The Sisters of Book Row, Shelley Noble (Review by Stacey Lorenson)

Rating: 3.0/5 Stars

The Sisters of Book Row is historical fiction inspired by actual people and events featuring courageous booksellers fighting censorship and oppression. This story, told in two converging story lines, captures a fierce love for the written word and boots on the ground display of civil disobedience and resilience.

Anthony Comstock was commissioned as special agent for the New York US Post Office to prevent pornography from being sent through the mail. He became a zealot, appointing himself the “Christian morality man”, dedicated to censoring “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. In 1915, he created the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice to enforce his anti-obscenity campaign by dispatching agents to raid bookstores and apprehend civilians accused of violating his laws.

At the same time, Margaret Stanger was an advocate at the forefront of protecting women’s right to healthcare and fought to distribute family planning information. Stanger insisted women and girls should have autonomy over their lives, making her one of Comstock’s main targets.

The Applebaum sister’s storyline links these two characters into a cohesive plot. The three sisters do their part to keep the family bookstore open after inheriting the Arcadia Rare Bookshop from their father, three years after their mother died during childbirth. Olivia, the oldest, is an expert in restoring rare manuscripts. She is hiding a secret from her sisters that will affect all their futures. Daphne, the outgoing middle sister, wants to have a family, but working in a bookstore limits her prospects, sending her into constant melancholy. Ceclia, the youngest, is secretly aiding the cause to educate women about contraception while obsessing over her sisters finding out. Two of the sisters cross the line of the Comstock morality codes, placing their business and personal lives in jeopardy. Will their secret lives advance their mission to defy the laws, or will the sin of omission irrevocably unravel their lives?

Shelley Noble has created a fascinating, meticulously researched story that introduces readers to larger-than-life figures that played key roles in shaping American history.