Reviewed by Amy Duncan

Ann Blackman's most recent biography is the story of Rose O'Neale Greenhow, a staunch and alluring Confederate loyalist. A woman who traveled in Washington D.C.'s most powerful circles and openly attested hatred for Yankees, Rose used charm and seduction to procure military secrets from Washington officials. Without compunctions, she sent troop numbers and movements across enemy lines.

The book opens with Rose sending military information to General Beauregard, which helps him win the battle of Manassas (Bull Run). But the narrative soon flashes back to Rose's childhood, her marriage, bearing of eight children, and her widowhood, all set against a backdrop of American politics and politicians. The historical scenes are often lovely and Blackman's attention to detail exemplary. However, at times the author strays into name-dropping and side tracks into important events Rose "would have likely" experienced. 

Blackman, who reported for Time magazine's Washington Bureau for more than fifteen years, is already well known for documenting political intrigue. She is the author of two previous biographies, one about Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and another about FBI agent Robert Hanssen.

The first half of the book reads like the kind of political biography for which Blackman is already known.  But in the second half of Wild Rose, Blackman distinguishes herself as a storyteller. Building on Rose's flagrant dismissal of Yankee laws and robust support for the south, the author creates a character and a plot that compel the reader through the remaining pages. Rose's angry dialogue with her prison guards, unadulterated racism, and newspaper editorials depict a woman who is brave and opinionated beyond reason. Her year in jail with her youngest daughter shows a mother in distress. Blackman's view of her character is at once relentless and sympathetic. The writing is charming and revealing, like its subject.