Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance
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- Author：Ramie Targoff
- ISBN：B0C7TNJSQH
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Reviews
Miriam Cihodariu
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I got a really enjoyable social history lesson from it， more color for my representation of Elizabethan England， and it also left me with an exciting to-read list :）I highly recommend it。
Sarah
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Wanted to like this but the writing is just incredibly dull。 There's nothing original here either。 These women have been written about before by other scholars。 Targoff is simply regurgitating their biographies。 Wanted to like this but the writing is just incredibly dull。 There's nothing original here either。 These women have been written about before by other scholars。 Targoff is simply regurgitating their biographies。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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This book invites readers to journey from Queen Elizabeth’s lavish coronation to the lives of four remarkable women writers in a time when women lacked legal rights。 While Mary Sidney is relatively well-known， Aemilia Lanyer， the first woman to publish original poetry in the seventeenth century， remains obscure。 Elizabeth Cary’s groundbreaking play and Anne Clifford’s defiant diary showcase their resilience against patriarchy。 Balancing familial duties and artistic pursuits， these women defied s This book invites readers to journey from Queen Elizabeth’s lavish coronation to the lives of four remarkable women writers in a time when women lacked legal rights。 While Mary Sidney is relatively well-known， Aemilia Lanyer， the first woman to publish original poetry in the seventeenth century， remains obscure。 Elizabeth Cary’s groundbreaking play and Anne Clifford’s defiant diary showcase their resilience against patriarchy。 Balancing familial duties and artistic pursuits， these women defied societal norms and carved out literary spaces where none existed before。This book is fascinating， well-researched， and beautifully written。 It lacks a narrative arc， so it feels like a recitation of facts more than a story。 The text is dense， without breaks to allow readers to gather their thoughts。 Context and connections are lacking， which I found disorienting。 For instance， I didn’t really understand why the funeral of Elizabeth I was described in so much detail。 The material is interesting， but I continually had the sense of “Why are you telling me this？” Hopefully the published version will have better transitions than the ARC。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Charlotte reads history
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Ramie Targoff's Shakespeare's Sisters is an important look at the lives and works of four women writing at the same time as Shakespeare in Renaissance England。 Readers may be aware of Mary Sidney who was a poet， but may not have been aware of Elizabeth Carey the playwright， Anne Clifford the diarist or Aemilia Lanyer the poet。 And you wouldn't be remiss if you didn't， as until the 1990s nearly all texts by women Renaissance writers were either unpublished， out of print or their authorship was ob Ramie Targoff's Shakespeare's Sisters is an important look at the lives and works of four women writing at the same time as Shakespeare in Renaissance England。 Readers may be aware of Mary Sidney who was a poet， but may not have been aware of Elizabeth Carey the playwright， Anne Clifford the diarist or Aemilia Lanyer the poet。 And you wouldn't be remiss if you didn't， as until the 1990s nearly all texts by women Renaissance writers were either unpublished， out of print or their authorship was obscured in some way。 So far， so patriarchy。 Targoff's work is fairly chronological， and takes a biographical look at what we know of these women's lives， what they wrote and how they appeared in print to others who knew them or knew of them。 Aemilia Lanyer's story and poetry was especially interesting as she was from the middling classes - connected to the royal courts by way of her musical family。 I also found it fascinating that all four women used their writing to present and centre the experiences of women and even to put forth feminist views in defence of women's rights - I loved a particular passage from Lanyer's Salve Deus:"You came not in the world without our pain， Make that a bar against your cruelty; Your fault being greater ， why should you disdain Our being your equals， free from tyranny？" I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book - it wasn't overtly academic or taxing but was full of hugely important and absorbing information。 It's genuinely exciting to think of what other gems historians and archivists will uncover now there's a field of history dedicated to women and their exploits - as Targoff says， "the more of these voices we can uncover， the richer our own history becomes。 The future of the past is full of women。" The publisher sent me an advanced reader copy of this book for review but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Anne Morgan
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If you're looking for an introduction to the world of Renaissance England through women's eyes and how they worked to make their voices heard through writing- look no further than Shakespeare's Sisters by Ramie Targoff。 She takes the long-held belief that Tudor women didn't read， didn't write， and certainly weren't anything but meek and mild wives and daughters and throws it out the window。 Queen Elizabeth might not have been trying to break the glass ceiling for women， but that doesn't mean oth If you're looking for an introduction to the world of Renaissance England through women's eyes and how they worked to make their voices heard through writing- look no further than Shakespeare's Sisters by Ramie Targoff。 She takes the long-held belief that Tudor women didn't read， didn't write， and certainly weren't anything but meek and mild wives and daughters and throws it out the window。 Queen Elizabeth might not have been trying to break the glass ceiling for women， but that doesn't mean other women weren't looking for ways to express themselves。 Mary Sidney is someone readers might have heard of- at least because her brother was famous。 She took that and ran with it， adding translations and poems of her own to published works of his （some that she only recently got credit for！）。 Aemilia Lanyer was the first woman to publish a book of original poetry in the 17th century， and she did it while worrying about money for her family because she wasn't nobly born！ She made it more shocking by writing a feminist take on the crucifixion- including a poem from the point of view of the wife of Pontius Pilate arguing that if he condemned Christ he is basically erasing Eve's original sin and women are no longer the 'lesser sex'。 Elizabeth Carey was the first woman to publish an original play， a feminist take on the Jewish princess Mariam。 Anne Clifford is probably the first woman diarist who also wrote down her life and her family's history， all while fighting 40 years of legal battles for her inheritance。Each of these women were ahead of their time in so many ways， determined to live life as they wanted to。 This incredibly well-written and well-researched book gives them back their voices and introduces us to women we may not have known before， but will now definitely want to know more about。 The book is designed to tell us more about their lives than to be literary analyses， but at the end we get a great chapter on why their writing is so rarely taught， where we can find their books， and other Renaissance women we might want to read。 I absolutely recommend Shakespeare's Sisters to anyone interested in Tudor England and English literature， or the increasing discoveries of women's lives throughout history， some of which are only recently being brought back into the light。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Library of Dreaming （Bookstagram）
，
In A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN， Virginia Woolf wrote that if Shakespeare had a sister， she wouldn’t have been able to pursue writing。 Instead， she would’ve been trapped by society’s expectations and eventually driven mad。With all due respect to Woolf， Ramie Targoff and her fascinating nonfiction work sheds light on the real women in Renaissance England who DID pursue writing despite the limitations of their patriarchal society。 Tariff brings to light the lives of four Renaissance women （including the fi In A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN， Virginia Woolf wrote that if Shakespeare had a sister， she wouldn’t have been able to pursue writing。 Instead， she would’ve been trapped by society’s expectations and eventually driven mad。With all due respect to Woolf， Ramie Targoff and her fascinating nonfiction work sheds light on the real women in Renaissance England who DID pursue writing despite the limitations of their patriarchal society。 Tariff brings to light the lives of four Renaissance women （including the first woman in England to publish original poetry， the first woman to publish an original play， and even more trailblazers） who have been passed over on the historical record。 They lived and wrote despite （and sometimes because of） harsh patriarchal norms， personal losses， national conflict， and religious discord。 For the most part， their writerly spirits were sustained by personal wealth and class privilege。 It also begs the question… How many other female writers across time have been lost to history due to their gender AND class？I was completely fascinated by SHAKESPEARE’S SISTERS and it’s inspired me to view the Renaissance in an entirely different light。 I had never heard of any of these women before， but their stories deserve attention， space， and study。 （They also have more plot twists than most novels！） Thankfully， this book is around to create a fuller （and deliciously richer） perspective on this era and I HIGHLY recommend it！I’ll leave you with the author’s final words on the subject which have inspired me as both a book lover and an aspiring female historian: “We can hear their words and learn their lessons， and the more of these voices we can uncover， the richer our own history becomes。 The future of the past is full of women。” （*Please note this is from an ARC and the final version is subject to change。） Thank you to the publishers for an early copy！ 。。。more
Nicole Perkins
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I have often commented on the fact that there is not enough representation regarding female writers， and this book illustrates that point。 Author Ramie Targoff introduces readers to four incredibly gifted， unrecognized women （to me， at least; serious scholars may be well acquainted with them。） Mary Sidney， Aemilia Lanyer， Elizabeth Cary， and Anne Clifford were brilliant， talented women living and writing in the shadows of men， glimmering like fireflies amid the darkness of the expectations of th I have often commented on the fact that there is not enough representation regarding female writers， and this book illustrates that point。 Author Ramie Targoff introduces readers to four incredibly gifted， unrecognized women （to me， at least; serious scholars may be well acquainted with them。） Mary Sidney， Aemilia Lanyer， Elizabeth Cary， and Anne Clifford were brilliant， talented women living and writing in the shadows of men， glimmering like fireflies amid the darkness of the expectations of their times。 They were met with recognition when their work was published， and for some years after， but they have been lost to history， and perhaps would have remained so if not for Ramie Targoff。 This is not a book for the casual reader; it is an epic history of some of literature's most accomplished minds， a book meant to be explored and savored。 It is a fantastic book; Targoff keeps her readers engaged as she educates them， and I for one was not bored at all despite the length of the book。 I have already recommended Shakespeare's Sisters to friends， and encourage anyone interested in women's literature， and literature in general， to read this book。 。。。more
Linda
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Women were writing in the renaissance even though history didn’t discover that until recently。 Their work was either overlooked or ascribed to a male contemporary。 The shear amount of research that went into this volume is amazing and enlightening。 The stories of four women in the 1500 and 1600s translating some works and creating original works of poetry， plays， novels， and history is inspiring when considering that women were not normally educated to read and write and limited to what they wer Women were writing in the renaissance even though history didn’t discover that until recently。 Their work was either overlooked or ascribed to a male contemporary。 The shear amount of research that went into this volume is amazing and enlightening。 The stories of four women in the 1500 and 1600s translating some works and creating original works of poetry， plays， novels， and history is inspiring when considering that women were not normally educated to read and write and limited to what they were allowed to do or own or say。 The lineages of the characters and their relationships to each other were confusing since so many families married into each other over the centuries but the information in this book is invaluable。Thanks to NetGalley and Alfred A Knopf Publishing for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more
Robin
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Ramie Targoff ， Shakespeare's Sisters Four Women Who Wrote the Renaissance， Quercus Books， riverrun， March 2024。Thank you， Net Galley， for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review。Ramie Targoff begins with a reference to Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own in which she compares the success men win for their literary efforts in comparison with women of similar talent。 Essential to women’s opportunities she believed were money and independent space。 Also of importance to Targoff’s effo Ramie Targoff ， Shakespeare's Sisters Four Women Who Wrote the Renaissance， Quercus Books， riverrun， March 2024。Thank you， Net Galley， for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review。Ramie Targoff begins with a reference to Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own in which she compares the success men win for their literary efforts in comparison with women of similar talent。 Essential to women’s opportunities she believed were money and independent space。 Also of importance to Targoff’s effort to bring four women writers into the history they deserve， is Woolf’s reiteration of the story of Judith， Shakespear’s imaginary sister。 Judith， it is said， was as brilliant a writer as William， but her sex reduced her to obscurity。 Targoff aims to give the four sisters about whom she writes their deserved place in the history of writing。 Anne Clifford， Mary Sidney， Aemilia Lanyer and Elizabeth Cary are given their literary due in this detailed account of their lives and work。 Targoff’s book is resplendent with detail。 The women’s status， domestic and public lives and writing history and successes， alongside further details of their work， is thoroughly explored 。 So too is the political， social and economic environment in which they worked。 My only quibble about this delightful book is that further detail of the literary context would have， I think， added to even greater understanding of the magnitude of the women’s achievements。 （NB。 the Epilogue incudes relevant sources）。 The material related to women’s role in translating familiar and unfamiliar texts is particularly enlightening。 Beginning with a discussion of Elizabeth 1’s translations – a formidable feat which Targoff sees as one of the ways in which she established her credentials to rule – it is demonstrated that the Queen provided a role model for other women writers。 Mary Sidney’s poems to Elizabeth and her translations and Elizabeth Carey’s feminist restating of earlier differently interpreted works are significant examples， rich in detail， of the work undertaken by the four Renaissance women writers to which Targoff turns her searching eye。 Shakespeare's Sisters is a well written expose of the way in which four indefatigable women writers of Shakespeare’s time worked against the walls erected to maintain them in their obscurity。 They have managed to escape that obscurity through rigorous attention to truth-telling about women’s position in a work which combines academic rigour with a lively and entertaining text which is detailed but accessible。 There is an excellent epilogue in which further reading is listed; each chapter has detailed endnotes; family charts provide valuable information about the women and their families; and colour plates are included in the text。 。。。more
Debbie Malaspina
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Shakespeare’s Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff tells the stories of Mary Sidney， Amelia Lanyer， Anne Clifford and Elizabeth Cary who were writers of poetry and plays。 A nonfiction in depth telling of each lady and her life。 On occasion， the details given were too much and bogged down the stories。 It was good to hear their stories because women authors did not happen in Renaissance England。 Thank you to NetGallery and Knopf for letting me read this book in exchange for an Shakespeare’s Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff tells the stories of Mary Sidney， Amelia Lanyer， Anne Clifford and Elizabeth Cary who were writers of poetry and plays。 A nonfiction in depth telling of each lady and her life。 On occasion， the details given were too much and bogged down the stories。 It was good to hear their stories because women authors did not happen in Renaissance England。 Thank you to NetGallery and Knopf for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Richard
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This work of non-fiction is an absolute gem。 It’s a fascinating premise that is superbly written and researched and holds one’s attention。 Ramie Targoff lifts the veil on Renaissance England from a woman’s perspective， offering an inspiring， indispensable vision of indomitable （if sometimes unfamiliar） characters。 It will undoubtedly appeal to readers beyond the narrow academic clique。 My thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for granting this e-ARC。
Ellen
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It seems as though a gazillion books （give or take a few） have been written about Elizabethan England， but this one intrigued me because it explored a subject new to me， female writers。 Author Ramie Targoff says in her Epilogue that she went all through her studies in English literature， including a PhD， without reading any literature by women written during the time of Shakespeare。 Because of this， her book is important as a work of research as well as very entertaining reading。 Targoff sets th It seems as though a gazillion books （give or take a few） have been written about Elizabethan England， but this one intrigued me because it explored a subject new to me， female writers。 Author Ramie Targoff says in her Epilogue that she went all through her studies in English literature， including a PhD， without reading any literature by women written during the time of Shakespeare。 Because of this， her book is important as a work of research as well as very entertaining reading。 Targoff sets the scene with Queen Elizabeth I， reminding readers of the broad points of her life， but then concentrates the rest of the book by focusing on four extraordinary women: poet Mary Sydney; Aemelia Lanyer， whose book of poetry offers a distinctly （and surprising） feminist viewpoint; Elizabeth Cary， the first published female playwright in England， and Anne Clifford， a diarist whose work helped save her own inheritance and chronicle the lives of her family。 Although most of the narrative is about the work of these writers， there are several quotes from each one to give us a sense of what wonderful artists they were。Targoff's style is very readable， but like most books about English history， the relationships and lineages are often difficult to follow。 I've read several books about this time period， but these women all came from a slightly lower tier of nobility than others I've read。 Some of the women's relationships intersect， others do not。 It didn't help that Targoff chose to alternate chapters between the four women rather than telling the complete story of one and then moving on to the next。 I can understand the choice， but for me， the complete stories would have worked better。Extensive notes and bibliography are included， making this book an excellent choice for college level English classes， but is accessible and entertaining for the lay person as well。Many thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this advance reader copy。 。。。more
Nancy
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Very informative story of women writers who were （ roughly） Shakespeare contemporaries during a time when women were discouraged from writing， much less publishing。 The author explores the backgrounds and writings of 4 specific women and while it sometimes veers off into some quite academic details， mostly a good read for those who are not familiar with this period of women’s literary history
Hannah
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Was it a choice to read this book immediately after taking a semester-long course on an identical topic？ Yeah。 Do I regret it？ No absolutely not， now I know what Aemilia Lanyer's astrologer thought about her。 Shakespeare's Sisters is an incredibly passionate and empathetic biography of four English women authors， Mary Sidney， Aemilia Lanyer， Elizabeth Cary， and Anne Clifford。 Even though all these women overlap chronologically， they could not be more different in their chosen medium， personal li Was it a choice to read this book immediately after taking a semester-long course on an identical topic？ Yeah。 Do I regret it？ No absolutely not， now I know what Aemilia Lanyer's astrologer thought about her。 Shakespeare's Sisters is an incredibly passionate and empathetic biography of four English women authors， Mary Sidney， Aemilia Lanyer， Elizabeth Cary， and Anne Clifford。 Even though all these women overlap chronologically， they could not be more different in their chosen medium， personal lives， or temperaments。 While there are several amazing women authors from the period that Targoff did not touch on， her choices of who to include demonstrate the sheer breadth of content in this field。 We start with Sidney's massive collection of Biblical poetry but ultimately end up with Clifford's relentless and calculating legal campaign， with a quick detour into the absolute insanity that is Elizabeth Cary's one-woman campaign to revive Catholicism。 There is plenty to enjoy in this book even if you aren't looking for very technical literary analysis of their works。I really liked the chronological layout of this book， since it emphasized how interconnected these women were， as well as how much they reflect this period in English history。 It did make it confusing， however， when we don't see Sidney and Lanyer for large periods of time。 Overall， I would recommend to anyone interested in women authors， Renaissance literature， or even those just craving some juicy Early Modern gossip。4。5 stars rounded up。 Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my review！ 。。。more
Biblio Files （takingadayoff）
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Readers are warned that this is not a book of literary criticism about the works of Renaissance writers， rather it is about the lives of four writers that led relatively well-documented lives。 And author Ramie Targoff intends to show us not that these women were exceptional， but to describe their everyday lives， lives that would have been familiar to many women in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain。 Even forewarned， I was a bit disappointed not to learn more about the works of the women （Anne Clif Readers are warned that this is not a book of literary criticism about the works of Renaissance writers， rather it is about the lives of four writers that led relatively well-documented lives。 And author Ramie Targoff intends to show us not that these women were exceptional， but to describe their everyday lives， lives that would have been familiar to many women in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain。 Even forewarned， I was a bit disappointed not to learn more about the works of the women （Anne Clifford， Mary Sidney， Elizabeth Cary， and Aemilia Lanier。 Fortunately， there are plenty of resources cited throughout and in the bibliography。 By looking at four women of roughly the same generation， Targoff shows that women writers were not as rare in Shakespeare's day as we might have assumed， and that their lives can be seen as unexceptional， and therefore it's possible， even likely， that more women might be discovered to have been writers。 （Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy。） 。。。more
Darlene Golbitz
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Courtesy of Knopf Publishers and Netgalley， I received the ARC of Shakespeare's Sisters by Rami Targoff。 This well researched work on women writers in Renaissance England provided a fascinating look into the era of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare。 The four women highlighted were poets， playwrights， and diarists， in addition to being wives and mothers。 This book emphasizes their persistence， fearlessness， intellectual abilities， and religiosity。 They defied the current standards and did not write Courtesy of Knopf Publishers and Netgalley， I received the ARC of Shakespeare's Sisters by Rami Targoff。 This well researched work on women writers in Renaissance England provided a fascinating look into the era of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare。 The four women highlighted were poets， playwrights， and diarists， in addition to being wives and mothers。 This book emphasizes their persistence， fearlessness， intellectual abilities， and religiosity。 They defied the current standards and did not write for glory or acclaim。。。truly feminists！ 。。。more
Darlene Golbitz
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Courtesy of Knopf Publishers and Netgalley， I received the ARC of Shakespeare's Sisters by Rami Targoff。 This well researched work on women writers in Renaissance England provided a fascinating look into the era of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare。 The four women highlighted were poets， playwrights， and diarists， in addition to being wives and mothers。 This book emphasizes their persistence， fearlessness， intellectual abilities， and religiosity。 They defied the current standards and did not write Courtesy of Knopf Publishers and Netgalley， I received the ARC of Shakespeare's Sisters by Rami Targoff。 This well researched work on women writers in Renaissance England provided a fascinating look into the era of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare。 The four women highlighted were poets， playwrights， and diarists， in addition to being wives and mothers。 This book emphasizes their persistence， fearlessness， intellectual abilities， and religiosity。 They defied the current standards and did not write for glory or acclaim。。。truly feminists！ 。。。more
Kendra
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A solid examination of the lives and careers of several women writers who were contemporaneous with Shakespeare。 It would have been nice if these women didn't have to be attached to Shakespeare in any way to get attention， but this is a book for general readers， and I suppose the title has to pander a bit。 Readers to new to Mary Sidney， Elizabeth Cary， Anne Clifford， and Aemilia Lanyer will find a firm foundation in this book。 I will warn about casual fatphobia and the author's tendency to wallo A solid examination of the lives and careers of several women writers who were contemporaneous with Shakespeare。 It would have been nice if these women didn't have to be attached to Shakespeare in any way to get attention， but this is a book for general readers， and I suppose the title has to pander a bit。 Readers to new to Mary Sidney， Elizabeth Cary， Anne Clifford， and Aemilia Lanyer will find a firm foundation in this book。 I will warn about casual fatphobia and the author's tendency to wallow in the more morbid--and， in relation to her topic， bizarrely emphasized--details of death and funeral rites。 。。。more
Alyson Wick
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When I saw this title and synopsis， I immediately wanted to read it。 I am not normally drawn in by nonfiction， but I love historical feminism and reading historical diaries！ This was a captivating， detailed account of the lives of women writers during the Renaissance and the barriers they faced， even when equipped with wealth and privilege。 I knew of Mary Sidney， but had not heard of the other writers discussed in this book。 I found myself deeply inspired by Anne Clifford's dedication to her leg When I saw this title and synopsis， I immediately wanted to read it。 I am not normally drawn in by nonfiction， but I love historical feminism and reading historical diaries！ This was a captivating， detailed account of the lives of women writers during the Renaissance and the barriers they faced， even when equipped with wealth and privilege。 I knew of Mary Sidney， but had not heard of the other writers discussed in this book。 I found myself deeply inspired by Anne Clifford's dedication to her legacy and getting what was rightfully hers， Mary Sidney's beautiful and invoking psalm translations， Aemilia Lanier's feminist-focused Biblical stories and advocacy for female equality， and Elizabeth Cary's female-led plays！ Did you know Aemilia was the fourth ever published woman writer in England？ And that she has been falsely attributed as Shakespeare's lover for hundreds of years？ While dense at times， this is a beautiful read and well-worth your time！ There are so many interesting tidbits on culture and traditions; it's absolutely chocked full！There was no sancitity for women during the Renaissance， even in death and no identity even with status， but still， somehow pen and paper can last lifetimes。Thank you for NetGalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review！This book will be published on March 12， 2024， so keep an eye out！ 。。。more
Alyson Wick
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Review to come！
Leo
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I got this book for a review on netgally。 I was instantly interested to read this non fiction when I saw it。 Women who wrote and published works when a time it wasn't very accessible for women to be writers？ Instantly intruiged。 Very informative about different women and their lives and others。 It sometimes felt a bit heavy with all the info but that's quite common for me and non fiction。 I didn't know about them before so always great to learn something new。 I got this book for a review on netgally。 I was instantly interested to read this non fiction when I saw it。 Women who wrote and published works when a time it wasn't very accessible for women to be writers？ Instantly intruiged。 Very informative about different women and their lives and others。 It sometimes felt a bit heavy with all the info but that's quite common for me and non fiction。 I didn't know about them before so always great to learn something new。 。。。more
Kathyk21
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Shakespeare's Sisters by Ramie Targoff is an eye-opening introduction to Renaissance life throught the eyes of intelligent women who lived then。 Targoff tells us that probably less than 10% of English women were educated。 Each of the women studied learned most of what they knew on their own。 They struggled with capricious laws designed to keep them financially dependent on husbands who were much less intelligent than they were。 Their writing was often credited to the men in their lives。 Most of Shakespeare's Sisters by Ramie Targoff is an eye-opening introduction to Renaissance life throught the eyes of intelligent women who lived then。 Targoff tells us that probably less than 10% of English women were educated。 Each of the women studied learned most of what they knew on their own。 They struggled with capricious laws designed to keep them financially dependent on husbands who were much less intelligent than they were。 Their writing was often credited to the men in their lives。 Most of the women experienced periods of comfortable wealth as well as grinding poverty。 Targoff does an excellent job of introducing readers to probabilities where there is no evidence or record to explain events in the women's lives。 This is a very readable scholarly work that will entertain and appall。 。。。more
Rachel
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Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff is a great nonfiction that highlights a few of the talented female authors in the 17th century England。This is such a wonderful collection of female authors， some more well-known than others， that lived during the Renaissance era in England。It was fascinating to learn more about these talented women， as well as more about British society and history， through their lives and experiences。There are so many authors， especially t Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff is a great nonfiction that highlights a few of the talented female authors in the 17th century England。This is such a wonderful collection of female authors， some more well-known than others， that lived during the Renaissance era in England。It was fascinating to learn more about these talented women， as well as more about British society and history， through their lives and experiences。There are so many authors， especially those of women， that are pushed off to the side and are forgotten。 They deserve a chance in the spotlight， and it is clear from the extensive research， that this author has succeeded in that endeavor。 5/5 starsThank you NG and Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage， and Anchor， Knopf for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon， Instagram， and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/12/24。 。。。more
Caroline
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