The Log of the Skipper's Wife by James W. Balano. This journal was originally written during the early 1900's by a young woman from Minnesota. It was later on compiled by her son (James Balano), and published.
There are many topics that this book covers, the struggles of a young woman with a man's job in the early 1900's, marital conflicts, unhappy with her figure, eating habits, and the every day tortures of being a woman. Perhaps the biggest issues in this book was Dorothea's sex life. She was smart, quick witted, and had an amazing sense of humor. Her husband was a lady's man and knew nothing besides being a captain, which he did well at. Dorothea and her husband Fred were so different that it really caused a strain on their marriage. At times the only thing they seemed to share in common was the bed.
Dorothea appeared to love sex, however her husband seemed like a bit of a nymphomaniac from what I gathered. She noted several times how he acted differently around other women, his collection of pornography, and how he was continually boasting of his conquests of women. It was all very degrading to
Dorothea and she vented much of this in her journal. Fred also felt the need to tell Dorothea that she was not up to par at sexual positions. He claimed that other women he had been with were more flexible, and urged Dorothea to become more like them. He treated Dora more like a slave then he did a wife. I don't think he ever really knew how to act around women.
In one entry, Dorothea was telling of how Fred ate a ton of scallops and how she was worried of what she would be in for later on that night,
(Scallops being thought of as an aphrodisiac). She mentioned how scallops bring out one's sexual appetite, and that Fred certainly did not need it. The way she speaks of Fred in this scene gives me the impression that she