Charity and Sylvia

By: Rachel Hope Cleves

Narrated by: Kristin Kalbli

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Conventional wisdom holds that same-sex marriage is a purely modern innovation, a concept born of an overtly modern lifestyle that was unheard of in 19th-century America. But as Rachel Hope Cleves demonstrates in this eye-opening book, same-sex marriage is hardly new. Born in 1777, Charity Bryant was raised in Massachusetts. A brilliant and strong-willed woman with a clear attraction for her own sex, Charity found herself banished from her family home at age 20. She spent the next decade of her life traveling throughout Massachusetts, working as a teacher, making intimate female friends, and becoming the subject of gossip wherever she lived.

At age 29, still defiantly single, Charity visited friends in Weybridge, Vermont. There she met a pious and studious young woman named Sylvia Drake. The two soon became so inseparable that Charity decided to rent rooms in Weybridge. In 1809, they moved into their own home together, and over the years, came to be recognized, essentially, as a married couple. Revered by their community, Charity and Sylvia operated a tailor shop employing many local women, served as guiding lights within their church, and participated in raising their many nieces and nephews. Charity and Sylvia is the intimate history of their extraordinary 40-four year union. Drawing on an array of original documents including diaries, letters, and poetry, Cleves traces their lives in sharp detail. Providing an illuminating glimpse into a relationship that turns conventional notions of same-sex marriage on their head, and reveals early America to be a place both more diverse and more accommodating than modern society might imagine, Charity and Sylvia is a significant contribution to our limited knowledge of LGBT history in early America.

©2014 Oxford University Press (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Well researched

Great historical account of relationships. Amazingly courageous women who lived their lives together in their own truth.

Cleves digs deep and turns up treasure

If you liked Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's "A Midwife's Tale" you'll appreciate this demonstration of the historian's art as well. The author has reconstructed the lives of two New England women who were a devoted couple for over 40 years in the early 19th century. Charity and Sylvia somehow managed to navigate the shoal waters of disapproval that threatened women of their time who lived outside of social conventions. They were valued members of their families and community, and even their congregationalist church. The choices they made (and the choices made by those around them) that made them respected (even revered), rather than ostracized are fascinating, and Rachel Hope Cleves brings a tremendous amount of detail to the story.

This is a well-written deep dive into not-so-ordinary people's lives.

Thorough and Important LGBT Historical Nonfiction

This is a really well done work of historical nonfiction. Rachel Hope Cleves tells the story of two women, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, who fell in love and formed a lifelong partnership that wasn't just tolerated but respected by their community. Cleves' research is detailed and fascinating; the attention she gives to the facts of these womens' lives was really appreciated. It was so interesting to learn about the land ownership laws, etc. that often prevented women from leading lives outside of heteronormative marriage; it was cool to find out how these independent women worked within the system to make their lifestyle legitimate in their society.

Set in the late 18th to the first half of the 19th Century America, I loved all the poetry references and the epistolary quotes. When it was still taboo, sinful, and dangerous for same-sex couples to send explicit love letters to one another, these women would partially quote poems that both women knew in order to communicate what they really wanted to say to each other. It was quite romantic and heartwarming. I loved that they became core church school teachers and essential tailors/seamstresses for their neighborhood. The simple ways in which Charity and Sylvia made a life together on a daily basis was the most moving.

Because this is so detailed in its research, though I liked it, I recognize it won't be consumable by everyone. I would recommend this to those seeking for more LGBTQ+ representation in history and literature, fans of 18th-19th Century American life, epistolary novels, and poetry from this time period. We tend to assume that societally recognized same-sex marriage is a modern invention, but this book is an important step in explaining that same-sex marriages are more prevalent in history than what is currently taught. Thank you, Cleves, for sharing Charity and Sylvia's story.

Great history of lesbian relationship

I found this book affirming along with most interesting As a lesbian, the husband, as it were.....I was affirmed of my knowledge , that gender is with us from before birth. Great story of brave people. Both of them plus their family and neighbors

Amazing and important!

Important, informative and a must-read! Lesbian and women's studies. Great research and writing. Great presentation.

So, so, so repetitive

This book could have been so much better. It was interesting to listen to the lives of Charity and Sylvia. The major issue with this book is how repetitive it is. I thought to myself several times throughout, "you said that already".

2.75 Stars. Okay I Guess But . . .

This book was somewhat interesting historically, but suffered greatly from being overly-winded and full of endless details that were very boring. With proper editing, the story should've taken only an hour or two at most.

Too much redundancy.

I lost interest at about 70% through. There was too much repetition. Because the nature of the subject was forbidden love, the historical record is incomplete. Many letters were burned. What remains is heavily coded. There is interesting information about same sex partnerships in the late 1700s and early 1800s, but we cannot get into the heads of Sylvia and Charity. We can only speculate.

Could have been half the length

This was an interesting story, but the author circled back to the same details so many times, and spent so much time defending the assumption that Charity and Sylvia were sexually intimate, that it became truly laborious to finish the book.

lesbian history!

Very important history lesson. Enjoyed listening.
Always knew there was this history. Very glad someone did the research and put pen to paper.