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marthabethanreads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
kaytealouise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Passionate and rather fascinating feminist perspective on some famous (and not so famous) women of significance.
Jenni Murray clearly feels strongly about her subject here, and as the reader of the Audible version, her passion also is evident to the listener as she brings us forward in time from such figures as Joan of Arc and Catherine the Great, all the way to Hillary Clinton and Madonna.
From the political stateswomen to artists, musicians, sportspersons - I was surprised and rather intrigued by the detail Murray has brought together. As an 'insider' herself, who had interviewer a few of the subjects, her own findings brought personal touches and facts I hadn't known.
The style of the book worked, biographical facts mixed with personal opinion. For those women I knew, their sections were absorbing. Those that were new to me, I found rather intriguing as well. It is a good range of subjects, from various times and places, fields and backgrounds.
There are a good number of these sorts of books coming out now, both for adults and children, and there is a worry that we will become saturated by such 'potted female history', though this is surely going to lead the pack in its almost reverential look at their lives and influence.
Rather inspiring, and packed with gems of unknown information. Murray's narration of the audio version is a very enjoyable listen, flows nicely within each chapter, though I would have, as with much non-fiction liked chapters to be named after their subjects, for ease of reference if looking for a particular figure.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
Jenni Murray clearly feels strongly about her subject here, and as the reader of the Audible version, her passion also is evident to the listener as she brings us forward in time from such figures as Joan of Arc and Catherine the Great, all the way to Hillary Clinton and Madonna.
From the political stateswomen to artists, musicians, sportspersons - I was surprised and rather intrigued by the detail Murray has brought together. As an 'insider' herself, who had interviewer a few of the subjects, her own findings brought personal touches and facts I hadn't known.
The style of the book worked, biographical facts mixed with personal opinion. For those women I knew, their sections were absorbing. Those that were new to me, I found rather intriguing as well. It is a good range of subjects, from various times and places, fields and backgrounds.
There are a good number of these sorts of books coming out now, both for adults and children, and there is a worry that we will become saturated by such 'potted female history', though this is surely going to lead the pack in its almost reverential look at their lives and influence.
Rather inspiring, and packed with gems of unknown information. Murray's narration of the audio version is a very enjoyable listen, flows nicely within each chapter, though I would have, as with much non-fiction liked chapters to be named after their subjects, for ease of reference if looking for a particular figure.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
sharont_2024's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
A really worthwhile read, I learnt a lot about inspirational women.
pagesbyheidi's review against another edition
4.0
“it was wearing the trousers. please, in her memory, wear yours with pride and breathe a sigh of relief that you will not be punished for it.”
perfectly fitting for women’s history month!
the authors style is like a delicious cold drink on a hot summers day- you can so easily consume her words and you want to keep reading.
the women she chose were for the most part inspiring, role models i already had, or role models i now have. joan of arc sticks out to me, as well as toni morrison and marie curie. i love how i know more about them, their careers, but more importantly them as people.
sometimes, famous people throughout history get put up on pedestals, but i like the way they were humanised in this. i love being reminded that all of us, no matter how much respect you hold for them, are human.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
perfectly fitting for women’s history month!
the authors style is like a delicious cold drink on a hot summers day- you can so easily consume her words and you want to keep reading.
the women she chose were for the most part inspiring, role models i already had, or role models i now have. joan of arc sticks out to me, as well as toni morrison and marie curie. i love how i know more about them, their careers, but more importantly them as people.
sometimes, famous people throughout history get put up on pedestals, but i like the way they were humanised in this. i love being reminded that all of us, no matter how much respect you hold for them, are human.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
catheriner23's review against another edition
3.0
Having been bought this book for Christmas, I was originally sceptical. I expected a pantheon of white, Western women, who I'd heard of. I was by and large correct. Some of the women I knew very little about and as a brief biography and introduction, it was a good jumping-off point. However, there was a significant skew to women in power, be they politicians or monarchs. This inevitably meant that most of the women in the book were middle-class or above. This is, of course, a personal choice, but there was only one scientist represented, a handful of artists and the remainder were political. It would have been great to see some women I hadn't heard of, or was less familiar with, who had made a big impact but sadly this was not the case.
jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
3.5
I wish this had been more about unsung hero’s and more stories about people you wouldn’t have known about.
It was a very western perspective which was to be expected but I wanted more about other women from other cultures
It was a very western perspective which was to be expected but I wanted more about other women from other cultures