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Summary
Summary
This book is a series of profiles of women of power from Cleopatra to Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher.
Author Notes
Antonia Fraser is the author of numerous internationally bestselling biographies, including "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" and "Cromwell: Our Chief of Men".
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Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
YA-- Using Britain's Queen Boadicea as a focus, Fraser presents a provocative study of exceptional women leaders whose patriotic and military actions are resounding proof that women have made their mark many times over in fields usually dominated by men. Leadership roles of Warrior Queens Boadicea, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, and Margaret Thatcher--and many others--are examined in the context of the paradoxes and politics of their times. This book brings to life historical fact from a feminist viewpoint. A worthwhile addition to the history shelves.-- Jenni Elliott, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a series of cleverly linked biographies, Fraser here tells the stories of a long line of history's ``warrior queens,'' at the same time exploring and illuminating the myths, paradoxes and ambiguities that attend their status as aggressive female leaders, and the ``mingled awe, horror, and ecstasy'' that they inspire. She begins with the British queen Boadicea, who in A.D. 60 led a massive but doomed rebellion against the Roman occupation (and whose spirit haunts the entire book), and ends with the modern trio: Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher. In between come the likes of Isabella of Spain, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and the beautiful Rani of Jhansi, who, wronged by the British, earned herself a permanent place in Indian legend by the heroic role she played against them in the so-called Mutiny of 1857. Fraser ( Mary Queen of Scots ; Cromwell ) buttresses her book with sound scholarship, while her insights and enthusiasm make it beguiling. Illustrated. 60,000 first printing; BOMC and QPBC alternates. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
In her 1984 best seller, The Weaker Vessel, Fraser contrasted the low status of women in 17th-century England with their actual strengths and achievements; here, she's not quite as dramatic, but still intriguing as she ranges throughout world history for examples of women who ruled nations and armies. Fraser's 12th book gets off to a somewhat slow and cautious start with groundwork material about mythic traditions, war goddesses, Amazons, matriarchal societies, and the semilegendary figure of Boadicea, the British queen who led armed resistance against the occupying Romans in A.D. 60. Pace and interest quicken with accounts of better-documented female rulers, including Elizabeth I, Isabella, Catherine the Great, and Golda Melt, and women leaders who actually took part in battle--among them, Queen Jinga of Angola and the Rani of Jhansi. Some of Fraser's points: Warrior Queens create identifications with mythic female figures in order to gain legitimacy; their sex can be advantage or impediment, but never irrelevant; they win greater loyalty from their troops than male rulers can; the extremely potent (though antifeminist) role of ""honorary man"" may play best when (as in the Thatcher government) no other women are admitted to the precincts of power. Lively, readable history with new insights into some familiar figures and provocative introductions to national heroines little known in the West. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
In her justly acclaimed biographies of Oliver Cromwell and Mary, Queen of Scots, Fraser established her rare ability to breathe exciting life into historical figures. In this work she covers 17 women, from Queen Boadicea to Margaret Thatcher, who have ruled, specifically in time of war. Her character vignettes are sharp and incisive, and along the way she offers some intriguing thoughts on how societies through time have reacted to females cast in a role of military leadership. The final chapter, which is an overview of what might be termed the psychology of ``warrior queens,'' ought to be required reading for every student of history. Highly recommended. BOMC and Quality Paperback Book Club alternates.-- James A. Casada, Winthrop Coll., Rock Hill, S.C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.