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lauragill's review against another edition
2.0
So many typos, so many women left out. You want obscure royal women? What about St. Hilda of Whitby? Eanflaed queen of Northumbria and her daughter Aelfflaed who was dedicated to God upon birth and was Hilda's successor as abbess of Whitby? What about Ealhswith wife of Alfred the Great? Or Cynethryth wife of Offa of Mercia? And those are just the Anglo Saxon women. No mention of Edward III's favorite daughter Isabella who married Enguerrand de Coucy, or her young sister who died of the Black Death on the way to marry a Spanish prince. What about Elizabeth of York's sisters, most of whom ended up in convents after Henry VII became king. I would much prefer some serious scholarship to the overly colloquial style.
hmalagisi's review against another edition
4.0
In English history, the story of the royal families tends to capture the imagination of those who study it. Full of dynamic tales of kings and queens, and numerous nobles, these are tales that make it into history books and history classes. We tend to focus on the same kings and queens, who have become the popular royals. But what about those who are left in the dust of those popular royals? Who were the royal women who lived in the shadow of the throne that time has forgotten? What were the lives of these women like? It is these women who are the focus of Erin Lawless’s latest book, “Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I”.
I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. The title of this book initially caught my eye and I really wanted to see what royal women Erin Lawless would be discussing in this particular book.
Lawless has decided to write about thirty different royal women, from Scota to Princess Charlotte, covering several centuries of vivacious women. Some of these women I have encountered in my own studies, like Margaret Pole, Margaret Tudor, Eleanor Cobham, and Mary Grey( who are obviously women from the Tudor dynasty). Others were women that I have never heard of, like Gwellian ferch Gryffydd and Isabella MacDuff, who lead armies for their respective countries, Wales and Scotland respectfully, to fight against the English. Grace O’Malley, also known as Granuaile, who was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the O Maille clan, and a pirate from Tudor Ireland. And of course, plenty of royal women who married for love and suffered the consequences.
These tales are truly tantalizing, yet they are tragically too short as Lawless only spends a few pages on each woman. Just as you are starting to really get into the story, you move onto another lady and her history. It may seem a little bit unfair, but I think it should be noted that Lawless did this with a rather important purpose behind it. Lawless wanted to give an introduction to the lives of these women, both the fictional tales and the facts so that readers would be intrigued and decide to study more about them. It’s a great strategy to get more people interested in studying the obscure and forgotten royal women in history. Of course, I wanted more details, but that is because I love having a plethora of information about a subject in books that I read, yet in this case, I think the amount of details works in Lawless’s favor.
The one thing that I really wish Lawless did include was a bibliography or a list of books that helped her with her own research when it came to this book. I really like seeing an author’s research in the back of biographies or history books, especially for a book that covers different topics, so that I can have a starting point for my own personal research.
Overall, I found this book incredibly enjoyable. It is certainly a conversation starter for those who discuss the English monarchy. Lawless has a delightful writing style that feels like you are having a casual history conversation with her. This book is small in size, but it could be the stepping stone for new research for those novice historians who want to write about someone who has been stuck in the shadow for centuries. If you would like to read short stories about royal women who have stayed in the background for a long time, I highly recommend you read “Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I” by Erin Lawless.
I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. The title of this book initially caught my eye and I really wanted to see what royal women Erin Lawless would be discussing in this particular book.
Lawless has decided to write about thirty different royal women, from Scota to Princess Charlotte, covering several centuries of vivacious women. Some of these women I have encountered in my own studies, like Margaret Pole, Margaret Tudor, Eleanor Cobham, and Mary Grey( who are obviously women from the Tudor dynasty). Others were women that I have never heard of, like Gwellian ferch Gryffydd and Isabella MacDuff, who lead armies for their respective countries, Wales and Scotland respectfully, to fight against the English. Grace O’Malley, also known as Granuaile, who was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the O Maille clan, and a pirate from Tudor Ireland. And of course, plenty of royal women who married for love and suffered the consequences.
These tales are truly tantalizing, yet they are tragically too short as Lawless only spends a few pages on each woman. Just as you are starting to really get into the story, you move onto another lady and her history. It may seem a little bit unfair, but I think it should be noted that Lawless did this with a rather important purpose behind it. Lawless wanted to give an introduction to the lives of these women, both the fictional tales and the facts so that readers would be intrigued and decide to study more about them. It’s a great strategy to get more people interested in studying the obscure and forgotten royal women in history. Of course, I wanted more details, but that is because I love having a plethora of information about a subject in books that I read, yet in this case, I think the amount of details works in Lawless’s favor.
The one thing that I really wish Lawless did include was a bibliography or a list of books that helped her with her own research when it came to this book. I really like seeing an author’s research in the back of biographies or history books, especially for a book that covers different topics, so that I can have a starting point for my own personal research.
Overall, I found this book incredibly enjoyable. It is certainly a conversation starter for those who discuss the English monarchy. Lawless has a delightful writing style that feels like you are having a casual history conversation with her. This book is small in size, but it could be the stepping stone for new research for those novice historians who want to write about someone who has been stuck in the shadow for centuries. If you would like to read short stories about royal women who have stayed in the background for a long time, I highly recommend you read “Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I” by Erin Lawless.
monarchgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.75
The main thing that I got from this book is that women in the early middle ages to the Georgian period which this book covers really didn't have it easy at all as often they were treated with derision and suspicion and at the very worst in an abusive manner without little cause. A lot of these women were punished due to who they fell in love with and where they fell in the succession of the various royal dynasties.
lifeandtea's review against another edition
4.0
Review: https://lifeandteablog.wordpress.com/2019/09/09/book-review-forgotten-royal-women-the-king-and-i-by-erin-lawless/
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed Erin Lawless’s Forgotten Royal Women, a collection of about thirty short biographies of (relatively) obscure royal women connected to the British Isles through marriage or birth. The biographies are short – sometimes only two pages long – and not particularly detailed, but it is intended to introduce readers to these women rather than be a definitive biography of them.
To that end, I would have loved a little “further reading” section at the end of each biography or of the book so that people who want to find out more about these women can easily locate more information. To her credit, Lawless ends the book suggesting the reader to get in contact with her for book recommendations so maybe that was a limitation imposed by the publisher rather than an authorial choice.
These are informative and – in the case of women I had heard of – relatively reliable and fair. Lawless’s light tone can sometimes obscure a more complicated history but again, that’s also part and parcel of condensing the lives of women into a short, snappy biography.
In whole, I really enjoyed getting a snapshot into the lives and personalities of some lesser known historical women.
To that end, I would have loved a little “further reading” section at the end of each biography or of the book so that people who want to find out more about these women can easily locate more information. To her credit, Lawless ends the book suggesting the reader to get in contact with her for book recommendations so maybe that was a limitation imposed by the publisher rather than an authorial choice.
These are informative and – in the case of women I had heard of – relatively reliable and fair. Lawless’s light tone can sometimes obscure a more complicated history but again, that’s also part and parcel of condensing the lives of women into a short, snappy biography.
In whole, I really enjoyed getting a snapshot into the lives and personalities of some lesser known historical women.
kristin's review
3.0
I would like to thank Pen and Sword for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Interesting, but would have preferred more information on less women. This also should have been far more diverse than it is, there are plenty of books like this focusing solely on white women. The tone of the book is also a little chatty.
Interesting, but would have preferred more information on less women. This also should have been far more diverse than it is, there are plenty of books like this focusing solely on white women. The tone of the book is also a little chatty.
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