IRB Media Summary of Harold Schechter's Hell's Princess

Annotation

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The city of Chicago was rebuilt after the Great Conflagration of 1871. It drew immigrants from all over the world, and among them were many Norwegians. They were widely regarded as a frugal, industrious, and upstanding people.#2 The Norwegians in Chicago were very successful, and many emigrated to help build America. They were very proud of their heritage, and would celebrate Norway's Independence Day, the Viking Mayflower, and the sailing of the dragon-prowed longship Viking across the Atlantic.#3 The Norwegian population in Chicago was very peaceful and law-abiding, and they were known for their deference to law and order. Brynhild Paulsdatter was one of the most unlovely women in her twenties, but she was still a notable exception to the rule.#4 Brynhild was a peasant girl in Norway who was extremely malicious and capricious. She had unpretty habits, and was a liar already as a child. She was hired out as a dairymaid at age 14, and her neighbors remembered her as a very bad human being.