Nellie Bly was many things and how she is remembered largely depends on who you ask. For Brown, it was for Bly's emulation of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days where Nellie followed the same route as the book and made it in 72 days. Brown set out to "recreate" and "relive" Nellie's experience--in thought only. What the book featured is a fan who worried about safety and image more than reliving Bly's experience and quite a bit of cultural stereotyping. Overall, the book was okay but I can see where it would be problematic for people sensitive to socio-economic differences and implied racial prejudice.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword History for the opportunity to read an advance reader's copy.

Nellie Bly has been one of my personal heroes for many years now, I will read anything about her that I come across. Hence why I requested FOLLOWING NELLIE BLY from NetGalley. All I needed to see was her name, I hit the request button. I was a little torn on how I felt about the book. I enjoyed reading about Nellie’s trip around the world that took her 72 days—8 days less than Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days. In 1890, Nellie traveled mostly by train and on ships. And she did it all in the same sensible dress and carrying no more than what fit in her small bag.

125 years later—while carrying more luggage and with much nicer accommodations and easier ways to travel—Rosemary J. Brown retraces parts of Nellie’s route. Traveling through the Middle East was just too dangerous, and Brown flew over most of the United States before arriving in New York. While it is clear that Brown has a passion for Bly and that she did her research, it seemed she was more on a quest to find Nellie’s ghost lingering in some of these places than she was in tracing the exact route of Nellie’s journey.

It was interesting to see how drastically things have changed since Nellie’s trip back in 1890. Along with England and France, Brown visited China, Japan, Singapore, and Ceylon/Sri Lanka. Brown sought out some of the places that Nellie visited while she waited for the next train or boat so she could continue her travels. A few of the places remain—including one hotel that Nellie stayed at. There are also a few sites that were preserved as historic monuments. But a great deal has changed—some by man and others by nature. I was fascinated by the parts that described Nellie’s journey. And I enjoyed the parts were Brown showed how the areas had changed. But quickly grew bored during some of the extended parts about her “vacation.” Overall, an interesting travelogue but not quite the book I expected based on the description.

In this novel, a rich woman entertains herself by traveling to all of the places visited by Nelly Bly in Bly's 80-day round-the-world trip. Author Brown doesn't recreate the trip, but leisurely takes in the sights at each stop, and tells readers about her lush surroundings, luxury hotel experiences, couture shopping, and other activities that are totally oblivious as to why Bly made her trip or what she was really about. It's an excuse for junkets and the book serves as an excellent example of how the 1% live. Go read Bly's original account of her trip instead--yes, it is problematic in terms of race and class, but not nearly as problematic as Brown's book.

Interesting story. Must admit that I knew the name Nellie Bly, but knew little about who she was. As a young journalist in the late 1800s, she decided to recreate the journey from the book Around the World in 80 days. The author from present day decided to recreate Nelliés journey, including using some of her packing list. I enjoyed this one a lot, although travel books are best in short bursts for my taste. Inspirational and adventurous book. One I highly recommend.

What a cool idea!, following the steps of Nellie Bly, the greatest female journalist who ever lived, around the world in 80 days; and Nellie did it in only 72 days! She packed her bag with essentials, which included her slippers and her cold creme, wore her newly and specially made dress, and off she went. On the way, she visited Jules Verne, the author of Around The World In Eighty Days, and his wife at their home in France. From November 14, 1889 to January, 1890, she traveled around the world, visiting Italy, China, Japan, Singapore, Ceylon, San Francisco, and back to Manhattan..(only naming a few of the places she visited). The author of Following Nellie Bly, Rosemary J. Brown, traveled from September 6 to October 8, 2014, and followed her route. I was struck by the hardship of Nellie's travel by carriage and ship. Ms. Brown had travel by air. Nellie was incredibly brave and stalwart, and so dedicated to get the story, that even when saying goodbye as she was on a ship beginning her travel from New York, she swallowed her emotional good bye and left!
This is such a cool book and bravos go to Ms. Brown for her idea and her dedication. Pen and Sword Publishing puts out the best books, and this is one of them. Thank you to Pen and Sword Publishing, as well as to Netgalley for the epub. And I have to mention that Ms. Brown raised money for UNICEF through her travels...again BRAVO!

Where to begin with this wonderful book? Nellie Bly was an extraordinary female American journalist who, at the age of 25, wished to traverse the world in less time than Jules Verne's Phineas Fogg's 80 days. But in 1890 a young female traveler was absolutely unheard of and that fact presented a few challenges. Nonetheless, Nellie persisted and visited each continent in 72 days. As a rabid traveler, I completely understand the allure, though after months away I never wish to return home! The author, Rosemary Brown, chose to undertake the same route 125 years later, though of course encountered many changes in sites/sights Nellie saw and many buildings no longer exist, though some did. What a fascinating challenge! This book is the story of Nellie, her legacy, her pioneering spirit, her taking on difficult situations head on as well as the author's quest to emulate the journey with the same winsome spirit.

Nellie was a light packer. In fact, her gripsack would be the equivalent of a carryon for us. But she was fearless and went. Her adventures left me breathless from seeing exquisite gems to visiting Jules Verne to experiencing new-to-her cultures to her frustrating delays to a lighthouse to execution grounds and cemeteries to temples and monkeys to orchid houses. Her homecoming is detailed here as well. What I knew of Nellie was her asylum research and fight for the poor and did not realize she traveled the world as well! The list of items she packed is amazing! And such fun to read about. There are many lovely and descriptive quotes of hers in this glorious book. Oh, how I would have loved to have known her! But this author makes me feel I practically do.

You will learn a lot about engaging Nellie Bly and her personality by reading this book. It is fabulously interesting especially if you are intrigued by world travels, women's independence in the Victorian age and the undertaking of a contemporary woman in her footsteps. This book prompted me to read more on Nellie Bly so I have requested books from the library.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the opportunity to delve into this delightful book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

I'm sure I've come across a couple of those books that offer inspiring potted biographies of women for girls to feel empowered by that have in some way covered the Nellie Bly story, but back in 2014 when the more contemporary aspects of this book took place I am sure I was ignorant of the woman and the things that should make her a household name. Fresh from almost inventing investigative journalism, when she feigned lunacy to see what it was like in New York's asylums for women, she asked her newspaper bosses if she should not try and do a Phileas Fogg, and get solo around the world in under eighty days. As it happens, they said no so often, even though she new the timetables said it was easily doable, that when she finally got the green light she had 72 hours to get the one dress she wore the entire eleven weeks made for her, and manage all the other preparations. She was in London before she went to the right people to get her passport. She met Jules Verne and his lovely wife in France before speeding on the path of his fictional creation. And all that is mirrored by our author now, who went to the same places, hanging on her coat-tails and getting abetted by her ghost, for the 125th anniversary of it all.

One of the flaws of this book is that it seems it could have been better if we weren't told copiously before we really get going the end result of it all. (It also waits to halfway round Bly's world to drop what could have been a narrative bombshell on Nellie, and then kills the surprise of that stone dead, too.) Despite this author's stated ambition of being journalistically brief, borrowing the less-is-more dictum that she deems Verne to have used, we're also told and told again that Bly set off with everything in one tiny, carriable Gladstone bag, with just some valuables slung round her neck or in pockets and a waterproof draped over her arm when not used.

But this still wasn't a bad read at all. Readers might come to this thinking Rosemary Brown did all the voyaging and journeying Bly reported having done, although with the world being a lot less friendly and with far fewer packet ships large swathes were left out. Readers might see the connection made by the author with the Royal Geographical Society in relation to her travels and expect this to be a heavy, lecture-styled travel book, when it's much more the WI afternoon talk. But I think it's as good as it might have been, once you've considered just how much the world has changed in those years. Only one hotel is at all the same thing that Bly was staying in, temples have been demolished and reborn, whole cities have had to come back from the dead. But when Brown and Bly do converge, whether that be in dissimilar or identical situations, the writing proves itself good enough to be an entertaining travel book. It ends with the author paying suitably respectful homage to Bly's birthplace, beginnings and final resting place, and I can't tell from this what has happened in the several years between then and publication, but this was probably worth the wait. Much more cosy than the gung-ho original, for many obvious reasons, Brown's bummellings make a worthwhile purchase for travel writing fans.

I received an advanced copy of, Following Nellie Bly, by Rosemary J Brown. Nellie Bly is an amazing woman, born way before her time. From living in a mental asylum for a story to traveling the world in under 80 days. Truly a remarkable woman.

I enjoyed this read. It’s not a genre I typically read but I’m very glad I was granted the wish from publisher.