I thought this was a well-written biography which was able to follow a complex and rich history of an individual with great detail. I loved that there was no attempt to cast her as a perfect hero or villain and addressed how she made progressive and kind choices while at times being calculating and even cruel (by todays standards). Madame Restell was able to do what few women ever could during the time she was alive and by far managed to do it better than almost every other person that attempted something similar. While it was clearly an economic choice, her commitment to these services had a specific impact on many people’s abilities to safely continue their lives.