Ami McKay

In 19th century New York, a destitute women sends her 12-year-old daughter, Moth, to become a live-in servant of a wealthy woman. To escape her employer's cruelty, Moth flees to the streets and finds herself in the Bowery, a place filled with thieves, beggars and pickpockets. Her only escape from this desperate situation may be to find shelter in a nearby brothel.

The Virgin Cure

Her hair being cut violently - such a small detail that gains great meaning.

Maelie Dolbec

I nodded to him but didn’t speak. Unsteady without the rudder of my braid nagging at my neck, I felt there was nothing left for my head to do except wobble. I had no weight for it to carry, no purpose or pride.

Janet Doré

I don't think any book, including Ami McKay's own second one, will ever compare to The Birth House for me. We bonded. At least I realized this even before staring The Virgin Cure. I liked this book...it was an entertaining read. I wasn't blown away, nor was I disappointed. The ending didn't bowl me over...it fell a bit short and was a tad rushed. Glad I read it.

Ember Skies

Emily Burns

Fran Lewis

Kayla Walters

Alexis Paige

Maureen Carter

Dakota Balsor

Alison McAfee

Erin Wales

Judy McClure

'I am Moth, a girl from the lowest part of Chrystie Street, born to a slum-house mystic and the man who broke her heart.' So begins THE VIRGIN CURE, a novel set in the tenements of lower Manhattan in 1871. As a young child, Moth's father smiled, tipped his hat and walked away from her for ever. The summer she turned twelve, her mother sold her as a servant to a wealthy woman, with no intention of ever seeing her again. These betrayals lead Moth to the wild, murky world of the Bowery, filled with house-thieves, pickpockets, beggars, sideshow freaks and prostitutes, where eventually she meets Miss Everett, the owner of a brothel simply known as 'The Infant School'. Miss Everett caters to gentlemen who pay dearly for companions, and the most desirable of them all are young virgins like Moth. Through the friendship of Dr Sadie, a female physician, Moth learns to question and observe the world around her, where her new friends are falling prey to the myth of the 'virgin cure' - that deflowering a maid can heal the incurable and tainted. She knows the law will not protect her, that polite society ignores her, and still she dreams of answering to no one but herself. There's a high price for such independence, though, and no one knows that better than a girl from Chrystie Street...

Katlyn Edwards

Heather Ellis

In 1871, a young girl sold into servitude by her mother struggles to survive in the Bowery until she finds a friend in Dr. Sadie, a female physician who vows to teach and protect her from falling prey to the myth of the "virgin cure."

The Virgin Cure

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