The Readers' Advisory Matrix for Scandalous Women

The Readers’ Advisory Matrix for Scandalous Women: The Lives and Loves by History’s Most Notorious Women by Elizabeth Kerri Mahon.

·      Narrative Continuum – How much does this book read like a novel? There isn’t much of a traditional narrative with dialogue, but it is descriptive and that helped the book read faster as a page turning work. I’ve only read one chapter so far, but I intend on reading more of Scandalous Women because of the interactive manner that it presented information about a variety of different historical women.

·      Subject—This falls under historical nonfiction so I would recommend it to patrons who may be looking to read more about famous women of the past, in the Eastern and Western worlds. There is also a fair amount of humor and description so I would also make sure to ask these kinds of probing questions for style and appeal factors.

·      Type—It is historical nonfiction that reads almost as a blog because it provides a shorter, concise, but still narrative, insight into a variety of famous women from the past. It is interactive with questions posed for the reader that they could engage with, and even further research in their free time.

·      Appeal—The format of Scandalous Women is broken into different sections in one chapter because of the different types of famous women that are addressed: Warrior Queens, Wayward Wives, Scintillating Seductresses, Crusading Ladies, Wild Women of the West, Amorous Artists, and Amazing Adventuresses. The font is easy to read, and Scandalous Women is a shorter work that a patron would be able to curl up with on a lazy, Sunday afternoon.  Scandalous Women also provides a Selective Bibliography, as well further reading and movies, that a patron would be able to research and read in their free time, as well as lending to the credibility of Elizabeth Mahon.

·      Pacing—The pacing is influenced by the description of the facts and the narrative that is weaved through the different people that are introduced. The humor and interactive language would be entertaining for patrons that are looking for a nonfiction work about famous women that shaped culture and society.

·      Characterization—The characterization of these women is appropriate because it weaves in the influences of the society in which all of them were raised. Scandalous Women provides a realistic interpretation of their role in society, and how the handled the struggles and hardships in their lives. The book also adds a fair amount of insight into the lives of their families and personal lives to make them seem more relatable, as opposed to being separate from the reader.

·      Storyline—Scandalous Women is meant to educate the reader on a variety of famous women of the past, and it does so in a descriptive manner that makes the book a page turner. The facts that are provided are weaved into a descriptive narrative that serves as entertaining for the reader. I read the first chapter in the span of twenty minutes, and I enjoyed the story as I learned more about historical figures, like Joan of Arc and Cleopatra.

·      Detail—There aren’t any maps of geographic locations, but there are illustrations and pictures with the more modern famous women. The written detail about these women are more than sufficient, and it makes for an engaging, factual narrative that educates the reader about the daily lives and struggles of these women.

·      Learning/experiencing—Scandalous Women does not provide many teachable moments, but it does share the experiences of the famous women, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Grace O’Malley, that it informs the reader about. It explores the life and daily living of each of these women, as well, so the reader can feel as though they are experiencing these life moments.

·      Language—The language is more lyrical and descriptive for the reader so that they will be able to enjoy the facts that are presented. The language is also easy to understand and the vocabulary used is appropriate for those read Scandalous Women. It adds to the appeal of it being a factual, but engaging page turner for patrons looking for a book about historical women.

·      Setting—The different settings serve as a helpful backdrop to the lives of these historical women because geography plays a part in their daily lives. It provides a world that the reader could participate in because of the way it describes the society that was established in the different geographic locations.

·      Tone—The tone is a lighter, and more informative because of the variety of scandalous women that is informs the reader on. There is some humor to this nonfiction work, and it is also interactive to make it an engaging page turner for the patron that may check it out.