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thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
This is a nice overview of the lives and motivations of a selection of women writers from the 18th to early 20th centuries... and not just the ones you'd expect, either. Most readers will probably encounter at least a couple of names they haven't heard before. The reader grasps how incredibly easy it has been throughout history for women's creative works to be ignored, dismissed, or minimized. It's thought-provoking to consider that the catalog presented here is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to women who write.
The book is part text and part graphic story, with each graphic depicting an author at a potential turning point in her life. I felt that the graphic stories would have benefited by some annotations (like those Sydney Padua made use of in The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage). There were multiple places where I could tell something interesting was being referenced in the artwork, but felt blind to its significance because I couldn't stitch together what it meant.
Although I wanted that little bit of extra explanation, I did enjoy the book for the lively way it presented these women, and the emphasis on their reasons for writing. It made them feel very human and real, as opposed to distant, legendary, buttoned up figures.
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this advance review copy.
The book is part text and part graphic story, with each graphic depicting an author at a potential turning point in her life. I felt that the graphic stories would have benefited by some annotations (like those Sydney Padua made use of in The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage). There were multiple places where I could tell something interesting was being referenced in the artwork, but felt blind to its significance because I couldn't stitch together what it meant.
Although I wanted that little bit of extra explanation, I did enjoy the book for the lively way it presented these women, and the emphasis on their reasons for writing. It made them feel very human and real, as opposed to distant, legendary, buttoned up figures.
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this advance review copy.
ajthenerd1123581321's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
atruthuniversallyacknowledged's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
evaromero's review against another edition
3.0
3'5 ⭐ Está chulo, he descubierto curiosidades sobre varias autoras.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
somewhere around 3.5 stars...
Why She Wrote is a collection of short biographies about classic female authors. Each biography includes a page or two of prose followed by a portion in graphic novel format. This was an interesting way to learn about women authors. The book includes authors such as the Bronte sisters, [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg], [a:Frances Hodgson Burnett|2041|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1197934848p2/2041.jpg], and [a:George Eliot|173|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596202587p2/173.jpg]...some of whom wrote some of my all time favorite classic books. There were also chapters on some authors whose works I haven't read yet. Overall, especially given the time frame when these women wrote, we see women who fought against societal norms to pursue their passion for the written word.
I recommend this to fans of classic female authors and biographies.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
Why She Wrote is a collection of short biographies about classic female authors. Each biography includes a page or two of prose followed by a portion in graphic novel format. This was an interesting way to learn about women authors. The book includes authors such as the Bronte sisters, [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg], [a:Frances Hodgson Burnett|2041|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1197934848p2/2041.jpg], and [a:George Eliot|173|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596202587p2/173.jpg]...some of whom wrote some of my all time favorite classic books. There were also chapters on some authors whose works I haven't read yet. Overall, especially given the time frame when these women wrote, we see women who fought against societal norms to pursue their passion for the written word.
I recommend this to fans of classic female authors and biographies.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
ifollowedthatrabbit's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful! Original, inspiring and very informative.
The reasons why those eighteen women started writing are indeed the same. Some of them had more reasons to add, such as earning money to help their families, but the essence is always the same.
There are several details about many of these writers I didn't know, so it's been quite an enjoyable reading.
The comics about each one show determined moments of their lifes in relation to their experiences with writing: declined manuscripts, mysogenist comments and critics about their works and/or personal life, lack of time, among others.
Another experience they all have in common is how hard they had to work to prove they could write important and outstanding stories; they had to struggle daily with a sexist society, where writing, as well as many other things, was for men. If women were to write, they could only do it about religious topics or flowery romance. They weren't believed to be able to write serious and/or clever stories.
Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
The reasons why those eighteen women started writing are indeed the same. Some of them had more reasons to add, such as earning money to help their families, but the essence is always the same.
There are several details about many of these writers I didn't know, so it's been quite an enjoyable reading.
The comics about each one show determined moments of their lifes in relation to their experiences with writing: declined manuscripts, mysogenist comments and critics about their works and/or personal life, lack of time, among others.
Another experience they all have in common is how hard they had to work to prove they could write important and outstanding stories; they had to struggle daily with a sexist society, where writing, as well as many other things, was for men. If women were to write, they could only do it about religious topics or flowery romance. They weren't believed to be able to write serious and/or clever stories.
Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
ros_scallydandler's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Great concept. The execution was slightly less successful for me.
kberry513's review against another edition
4.0
I know it was intentional, especially after listening to the authors guest spot on the Pod and Prejudice podcast, but each comic felt like it stopped abruptly and the end notes for each author didn't pick up and end the story.
Over all though I very much enjoyed it
Over all though I very much enjoyed it