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popsiwinkle's review against another edition
Not keen on narrators voice and not engaged in how the stories of these women are being told.
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
magibeth's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
The women discussed in this book all absolutely deserve to be recognised, but felt there was a huge bias towards the last two or three centuries. A broader range of chronologies -and yes, the research is more than possible - would have made this much more interesting.
booksandbea's review against another edition
1.0
Absolutely disgusted by the despicable language featured in the Mary Seacole chapter. You, as a white woman, do not have to use the exact quotes and say the 'n' word. What a uncultured way to undermine an important message. DNF at over half way but allowing myself to count as I'm not going to get nothing out of reading such racist language
tyrfishy's review against another edition
Got to the chapter about some woman in Israel, the opening sentence (about how they were at threat of terrorism during her time period) made me suspicious. A brief Internet search reveals she's a terf and a zionist. A real shame for someone who seemed to be championing women's rights. Guess just not trans women or Palestinians.
alicegns's review against another edition
3.0
From Boudicca to Nicola Sturgeon, the rainy territory currently known as the UK has had its fair share of women that were ballsy enough to challenge male domination. “A History of Britain in 21 Women” by Jenni Murray examines the achievements of, you guessed, 21 of the individuals who left a mark on British history and society despite being born with what was (and sometimes still is) considered second-class genitalia.
Some of the women portrayed in the book are Oscar-level famous, such as Elizabeth I and Margaret Thatcher, while others are less so, which makes for a very balanced read. Some of the chapters were rather boring because they covered facts most people have read before, but others taught me things I didn’t know.
The complete list comprises Boudicca, Aphra Behn, Elizabeth I (this chapter will also feature Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots), Fanny Burney, Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft, Constance Markievicz, Nancy Astor, Ada Lovelace, Caroline Herschel, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Emmeline Pankhurst, Gwen John, Rosalind Franklin, Ethel Smyth, Margaret Thatcher, Nicola Sturgeon, Mary Quant, Barbara Castle and Mary Somerville.
While the subject is highly attractive to anyone interested in history and feminism, I was a little disappointed by the way the way the book was constructed. Firstly, I understand that the choice of personalities to include was a highly personal one for the author, as she mentions in the beginning, but to write something like this and leave out names like Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, or George Elliot seems a bit odd.
Next, don’t expect a coherent read – this is not an in-depth analysis of the lives and achievements of these women. It couldn’t be so, taking into account the fact that there are 21 chapters plus introduction and postface and the entire book has 227 pages. The entries read more like blog posts, with brief introductions about the personality and questions intertwined with highly personal remarks from the author. You can actually feel how Jenni Murray is star-struck by some of these women, so a couple of entries read like posts on a fan blog.
All in all, it’s not a bad book if you’re interested in learning more about (some of) the women who shaped Britain, but this is a rather basic read. I suppose it would be a good introduction to the subject for high-school level.
Some of the women portrayed in the book are Oscar-level famous, such as Elizabeth I and Margaret Thatcher, while others are less so, which makes for a very balanced read. Some of the chapters were rather boring because they covered facts most people have read before, but others taught me things I didn’t know.
The complete list comprises Boudicca, Aphra Behn, Elizabeth I (this chapter will also feature Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots), Fanny Burney, Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft, Constance Markievicz, Nancy Astor, Ada Lovelace, Caroline Herschel, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Emmeline Pankhurst, Gwen John, Rosalind Franklin, Ethel Smyth, Margaret Thatcher, Nicola Sturgeon, Mary Quant, Barbara Castle and Mary Somerville.
While the subject is highly attractive to anyone interested in history and feminism, I was a little disappointed by the way the way the book was constructed. Firstly, I understand that the choice of personalities to include was a highly personal one for the author, as she mentions in the beginning, but to write something like this and leave out names like Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, or George Elliot seems a bit odd.
Next, don’t expect a coherent read – this is not an in-depth analysis of the lives and achievements of these women. It couldn’t be so, taking into account the fact that there are 21 chapters plus introduction and postface and the entire book has 227 pages. The entries read more like blog posts, with brief introductions about the personality and questions intertwined with highly personal remarks from the author. You can actually feel how Jenni Murray is star-struck by some of these women, so a couple of entries read like posts on a fan blog.
All in all, it’s not a bad book if you’re interested in learning more about (some of) the women who shaped Britain, but this is a rather basic read. I suppose it would be a good introduction to the subject for high-school level.
amy_park's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
A good exploration of British history through the eyes of 21 pioneering women selected by Jenni Murray. Each section was concise, but I feel this fell short for me. The summary of each woman's life was very generalised and I think many areas of focus were specific and sometimes not very relevant to why the women were pioneering in their field.
Nearly all the women had long fulfilling lives, with their whole life being told within 10ish pages, it was very very brief, and I don't think portrayed very well. I think the author shouldn't have focused on telling their whole lives but instead a few moments and delved more into her personal thoughts on why she selected these women.
I though the use of quotes were extensive and over used for the length of the book.
This was overall OK, and I think I might keep my physical copy for reference. I did learn about some new pioneering women and developed my knowledge on one's already known, for these reasons this book is rated middle of the road for me.
Nearly all the women had long fulfilling lives, with their whole life being told within 10ish pages, it was very very brief, and I don't think portrayed very well. I think the author shouldn't have focused on telling their whole lives but instead a few moments and delved more into her personal thoughts on why she selected these women.
I though the use of quotes were extensive and over used for the length of the book.
This was overall OK, and I think I might keep my physical copy for reference. I did learn about some new pioneering women and developed my knowledge on one's already known, for these reasons this book is rated middle of the road for me.
k_atrina's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced