Belle Boyd and Mata Hari

The Controversial Lives and Legacies of History's Most Famous Women Spies

De: Charles River Editors

Narrado por: Scott Clem

Americans have long been fascinated by the Civil War, marveling at the size of the battles, the leadership of the generals, and the courage of the soldiers. Since the war's start over 150 years ago, the events have been subjected to endless debate among historians and the generals themselves. The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history, and had the two sides realized it would take four years and inflict over a million casualties, it might not have been fought. Since it did, however, historians and history buffs alike have been studying and analyzing the people and places that shaped the course of the conflict ever since. Much about the war remains controversial over 150 years later, and that includes the extent and nature of the spying that took place on both sides. Thus, it is only fitting that the war's most famous spy, the Confederate sympathizer Isabella Maria Boyd, is one of those people in American history who is as much myth as reality. Part of this is because she lived in an era that is still heavily imbued with a sense of nostalgia and myth, but her own personality is also heavily to blame, for she was what might in modern parlance be called a drama queen; since she was known for serial exaggerations in her work, historians are still trying to separate fact from fiction when it comes to her exploits. In the same vein, there was the matter of the people she surrounded herself with, many of whom needed a mythical figure to attach their last fading hopes for a Confederate victory to. They found such a person in Belle Boyd.

©2016 Charles River Editors (P)2016 Charles River Editors

It felt rushed

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The person reading this book should not be reading any books on audible. He read this book too fast where it was hard to understand him.

What could Charles River Editors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He should have done more research on her....this was more of a summary than a story on Belle Boyd's life. Completely disappointing.

What didn’t you like about Scott Clem’s performance?

ALL! He was reading to fast. You didn't have time to enjoy the book. It was rushed.

What else would you have wanted to know about Charles River Editors’s life?

N/A