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jazzy_daveJenni Murray "A History Of Britain In 21 Women" (One World)
This is a great idea but executed poorly in my opinion. Jenni Murray takes 21 women who have shaped Britain and who have, in some way, inspired her in her life and gives a short biography of their life, what they achieved and sometimes an explanation of their impact on her life or why she picked them. Some of the people selected are certainly inspiring. It is clearly a personal selection, and that's where I feel it is weakened. The selection includes a range of pioneers in various areas, scientist, doctor, nurse, artist, composer, fashion designer, a couple of rulers, & mathematicians and 4 authors. The balance of the book is 5 politicians and 2 suffragettes/suffragists, which seems to throw the book out of balance. I accept that Jenni is a journalist and has always been a more political animal than other commentators but it did weight the book very heavily in that direction.
Each short chapter is very good on their own, but it is the way the whole works together that I felt didn't work entirely for me. The idea is a sound one though and perhaps one day a female historian will tackle it better.
This is a great idea but executed poorly in my opinion. Jenni Murray takes 21 women who have shaped Britain and who have, in some way, inspired her in her life and gives a short biography of their life, what they achieved and sometimes an explanation of their impact on her life or why she picked them. Some of the people selected are certainly inspiring. It is clearly a personal selection, and that's where I feel it is weakened. The selection includes a range of pioneers in various areas, scientist, doctor, nurse, artist, composer, fashion designer, a couple of rulers, & mathematicians and 4 authors. The balance of the book is 5 politicians and 2 suffragettes/suffragists, which seems to throw the book out of balance. I accept that Jenni is a journalist and has always been a more political animal than other commentators but it did weight the book very heavily in that direction.
Each short chapter is very good on their own, but it is the way the whole works together that I felt didn't work entirely for me. The idea is a sound one though and perhaps one day a female historian will tackle it better.
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