The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold My rating: 5 of 5 stars As always, it is best to point out that what follows will not be an academic review. Although the late nineteenth century is an area of academic interest for me, it is notContinue reading “Thoughts on The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”
Author Archives: Deborah Siddoway
A Woman of Passion: The Life of E Nesbit by Julia Briggs
So before I read this book what did I know about Edith Nesbit? I knew that she wrote a series of popular children’s books, I knew (thanks to my sister who lives near where Nesbit once did) where she was from and where she drew her inspiration. I also knew (thanks to that same sister)Continue reading “A Woman of Passion: The Life of E Nesbit by Julia Briggs”
A review of Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page
Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page My rating: 5 of 5 stars An expansive, yet shatteringly intimate portrait of a long-term marriage, Dear Evelyn is one of those books that got under my skin. It is a masterpiece of characterisation, with both Evelyn and Harry portrayed with almost careless skill, both characters growing and developing asContinue reading “A review of Dear Evelyn by Kathy Page”
Multiple Pictures of Single Women
This morning I scrolled through Twitter as I drank my tea, despairing over Putin’s war games, and the bravery of the men and women of Ukraine as they stand against it, but as I looked for something lighter this Tweet caught my eye: And I began to contemplate the paintings that adorn the walls ofContinue reading “Multiple Pictures of Single Women”
Catherine Cookson’s Plainer Still
Plainer Still: A New Personal Anthology by Catherine Cookson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an interesting addition to the vast body of work produced by a prolific writer, but very different to her usual story-telling novelistic form. Comprised of a series of poems, essays, recollections, and snapshots of her life, the bookContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s Plainer Still”
Review of The Unmapped Country by Ann Quin
The Unmapped Country: Stories and Fragments by Ann Quin My rating: 4 of 5 stars As ever, I find it difficult to review a book of short stories, because each story is unique, different, and says something distinct. They are each their own entity, yet grouped together, to make a kind of whole – aContinue reading “Review of The Unmapped Country by Ann Quin”
Review of Feminism for Women by Julie Bindel
Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation by Julie Bindel My rating: 4 of 5 stars What follows is not an academic review, but the review of an ordinary (middle class, middle-aged, white, so therefore boring) woman, fairly new to feminist activism, wanting to explore different feminist view points and learn. And Julie Bindel’sContinue reading “Review of Feminism for Women by Julie Bindel”
Being the Year I Turn 50
Only nine hours or so into the new year and I have already seen two posts on Twitter from people who recently, or are about to turn, 50, bemoaning the fact that they have reached this milestone, seeing the best years of their life behind them. In the face of such negativity, given that IContinue reading “Being the Year I Turn 50”
A Wasted Opportunity: This is How Not to Write A Book About Coming Back Stronger
This Is How We Come Back Stronger: Feminist Writers on Turning Crisis into Change by Feminist Book Society My rating: 2 of 5 stars This will be a long review. But the upshot, is that this book is nothing more than an opportunity wasted. I began trying to curate my thoughts about this book whenContinue reading “A Wasted Opportunity: This is How Not to Write A Book About Coming Back Stronger”
Review of Trans by Helen Joyce
Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is not an academic review. I read this book because the issues are important to me, and I prefer to have an informed, considered, opinion, rather than one incubated on the toxic platform of Twitter. The opinions I express hereContinue reading “Review of Trans by Helen Joyce”
Deborah Siddoway 