You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

4.46 AVERAGE

moonmiri's profile picture

moonmiri's review

4.5
informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
informative slow-paced
vmbee's profile picture

vmbee's review

4.0
adventurous challenging inspiring
serenityseeker's profile picture

serenityseeker's review

5.0
informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

stacielynn's review


Not what I expected
Suggestion from Liz
informative reflective relaxing medium-paced
informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

I have already recommended this book to several people. Romney is charming, engaging, and sharp. Her experience as a rare book dealer, her perspective as a woman in that business, and her deep passion for reading and analytical investigation make this book well worth reading, even before you consider the subject material. I appreciate her carefully considered and well argued criticism of people who refer to Jane Austen as the first great female author. As she says, we must separate first from greatness. Like a first edition, being the first is a remarkable and sentimental thing, but not all the best things are first and not all first things are the best. Which is not to say she doesn't love or laud Austen--she does. She just does so with critical care, rather than blind worship of Austen as an anomaly. 
informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

This was such a delightfully fun read! It was the perfect mix of history, biography, memoir, and rare book collecting. Romney's narrative writing style really pulled me in and kept me so interested the entire way, which is why I sailed through this in under a week. I had never heard of any of these other women, and I'm grateful to Romney for taking on this project and re-inserting these amazing women novelists back into the world outside of academic circles.

Thank you, Heather, for gifting this one to me! :-)
informative inspiring medium-paced
informative inspiring reflective slow-paced