A review by serendipitysbooks
Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory

informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

 Normal Women explores the history of ordinary English women from the time of William the Conqueror up to the mid-1990s. It's long and occasionally repetitive but also fascinating and infuriating, justifiably so. I learnt a lot, some of which really should have been covered in my history classes - women have been at the forefront of a large number of revolts and rebellions including the Peasants' Revolt - while other new information fell into the 'fun factoids to casually drop into conversation' category. Who knew there were more penises depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry than there were women? Repeated efforts to retain satisfying and lucrative work as the sole preserve of men, the persistence of violence against women and of attempts to control and police women's bodies, not to mention the way women's contributions and experiences have been ignorned or minimalised by mainstream history are among the infuriating aspects highlighted by this book. I loved Gregory's blunt, sometimes tart and ascerbic tone, and more than one of her asides to the reader left me snort-laughing. This book was meticulously researched and I appreciated that it was highly intersectional with plenty of attention given to the way race, class, gender and sexuality impacted the lives and experiences of women, while the expected topics including marriage, employment, and crime were all comprehensively covered. The length of this book could count against it. I personally think it is best consumed in small chunks. Audio worked well for me as I was able to listen to short sections while cleaning, cooking, and exercising. Had I only had access to print, I would have gone the slow but steady route reading just a section or two each day alongside my main book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings