Ancestral Virgins
In early 20th century Britain,
society was changing rapidly, but not much was changing for women. From
different ends of the social spectrum, Celia Mapperley and May Hallam wrestle
with rules and circumstances beyond their control and must navigate love, sex,
war, and the thin line between conformity and scandal. As they each bear the
shame of a devastating family secret, their stories come together in ways that
neither could have imagined.
Review - This is a difficult book to review. It's not a book for the faint of heart. It is very well-written with characters who feel real...but I didn't enjoy it and felt like I needed a palate cleanse. The book pushes many boundaries as it addresses the social change underway in England during the early 1900s. The author challenges what we believe about sex today and what we believe sex was like in the past. My heart went out to the women even as one character became someone I absolutely loathed by the end. I think that was the point, but it was sad nonetheless. The book is scandalous - I had a similar feeling when a professor confronted us about whether pedophilia should be considered aberrant in a sexually open society - and I couldn't quite shake the ick. Literature doesn't have to be comfortable to be valuable. This one was uncomfortable and well-constructed so I won't say it wasn't valuable. I have thought about it a lot and will likely continue to think about it even if it makes me uncomfortable.
My warning for readers: I am not sure that I understood or agree with the theme of this story. It was odd to me to pair a story about disability acceptance with a story about incest. The book has a lot of sex - an unexpected and graphic LOT of sex. So reader beware.
Purchase Link
- https://books2read.com/rl/ancestralvirgins
Author Bio – Fiona
J. Mackintosh is a Scottish-American author living in Washington D.C.
whose fiction draws from both sides of the Atlantic. Her flash fiction
collection, The Yet Unknowing World (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021), was
a runner-up for the 2021 Saboteur Award for best short story collection, and
her debut novel Ancestral Virgins will be published on June 26, 2026.
Her flashes were selected for Best Small Fictions in 2023 and 2019, and her
short stories have been finalists in the Cairde Word, Colm Toíbín, Bristol,
Galley Beggar, Exeter, and Fish Short Story Prizes. She is a proud recipient of
an Individual Artist’s Award from the Maryland State Arts Council. www.fionajmackintosh.com
Social Media Links – https://linktr.ee/Fionajanemack
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