The Granddaughters of Edward III

The Granddaughters of Edward III written by Kathryn Warner and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 232

Edward III may be known for his restoration of English kingly authority after the disastrous

and mysterious fall of his father, Edward II, and eventual demise of his mother, Queen Isabella.

It was Edward III who arguably put England on the map as a military might. This show of

power and strength was not simply through developments in government, success in warfare

or the establishment of the Order of the Garter, which fused ideals of chivalry and national

identity to form camaraderie between king and peerage. The expansion of England as a

formidable European powerhouse was also achieved through the traditional lines of political

marriages, particularly those of the king of England’s own granddaughters.

This is a joint biography of nine of those women who lived between 1355 and 1440, and their dramatic, turbulent lives. One was queen of Portugal and was the mother of the Illustrious Generation; one married into the family of her parents' deadly enemies and became queen of Castile; one became pregnant by the king of England's half-brother while married to someone else, and her third husband was imprisoned for marrying her without permission; one was widowed at about 24 when her husband was summarily beheaded by a mob, and some years later bore an illegitimate daughter to an earl; one saw her marriage annulled so that her husband could marry a Bohemian lady-in-waiting; one was born illegitimate, had sixteen children, and was the grandmother of two kings of England.

I thought The Granddaughters of Edward III by Kathryn Warner was an excellent book in which I learnt quite a bit. The reader gets a look into the lives of four women who are the main people of the book: Philippa, Elizabeth, Mary & Isabella. The author Warner has told their stories very well and we get a good insight into their lives, it would seem that although it was very much a man’s world, these women certainly had a big say in the world too. I have read a number of Warner’s books and she writes so well about royal history and always makes the stories to read and follow. If you are a fan of the medieval period or Edward III, you will most certainly enjoy this book and get quite a bit out of it. My compliments to Warner for another great book.

The Poppy Lady The Story of Madame Anna Guérin and the Remembrance Poppy

The Poppy Lady The Story of Madame Anna Guérin and the Remembrance

Poppy written by Heather Anne Johnson and published by Pen & Sword

Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 288

Madame Anna Guérin is the fascinating personality behind the title ‘The Poppy Lady’.

Her idea of the ‘Inter-Allied Poppy Day’ gave work to women and children in the

devastated areas of France, in addition to offering support for First World War veterans.

Born in 1878, she was an early feminist, becoming financially independent. During the First World War, and the immediate years after the Armistice, many people knew of Madame Guérin’s reputation as a selfless fundraiser for French and American charities. Her speeches inspired many people to make generous donations.

Having had her name lost in the mists of time, this is the first biography of Madame E. Guérin. The book follows her extraordinary story as ‘The Poppy Lady’, a woman born before her time, but confined to anonymity for too long.

If I’m honest, being from an RAF family and in Scouting most of my life, I have attended Remembrance Day parades throughout my life. The one thing about this or the poppy is that I have heard at least about a dozen stories about the origin of the poppy and why we wear it. But I’m prepared to add this story or possible reason to the list, the book follows Madame Anna Guerin a french lady who toured much of America giving talks to people, and talking to important leaders. This was because she could see the devastation of the Great War and how it affected the places and all the people who had to fight in the war. Guerin was very successful in this and gathered many donations of wealth to help the cause. I agree with the claim in the book that modern generations have probably never hear of Madame Guerin, and there is a high chance that this is the original story of the Poppy origins, certainly one I will add to my list. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it very informative and a lot of research has gone into it. For one of the most important days of the year I would happily recommend this book.

Elizabethan Rebellions Conspiracy, Intrigue & Treason

Elizabethan Rebellions Conspiracy, Intrigue & Treason written by Helene

Harrison and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth I had to deal with many rebellions which aimed to undermine her rule and overthrow her. Led in the main by those who wanted religious freedom and to reap the rewards of power, each one was thwarted but left an indelible mark on Queen Elizabeth and her governance of England.

Learning from earlier Tudor rebellions against Elizabeth’s grandfather, father, and siblings, they were dealt with mercilessly by spymaster Francis Walsingham who pushed for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots due to her involvement, and who created one of the first government spy networks in England.

Espionage, spying and hidden ciphers would demonstrate the lengths Mary was willing to go to gain her freedom and how far Elizabeth’s advisors would go to stop her and protect their Virgin Queen. Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots were rival queens on the same island, pushed together due to religious intolerance and political instability, which created the perfect conditions for revolt, where power struggles would continue even after Mary’s death.

The Elizabethan period is most often described as a Golden Age; Elizabeth I had the knowledge and insight to deal with cases of conspiracy, intrigue, and treason, and perpetuate her own myth of Gloriana.

A really excellent book and read, kind of Royal history with all the interesting bits. This book concentrates on the parts that dominated Elizabeth I’s reign, the bits of real interest and intrigue such as the various plots Northern Rising, Ridolfi Plot, Throckmorton Plot, Babbington and Essex Plots. The author Harrison has written the book really well, explaining what went on and explained in a concise and clear way. I know a bit about Elizabeth I and the various things that went on but the author seemed to make everything clear and easy to read. Whilst I knew bits about the Elizabeth I story, these has filled in a lot of the gaps for which I appreciate, and it has made me want to read more on the subject which is always a good thing. An articulate and well-written book, I would think those that are students and people who would like to learn more will get the most out of this excellent read.

Transforming Hitler's Germany

Transforming Hitler’s Germany written by Tim Heath & Annmarie Vickers and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

As the last flames of the Second World War flickered and died, Germany emerged into

an apocalyptic wasteland, where the Hitler Youth generation would be cursed with the

running sore of National Socialism. With the uncaged bear of the Soviet Union flexing

its muscles and the escalating tensions between East and West providing some

distraction from the funeral pyre of the Third Reich, those living in West Germany soon

understood that they were the geological bulkhead, a component in the prevention of

communism spreading throughout the infantile peace of post-Second World War Europe.

Despite all the destruction and political tensions which surrounded them, the young men and women of Germany were keen to experience the world beyond their own precarious borders. In August 1945, Tia Schuster and Lisa Kraus were two fourteen-year-old Berliners, and - like many - they found themselves shoehorned into what was to be the second ‘new era’ of their young lives. The first had brought about only death and destruction, yet this second had a cold unfamiliarity about it.

As the late 1940s gave way to the 1950s and ‘60s, a series of new decadent eras - of rock-n-roll, fashion, flower power and sexual revolution - was on the horizon, which posed a threat to the traditional German way of life championed by the Nazi regime and post-Second World War German government. With this heady mixture of new-found freedom, the youth of Germany unwittingly became a feature of everything that both fascism and communism despised.

This unique work tells the story of the tentative steps taken by young men and women into the ‘afterlife of Nazi Germany’. Encompassing memoirs along the way, it presents a quirky portrayal of charm, humour, mischief and personal accomplishment along with a vitally important slice of (West) Germany’s social history, which has remained hidden from the literary world for decades. 

Transforming Hitler’s Germany is a book that follows the lives of a number of young people but particularly  Tia Schuster, Lisa Kraus and friends. The book follows how they saw life whilst living under the Nazi party, but then life in Germany after WW2 in Berlin. The book through notes and letters, looks at their beliefs about life post-war ranging on a number of subjects such as music, love, relationships, sexuality, education, work, growing up and also social influences that were filtering through from the west. I believe that this is an important book that looks at the social history of young people in Germany, which I know from reading I think, five previous Tim Heath books, and I personally think that the addition of Annmarie Vickers, gives an extra balance and maybe a little more female influence to the book. I always enjoy a Tim Heath book as he often concentrates on the social side or the lives and views of women and children living through WW2 Germany, something we don’t hear much about.

I would like to say finally, that being a Dad to teenage boys 18 & 19, they could learn a lot from this book, as I got a lot out of reading this first-class book. A fine book I would highly recommend to anyone interested in social history or the lives and thoughts of young people. An early contender for one of my top ten books of the year already.

The Son that Elizabeth I Never Had

The Son that Elizabeth I Never Had - The Adventurous Life of Robert Dudley’s

Illegitimate Son written by Julia A. Hickey and published by Pen & Sword Books

- £22 - Hardback - Pages 224

Sir Robert Dudley, the handsome ‘base born’ son of Elizabeth I’s favourite, was born amidst

scandal and intrigue. The story of his birth is one of love, royalty and broken bonds of trust.

He was at Tilbury with the Earl of Leicester in 1587; four years later he was wealthy,

independent and making a mark in Elizabeth’s court; he explored Trinidad, searched for the

fabled gold of El Dorado and backed a voyage taking a letter from the queen to the Emperor

of China. He took part in the Earl of Essex’s raid on Cadiz and was implicated in the earl’s

rebellion in 1601 but what he wanted most was to prove his legitimacy. Refusing to accept

the lot Fate dealt him after the death of the Queen, he abandoned his family, his home and

his country never to return. He carved his own destiny in Tuscany as an engineer, courtier,

shipbuilder and seafarer with the woman he loved at his side. His sea atlas, the first of its

kind, was published in 1646. The Dell’Arcano del Mare took more than twelve years to write

and was the culmination of a lifetime’s work. Robert Dudley, the son Elizabeth never had, is

the story of a scholar, an adventurer and an Elizabethan seadog that deserves to be better

known.

For someone who was considered ‘base born’ or illegitimate, Robin Dudley actually turned out to be a fine young man who had to fight or prove he deserved better than what life had labeled him. He tackled numerous jobs, the type that were of the kind you would expect with connections, as he was an engineer, shipbuilder, explorer to mention a few. Clearly a man that gets little notice or attention, but he turns out to be a rather interesting character. An intriguing book that has been very well written by the author Julia A. Hickey.

Medieval Royal Mistresses

Medieval Royal Mistresses - Mischievous Women who Slept with Kings and Princes

written by Julia A. Hickey and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback -

Pages 224

Marriage for Medieval kings was about politics, power and the provision of legitimate

heirs. Mistresses were about love, lust and possession. It was a world that included

kidnap, poison, murder, violation, public shaming and accusations of witchcraft.

Ambition and quick wits as well as beauty were essential attributes for any royal

mistress. Infamy, assassination and imprisonment awaited some royal mistresses

who tumbled from favour whilst others disappeared into obscurity or respectable

lives as married women and were quickly forgotten.

Meet Nest of Wales, born in turbulent times, whose abduction started a war; Alice Perrers and Jane Shore labelled ‘whores’ and ‘wantons’; Katherine Swynford who turned the medieval world upside down with a royal happy-ever-after and Rosamund Clifford who left history and stepped into legend.

Discover how serial royal womanisers married off their discarded mistresses to bind their allies close. Explore the semi-official roles of some mistresses; the illegitimate children who became kings; secret marriage ceremonies; Edith Forne Sigulfson and Lady Eleanor Talbot who sought atonement through religion as well as the aristocratic women who became the victims of royal lust.

Most of the shameful women who shared the beds of medieval kings were silenced, besmirched or consigned to the footnotes of a patriarchal worldview but they negotiated paths between the private and public spheres of medieval court life - changing history as they went.

An interesting and intriguing read about some of the women involved in Medieval relationships amongst kings and princes throughout Europe. There seems to be a variety of different reasons for these relationships such as love, seeking power and some that were born into a position where a relationship was a likely outcome. It was nice to read about women in this position rather than just the male viewpoint and I really liked that they took a European wide look rather than just sticking British. A lot of research done and well written certainly one for people into Women’s history through the medieval period.

Victorian Murderesses

Victorian Murderesses written by Debbie Blake was published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 222

The Victorian belief that women were the ‘weaker sex’ who were expected to devote

themselves entirely to family life, made it almost inconceivable that they could ever

be capable of committing murder. What drove a woman to murder her husband, lover

or even her own child? Were they tragic, mad or just plain evil?

Using various sources including court records, newspaper accounts and letters, this book explores some of the most notorious murder cases committed by seven women in nineteenth century Britain and America. It delves into each of the women’s lives, the circumstances that led to their crimes, their committal and trial and the various reasons why they resorted to murder: the fear of destitution led Mary Ann Brough to murder her own children; desperation to keep her job drove Sarah Drake to her crime. Money was the motive in the case of Mary Ann Cotton, who is believed to have poisoned as many as twenty-one people. Kate Bender lured her unsuspecting victims to their death in ‘The Slaughter Pen’ before stripping them of their valuables; Kate Webster’s temper got the better of her when she brutally murdered and decapitated her employer; nurse Jane Toppan admitted she derived sexual pleasure from watching her victims die slowly and Lizzie Borden was suspected of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe, so that she could live on the affluent area known as ‘the hill’ in Fall River, Massachusetts.

I love a book full of crime stories and this one looking at women who murder from the Victorian era doesn’t fail to entertain. I don’t know what it is about Victorian era crime, maybe it’s the black and white photos or the fact that people didn’t exactly live in the best places or conditions, but things always come across grim or in an unfortunate way. Victorian Murderesses looks at seven separate case from Lizzie Borden, Mary Ann Cotton to the Boston Borgia. The book tries to look at reasons for the murders such as insanity, pleasure, abuse or just the impossible. The chapters look at these reasons through newspaper accounts, court records, diaries and letters. There are some great stories here and they all fit together in this great book nicely. A good book if you enjoy true crime books involving women who murder.

Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra

Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra written by Barbara Coombes
and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

Thousands of women and children were among those who struggled to leave

Singapore just before capitulation on February 15 1942; their hope was to reach

safety. For many that hope was never realised; countless numbers drowned as

ships were bombed and sunk on their way to ‘safety’. The ‘lucky’ ones who

survived the onslaught of the ships would become guests of the Japanese; many

of these would not live to see the end of the war.

Two very different women fleeing on those last ships and subsequently interned in

camps throughout Sumatra were Margaret Dryburgh, a missionary and teacher, and

Shelagh Brown, a secretary at the Singapore Naval Base. Their paths crossed briefly

prior to the catastrophic events of 1942 and met again in internment. The ‘Captives

Hymn’ composed by Margaret Dryburgh was initially sung by herself along with

Shelagh Brown and friend Dorothy MacLeod on 5 July 1942. It has since been sung

at services throughout internment and continues to be sung at services all over the

world. Music and faith were fundamental to both their lives and Margaret’s creative

talents lifted the spirits of everyone during those dark and difficult days.

In a remarkable partnership, when the women were struggling to find something new

that would lift their flagging spirits, Margaret and fellow internee Norah Chambers

produced a ‘Vocal Orchestra’ using women’s voices in place of instruments. The

first performance stunned the entire camp; they had never heard anything so

beautiful and momentarily made them feel that they were free and floating away

with the music.

This true account, using personal diaries and family documents traces Margaret

Dryburgh and Shelagh Brown’s journey from childhood through to adulthood and

internment. Early life shapes adult life and perhaps contributed to their response to

captivity which showed courage, tenacity, perseverance and surprisingly, given the

appalling conditions, a good deal of humour.

Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra follows the story of two women
from Singapore that had been living there but were trying to flee when the
Japanese invaded in 1942. The story follows Margaret Dryburgh and Shelagh
Brown, two quite different women bought together by harsh circumstances.
We see how the two women try to keep their spirits up during a time of
confinement, we learn how the two women grew up from children and how
they became strong women and what they had to go through from primary
sources and personal accounts. I found this book/story to be quite a moving
one, and if you want to learn what life is like as a prisoner in a camp in a
foreign country, this book is certainly up there with the best of them. It has
certainly been quite a moving book to read.

Factory Girls - The Working Lives of Women & Children

Factory Girls - The Working Lives of Women & Children written by Paul Chrystal

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

Ever since there have been factories, women and children have, more often than not, worked in

those factories. What is perhaps less well known is that women also worked underground in coal

mines and overground scaling the inside of chimneys. Young children were also put to work in

factories and coalmines; they were deployed inside chimneys, often half-starved so that they

could shin up ever-narrower flues.

This book charts the unhappy but aspirational story of women and children at work through the Industrial Revolution to 1914. Without women, there would have been no pre-industrial cottage industries, without women the Industrial Revolution would not have been nearly as industrial and nowhere near as revolutionary.

Many women, and children, were obliged to take up work in the mills and factories – long hours, dangerous, often toxic conditions, monotony, bullying, abuse and miserly pay were the usual hallmarks of a day’s work – before they headed homeward to their other job: keeping home and family together.

This long overdue and much-needed book also covers the social reformers, the role of feminism and activism and the various Factory Acts and trade unionism.

We examine how women and children suffered chronic occupational diseases and disabling industrial injuries – life changing and life-shortening – and often a one-way ticket to the workhouse. The book concludes with a survey of the art, literature and music which formed the soundtrack for the factory girl and the climbing boys.

My word what a fantastic book about the history of women and children in the workplace really from the early civilisation times. Some of the conditions and standards in which both women and children had to work in were just crazy and disgusting, it beggars belief more weren’t killed on a regular basis. Especially children who were often forced into small, cramped and very dangerous positions often to eek out the minoucha of what was possible. I really enjoyed this book and I’ve learnt a lot as the author Paul Chrystal has written a very detailed and comprehensive account. I would say this book is fantastic and a must for anyone who wants to learn more about women or children in the workplace. I’m really looking forward to the second book in this pairing, and hope I get a chance to review it.

Women of the American Revolution

Women of the American Revolution written by Samantha Wilcoxson and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £20 -Hardback - Pages 192

Women of the American Revolution will explore the trials of war and daily life for women in

the United States during the War for Independence. What challenges were caused by the

division within communities as some stayed loyal to the king and others became patriots?

How much choice did women have as their loyalties were assumed to be that of their

husbands or fathers? The lives of women of the American Revolution will be examined

through an intimate look at some significant women of the era. Some names will be familiar,

such as Martha Washington who travelled to winter camps to care for her husband and rally

the troops or Abigail Adams who ran the family’s farms and raised children during John’s

long absences. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton is popular for her role in Hamilton the musical,

but did you know she was also an early activist working tirelessly for multiple social causes?

Decide for yourself if the espionage of Agent 355 or the ride of Sybil Ludington are history or

myth. Not all American women served the side of the revolutionaries. Peggy Shippen

gambled on the loyalist side and paid severe consequences. From early historian Mercy Otis

Warren to Dolley Madison, who defined what it means to be a US First Lady, women of the

American Revolution strived to do more than they had previously thought possible during a

time of hardship and civil war.

At long last, I get a book to review on one of my favourite subjects, American history. This

book Women of the American Revolution looks at the leaders or those that were particularly

strident in a number of causes around the American Revolution. I liked this book due to the

wide variety of women mentioned as it was a broad spectrum both for and against

independence. We read about Martha Washington and Elizabeth Hamilton and also we

should mention Agent 355. I enjoyed the book and found it well written and balanced but

also it helped me learn more about people I hadn’t known about. A good thought out read.

Ethel Gordon Fenwick

Ethel Gordon Fenwick written by Jenny Main and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £22 - Hardback - Pages 200

A great nursing reformer, Ethel Gordon Fenwick was born before the age of the motor

car and died at the start of the jet age. When she began her career, nursing was a vocation,

unregulated with a dangerous variety of standards and inefficiencies. A gifted nurse, Ethel

worked alongside great medical men of the day and, aged 24, she became the youngest

matron of St Bartholomew’s hospital London, where she instigated many improvements.

At that time, anyone could be called a nurse, regardless of ability. Ethel recognised that

for the safety of patients, and of nurses, there must be an accepted standard of training,

with proof of qualification provided by a professional register.

Often contentious, Ethel was a determined woman. She fought for nearly thirty years to achieve a register to ensure nurses were qualified, respected professionals. A suffragist and journalist, she travelled to America where she met like-minded nursing colleagues. As well as helping to create the International Council of Nurses, and the Royal British Nurses Association, she was also instrumental in organising nurses and supplies during the Graeco-Turkish War, and was awarded several medals for this work. Thanks to her long campaign for registration, a year after her death nurses were ready to take their place alongside other professionals when the National Health Service began in 1948.

A lovely little book about a nursing pioneer and forerunner of high stands and hard work. Ethel would see her nursing profession as almost on a par with the doctoral profession, she saw training, standards, nursing care and professionalism as the essential ingredients to lifting the whole nursing to the high standard it needed to be. This book is written with a lot of facts and evidence which shows there has been a lot of research put into the book and it’s very well written. It would be good to see this book get more notice so that the likes of Ethel Gordon Fenwick are not forgotten but given the respect and recognition she deserves.

Elizabeth I’s Final Years

Elizabeth I’s Final Years written by Robert Stedall and published by Pen & Sword Books 

- £25 - Hardback - Pages 328

Elizabeth I's Final Years outlines the interwoven relationships and rivalries between politicians and courtiers surrounding England’s omnipotent queen in the years following the death in 1588 of the Earl of Leicester. Elizabeth now surrounded herself with magnetically attractive younger men with the courtly graces to provide her with what Alison Weir has called ‘an eroticised political relationship’.

With these ‘favourites’ holding sway at court, they saw personal bravery in the tiltyard or on military exploits as their means to political authority. They failed to appreciate that the parsimonious queen would always resist military aggression and resolutely backed her meticulously cautious advisors, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and later his son Robert.

With its access to New World treasure, it was Spain who threatened the fragile balance of power in Continental Europe. With English military intervention becoming inevitable, the Cecils diverted the likes of Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Essex, despite their lack of military experience, away from the limelight at court into colonial and military expeditions, leaving them just short of the resources needed for success. The favourites’ promotions caused friction when seasoned soldiers, like Sir Francis Vere with his unparalleled military record in the Low Countries, were left in subordinate roles.

When Spanish support for rebellion in Ireland threatened English security, Robert Cecil encouraged Elizabeth to send Essex, knowing that high command was beyond his capabilities. Essex retorted by rebelling against Cecil’s government, for which he lost his head.

Both Elizabeth and Cecil realised that only the bookish Lord Mountjoy, another favourite, had the military acumen to resolve the Irish crisis, but his mistress, Essex’s sister, the incomparable Penelope Rich, was mired by involvement in her brother’s conspiracy. Despite this, Cecil gave Mountjoy unstinting support, biding his time to tarnish his name with James I, as he did against Raleigh and his other political foes.

This fine book is written by Robert Stedall and covers the later years of Elizabeth I’s life and in particular the men or her favourites in later life. From Walter Raleigh, to Charles Blount, to Robert Devereux and Sir Francis Vere to name a few. It was nice to read about their influences, strengths and opinions in the various situations that came up in this particular period of history. With events like the Spanish Armada, Ireland and Catholicism and more.

The way these characters were played off against each, with each one trying to get somewhere or wanting specifics. This book is very comprehensive in its details and research and so the author Robert Stedall has written an excellent book which I think compares to others very favourably against other books of a similar subject. I’m sure I read Stedall’s previous book which if I remember rightly was also a fine and detailed book. Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would, whether you were new to the subject or not.

Broadmoor Women

Broadmoor Women: Tales from Britain’s First Criminal Lunatic Asylum written

by Kim Thomas and published by Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 192

Broadmoor, Britain’s first asylum for criminal lunatics, was founded in 1863. In the first years

of its existence, one in five patients was female. Most had been tried for terrible crimes and

sent to Broadmoor after being found not guilty by virtue of insanity. Many had murdered their

own children, while others had killed husbands or other family members.

Drawing on Broadmoor’s rich archive, this book tells the story of seven of those women, ranging from a farmer’s daughter in her 20s who shot dead her own mother to a middle-class housewife who drowned her baby daughter. Their moving stories give a glimpse into what nineteenth-century life was like for ordinary women, often struggling with poverty, domestic abuse and repeated childbearing. For some, Broadmoor, with its regime of plain food, fresh air and garden walks, was a respite from the hardships of their previous life. Others were desperate to return to their families.

All but one of the women whose stories are recounted in this book recovered and were released. Their bout of insanity was temporary. Yet the causes of their condition were poorly understood and the treatment rudimentary. As well as providing an in-depth look at the lives of women in Victorian England, the book offers a fascinating insight into the medical profession’s emerging understanding of the causes and treatment of mental illness.

This is both a fascinating book and a sad one because it is basically a book about women who have fallen on hard times physically, mentally and in terms of income. In most cases are women who are having to live in desperate situations with no or little support from anyone, which is why they have reached this conclusion in that they haven’t been able to cope and so have now committed terrible crimes. The author Kim Thomas has done a great job of writing this book and has shown in her writing sympathy and understanding of the positions of these women.

The book tells the story of eight women all have committed serious crimes against people and children, but when you read the stories they have had no help or support from society, families or partners. If it was in today’s lifetime, these women would surely be seen as being mentally ill and needing help not cast into the hard life of a Broadmoor prison where they still wouldn’t get the help they needed. A really good book in how it was written but like I said at the start a very sad one.

The Pirate Queens - The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read

The Pirate Queens - The lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read written by Rebecca Alexandra

Simon and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 208

Between August and October 1720, two female pirates named Anne Bonny and Mary Read terrorized the Caribbean in and around Jamaica. Despite their short career, they became two of the most notorious pirates during the height of the eighteenth-century Golden Age of Piracy. In a world dominated by men, they became infamous for their bravery, cruelty and unwavering determination to escape the social constraints placed on women during that time. Despite their infamy, mystery shrouds their lives before they became pirates. Their biographies were recorded in Captain Charles Johnson’s 1724 book, A General History of the Pyrates, depicting the two women as illegitimate women raised by men who, against insurmountable odds, crossed paths in Nassau and became pirates together. But how much is fact versus fiction?

This first full-length biography about Anne Bonny and Mary Read explores their intriguing backgrounds while examining the social context of women in their lifetime and their legacy in popular culture that exists to the present day. Using A General History of the Pyrates, early modern legal documents relating to women, their recorded public trial in The Tryal of Jack Rackham and Other Pyrates, newspapers and new, uncovered research, this book unravels the mysteries and legends surrounding their lives.

When pirates come up it always pricks my interest mainly because I live in the area where another pirate is said to have come from, Barti Duu (or in English, Black Bart) and my only problem really with pirates is the lack of knowledge, records or understanding we have about them. But as the author has a highly recommended knowledge and background in pirates and their lives, I found it safe to say that although a 100% knowledge of these two might not be available, the author has a solid background in the subject.

This book looks at the lives and ventures of these two female pirates, and it was a really good read and very informative throughout. I think the author Simon has done a good job based on the information available, it was quite entertaining and I would actually like to learn more about other pirates now too. I would recommend this book, the author has done a great job.