A History of Britain in 21 Women: A Personal Selection Paperback – October 10, 2017

This is an informational book written with the skilled pen of an experienced journalist who had covered the political beat for a long time. The book begins with Boadecea, of whom, facts are murky, including her name, but she is deserves the opening chapter of a long history of how women fought conventional expectations as well as conventions to reach the point where two of the last three chapters are about women Prime Ministers in Britain – Thatcher and Sturgeon. Sandwiched between them is Mary Quant who led a fashion and life-style revolution for women, and whose role remains much under-appreciated. Some might think it strange to glorify a woman who created the ‘mini-skirt’, but the impact of that at the time was one of emancipation from conventional dressing expected of women. You are what you wear. There are loads of lovely quotations. Thatcher, loved and loathed in equal measures was quoted to have said, ‘I am not a woman Prime Minister. I am a Prime Minister’. Barbara Castle declared, ‘I don’t care if they call me chairman, the chairwoman, the chairperson, or the chair, as long as I am in the chair.’ We will have our favourites – mine is Millicent Anderson Fawcett (who, with her sister, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, taught us the difference between Suffragist and Suffragette) – and be dismayed that some others are not included (I would have loved Virginia Woolf to be included), but there is enough to make this a thoroughly enjoyable and heart-warming book.

Rather dry reading. Would've liked more personal details about their private lives, especially the women of ancient times, like Boudicca.

This is an informational book written with the skilled pen of an experienced journalist who had covered the political beat for a long time. The book begins with Boadecea, of whom, facts are murky, including her name, but she is deserves the opening chapter of a long history of how women fought conventional expectations as well as conventions to reach the point where two of the last three chapters are about women Prime Ministers in Britain – Thatcher and Sturgeon. Sandwiched between them is Mary Quant who led a fashion and life-style revolution for women, and whose role remains much under-appreciated. Some might think it strange to glorify a woman who created the ‘mini-skirt’, but the impact of that at the time was one of emancipation from conventional dressing expected of women. You are what you wear. There are loads of lovely quotations. Thatcher, loved and loathed in equal measures was quoted to have said, ‘I am not a woman Prime Minister. I am a Prime Minister’. Barbara Castle declared, ‘I don’t care if they call me chairman, the chairwoman, the chairperson, or the chair, as long as I am in the chair.’ We will have our favourites – mine is Millicent Anderson Fawcett (who, with her sister, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, taught us the difference between Suffragist and Suffragette) – and be dismayed that some others are not included (I would have loved Virginia Woolf to be included), but there is enough to make this a thoroughly enjoyable and heart-warming book.

An interesting book with several women that I did not know. I am encouraged to research my own 'women from history' who made a difference to their environment or the world but have often been ignored.

This is an enlightening book which reminds us how important the struggle for women’s rights was and is still. I thought I knew a lot about some of these women but Jenni Murray has thoroughly researched her subjects and yet delivers them with a light hand. Brilliant.

I liked the fact that this book was easy to read and so informative! I had only, I am ashamed to say, heard of just under half of these women before! I shall certainly reread this in small chunks, as want to remember some of these amazing women and what they achieved. I think I read it too fast, as was so interested in it all.

A good read and a timely reminder to all women that the struggle for equality has been long and hard. Courage and intelligence was shown by all the women in this book. Rightly Jenni finishes with a reminder that things are still far from equal and the fight must go on.