, a series of novels that details one family's journey in the early years of the American nation.
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An Amazing Tale
- By will on 11-06-13
By: John Jakes
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An Orphan’s War
- By: Molly Green
- Narrated by: Julie Masey
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Liverpool, 1940. When her childhood sweetheart, Johnny, is killed in action, Maxine Grey loses more than her husband - she loses her best friend. Desperate to make a difference in this awful war, Maxine takes a nursing job at London’s St Thomas’ hospital. She takes comfort in the attentions of a handsome surgeon, but Edwin Blake isn’t all he seems. And as the Blitz descends on the capital, Maxine faces more heartache. When she returns to Liverpool, she harbours a secret.
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An Orphan's War by Molly Green
- By customers coins on 05-04-19
By: Molly Green
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We Set the Dark on Fire
- By: Tehlor Kay Mejia
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children. Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society. And school couldn’t prepare her for the difficult choices she must make after graduation.
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Undeveloped story and characters and setting
- By Hsin Yao Chou on 11-08-20
By: Tehlor Kay Mejia
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Revealed
- By: Kate Noble
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Phillippa Benning is the unrivaled beauty of the Season. But when another lady challenges her for a marquis's attentions, Phillippa entices him to a secret rendezvous only to stumble upon The Blue Raven, England's most famous spy, lurking at the site of her planned tryst. The Blue Raven has uncovered an enemy plot directed at upcoming society functions, but he's unable to infiltrate London society.
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Really enjoyed this one — terrific listen — ignore the negative reviews
- By Pamela on 08-31-20
By: Kate Noble
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The Ambassador's Daughter
- By: Pam Jenoff
- Narrated by: Joanna Daniel
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all. Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job.
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Book 0 in the series
- By Stevon on 12-12-17
By: Pam Jenoff
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Jane Bites Back
- By: Michael Thomas Ford
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature she loves, but now it's because she's the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York. Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations. Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own.
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Utterly Rediculous
- By Tenaya on 05-29-10
What listeners say about The Mad Girls of New York
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- L in the Lou
- 05-25-22
an intriguing listen for sure
this book is mostly true as we come to find out at the very end in the author's note. It seemed a little slow in getting to the what I call big moments but once you got there it was even more fascinating to listen to. definitely recommend the listen!
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- Miss Julie
- 11-15-23
Interesting partly true story
Quite a few liberties taken with this story but it was very readable and kept my interest. Did not enjoy the narrator and at some stage in the future I think I may read the story for myself. Loved the main characters amongst the ‘mad girls’ especially prayer girl.
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- amaysf
- 05-20-22
Wonderful page turner
I could not put it down. I had heard of Nellie Bly but had no idea of the many difficulties women faced during the "Gilded Age" and her contributions to reform.
Maya Rodale has written some captivating, memorable and yes, naughty books about women breaking (or circumventing) societal rules and finding romance in the process.
The Mad Girls of New York is somewhat of a departure from past novels and as a result is both different yet comfortingly familiar. Nellie Bly was a force of nature and she comes alive in Rodale's story. She is unstoppable. And she did it on her own, helping other women along the way. That is pure Rodale.
Although this is not a romance novel, Nellie is enough to carry the whole story and there is a hint of romance to come...
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- Candy Latino
- 05-27-24
This is based on a true events
I am in a book club reading books that take place on NY and I had no idea what this book was about. I was so surprised it is a true story and I am now interested in finding out more about these women who were discarded to this dark place and left to be forgotten. Definitely worth the read.
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- Nancey
- 12-28-22
Story OK, narrator not
The story is OK. It kept me mildly interested. I liked the twist toward the end. I found the narrator annoying, with her sing song inflection and tone.
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