The Petticoat Parade by Leigh Straw is a fascinating book. It is an accurate historical story, with true crime events.
Leigh Straw is a senior lecturer in History at the University of Notre Dame. She extensively researched the State Records Office of Western Australia to bring this story to life.
She wanted to tell “the extraordinary human story of Roe Street which has been forgotten as the history and landmarks have been lost.” The brothels were forced to close in the late 1950s and the buildings were knocked down.
Leigh Straw also says she is drawn to stories of women who do not conform to society’s expectations and push the boundaries.
Josie de Bray, also known as Madam Monnier, certainly leads an interesting life.
Twenty-one-year-old Marie Louise Bastard arrived in Fremantle in 1902 ready to make a new life for herself. She went straight to Kalgoorlie to work in the established brothels and earn enough money to return to Perth and start her own business.
In 1912 Marie purchased her first property in Roe Street. She was an excellent businesswoman and added to her property portfolio over the years. She married twice and her husbands provided her with other surnames, Bray and then Monnier. She survived a shooting by a disgruntled customer, chose the worst time to visit her family in France, just as World War Two broke out and was captured by the Germans.
It is also the story of the other Madams and the prostitutes of Roe Street. The story of everyone who wanted the brothels closed down, the police, the public, business owners, churches, and the council. Yet the brothels survived until 1950.
Roe Street was in a prime position to attract business. Perth’s train station was located next to Roe Street. The war years were good for business, with soldiers leaving for and returning from war as excellent customers. Roe Street could be seen from the train windows, mothers had to cover their children’s eyes to avoid seeing the “scantily clad women in their petticoats parading on their verandas waving”.
In 1917 Western Australia appointed its first female police officers. There were only two and their list of duties is most interesting.
Some amazing facts and a wonderful look at the less-known history of Perth. A great read.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and the Fremantle Press for the opportunity to read The Petticoat Parade, Madam Monnier, and the Roe Street Brothels written by Leigh Straw.
Author: Leigh Straw
ISBN: 9781760990558
Copy courtesy of Fremantle Press
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I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
This is a true story of a lady called Josie de Bray aka Madam Monnier. She was a brothel madam who owned places in Roe Street, Perth from WW1 to the 1940s.
This book covers true crime biography and the history of her life in a small book.
Just before WW11 she returned to France to visit with family and unfortunately was captured by Germans and sent to a concentration camp. She made lots of money and collected rent from her brothels while she had been a prisoner of war.
She even had a returned soldier who tried to shoot her.
There are numerous other people mentioned in the book that just overwhelmed me.
I personally do not know much about the world of brothels but I found this an interesting read into how these ladies lived back then. Some were just ordinary wives needing to make some money on the side. The women would parade in their petticoats on the verandahs to bring their clients in.
The author of this book has really researched into every aspect of Madam Monnier and other ladies that worked there. At the end of the book there are about 42 pages of references to read up on and I found this to be just as interesting.
This book has certainly made me open my eyes in what went on in the early 1900s. I also know that Madams of today’s era certainly don’t look like brothel owners as where I used to live there was this well to do lady we would see at the shops who would always say hello. We learnt that she ran a brothel in another suburb and it was the talk of the town for a while until we actually got to know her. I remember I would always walk past the stairs that led up to the brothel and would just shake my head. I can’t comprehend having to live that kind of life but I don’t dislike what these people do as it is their livelihood.
I remember years ago the term was prostitutes but these days I think they use the text of sex workers.
I am not a fan of books with small writing but this book held my interest so was able to read fairly well.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Fremantle Press for sending me this book to read. It was interesting and I would like to congratulate the author Leigh Straw as doing all the research for this true story would have taken a long time. As an autobiography book it was a fascinating read which I did enjoy.
I loved this book!! Modern day business women have nothing on these women. They lead extraordinary lives in the toughest of times for women! I learnt a lot about early Australia from this book ,fantastic read..I would encourage everyone to read it.
The Petticoat Parade by Leigh Straw is a historical account of the life of Josie de Bray as a Brothel owner on Roe street. It highlights the life of the prostitutes of Roe Street and the businesses that were established to entertain and service men relocating to the area. Perth’s underground was a dangerous place to operate, although many women used it to survive. The strength determination and resilience of the women of the early 1900s is empowering.
Many of the locals, police and religious organisations tried to close the brothels however they persisted and helped keep sex workers off the street, brothels became a steady stream of income for the madams whom ran them. The book is fast paced, with a large amount of historical information, an interesting read particularly for history buffs.
The story of people like Josie de Bray often dont get told. And when they do its sensationalised rather than revealing a more accurate account. The Petticoat Parade manages to retell the truth of women like her who often dont get a fair go in their time and soon after. They survived in very harsh circumstances defying the odds and learning to make a living in desperate and dangerous circumstances. They received less to no protection from the authorities and the disdain of the general public.
It was a fascinating glimpse into the life of these women in a hard time in Australia for them. Josie de Bray life certainly was very varied and interesting way to let the reader get an idea on what life was like for them, the harsh realities of their existence and how they managed to make a living inspite of it.
Whoa! What a read!
The Petticoat Parade is a true historical account of Madam Monnier and the Roe Street brothels; jam packed with historical information.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Leigh Straw writes in such a way that you can picture the events. The strength of those women during such a pivotal time in history is mind blowing.
Thank you so much for this read. 5/5 stars from me.
This non-fiction book is the story of numerous women but in particular Josie de Bray- a brothel madam who owned most of Roe Street, Perth from WWI up to the 1940s. It’s an eye opening read into the lives of women who were doing everything they could to make a living. Their strength, determination and ability to survive in harsh conditions are admirable. Leigh Straw has effectively captured the history of events and tells the stories of these women which is likely not often told.