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alexture's review
I thought this would be about geography and politics. The whole Sacred Feminity vibe doesn't appeal to me at all.
rebeccagrnwd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
4.0
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
The Britannias is an exploration of some of the lesser islands off the coast of mainland Britain. Of the fourteen covered some were familiar - Iona, Man, Orkney- while others I’d not heard of - Thanet, Scilly. She explores the history of each place, including the influence it had on the mainland. The book is ordered chronologically which helps it functions as a sort history of Britain as a whole, from the Neolithic age, through the Romans, Christian monks and the Civil War to World War II, tax havens and Brexit. Albinia is especially interested in mythology and in the roles women played, the influence they wielded in each island society. She visited many islands and her personal accounts really captured each island’s unique environments and inhabitants. There is also a stand of memoir woven in as her personal life inevitably influences and is influenced by her time on each island. Slightly idiosyncratic at times but fascinating.