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Rating:  - Great Read -Women Lives in Post-Civil War Times
I really enjoyed reading Sex Wars. Many of the characters were real people (especially women) fighting to live out their goals and dreams in the 1870's and 1880's. When I finished the book I had to immediately look up the real life stories of Victoria Woodhull (notorious free love speaker, stockbroker and medium), Anthony Comstock (fighter of profanity who goes too far), Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Vanderbilt. The fictional character of Freydah was great too. She really made me imagine what it would be like to be an immigrant back in the late 1800's -as a woman who lost her spouse, as a non native speaker, without spousal support, without money, and without laws protecting her from harm and unfairness, and as someone who had to work tirelessly just to make it and fight against prejudice and the social grain. -How different life was for the single woman and the married woman. This book truly highlights this.
I liked the structure of the book and found it suspenseful. Each chapter was from a different character's point of view and would then rotate back to each character again chapter by chapter. This book helped me to see a glimpse of what America was like during this time period. It helps one see how the events and attitudes of the past frame and contribute to the politics and attitudes that we have today -especially concerning women. It is so interesting to think about the people who come before us. The only things I found not so great: I felt Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who are incredible women to me could have been written about a little more interestingly.
Rating:  - was ok
not what i expected as far as the story goes, but in excellent condition
Rating: - Portrays the zest of a time of great change!
Piercy paints a portrait of women who were intelligent and gutsy in a time that did not reward those qualities in women. Of course we don't hear much about them now because history under-reports the feats of women. The fact that these women thought for themselves and led innovative lives was amazing considering the oppression that was the norm.
Some of the characters in this story were historic figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Comstock. Others were lesser known figures such as the psychic turned candidate for president Victoria Woodhull. I have to admit I was more interested in Woodhull and some of the fictional characters. It really didn't work to have the fictional and non-fictional characters together. I also didn't like the numerous head changes--I wanted to stick with the one story and see what happened. With so much shifting from on story to another I did not attach to or get to know any of the characters.
A really interesting book despite some flaws and well worth a read. It portrays the zest of a time of great change in American history.
Rating:  - An Enjoyable Piece of Brain Candy
I have to disagree with the other reviewers who felt that the narrative style of this novel ruined it for them. While it will never be included in the annals of "fine literature", this book remains an enjoyable read which I would have no hesitation in recommending to others.
Rating:  - four stars for subject matter, zero style points
The author took a fascinating subject and ruined my reading experience by writing at a level of English compositional skill that I would be more likely to attribute to Freydeh, her fictional Jewish immigrant character who came to New York illiterate in English and apparently learned only the minimum she needed to survive in the years that followed.
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