History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Diamond of London Author: Andrea Penrose Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Kensington Books Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 369 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Fans of Shana Abé, Theresa Ann Fowler, and Fiona Davis will be captivated by the unforgettable spirit at the heart of the USA Today bestselling author's dazzling new historical novel based on the real life of Lady Hester Stanhope, a British aristocrat born into an illustrious family of swashbuckling war heroes and brilliant political leaders. Lady Hester was a Regency-era adventuress who lived on her own terms and defied all conventional strictures of what a woman could and couldn’t do during the Regency era.       Even with her privileged life, Lady Hester Stanhope knows that claiming the adventurous life she truly wants will not be easy, thanks to her eccentric father’s stifling grip. With the help of her renowned statesman uncle William Pitt the Youn...

Improbable Women: Five Who Explored the Middle East Author: William Woods Cotterman Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Syracuse University Press Release Date: October 16th, 2013 Pages: 312 Source: NetGalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Zenobia was the third-century Syrian queen who rebelled against Roman rule. Before Emperor Aurelian prevailed against her forces, she had seized almost one-third of the Roman Empire. Today, her legend attracts thousands of visitors to her capital, Palmyra, one of the great ruined cities of the ancient world.  In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, during the time of Ottoman rule, travel to the Middle East was almost impossible for Westerners. That did not stop five daring women from abandoning their conventional lives and venturing into the heart of this inhospitable region. Improbable Women explores the lives of Hester Stanhope, Jane Digby, Isabel Burton, Gertrude Bell, and Freya Stark, narr...