Rating: 
Summary: Not the Fastest Read but...
Review: a painstaking exploration of a fascinating aspect of American history. I was particularly interested in learning more about the role of spiritualism in the suffrage movement, the conflicts between those who were in support of free love and those who were not and the intersection of the struggle "universal manhood suffrage" for African Americans and the struggle for women's rights.The scandalous life of Victoria Woodhull and her extended family certainly enticed this reader, but the book did lose momentum at times. It might have benefitted from a more ruthless editor; as some accounts (such as Henry Ward Beecher's secret love affair) were belabored. This book is not for anyone to pick up and read, I think one needs to have some initial interest in the topic so that they have the stamina to read and process the whole book.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautifully written, exceptional work of history
Review: Barbara Goldsmith has produced a book of exceptional quality. In 500 pages, she captures the bombastic personalities and politics of the 19th-century women's rights movement. Victoria Woodhull stands at the center, a fascinating (and troubling) figure who is well worth some historical attention. This is a great book. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo Ms. Goldsmith!
Review: Bravo and hats off to Ms. Goldsmith for her exhaustive research into 19th century America from a woman's perspective. She brilliantly weaves the sordid web of characters around perhaps the most controversial, Victoria Woodhull. The most disturbing aspect of this work is that it recounts real events and paints a tragic picture of women as nothing more than mere property of men. Though women were the oppressed sex, Goldsmith reveals that in the arenas of politics, blackmail, controversy, and love men and women were every bit equals. The 19th century of Woodhull, Stanton, Anthony, Beecher, and Tilton (to name just a few) was as scandalous, political, and money-driven as this century where names like Lewinsky, Jones, Tripp, Clinton, and Starr dominate the headlines. A riveting ride through a very scandalous, salacious period in our history, this book should be required reading for any 19th century American history class.
Rating:
Summary: A page-turner, the best history I've ever read
Review: Especially suitable for those *not* already fascinated by this period of history or these characters, and a must for those who are. Having majored in women's studies, I've read a lot about this period, including 2 other biographies of Woodhull, and most such books are only for those intent on researching Woodhull, suffragist history, etc. Other Powers is far more readably and dramatically presented. It also brings together the histories of the women's movement, spiritualism, anti-slavery politics, and a host of prominent characters to paint a picture of the time, events, and people far more illuminating than any other book I've read. Goldsmith's painstaking creation of a 400 page chronology (which of course is not in the book) paid off exactly as she'd planned: "People who seemed in the books I'd read to dwell in separate worlds could now be seen as parts of a larger drama". People would not think of history as dull if all histories were written this well.
Rating: 
Summary: A Treasure Chest of Fascinating, Little-Known History
Review: Goldsmith has done a real service with this book. It is more or less the history of the 19th-century women's suffrage movement, with special emphasis on the influence of Spiritualism and on the life of Victoria Woodhull (of whom I had never before heard, even though I regard myself as fairly well-versed in American history). The book is full of fascinating characters and events, most of which are given unconscionably short shrift in our educational system. Goldsmith fleshes out the stories and personalities of many people who were previously just vague images in my mind, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Henry Ward Beecher. It seems from this book that female suffrage could have occurred as much as 50 years earlier than it did, if it hadn't been for a couple of missteps on the part of the supporters of suffrage. For one thing, there was a bitter division among the suffragettes about whether the female right to vote should be part of the movement for enfranchising the recently freed slaves. Sadly, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, despite her many wonderful and even heroic contributions to the movement, comes across as an out-and-out racist on this issue, and probably damaged the very cause to which she devoted her life. Secondly, some of the foremost spokespeople for female suffrage got caught up in unrelated, controversial issues, and even in personal sexual scandals. If you have an interest in American history, you may very well have the same reaction I did while reading this book. Almost every other page, I found myself exclaiming, "Hey, I didn't know that! How come that's not in any of the history books?" The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that I think the organization and focus could be a little better. The book isn't organized strictly chronologically, and it jumps from one character to another without apparent reason. But there's just too much really good stuff here to give anything less than four stars, and I have no quarrel with those who have given it five. You won't often pick up a book written for a general audience and learn so many interesting facts that you probably didn't know.
Rating:
Summary: A Treasure Chest of Fascinating, Little-Known History
Review: Goldsmith has done a real service with this book. It is more or less the history of the 19th-century women's suffrage movement, with special emphasis on the influence of Spiritualism and on the life of Victoria Woodhull (of whom I had never before heard, even though I regard myself as fairly well-versed in American history). The book is full of fascinating characters and events, most of which are given unconscionably short shrift in our educational system. Goldsmith fleshes out the stories and personalities of many people who were previously just vague images in my mind, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Henry Ward Beecher. It seems from this book that female suffrage could have occurred as much as 50 years earlier than it did, if it hadn't been for a couple of missteps on the part of the supporters of suffrage. For one thing, there was a bitter division among the suffragettes about whether the female right to vote should be part of the movement for enfranchising the recently freed slaves. Sadly, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, despite her many wonderful and even heroic contributions to the movement, comes across as an out-and-out racist on this issue, and probably damaged the very cause to which she devoted her life. Secondly, some of the foremost spokespeople for female suffrage got caught up in unrelated, controversial issues, and even in personal sexual scandals. If you have an interest in American history, you may very well have the same reaction I did while reading this book. Almost every other page, I found myself exclaiming, "Hey, I didn't know that! How come that's not in any of the history books?" The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that I think the organization and focus could be a little better. The book isn't organized strictly chronologically, and it jumps from one character to another without apparent reason. But there's just too much really good stuff here to give anything less than four stars, and I have no quarrel with those who have given it five. You won't often pick up a book written for a general audience and learn so many interesting facts that you probably didn't know.
Rating:
Summary: Exhausting, amazing, eye-opening!
Review: Goldsmith presents an exhaustingly thorough review of a portion of recent American history that rarely makes it into our history classes. The feminism, social and familial experimentation, religious revival, and other dimensions of this era are the foundations of our present-day experience, and we need to know about it. The book is extremely detailed and sometimes it is a little hard to keep in mind all the characters (and I MEAN "characters!") who stroll in and out of the various chapters. But no fiction-writer could possibly dream up such a real-life soap opera that has defined our contemporary lives, and Goldsmith makes this incredibly real circus accessible to us.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting.
Review: I am only 20% through, but I find it hard to put down. The central characters are utterly fascinating. The utterly depressing life of many of the women breaks ones heart. I am delighted that women's lives, generally, are so much better. Yet, as O.J. proves, rich men can get away with murdering a woman. Read it and realize that we can change the world for the better by refusing to stay in our place. (written by a male)
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book, a real looking glass into the past
Review: I picked this book after an hour of looking online at different books. I needed a book for a class book report. WOW did I pick a winner. The authors decade of research definitely proves worthy. I felt at times I was walking with Victoria Woodhull. This book really gets into your head. The way the author ties everyones lives together with effortless fluidity will take your breath away. All the characters cover the entire spectrum of the human spirit in a way that will make you want to read this book over and over until you have every morsel memorized.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Ostensibly a biography of Victoria Woodhull, a rather dubious figure on the fringe of the American woman suffrage movement, Goldsmith's book is so much more. With a unique and lively style, the author tells the generally unknown history of the Spiritualist phenomenon's role in the early U.S. women's movement. Goldsmith discloses how the mid-19th century rise of Spiritualism impacted not just Woodhull but also better-known figures like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As a side story, she also shows how Stanton's racism negatively impacted the drive for votes for women, and probably delayed suffrage by at least fifty years. It's also the story of a compelling woman in Woodhull, who used charm, beauty, and "street smarts" to rise from poverty to prominence and wealth. She may have been a charlatan, but she had a greater impact on the lives of American women than previously revealed.
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