stefanielt's review against another edition
5.0
Remarkably insightful, but coming from Mary Beard, I expect nothing less. Using her expertise in Roman history, she shows how the power women have been able to earn is always at odds with the power men have held for the duration of history.
leasummer's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful look at where some of the ideas that perpetuate the idea that women should be silent come from.
lisa61's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
emily2348's review against another edition
3.0
reading about how so many misogynistic ideas have existed since ancient greek is quite disturbing to realise! its a short book that brings up many good point, would be 4 stars if it didn’t mention thatcher so many times.
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
3.0
"Britain's best-known classicist". I wouldn't be surprised if the 4.04-star average rating by 21,564 readers is predominately European readers. Her comments on America have been controversial -- good for her for being outspoken.
While I have not read Homer's Odyssey (zero interest in a 2700-year-old, non-linear, 9-hour-long poem), the author doesn't make clear the benefit of tracing mysogeny back that far. It's great that this book is short, and makes ties to modern strong women. But it's more scholarly/academic than compelling, and I expect my modern feminist material to be compelling.
She also tells a VERY personal story at the end, but somehow managed to depersonalize it.
While I have not read Homer's Odyssey (zero interest in a 2700-year-old, non-linear, 9-hour-long poem), the author doesn't make clear the benefit of tracing mysogeny back that far. It's great that this book is short, and makes ties to modern strong women. But it's more scholarly/academic than compelling, and I expect my modern feminist material to be compelling.
She also tells a VERY personal story at the end, but somehow managed to depersonalize it.
anitadisguised's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. good but there were some parts that were kind of white and i felt it could have gone way deeper and had a better conclusion/wrap-up but i guess it was not that kind of book since it's like 90 pages
cammxc's review against another edition
4.0
Read this in around an hour, really liked how accessible and easy to read it was as an academic essay.