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Bluestockings
Bluestockings
Oct 7, 2024 12:23 AM

Author:Jane Robinson

Bluestockings

The incredible story of the fight for female education in Britain

In 1869, when five women enrolled at university for the first time in British history, the average female brain was thought to be 150 grams lighter than a man's. When the Cambridge Senate held a vote on whether women students should be allowed official membership of the university, there was a full-scale riot. Despite the prejudice and the terrible sacrifices they faced, women from all backgrounds persevered and paved the way for the generations who have followed them since.

Bluestockings tells an inspiring story - of defiance and determination, of colourful eccentricity and at times heartbreaking loneliness, as well as of passionate friendships, midnight cocoa-parties and glorious self-discovery.

'Social history of the best kind' Sunday Times

'Modern girls need reminding of the long battle, and Jane Robinson's fine book does just that, charting the lives and struggles of campaigners' Mail on Sunday

Reviews

Social history of the best kind -- Sunday Times

—— Sunday Times

Modern girls need reminding of the long battle, and Jane Robinson's fine book does just that, charting the lives and struggles of campaigners ... But there is more joy than sorrow -- Mail on Sunday

—— Mail on Sunday

Jane Robinson is excellent on the determination of girls to go to university, sometimes in the face of parental opposition ... There is also riveting material in Bluestockings on the opposition that the women face at college -- Mary Beard, The Times

—— Mary Beard , The Times

Elegantly written and perceptive

—— Sunday Guardian

The strength of Hardy's writing is its honesty and keen observation. She tells it like it is. And sometimes it's heartbreakingly beautiful. At other times, the scene is bleak, but the writing is immediate...A book not just to read slowly, but to live slowly. Well done!

—— Outlookindia.com

In our age of unprecedented consumption and limited resources, our grannies can show us the way to a total lifestyle change

—— Irish Examiner

Illustrated throughout with jaunty, witty government posters... Nicol wants our latter-day green movement to look back and learn a thing or two from forgotten habits of the past'

—— Mary Blanche Ridge , The Tablet

Good old granny! Here's what she could teach today's throw-away society with its gas-guzzlers, bulging wardrobes and waistlines... When it comes to going green, our wartime grannies showed us the way

—— Unite

Get a copy...and find out what your war-time granny can teach you about going green

—— Irish Times

Charming and perceptive romp through the ration books... It is apparent that Nicol, whose words exude practical optimism, would have made a good Land Girl.

—— The Sunday Times

Illustrated throughout with jaunty, witty, government posters... Nicol wants our latter-day green movement to look back and learn a thing or two from forgotten habits of the past

—— The Tablet

Nostalgia drives this collection of Jack's journalism... Jack's backward-looking stance works best when he is exposing the vandalism of the past

—— Guardian

[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience

—— Jonathan Dore , Times Literary Supplement

It is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte

—— The Tablet

Wheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded

—— Big Issue

Is an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing

—— Katherine Hughes , The Mail on Sunday

Wonderful account of her journeys through the region

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

One of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read

—— Christopher Hirst , The Independent

Her writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing

—— Erica Wagner , The Times

A chilling and fascinating work

—— Guardian

Quite wonderful

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

Carries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing

—— James Urquhart , Financial Times

It is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area

—— Sebastian Clare , Irish Times

In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic

—— Jane Knight , The Times
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