Rating: 
Summary: outside looking in
Review: A good read about a very interesting topic. Because this is a short book, I'm sure it missed too numerous to mention other stories. The book is written in a style that feels we are peeking into this nearly forgotten world from afar, kinda like looking at the moon with a telescope rather than actually walking on the moon. I like watching pro football on Sundays and pro wrestling on Thursdays, but this book brought me almost to tears several times, and believe me, I'm not a cry baby.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written
Review: I had high hopes for this book based on the subject matter. The book was nothing like I expected. It reads like a 10 year old's term paper. If that is the target audience then the book is a success. However if you graduated from grade school then you will probably be disappointed
Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment.
Review: I had hoped to read some stories - I feel like I got "People" magazine versions of these women's lives. I was surprised at how thin the book was - like there wasn't any one else to write about. Considering that there is quite a bit out there on this subject, I felt like I made a bad choice on which book to buy. Don't waste your money with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Not much of a book
Review: I have always been interested in the seedier part of the old west and this book covers that void. Great novel, moving and very easy read. If anyone has the interest, I would recommed this book with no reservations.
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Summary: Accurate Portrayal Of the Wild West Women
Review: I know that the West was comprised of other states except for Nevada, Idaho and Montana. The book is a little disappointing figuring that Arizona and Texas were probably more colorful than what this book portrayed.I was a little disappointed about the stories of the city of Tombstone as well. In research, this author has found much more info than that of this book. Being that Tombstone is one of, if not THE most famous mining town of the West, I feel more info and research could have been given. However, the author offers very compassionate writings about the selected few she does write about. If you are a fan of the Southwest, this book is not for you!
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Summary: Soiled Doves is an enlightening view of 1800s prostitution
Review: Soiled Doves was a well written and informative view of 19th century prostitution in the United States. Readers will smile, cry, and become angry, as each of the stories unfold. "The Love Story of Lottie Johl" is a haunting story which relates the full spectrum of the human condition, and relates how humanity can be so incredibly cruel to others, those individuals that were simply trying to make a way for themselves in the west. The lives of many women were explored in Soiled Doves. The stories were tastefully written and a delight to read. After reading Soiled Doves, one develops a different, more forgiving, view of prostitution and the ladies who were employed in it during the 1800s. Soiled Doves is a "must read" if the reader has an appreciation for American History and the role prostitution played in its development.
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Summary: Red light districts of the frontier. . .
Review: The author's list of acknowledgements fills a page at the opening of this historical account of prostitution in the early West. She has clearly done her research. And her book is a window into a subject often alluded to in the literature of the frontier but seldom if ever revealed in any depth. The West was a man's world where, according to Seagrave, men often outnumbered women 50 to 1. Employment opportunities being few for uneducated young women, a great many found their way to the brothels in the red light districts of cities, cow towns and mining camps. The author describes these establishments from the most genteel down to the most squalid. She also characterizes the role of the madam, an entrepreneur whose business contributed to the local economy while being at the same time illegal and an object of outrage among the community's socially respectable. Much of the book is devoted to profiles of individual madams, often known for their sharp business sense and their generosity, while contributing freely to local charitable organizations. The book includes many period photographs, including studio portraits of well established madams and the women who worked for them. One chapter is devoted to the special plight of Chinese prostitutes who lived under conditions of slavery in Western states into the early 20th century. While the book is informative, a reader may sometimes question its accuracy as history. Myth and legend have a way of mingling with documented fact, and while all of this is interesting, the author isn't scrupulous about distinguishing between them. Because the book tends to dramatize the lives of the women it discusses, a reader looking for an analysis of prostitution in the larger picture of Western social history will probably find a lot of questions unanswered. Still, the book opens up a subject that is too seldom regarded with the historical interest it deserves.
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Summary: Tragic Life Stories of Exploited Women
Review: The lonely and sometimes tragic lives of prostitutes in the 'good' old west are revealed in this book by Anne Seagraves. While some women enjoyed a successful career and riches, most suffered lives filled with poverty, exploitation and disease. Alienated by society, church, and mostly other women, these women eked out a living in the only manner they knew how... As prostitutes. Universally reviled, the'soiled doves' often turned to gambling, alcohol and drugs. Few married and those that did, more often than not were pimped by their 'lowlife' husbands. Prostitution was a life that few women could escape and seemed to often end in loneliness and despair. This book explores the lives of prostitutes by telling the stories of several famous prostitutes, madams and the times they lived in. A 'must read' book for the authors of historical fiction, and for those interested in exploring the lives of women in the North West.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Read!
Review: This book covers the topic of nineteenth century prostitution in the west in a fascinating and respectful manner. I couldn't put this book down as I read the sometimes moving, sometimes sad and sometimes amusing stories of these "soiled doves". Anne Seagraves paints a vivid picture of what life was like for these women in the old west. If you are interested in women's history, the west, or just human stories get this book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent !! Couldn't stop reading it.
Review: This book opened my eyes to what life was really like for some women in the old west. Some stories were sad but very moving. I bought this book to read while on vacation in S. Dakota and enjoyed it so much that I stopped at the same bookstore on the way home to purchase the rest of the books that were written by this author. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the old west, women's issues or even just non-fiction. Can't go wrong with this one.
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