• The Lives of Diamond Bessie

  • A Novel
  • By: Jody Hadlock
  • Narrated by: Anthea Greco
  • Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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The Lives of Diamond Bessie  By  cover art

The Lives of Diamond Bessie

By: Jody Hadlock
Narrated by: Anthea Greco
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Publisher's summary

The Lovely Bones meets the wild, Wild West in this haunting tale inspired by a true story.

Pregnant out of wedlock, 16-year-old Annie Moore is sent to live at a convent for fallen women. When the nuns take her baby, Annie escapes, determined to find a way to be reunited with her daughter. But few rights or opportunities are available to a woman in the 1860s, and after failing to find a respectable job, she resorts to prostitution in order to survive.

As a highly sought-after demi-mondaine, Annie—now Bessie—garners many expensive gifts from her admirers and eventually meets and marries the son of a wealthy jeweler, a traveling salesman with a gambling problem. With her marriage, she believes her dream of returning to proper society has finally come true. She’s proven wrong when she suffers the ultimate betrayal at the hands of the man she thought would be her salvation. But Bessie doesn’t let her story end there.

Set against the backdrop of the burgeoning women’s rights movement, The Lives of Diamond Bessie is a captivating tale of betrayal and redemption that explores whether seeking revenge is worth the price you might pay.

©2022 Jody Hadlock (P)2022 Jody Hadlock

Critic reviews

“This affecting tale of a 19th-century American woman struggling to prove her worth other than as a marriage prospect leaves a lasting impression.” (Publishers Weekly)

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Enjoyable read

Enjoyed the story of Bessie. I live just outside of Jefferson and the story and history of this area is the book are quite believable. Thank you for all the research and time you put in to make such a entertaining novel.

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