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sarahvw's review against another edition
5.0
Really good read if you are interested in any of these ladies,or women's history ,or even just feel an outsider yourself!
topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
I began reading this book hoping for a comparative biography of five groundbreaking women authors who had defied the shackles of their rigid societies and found ways to thrive through reading and writing. I suppose I got most of that but not quite in the way I was expecting.
This reads like a textbook or series of connected essays. Each of the women’s stories is covered thoroughly and biographical elements are fleshed out in thorough detail. But the focus is on how each of them, in their own ways, rejected the norms of the society and times they were living in and embraced their outsider status. For some, this was a conscious decision while others were more-or-less reacting to circumstances. Throughout the book there is a strong streak of feminism, especially for the later authors who lived through the beginnings of the women’s suffragist movement.
I was happy with the content that the author delivered. I am less enthusiastic about the style. This is not an easy read and I frequently found myself re-reading paragraphs to make sure I understood the material. At times I felt like I was reading this as part of a graduate-level course on Literature or Women’s Studies. Given the author’s background and status as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a fellow of St. Hilda’s College in Oxford, this is hardly surprising. In the end, I would have preferred a more grounded biography and less of an academic approach.
This reads like a textbook or series of connected essays. Each of the women’s stories is covered thoroughly and biographical elements are fleshed out in thorough detail. But the focus is on how each of them, in their own ways, rejected the norms of the society and times they were living in and embraced their outsider status. For some, this was a conscious decision while others were more-or-less reacting to circumstances. Throughout the book there is a strong streak of feminism, especially for the later authors who lived through the beginnings of the women’s suffragist movement.
I was happy with the content that the author delivered. I am less enthusiastic about the style. This is not an easy read and I frequently found myself re-reading paragraphs to make sure I understood the material. At times I felt like I was reading this as part of a graduate-level course on Literature or Women’s Studies. Given the author’s background and status as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a fellow of St. Hilda’s College in Oxford, this is hardly surprising. In the end, I would have preferred a more grounded biography and less of an academic approach.
aimeesbookishlife's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of short biographies of women writers, but linked together to show the influence each one had on the women who came after her. I really liked this aspect and it set the book apart from similar books that just tell each woman's story one after another.
It helps to have some knowledge of the authors' work beforehand as Gordon refers to their fictional creations a lot but it's not essential; I'd never heard of Olive Schreiner before but that didn't stop me enjoying that particular chapter. There are also a few spoilers in Gordon's discussion of Wuthering Heights (including a section about the ending) so it's worth reading that book before getting to the Emily Bronte section.
It helps to have some knowledge of the authors' work beforehand as Gordon refers to their fictional creations a lot but it's not essential; I'd never heard of Olive Schreiner before but that didn't stop me enjoying that particular chapter. There are also a few spoilers in Gordon's discussion of Wuthering Heights (including a section about the ending) so it's worth reading that book before getting to the Emily Bronte section.
anisha_inkspill's review against another edition
4.0
I came across this one by chance, it was listed as a result for Google searches on George Eliot and Virginia Woolf.
This search result caught my attention for having 5 biographies of 5 women writers in one book; two of these are George Eliot and Virginia Woolf. The third, I was surprised to find was Emily Bronte. The remaining two were Mary Shelley and Olive Schreiner (the last one was an author I have not heard before).
What struck me first about this book was it contained the biography on Emily Bronte. Realistically, as most of her work has been destroyed, it’s not possible for a full-length biography of her life to be written mostly based on authentic sources or information. So, I liked how Lyndall Gordon took what there is and wrote the equivalent of a very long lengthy essay about Emily Bronte.
Each biography is this length, each one is detailed and references at least one work from that author. The weakest of the five biographies, unsurprisingly, is Emily Bronte’s, where there were more references to her novel Wuthering Heights, but reading the other four, I am happy with the quality of information, where each one has given me a better understanding of each author; which will be of help when reading their works.
Making this another good find from Google searches.
This search result caught my attention for having 5 biographies of 5 women writers in one book; two of these are George Eliot and Virginia Woolf. The third, I was surprised to find was Emily Bronte. The remaining two were Mary Shelley and Olive Schreiner (the last one was an author I have not heard before).
What struck me first about this book was it contained the biography on Emily Bronte. Realistically, as most of her work has been destroyed, it’s not possible for a full-length biography of her life to be written mostly based on authentic sources or information. So, I liked how Lyndall Gordon took what there is and wrote the equivalent of a very long lengthy essay about Emily Bronte.
Each biography is this length, each one is detailed and references at least one work from that author. The weakest of the five biographies, unsurprisingly, is Emily Bronte’s, where there were more references to her novel Wuthering Heights, but reading the other four, I am happy with the quality of information, where each one has given me a better understanding of each author; which will be of help when reading their works.
Making this another good find from Google searches.
emca26's review against another edition
4.0
I nerd out pretty hard for women writers of the 19th century, and this book was a fantastic dive into women writers who bucked the trends of their times to write. The book does a wonderful job exploring each writer - her biography, the contemporary reactions to their lives and books, and their impact on the world of writing and each other.
While I had read and knew about most of the authors, it was nice to dive deeper into their lives through their letters and discussions of the norms of the day. I had never read Olive Schreiner before and am excited to pick her up! I thought Lyndall Gordan did a good job highlighting the privileges that many of them had against other women of their time.
If you enjoy 19th century literature, or female writers, I highly recommend this one. A good Christmas choice by my dad!
While I had read and knew about most of the authors, it was nice to dive deeper into their lives through their letters and discussions of the norms of the day. I had never read Olive Schreiner before and am excited to pick her up! I thought Lyndall Gordan did a good job highlighting the privileges that many of them had against other women of their time.
If you enjoy 19th century literature, or female writers, I highly recommend this one. A good Christmas choice by my dad!