History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein  Author: Gill Paul Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Release Date: 2023 Pages: 383 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Bestselling author Gill Paul reveals the history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry that spanned decades in a world that was changing dramatically for women—perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Marie Benedict, and Beatriz Williams.        They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination…and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.         B...

The Keeper of Hidden Books Author: Madeline Martin Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Hanover Square Press Release Date: 2023 Pages: 407 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London .      All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.       With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting ...

Clytemnestra’s Bind (The House of Atreus #1) Author: Susan C. Wilson  Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy  Publisher: Neem Tree Books Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 288 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: Clytemnestra’s Bind is a bold and brutal first-person retelling that redefines her story, unveiling the untold depths of her soul and the legacy she forged as a mother, wife, and queen.      Queen Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to him. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family Clytemnestra loves.      From one of Greek mythology's most reviled chara...

White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America  Author: Shelley Fraser Mickle Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography  Publisher: Imagine Release Date: 2023 Pages: 256 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The fascinating historical biography of America’s most memorable first daughter, Alice Roosevelt, whose free spirit and status made her the Princess Diana and Jackie O of the early 20th century.       During Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency—from 1901 to 1909, when Mark Twain called him the most popular man in America—his daughter Alice Roosevelt mesmerized the world with her antics and beauty.      Alice was known for carrying a gun, a copy of the Constitution, and a green snake in her purse. When her father told her she couldn’t smoke under his roof, she climbed to the top of the White House and smoked on the roof. She became the most famous w...

Death of a Lady (Jane Austen Investigations #1) Author: Laura Martin Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Sapere Books Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 290 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: Can Jane use her observational skills to solve a horrific murder…? 1795, Hampshire, England Jane Austen and her family are delighted to be attending Lord Westworth’s ball. The event has been at the centre of village gossip after it was announced Westworth was holding a ball to celebrate the return of his brother, who went missing in India many years earlier and had been declared dead. At the ball an old friend, Emma Roscoe, bumps into Jane and tells her she saw something she shouldn’t have. She asks Jane to meet her at ten o’clock in the library to discuss it. Delayed by dancing with the charming Mr Tom Lefroy, Jane is late to meet to her friend. But when she arrives, she finds the body of Emma Roscoe lyi...

A Rome of One’s Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire  Author: Emma Southon Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography  Publisher: Abrams Press Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 415 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: This wildly entertaining new history of Rome uses the lives of 21 women to upend our understanding of the ancient world, from the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum .       This is a history of women who caused outrage, led armies in rebellion, wrote poetry; who lived independently or under the thumb of emperors. Told with humor and verve as well as a deep scholarly background, A Rome of One’s Own highlights women overlooked and misunderstood, and through them offers a fascinating and groundbreaking chronicle of the ancient world.        The history of Rome has long been narrow and one-sided, essentially a history of “the Doing ...

Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation  Author: Alice McVeigh Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press Release Date: 2020 Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can… But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?        Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill – though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend’s husband.        Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma – but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.         My Review: Harriet is a major supporting character in Jane Auste...