The Gibson Girl Review
Welcome to The Gibson Girl Review, a unique podcast that celebrates the surprisingly relevant world of Gilded Age and Progressive Era literature. Combining our passions for history and old books, we explore life and love at the turn of the 20th century through its contemporary fiction—books that today are often valued only for their gorgeous covers. But what entertaining surprises and historical secrets lie within? Join us as we rescue these antique novels from the doom of mere décor and uncover all that they still have to teach us about the world and ourselves in it—both then and now.
Episodes
As part of the Gibson Girl Review Reading Challenge theme for the month, to read a "Coming of Age Story," we once again return to the podcast archives to revisit one of the most famous coming-of-age stories of all time. In this conclusion of our review of Kate Douglas Wiggin's 1903 classic, REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM, our hosts finally address the issues of plagiarism surrounding this story and its surprising similari...
Are you following along with the Gibson Girl Review Reading Challenge? For this month's theme, "A Coming of Age Story," we're diving into the podcast archives to take another look at one of the most famous coming-of-age stories of all time, REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM. This 1903 classic by Kate Douglas Wiggin is perfectly charming in its own right, but today it is perhaps best known for its controversial similariti...
For the first time on this podcast, we are talking about a book that was written in direct response to a book we previously reviewed! Whether or not you're a fans of Henry James' 1878 short story "Daisy Miller," you'll want to tune in to Amy and Jacinta's review of A FAIR BARBARIAN, written in 1880 by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a direct response to Daisy. Plus this month's book has connections to anoth...
If you love THE SECRET GARDEN and A LITTLE PRINCESS... then this month's all new rediscovery may come as a pleasant surprise! Amy and Jacinta take a first look at A FAIR BARBARIAN by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published serially in 1880. But will this obscure piece of historic fiction live up to this famous author's reputation? Tune in for a quick introduction and sample reading from this Gilded Age story, then click th...
After introducing all of you to THE INCUBATOR BABY in our last episode, Amy and Jacinta return to share their thoughts on this little story first published in 1906!
*To avoid any possible spoilers in this episode, please CLICK HERE to download a free copy of this public domain book, so you can read it before you listen!*
Amy and Jacinta return to the dusty, forgotten bookshelves to bring you our 50th episode! It's a whole new format this season, with multiple short episodes per book, allowing all of you to read along with us BEFORE you hear what we think of each book! And with Jacinta's very special announcement, it is an absolute no-brainer why we're kicking off Season Five with Ellis Parker Butler's 1906 novel, THE INCUBATOR BABY....
Merry Christmas, old book lovers! Season Four of The Gibson Girl Review comes to a close with this charming holiday novel, THIS WAY TO CHRISTMAS by Ruth Sawyer (1916), which brings a surprising amount of international zest to the festive season. Plus Amy and Jacinta have a big announcement about an exciting new venture for the podcast, and the season-long history segment celebrating the Golden Age of Illustration concludes with a l...
Did you know that John Phillip Sousa, the legendary composer and band leader, wrote novels? Neither did we! Which is exactly why Amy and guest reviewer Monique Hurtado just had to read his 1902 debut story, THE FIFTH STRING. It's a Faustian allegory that definitely left us thinking about our upcoming New Year's resolutions. Tune in and tell us what you think!
CLICK HERE for complete show notes, including a link to download this ep...
Boy, do we know the feeling of THIS episode title after the past few weeks! Technical glitches and daily-life dramas have tied us up the past few weeks, but now we're back... and Amy and Jacinta firmly believe this book is worth the wait! They uncover and unpack Mary Roberts Rinehart's 1915 emotional ensemble drama, "K"—primarily because who can resist a book title that's only one letter?? Plus the all-new history segment profiles ...
It's a Gibson Girl first—TWO guest reviewers! Gwendolyn Gage makes her third appearance on the podcast (is it time to start calling her a co-host?), along with longtime show fan Anne Skelly, a docent at the Frederic Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg, NY. They join Amy in the studio for a deep dive into the first novel written by the legendary Western artist Frederic Remington, JOHN ERMINE OF THE YELLOWSTONE (1902). Plus Anne, with...
Hear ye, hear ye! An olde friend of the show has returned! Amy is joined in the studio by the original co-host of The Gibson Girl Review, Katja Labonté, for our first-ever medieval story! But what will the medieval history major and the medieval fiction aficionado make of Howard Pyle's 1891 armor-rattler, MEN OF IRON? Tune in to find out! Plus Amy explores Howard Pyle's legacy as an artist in the next installment of our Gol...
All the podcast rules are out the window this week, as Amy and Amanda dive deep into THE NOTTING HILL MYSTERY, an 1862 novel that claims to be "the first detective novel." But wait—didn't they already review "the first detective novel" in an earlier season? It's an unvarnished, no-holds-barred episode unlike any we've ever done before! Plus the girls celebrate Charles Dana Gibson's birthday week...
We're back!! After a summer break full of many ups and downs, Amy and Jacinta return to the studio with more than just a new old book review... it's a new theme for the entire season! We are celebrating the Golden Age of Illustration with each episode of Season Four, and we kick things off with a rollicking romance story illustrated by the one artist whose work is most often mislabeled as "Gibson Girls," Harrison ...
It's the Season Three finale of The Gibson Girl Review, and we are bringing it home with jangling spurs and a rollicking BANG! Amy, Jacinta, and Amanda all gather in the studio to discuss the Godfather of the American Western genre, Owen Wister's 1902 classic, The Virginian. Filled with humor, pathos, and some immortal characters, this meandering tale may very well change the way you think about Westerns forever!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the very first author to appear a second time on our podcast, Richard Harding Davis! Today's all-new episode explores Davis' 1895 royal romance, THE PRINCESS ALINE—approved by none other than Queen Victoria herself! And we already know that Amy is a fan... but what does Jacinta think of her very first Dick Davis novel? Tune in to find out!
CLICK HERE for complete show notes, including companion episod...
She's back!! Katja Labonté, the original co-host of The Gibson Girl Review, returns as a guest reviewer for this all-new episode, as she and Amy crack open the cover on Henry James' scandalous 1878 novella, Daisy Miller. But is this story as shocking for us today as it supposedly was during the Gilded Age? And how does this story relate to Amy and Katja's very first episode of the podcast?
And speaking of scandals,...
It's here at last—the book YOU wanted us to review! In honor of baseball's Opening Day, Amy and Jacinta step up to the plate with the winner of last season's First 5 Pages Challenge, ICE-CREAM ALLEY by Henry Albert Collins (1918), and explore all the ways this audience-selected book surprised and disappointed them. Plus Amy introduces us to the most famous Gibson Girl of the 1890s, Minnie Clark!
What would you do with your life if, for the first time in history, you had a choice? That's the big question that Amy and guest reviewer Lisa Ard tackle in today's 1894 novel, A BACHELOR MAID by Mrs. Burton Harrison. This forgotten Gilded Age romance explores many relevant themes that 21st century women are still struggling with, plus Amy introduces the next-generation Gibson Girl model, Charles Dana Gibson's daughter ...
It's Leap Day—and the men have taken over the podcast! It's the first-ever episode of The Gibson MAN Review, because today's featured book, For Jacinta by Harold Bindloss (1907), definitely needed guy's perspective to help Amy and our Jacinta understand it. Plus, in honor of the tables-turned day, Amy introduces the original Gibson Man model in the history segment, Charles Dana Gibson's very own brother, Langdon...
Surprise!! We're releasing this episode a day earlier than usual because it's Valentine's Day, and we have a LOT of love to share for one of our all-time favorite Gilded Age authors! Amy and Amanda gush about the inimitable George MacDonald and how his works have shaped their lives, plus they take a closer look at MacDonald's last book, FAR ABOVE RUBIES (1898), a sweet novella that not only perfectly encapsulates hi...
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