A Tyranny of Petticoats Book Review

Category: Apple Blossom-a story that seduces you

Genre: Anthology, Fiction

I picked up this wonderful book on one of my bookstore adventures where I visited several bookstores in one day and determined to buy books from all of them. It was tossed onto my pile of 16 books without hesitation; the title was great, it was an anthology written by women about badass women, and I was in the mood to spend some money on books. To tell you the truth, we had been book shopping for seven hours, I had already spent $250, and I did not have the energy to even think it through. I’m glad I didn’t.

Each of the writers in this anthology could certainly stand alone. I kept this anthology alive for months, reading just one chapter before bed, which shows incredible restraint for me. But I didn’t want to rush it. I let the voice of each chapter simmer in the back of my mind as I fell asleep and into the next day.

I enjoyed that the stories were placed in chronological order, beginning in 1710 and ending in 1968. I enjoyed reading through each author’s note at the end of the chapter, hearing about why she chose that time period and those characters. I enjoyed the diversity of voices, settings, and lore. Many of the stories have stayed with me, but my favorite was “Los Destinos” by Leslye Walton. Her characters were the guiding hands of fate and death disguised as three sisters in a town in El Paso, Texas. I was instantly woven into her story of immortals living among humans, playing the part of Maria Elena, Rosa, and Valeria, weaving, selecting, and cutting the threads that bind us to our mortal life. Walton catches you in that deliriously lovely space between waking and dreaming, where you’re not really sure which part is myth and which part is real, but you’re happy to go on pretending it can be both.

Pick up this book at Crawford’s Books and find your favorite story. Use it to inspire your art. Ask your friend if you can borrow them like a library book and have them tell you their story. See what it would be like to write the story from the point of view of the “other.” And watch your writing grow.