REVIEW: A History of the World in 21 Women (Jenni Murray)

Book: A History of the World in 21 Women

Author: Jenni Murray

My rating: 3/5.

Premise: Maire Curie discovered radium and revolutionised medical science. Empress Cixi transformed China. Frida Kahlo turned an unflinching eye in life and death. Anna Politkovskaya dared to speak truth to power, no matter the cost. Their names should be shouted from the rooftops. And that is exactly what this book is here to do.

While I enjoyed reading about the women in this book, it fell a bit flat for me. I was a tad disappointed when I looked at the contents page and realised two-thirds of the women were from the 20th and 21st centuries so wasn't quite as historical as I'd have liked. Maybe it was the style that just didn't click with me. The factual bits I enjoyed but I didn't like the "fluff" in between. Also, there was a bit of glossing over some of the dodgy parts. I liked finding out about women across the world rather than just from the west. So yes, a collection of interesting women but the writing didn't quite hit the spot.