The Shadow of Perseus follows the women of myth: Danae, Perseus's mother, Medusa the Gorgon, and Andromeda, wife of Perseus. Claire Heywood reframes this myth into a historical, realistic context in which a simple baker is the father of Perseus, not Zeus, Medusa is a real woman of a female-led tribe, and Andromeda was not… Continue reading Review: The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society by Eleanor Janega, professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at the London School of Economics, explores the roles of women in medieval society in terms of sexuality, beauty standards, occupations, religion, and much more. Dr. Janega writes in an accessible way, so… Continue reading Review: The Once and Future Sex by Eleanor Janega
I know this is not the type of book I usually review, and if this is not *your cup of tea,* you don't have to read this post! I don't often read memoirs, but the sociological, historical, and psychological aspects of a royal writing a memoir was too interesting to pass up. I know this… Continue reading Review: Spare by Prince Harry
I wanted to start documenting the demographics of the books I read and review, and I intend to do this going forward as well. I already knew I read mostly women writers and strive to read more work by POC, but the below chart illustrates my author demographics for 2022. I also want to note… Continue reading 2022 Year in Review
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman takes place at the close of 18th century in London and follows Pandora Blake, fledgling jewelry designer and daughter of late, renowned antiquities collectors. Twelve years after their death on an archeological site, Dora lives with her uncle, the greedy Hezekiah, who has made her parents' antiquities shop into a farce.… Continue reading Review: Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
Medieval Woman by Ann Baer is not your typical plot-driven narrative, but rather an intimate portrait of ordinary life among farmers and tradesmen in medieval England. The reader follows Marion, wife of Peter the town carpenter and mother of pre-teen Peterkin and infant Alice. From the start, Medieval Woman is vivid and raw in its… Continue reading Review: Medieval Woman by Ann Baer
I first want to mention that I picked this book to read while on vacation in Italy, just to make it more atmospheric. It's possible being in the place where the novel takes place influenced my reading of it. Mistress of Rome follows Thea, a slave of Jewish heritage, Arius, a gladiator from Britannia, and… Continue reading Review: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis takes place right after Return of the Jedi, finding Leia and Han on Endor on the eve of their wedding. At the suggestion of Mon Mothma and the encouragement of Han, Leia decides to pry herself away from her work to go on a honeymoon aboard a… Continue reading Review: The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis
Beheld is an insular, quickly-paced novel of Plymouth Puritans in the 17th century. The story is predominantly told is brief, vignette-type chapters from the points of view of Alice Bradford, the governor's wife, and Eleanor Billington, a non-Puritan resident of Plymouth whose husband gets caught up in a murder scandal. The Puritans and non-Puritans are… Continue reading Review: Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is a novel about William Shakespeare and his family without ever saying the name William Shakespeare. Instead, Maggie O' Farrell weaves a world of natural wonder and splendor, as well as an acknowledgment of the unseen, through the eyes of Agnes (history knows her as Anne Hathaway) and their children Susanna,… Continue reading Review: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
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