jessln23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
nepenthes's review against another edition
4.0
an eye-opening insight into the intimate lives of influential women in the french rev! Simultaneously informative and interesting.
sarahtokar's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Packed with detail. Will probably have to read again to absorb it all!
burningupasun's review against another edition
5.0
This was incredibly good. I think one of my favorites I have read this year for non-fiction. It was detailed and informative, and with the perfect amount of a feminist perspective. At first I was a little overwhelmed trying to keep track of the different names and people, but eventually I got them straight in my head and that made them much more enjoyable.
As I summarized on tumblr previously, this book was about 75% me being amazed at these clever, determined women, 10% me being grossed out and shuddering over the things that happened to them and all the other women, and 15% angry/irritated/etc about the rampant sexism and misogyny of the times detailed within. (Seriously though.) It was equal parts fascinating and horrifying to realize that the way our male-dominated society treats women who stepped out of their proscribed gender roles has pretty much not changed from then to now. (Men are forever fixated on women's purity and sexuality, basically. Show intelligence or step out of your acceptable roles and you were [and still are] derided as a slut, whore, etc.)
ANYWAY a fascinating read, without a doubt.
As I summarized on tumblr previously, this book was about 75% me being amazed at these clever, determined women, 10% me being grossed out and shuddering over the things that happened to them and all the other women, and 15% angry/irritated/etc about the rampant sexism and misogyny of the times detailed within. (Seriously though.) It was equal parts fascinating and horrifying to realize that the way our male-dominated society treats women who stepped out of their proscribed gender roles has pretty much not changed from then to now. (Men are forever fixated on women's purity and sexuality, basically. Show intelligence or step out of your acceptable roles and you were [and still are] derided as a slut, whore, etc.)
ANYWAY a fascinating read, without a doubt.
erikahope's review
5.0
This book humbled me because it so masterfully combined all these women and historical facts in a way that was easy to follow and absorb. I truly have no idea how she managed to do it.
More...