A review by trin
A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert

2.0

"Hey, guess what, Trin—being a lady is HARD!"

"Gee, book—I had NO IDEA. Thanks for telling me!"

If there's more to this book than that, I can't say I really got it. This is a novel about five generations of women and their general dissatisfaction with their lives—a better title might have been A Short History of Wealthy White Women and Their Ennui. Walbert's prose is occasionally stirring, but for the most part I found her style—short chapters that skip from character to character, bouncing from era to era—frustratingly elliptical. Maybe this is just not my feminism? In my feminism it absolutely needs to be acknowledged that things have sucked for women (of ALL races and classes) in the past, and they still often suck now, but instead of wallowing how 'bout try to be awesome? And maybe fight people with swords.