Good Reads reviews

Kimberly rated it  5 stars –  it was amazing

Excellent book on an incredible woman of strength and compassion. She was willing to go where few had gone before in order to love “the least of these”. There were chapters that were hard to read because of what she uncovered. But her life is an inspiration.

 Stephen Griffiths rated it 4 stars – really liked it

A powerfully written book about an extra-ordinary woman who fought all her life long for the rights of some of the most marginalised and abused women in society, not just in the UK but across the world. How can it be that Josephine Butler is not more widely known?! Highly recommended.

 Nicki rated it  4 stars – really liked it

I was encouraged to read this book by attended one of Helen Mathers lectures on Josephine Butler at the Sheffield writing event in November 2015. This is such a powerful book. We were only taught about Josephine Butler in passing at school with no mention of her policy campaigns, which is really not surprising since she helped the type of women that not many people really cared about in Victorian Britain. She was one of the first women to campaign against child abuse and helped bring the legal consent of sex to 16. She was also a supporter against sexual trafficking in Europe. Since she was not a very healthy woman her determination and successes were amazing. There was a lot of references to Sheffield, which I found interesting. The descriptions of the treatment of prostitutes at the Lock Hospitals was quite horrifying and sickening. I’m glad I read the book. It has taught me a lot about Victorian Britain and how life was like for a lot of poor women.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21944808-patron-saint-of-prostitutes

AMAZON REVIEWS

TRACEY FISHER  5.0 out of 5 stars 

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2015 Verified Purchase

Fantastic read. Opens your eyes to the pain and misery suffered by young children and women in poverty. And the hard work and dedication of a few saints who improved the prospects and changed the world for the better.

Sheffield gal  5.0 out of 5 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2014 Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating book that captures life in Victorian times, and is a remarkable testimony to Josephine Butler’s bravery. The writing is academically rigorous, comprehensively referenced from letters and other material from the time, but is very readable. The story races along, and the sympathetic, but not hagiographic, account of Butler’s early life and losses put into context her later actions. Feminism and the Victorian era are not common bedfellows, but this book enhances understanding of both in a well-balanced historical account. Josephine Butler will gain greater recognition through this book, and I hope it is widely read.