This is the third book in the Emmy Lake series, following on from ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ and ‘Yours Cheerfully’. This is a series that is charming, cheerful and funny – even as the realities of World War II continue to have their impact on the characters’ lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book and apologies for the late review.
In this third look at wartime Pimlico, we rejoin Emmy and her colleagues at the offices of Woman’s Friend, a publication packed with helpful tips on cooking, affordable fashion, and the general art of making do and getting by under rationing. One of the most popular sections is Emmy’s advice column, offering an invaluable lifeline to women trapped by their domestic situations, wartime problems or overwhelming worries. When a new owner takes over the publication (the titular Mrs Porter), Emmy and the team have to fight for the things that make their magazine unique and treasured by its readership.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Fayne’. Thanks to Tramp Press and Helen Richardson for my place on the tour and proof copy of the book (published 17th August).
I’m delighted to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for ‘After Agatha: Women Write Crime’ by Sally Cline.
Thanks to Oldcastle Books for inviting me on the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
From the Publisher:
Spanning the 1930s to present day, ‘After Agatha’ charts the explosion in women’s crime writing and examines key developments on both sides of the Atlantic: from the women writers at the helm of the UK Golden Age and their American and Canadian counterparts fighting to be heard, to the 1980s experimental trio, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton, who created the first female PIs, and the more recent emergence of forensic crime writing and domestic noir thrillers such as ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Apple Tree Yard’.
After Agatha examines the diversification of crime writing and highlights landmark women’s novels which featured the marginalised in society as centralised characters. Cline also explores why women readers are drawn to the genre and seek out justice in crime fiction, in a world where violent crimes against women rarely have such resolution.
The book includes interviews with dozens of contemporary authors such as Ann Cleeves, Sophie Hannah, Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs and features the work of hundreds of women crime and mystery writers.
My Review:
I’m a keen reader of crime fiction – and have been since I first discovered the genius of Agatha Christie as a teenager (many moons ago…)
It was with this enthusiasm that I approached ‘After Agatha’, keen to understand the legacy of the great writer herself and the work of those that have followed her.
The book begins with a discussion about why women read crime and the work of Agatha Christie (and other Golden Age writers). It then moves, partially chronologically, partially thematically, through different aspects of women’s crime writing. Each aspect is given a chapter – for example, there are chapters on Private Eyes, Women in Forensic Science and Domestic Noir (among many others).
I think it would be fair to say that Cline has researched her material thoroughly. Each chapter explores a range of writers and books and makes interesting connections between crime authors and the content of their work. There are a few spoilers along the way, so just be aware – especially in regard to early books in older series which Cline assumes everyone has read.
For those who have already explored the genre in some detail, there is lots to like here. It serves as a reminder on old favourites, plus a catalogue of what is out there in each genre sub-section. I really appreciated some pointers in areas that I like – for me, that’s forensic sciences and police procedurals – and skimmed some of the ones where I have less interest.
As a catalogue of what is available, it is useful. It also features interviews with a range of writers which I found really interesting – in hindsight, I think I’d have liked more insight and analysis, less of the listing of different writers in places.
My only real query was why crime fiction by Black and disabled writers (or featuring Black/disabled protagonists) were grouped in one chapter. Although both groups are marginalised, it felt like the issues were different and that there was plenty more to say in some cases – for example, I’ve read some contemporary crime fiction by Black authors which didn’t make the book. I realise this isn’t intended to be exhaustive, but I thought there was more to say.
That said, this is an interesting read. I liked the fact that I ‘met’ new writers and heard from old favourites. I also appreciated the pointers towards writers I haven’t read before – even if my bank balance might not be so keen! I’d especially recommend this to those who enjoy crime fiction and who want to read more widely in the genre.
About the Author:
Sally Cline, author of 14 books, is an award-winning biographer and fiction writer. She is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and former Advisory Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. Her biography on Radclyffe Hall, now a classic, was shortlisted for the LAMBDA prize; ‘Lifting the Taboo: Women, Death and Dying’ won the Arts Council Prize for non-fiction; and her landmark biographies on Zelda Fitzgerald and Dashiell Hammett were bestsellers in the UK and US. She is co- Series Editor for Bloomsbury’s 9 volume Writers and Artists Companions. Formerly lecturing at Cambridge University, she has degrees and masters from Durham and Lancaster Universities and was awarded a D.Litt in International Writing.
I’ve had a life-long fascination with the Greek myths which probably stemmed from the (at the time terrifying) ‘Clash of the Titans’ film that made up a chunk of my 80s childhood – very much like Haynes herself, it turns out!
Nowadays, my job as an English teacher sees me teaching Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The World’s Wife’ so I’ve become a lot more au fait with the details of the women in the ancient texts – especially Medusa, Penelope and Eurydice – which is what brought me to Haynes’ excellent book.
Many thanks to Helen Richardson for inviting me onto the blog tour for ‘The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls’ by Mona Eltahawy.
This non-fiction feminist book creates a manifesto for women’s action and was published yesterday (22nd April) by Tramp Press.
From the Publisher:
‘She is here for your liberation, and that of every woman and girl, from Nunavut to Namibia’
REBECCA SOLNIT, author of MEN EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME
‘Shocking, brave, gloriously unfeminine, and right on time’
GLORIA STEINEM, writerand feminist activist
‘It is as piercingly intelligent as it is uncompromising. Every woman should read this’
MAAZA MENGISTE, Booker Prize shortlisted author of THE SHADOW KING
Feminism should terrify the patriarchy. It should put patriarchy on notice that we demand nothing short of its destruction. We need fewer road maps toward a peace treaty with patriarchy and more manifestos on how to destroy it. The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls is my manifesto’ – Mona Eltahawy
The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls identifies seven ‘sins’ women and girls are socialised to avoid–anger, attention, profanity, ambition, power, violence and lust. With essays on each, Mona Eltahawy creates a stunning manifesto encouraging women worldwide to defy, disobey and disrupt the patriarchy. Drawing on her own life and the work of intersectional activists from around the world, #MeToo and the Arab Spring, Eltahawy’s work defines what it is to be a feminist now.
My Review:
I was intrigued to read this book – the idea of a feminist manifesto was hugely appealing. I was also interested to see that this collection of essays offers a more global view of feminism – I’m very conscious that a lot of the feminist books I read are by white UK or US-based women, whereas Eltahawy is of Egyptian heritage and offers examples and analysis across many countries.
Finally, I liked the sound of Eltahawy’s active approach to the problems faced by women around the world – she advocates action and a rejection of patriarchy rather than women accepting the ‘crumbs’ offered to them by a male-dominated society.
Although I wasn’t aware of Eltahawy’s work before, she definitely proved herself a strong voice worth listening to in this book!
The seven essays in this collection offer insights into seven ‘sins’ that women are raised not to commit – anger, wanting attention, profanity, ambition, the desire for power, violence and lust are seen as ‘unfeminine’ and to be avoided. However, Eltahawy suggests that these things are exactly what women need to reclaim and do in order to dismantle the patriarchy. After all, what is the sense in following patriarchal rules if they keep women down?
Eltahawy is a persuasive and engaging voice throughout the essays. She sometimes takes a shocking stance – such as the war against patriarchy section in which she imagines the unprovoked killing of men – before contextualising it in regards to what women face every day. It’s a surprising and effective tactic and definitely kept me reading.
Although she isn’t actually advocating the random killing of men, she certainly leads by example with regard to taking dramatic action. Part of the book covers Eltahawy’s arrests in both Egypt and the US, plus her reasons for wanting to take a stand – right from her experiences with a Cairo flasher when she was 4 years old and her assault during prayers that inspired her to start #MosqueMeToo for Muslim women with similar experiences.
What I loved about the book was the breadth of focus. Eltahawy seamlessly moves across the globe, selecting examples from places as diverse as Ireland and Iraq, the US and Russia, India and Uganda. What unites the examples is women’s oppression and its place in her call to arms. It is an eye-opening trip around the world and did make me feel angry at what women face simply for being female in a male-dominated system.
This international dimension was particularly interesting as it added to my understanding of intersectional feminism – the sense that not all women have the same experiences as some face the double oppression of being female and Black, for example (in what Moya Bailey refers to as ‘misogynoir’). I also loved the idea that minority groups should stand together as patriarchy undermines us all – not a new idea, but one that I’ve not seen presented as eloquently and fiercely before.
Given Eltahawy’s dual Egyptian and American citizenship, it was fascinating to read about her take on the Trump presidency – this book was written while he was in office. She suggests that women (called ‘patriarchy’s foot soldiers’ by Eltahawy) helped to facilitate the election of Trump and accepted the ‘crumbs’ offered to them to support his power. She posits that women deserve more than being token women who are granted some limited power as a tool of Trump and the patriarchy.
This is a compelling and engaging argument for women defying male control and dismantling the patriarchal structures that limit them. Eltahawy calls for women to stand up and seize power – which cannot be done within the existing societal model. This is a powerful book that calls on female rage – and it certainly hit the spot for me.
About the Author:
Mona Eltahawy is a feminist author and award-winning commentator and public speaker. Her work has been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications around the world. She is frequent commenter on current affairs on the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and other media outlets, where her goal is always to disrupt patriarchy. She is the author of Headscarves and Hymens and recently launchedher newsletter, Feminist Giant. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram:@monaeltahawy
About Tramp Press:
Tramp Press was launched in 2014 to find, nurture and publish exceptional literary talent. Based in Dublin and Glasgow, they publish internationally. Tramp Press authors have won, been shortlisted and nominated for many prizes including the AnPost Irish Book of the Year,the Booker Prize, the Costa, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Guardian First Book Award.
As a life-long bookworm, I’ve made it my mission to read ALL THE BOOKS.
Everything I liked the sound of – added to the TBR. Recommended by someone I trust – added to the TBR. Interesting cover – added to the TBR.
You get the picture – a love of books and an endless TBR.
However, I do (kind of) accept that I cannot read every book.
In fact, my journey into blogging has really made me focus on the elements of books that I really love. I’ve had to really think before I request yet more books – and there are definitely things that tick the boxes for me.
So here we go – an insight into my muddled mind and the TBR that I am desperately trying to tame… I love all these things independently but where they combine is pure magic!
(Disclaimer: I still reserve the right to read randomly and at whim - that's one of the true pleasure of reading!)
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I read a lot of non-fiction which tends to fall into several sub-categories – Victorians, social history, historical biography, women’s history, feminism.
For today’s post, I wanted to talk about some of the best in non-fiction books specifically about women and their lives – from historical perspectives to the modern day. These are the my top 5 picks from an awful lot of books so I hope you find something that catches your eye!
‘How Was It For You?’ by Virginia Nicholson
I love social history and anything with a feminist perspective, but I’ll admit that I knew very little about the 1960s before reading this book.
I think I’d bought into the vague modern notion of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, a time when societal expectations changed after the restrictive 1950s, a time of permissiveness and free love and hippies and Biba. The sixties as revolutionary but in a good way.
Nicholson goes some way to explode this myth about the decade often recalled with a sense of nostalgia by those who experienced it (my dad being a prime example!) She reveals the truth behind the ‘free love’ headline: this was not a great time for women. From illegal abortions to sexism at all levels of society, the 1960s were not always kind to the sisterhood. While seeming to be an age of opportunity and freedom (the pill, the opening of the job market to women, recreational drugs, the possibility of finding your ‘tribe’ of mods/rockers/hippies, and an exciting shift in popular music), the reality was that gender equality was not part of the deal.
Despite this overall message, the book is not pessimistic or depressing. Nicholson cleverly charts the decade chronologically, interspersing an account of the historical events with interviews with a range of women who lived through the 1960s. These range from the mother of a thalidomide baby to a campaigning feminist to a women who experienced teen pregnancy to Patricia Quinn (Magenta in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ and a personal heroine of mine!) These women show that the sixties were an era of contradictions and complexities, of great change, of fun but also huge challenges.
The scope of the book is mind-boggling. It manages to cover personal stories from the interviewees and also the big news events of the day. In a fast paced narrative, we are whisked through huge cultural revolutions and major news stories: Beatlemania, Profumo, Playboy bunny girls, LSD, groupies, Mary Whitehouse, racism, Lady Chatterley, the moon landings, Carnaby Street, feminism…the list goes on.
There is so much packed into the book, yet the flow of the text never seems forced or unnatural; it is an absolutely engrossing read.
I recommend this to anyone interested in social history, feminism or women’s lives. Whether you remember the sixties or not, there is so much to learn from this engaging and thought provoking book.
‘Difficult Women’ by Helen Lewis
Thanks to Jen Theodore for sharing their work on Unsplash.
This is a book that I’ve talked about before on this blog, but it bears repeating. I have told everyone who will listen about this one!
I thought I was pretty good on my history of women’s rights and feminism, but found plenty in this eye-opening, thought-provoking and engaging book that was new to me. In the book, Lewis charts key moments in women’s history through 11 ‘fights’ – key moments in history when the titular ‘Difficult Women’ have stood up and made change happen in society.
These changes range from divorce laws protecting women’s rights to have access to their children and property, the availability of safe and legal abortions, gaining votes for women after World War 1, establishing refuges for victims of domestic violence, achieving equal access to education and the changing roles of the female workforce. Each of these struggles is a separate chapter, with Lewis introducing us to some of the ‘difficult women’ who led the various movements.
What I loved about this book was that the stories told weren’t the usual ones. For every Pankhurst in the chapter on votes for women, there were a whole host of lesser known but still fascinating women who played important roles in achieving the women’s vote in 1918. I felt that I’d learnt about a whole new cast of feminists and so many different perspectives on feminist ideology.
Lewis doesn’t try to convince us that these women were perfect – she tackles head on some of the contradictions of feminism and the internal disagreements, for example not shying away from Marie Stopes interest in eugenics or the suffragettes willingness to do violent and terrible things to achieve their aims.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in women’s history or changing place in society. The book isn’t – and doesn’t claim to be – an exhaustive history of feminism, but it is lively and entertaining, well-researched and engrossing. The topics covered are fascinating and Lewis is a witty, perceptive and clear-sighted guide through some tricky subjects.
‘The Trouble with Women’ by Jacky Fleming
This is a book that seems to be a light read – it’s mainly illustrations – but the weight of the messages is immense!
I have a background in studying feminist literature and admit I was intrigued when I saw this book with it’s woman in a bubble (actually the Domestic Sphere – capitalisation essential – as we soon find out) on the cover and ironic title.
It’s an absolute gem! Lovely illustrations accompany an acerbic narrative of female history; traditional ideas about women aren’t criticised directly, but more shown to be ludicrous through the wording and illustrations (I especially loved the idea that women couldn’t stand up without corsets, alongside illustrated lolling women!) Men are Geniuses (with a capital letter, obviously), while women aren’t suited to anything that might damage their marriage prospects (including, but not limited to, art, science, writing, riding bicycles).
This book is an obvious choice for anyone interested in women’s history and feminism., and is one I’ll be sharing with my daughter when she is old enough.
However, it has much wider appeal than us card-carrying feminists! Indeed, this book should also be read by anyone who thinks that the fight for equality is over; there’s plenty of food for thought here about the messages we are still given about women’s role in history.
‘Moranifesto’ by Caitlin Moran
Regular visitors to the blog may have already spotted my love for Caitlin Moran who – I think – has one of the most original, funny and relatable voices in modern journalism.
She writes regularly for ‘The Times’ and ‘The Sunday Times’ but also has a number of books (both fiction and non-fiction) under her belt. Her new book, ‘More Than A Woman’ has just been released, but I’d like to point you towards ‘Moranifesto’ as being the book that perfectly encapsulates her quirky and humorous take on life.
Although I really don’t agree with her on some things (for example, her Beatles obsession), on the important things we are aligned. She writes engagingly and persuasively, whether it is about feminism, the Paralympics, the need for libraries or the wonderousness of Benedict Cumberbatch!
Although her writing is fundamentally feminist, she covers a massive amount of ground on some extremely wide-ranging topics and is always readable. She is also notoriously ‘over-sharey’ so there’s some hilarious and eye-opening content.
The other thing that’s great about this book is that Moran is a thinker. Although a lot of her musings may seem amusing or dealing with trivialities, she absolutely nails society’s problems (often to do with inequality and injustices) and offers a hopeful way forward – her ‘Moranifesto’.
I wish they’d put her in charge now!
‘Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners‘ by Therese ONeill
Those who know me know that I love funny books and anything about Victorians. This is both and yet gives an engaging social history on how women lived in the Victorian era.
I do tend towards a romantic view of the Victorian era whilst also knowing that this is ridiculous – the statistics on child mortality, life expectancy and poverty should dispel that myth. However, I was keen to know about the reality of being a Victorian woman which is why I picked up this book.
The key thing to note is that this is about being a Victorian lady – a very small percentage of the population, as most women did not have the disposable income or time to meet the exacting standards of the etiquette guides (that ONeill uses as the basis for her fascinating book).
The book includes some really interesting social history on women’s clothing, bathing options, treatments for ‘hysteria’ (a condition only experienced by white, upper class women!) and contraception, among other things.
It is also really very funny and so makes my list easily!
Here are some others from my (to be honest – terrifyingly huge) TBR…
‘The Five’ by Hallie Rubenhold
‘Rise Up, Women!’ by Diane Atkinson
‘Bloody Brilliant Women’ by Cathy Newman
‘She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen: British Women in India 1600-1900’ by Katie Hickman
‘Square Haunting: Five Women, Freedom and London Between the Wars’ by Francesca Wade
‘Outsiders: Five Women Writers Who Changed the World’ by Lyndall Gordon
‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans
Header photo with thanks to Gabrielle Rocha Rios for sharing their work on Unsplash.
