elundhansen's review against another edition
4.0
A delightfully different look at the lives of 18 women writers, some of whom I knew very well (the Brontës! Louisa May Alcott!) and some I didn't but wished I had (Alice Dunbar Nelson, Sui Sin Far, Anne Lister). Each writer has an introductory essay devoted to her, and then comes the fun part: a graphic-novel imagining of key moments in her life (e.g., Anne and Charlotte Brontë's trip to London to reveal their true identities to their publisher). An enlightening AND entertaining read--would recommend.
nessaf's review against another edition
3.0
It was a beautifully presented book and there were interesting facts about some women but I felt like this one just fell a little flat for me - I think it might have been better if I had taken longer to read but I pushed through and all the stories just kind of blended together.
bookswithmichellee's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Why She Wrote is a graphic biography of 18 well known women writers. Burke and Chapman let us explore the lives behind many of the writers we love from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Why She Wrote discusses the backstories of many authors while highlighting some very important topics and difficulties that they had to overcome.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I love books that look at different women from history and the mix between informative paragraphs for introduction to the subtopic and for each author alongside the graphic novel narrative that follows made the reading experience great. I found myself learning a lot through both storytelling forms and enjoying it. As I read, I kept wanting to pick up all of the books that were mentioned for each author so don't be surprised to see me reading some Bronte and Austen books soon lol.
I really liked the artwork in this graphic novel. I found it fit well with what was being discussed and was really well done. Having the same illustrator for all of the "chapters" allows for consistency while also seeing some slight changes depending on the topics.
The reason this is not getting 5 stars is because I did lose interest part way and did have to remind myself to keep reading. I did find some sections to be repetitive and I think this was the reason why I struggled a little bit and it was mainly in sections about the authors I didn't really know. However, I still think this was a great book, once I was able to get back on track and back to authors I know, I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it. Would recommend 100% to readers of all ages.
Why She Wrote is a graphic biography of 18 well known women writers. Burke and Chapman let us explore the lives behind many of the writers we love from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Why She Wrote discusses the backstories of many authors while highlighting some very important topics and difficulties that they had to overcome.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I love books that look at different women from history and the mix between informative paragraphs for introduction to the subtopic and for each author alongside the graphic novel narrative that follows made the reading experience great. I found myself learning a lot through both storytelling forms and enjoying it. As I read, I kept wanting to pick up all of the books that were mentioned for each author so don't be surprised to see me reading some Bronte and Austen books soon lol.
I really liked the artwork in this graphic novel. I found it fit well with what was being discussed and was really well done. Having the same illustrator for all of the "chapters" allows for consistency while also seeing some slight changes depending on the topics.
The reason this is not getting 5 stars is because I did lose interest part way and did have to remind myself to keep reading. I did find some sections to be repetitive and I think this was the reason why I struggled a little bit and it was mainly in sections about the authors I didn't really know. However, I still think this was a great book, once I was able to get back on track and back to authors I know, I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it. Would recommend 100% to readers of all ages.
bookishmisfit's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic read!
For fans of all the classic women authors and the newest hit Bridgerton and all things regency bedazzled!
This graphic novel is a great history lesson for those who admire the women themselves or want to learn more about writers of the past. I read this as a digital ARC from Netgalley but will be obtaining a print version as soon as it is release! A definite must have!
For fans of all the classic women authors and the newest hit Bridgerton and all things regency bedazzled!
This graphic novel is a great history lesson for those who admire the women themselves or want to learn more about writers of the past. I read this as a digital ARC from Netgalley but will be obtaining a print version as soon as it is release! A definite must have!
dame_samara's review against another edition
4.0
This book at it's core is "Empowered Women, Empower Women*.
This book takes an interesting look at what inspired different women to take up their own mantle and put their own thoughts and ideas out there.
And through the course of this book we see often it's the women who came before them, inspiring them to follow in their footsteps.
It's a poignant reminder that we to may someday be the person someone looks up too.
This book takes an interesting look at what inspired different women to take up their own mantle and put their own thoughts and ideas out there.
And through the course of this book we see often it's the women who came before them, inspiring them to follow in their footsteps.
It's a poignant reminder that we to may someday be the person someone looks up too.
mrs_skywalker's review against another edition
4.0
nic odkrywczego, ale zakochałam się w pomyśle i realizacji
ava23's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free via Goodreads giveaway.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned something new about each of the 18 featured female authors, even those that I previously studied in college English courses.
The graphic element of this novel brings these women to life in a way that typical biographies cannot. It's much easier to imagine these women having similar feelings and conversations as women today due to the graphic portions of the novel. These amazing women are truly brought to life while reading because of the graphic element.
I really like how the authors decided to format this book as well. There's a short introduction and conclusion, which is pleasant. I think they made the right call to not ramble on, especially in the introduction, so the reader can jump right in. Then, each chapter has a short introduction on the three women that are discussed in that chapter. This is where the authors connect the three women to each other. Each woman is then introduced and given her own "section." This includes a drawn headshot, living and death dates, and a quote. An introduction that is only a page long is written and leads up to where the graphic starts. The a graphic scene unfolds over the span of multiple pages. At the end of this, there is a bit of final commentary on the author and a "selected works" section of works by that author.
I finished this novel pretty quickly, and I think that it would be suitable for younger audiences. The graphic aspect would probably intrigue younger teens and inspire them to read the works of the authors. However, I could also see adults liking this style as well.
I think this book will be a great reference to keep near the front of my bookshelf. If I am reading a work by one of the 18 authors, this will be useful to pull out and read the quick chapter to refresh my memory on the context of why she wrote. I also think this book will be useful in order to find other works to read by these authors.
The only complaint that I have is that I noticed several typos throughout the book. My copy is not an ARC. I had to knock .5 off the rating because the typos are very noticeable, in my opinion ("they" where it should be "the"). There's just some really obvious mistakes in the published edition, and I really don't see how an editor overlooked them.
I am very satisfied with this book and would highly recommend anyone, even if you're not used to reading graphic novels. I normally don't read them, but I found this a pleasant read.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned something new about each of the 18 featured female authors, even those that I previously studied in college English courses.
The graphic element of this novel brings these women to life in a way that typical biographies cannot. It's much easier to imagine these women having similar feelings and conversations as women today due to the graphic portions of the novel. These amazing women are truly brought to life while reading because of the graphic element.
I really like how the authors decided to format this book as well. There's a short introduction and conclusion, which is pleasant. I think they made the right call to not ramble on, especially in the introduction, so the reader can jump right in. Then, each chapter has a short introduction on the three women that are discussed in that chapter. This is where the authors connect the three women to each other. Each woman is then introduced and given her own "section." This includes a drawn headshot, living and death dates, and a quote. An introduction that is only a page long is written and leads up to where the graphic starts. The a graphic scene unfolds over the span of multiple pages. At the end of this, there is a bit of final commentary on the author and a "selected works" section of works by that author.
I finished this novel pretty quickly, and I think that it would be suitable for younger audiences. The graphic aspect would probably intrigue younger teens and inspire them to read the works of the authors. However, I could also see adults liking this style as well.
I think this book will be a great reference to keep near the front of my bookshelf. If I am reading a work by one of the 18 authors, this will be useful to pull out and read the quick chapter to refresh my memory on the context of why she wrote. I also think this book will be useful in order to find other works to read by these authors.
The only complaint that I have is that I noticed several typos throughout the book. My copy is not an ARC. I had to knock .5 off the rating because the typos are very noticeable, in my opinion ("they" where it should be "the"). There's just some really obvious mistakes in the published edition, and I really don't see how an editor overlooked them.
I am very satisfied with this book and would highly recommend anyone, even if you're not used to reading graphic novels. I normally don't read them, but I found this a pleasant read.
bristoni74's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not a graphic novel reader but wanted to try this style out given my love of reading classic literature. It includes well-known authors like the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, and other authors I didn't know at all or knew very little about.
The book is is divided into six sections covering themes such as "Activism as Art", "Private Lives" and "Protection and Profit". Each section then has an introductory essay about the theme, then a biography of each of the author's included in that theme followed by a story from a time in their lives' in graphic form.
A very different reading style and I read this book in barely two days but I found it really engaging and has motivated me to either re-read classics or seek out others to try
The book is is divided into six sections covering themes such as "Activism as Art", "Private Lives" and "Protection and Profit". Each section then has an introductory essay about the theme, then a biography of each of the author's included in that theme followed by a story from a time in their lives' in graphic form.
A very different reading style and I read this book in barely two days but I found it really engaging and has motivated me to either re-read classics or seek out others to try