Five stand-up theatre plays from the female counterpart to Quentin Crisp (Evening Standard)Who does Claire Dowie think she is? In Adult Child/Dead Child she invented an imaginary friend to be all the things she wasnt allowed to be... In Why is John Lennon Wearing A Skirt? She hated being a girl but whats the alternative? In Death and Dancing she was determined to be anything she wanted to be... In Drag Act Mother would have been proud. In Leaking From Every Orifice she was a lesbian; had a sexual relationship with a gay man and ended up pregnant...She makes you laugh as she kicks you in the teeth (Guardian)
#712386 in eBooks 2014-02-28 2014-01-30File Name: B00GY3MLZE
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. No; it wasnt a birth that Ruth Blay hid...it was a stillbirthBy Jane in MilwaukeeI write this somewhat negative review because Ruth Blay was not prosecuted for secretly having an illegitimate child; that implies that she gave birth to a live baby. No; she was found guilty and hanged because she secretly buried her dead child. It wasnt about the secrecy...the sole issue was infanticide: did she kill her own newborn or was it stillborn? All the other reviewers have bought into the lore spelled out in the back of the book; that her baby was dead on arrival; that a pardon was on the way and that the sheriff jumped the gun; so to speak; to hang her so he wouldnt miss his dinner. But the author states over and over that the only facts not in contention are Ruths name; age; occupation; family and town of residence. All other conclusions are only guesses and wishful thinking.Author Carolyn Marvin writes a book filled with unusually high detail for a case from 1768. But she buried the lead: too much of the beginning is completely bogged down with excruciating detail of the "Great Awakening" of religious fervor and the resulting puritanical and misogynistic laws. The end involves way too much time nitpicking over whether or not a scrap of a blue blanket belonged to Ruth.I am an attorney so I certainly have pity for a woman who would suffer the ultimate penalty for a crime in an unjust judicial system. I am also a feminist and decry a system imposing the ultimate double standard: a "lewd" woman could be executed for "fornication" which produced a "bastard" while her deceitful lover got away scot-free.But I am also a mother and the issue of infanticide is loathsome.Single pregnant women had few options: get married; miscarry; or move away to supportive relatives who would help her have her baby in secret and find a new home for it. (Im only using "it" because thats the word they used.) In any age; there is illicit sex and babies born out of wedlock. Even in colonial New Hampshire; it was NOT punishable by death to have such a child; secretly or not. Strangely enough; in 2015 America; it is illegal to secretly dispose a body and; especially; to kill your own newborn. In the 18th century; it happened just a little too often that a dead newborn was discovered only to have the mother claim it was stillborn.The only way around this horror was to have a witness to the stillbirth and to "have the benefit of linen"--clear efforts to prepare for bringing a baby into the world; usually making clothes ahead of time. Ruth claimed that she had two serious falls and the baby died in the womb: it was no longer "quick;" no longer kicking. Based on the authors research; its likely that if Ruth Blay truly believed her baby had died in utero (even if this were wishful thinking; God rest her soul); she would have sought help to go through childbirth; just out of fear for own life let alone creating a witness. Once the tiny body was discovered under the floorboards in a barn; it was quickly ascertained that Ruth was the mother. Six women stripped her down and examined her!! But with no witness that the baby was stillborn; it was her word alone and the word of such a woman wasnt enough. This all makes Ruth so very sympathetic. But no one will ever know for a fact that she did not kill her live baby.I dont assume that she did. But you cant assume that she didnt. This is the whole point of the book.The night before she was hanged; Ruth wrote an eloquent statement--which she demanded be publicized in all the newspapers--that raised frustrating issues: who was the father and why didnt she ever name him? Who were the two witnesses who supposedly perjured themselves to get her convicted? What were their lies? There was no trial record.The story grew immediately that Ruth was young and beautiful. But we know she wasnt young: at 31; shes well beyond marriageable age. Isnt it more likely that she was an unattractive old maid? (I hate that term; though.) So was this was a desperate attempt to "trap" a man into marriage? Well never know.The author has written a 4-star book in my opinion but this 3-star rating is to offset some of what I see as blind acceptance we have a female martyr here: the facts do not establish that she was young and pretty; that she was hounded by society for promiscuity; or that she did not commit the heinous crime she was accused of. Its easy to see that the author has great sympathy for Ruth Blay and her story troubles our hearts as well.But it is the authors own high standards as a reporter to require that there be clear evidence for every fact claimed...sadly; the proof of Ruths innocence falls short.I do get sad every time I see the cover of the book. Happily (?); thats not Ruth but a contemporary drawing of a different unfortunate victim.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. HAUNTED STILL; OVER THREE CENTURIES LATERBy Leigh PodgorskiIf there were ever a case to be made against capital punishment; one need only to look at Puritan New England. Beyond the hideous Salem witch trials; we find the heart-wrenching tale of Ruth Blay of Portsmouth; New Hampshire and her ungodly death by public hanging on the cold crisp morning of December 30th; 1768.Full disclosure here: I am the author of GALLOWS ASCENDING; the novel in which the story of Ruth Blay is interwoven with the contemporary fictional lives of the Shirley sisters Amalthea and Druscylla; Dr. Beth Rutledge; and the pyschic visionary tracker Luke Stone.I first came across Ruth Blays story over 25 years ago. I have been haunted by it ever since.When I came across Ms. Marvins book on a short awhile ago; I was ecstatic.Here; in one place was all the history; all the documents; I had had to track down separately over the course of many years.Ms. Marvins book is a marvel.Clear and crisply written it tells this tragic tale in minute detail with the use of reproduced original documents; photographs;including photographs of the dress she wore to her death; and the jail she sat in awaiting her end; and through vivid descriptions and accounts I had not found of not only that fateful day; but of Ms. Blays life as well as excerpts from her letters.Her book is; indeed; meticulously and compellingly wrought.For lovers of history and lovers of justices as well as anyone who simply loves a mesmerizing read; you will throuougly enjoy Carolyn Marvins HANGING RUTH BLAY -- if "enjoy" is the correct term.What happened to Ms. Blay is utterly frightful and heart-wrenching.As this month is Womens History Month-- this is a good tale to remember now; and is an excellent gift to buy for all the women in your life.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Well researchedBy CiceroInteresting to learn the details of tithe case. I had never heard a lot of what was in the book. As a local it was interesting.
