Miller follows the twists and turns of the case, giving a blow-by-blow account of the trial that initially has the pace of a TV procedural before crawling through a thicket of detail. Mostly, though, her book is a lucid guide to a story that became far more consequential than the titillation supplied by its salacious bits ... What Miller depicts so well are the larger cultural changes that bore down on the case, even if whatever emancipation was set in motion remains unfinished still.
Miller’s compelling account is both shockingly relevant and a grim reminder that, when it comes to double standards, we haven’t advanced all that far since the Victorian era ... Miller documents the trial vividly, pulling details from stories that dominated nearly every newspaper in the country for weeks ... It’s an empowering tale, and Miller makes a convincing case that Pollard’s cultural contribution was significant and lasting, helping pave the way toward gender equality. Obviously it didn’t get us all the way there. But reading her story now could bring us closer.
... tantalizing and beautifully researched ... Miller spends a significant amount of time providing historical and societal context, relaying fascinating anecdotes that illuminate the evolution of the sexual double standard and the difficulty of Pollard’s endeavor ... A diverse and intriguing cast of characters rounds out Pollard’s saga, and Miller does an admirable job bringing them to vivid life ... Miller deftly sorts through [the he-said-she-said allegations], but one wishes she had re-created the more cinematic events as they happened, giving the narrative a Rashomon-like quality that highlighted the drama while examining the often subjective nature of truth.
What better time for a story about a prominent man taken totally aback when he discovers that the rules about what he can get away with have changed ... Quotes...which Miller dug up during her extensive research, make for captivating drama ... [this] saga vanished from the national memory. Congratulations to Patricia Miller for bringing it back.
In bygone eras, a powerless American woman wronged by a powerful man had little prospect of redress. A thin hope, established by a case in Massachusetts in 1818, allowed a jilted woman to sue for breach of promise. That precedent sets the stage for Bringing Down the Colonel, in which Patricia Miller chronicles an explosive but largely forgotten episode in the annals of sexual politics ... Ms Miller shows how the scandal laid open previously taboo topics—adultery, illicit pregnancies, abortion and sexual hypocrisy. Even if the trial that is the book’s centrepiece lags, her wide historical lens makes it a valuable, timely addition to discussions of gender and power, not to mention an eerie echo of recent news.
[Miller's] book is a deeply researched account of the affair and its aftermath, along with an examination of the changing sexual mores of the late 19th century ... In today’s #MeToo world, Bringing Down the Colonel reverberates in unexpected ways.
Miller reaches back into the past to resurrect one woman’s compelling odyssey from victim to victor ... A fascinating examination of a historical #MeToo episode.
As engaging as Miller’s central story are the minor characters ... [a] panoramic examination of women’s changing roles and of women’s efforts to provide for themselves and make their way in the largely male public sphere ... Good, timely history for the #MeToo moment.
Expertly revealing ... Miller seamlessly weaves in the stories of other unmarried women connected to the case, illuminating how and why, by the 1890s, attitudes about women and sexuality were changing enough to give Pollard a chance at victory. The story’s momentum slows when Miller recounts the trial, though she pops in enough courtroom surprises and insightful analyses to keep it from collapsing. This book will enthrall readers interested in women’s and political history.
