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Women of the Renaissance
Women of the Renaissance brings to life the daily work and notable achievements of early modern women in their roles as wives and mothers, caregivers, workers, religious leaders, queens, rebels, pirates, scholars, writers and artists.
- GenresHistory
128 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 13, 2015
Even though women often played a subservient role in history; there were those who held prominent positions worth noting. The “Women in History” series studies the women who partook in some of the greatest events from the past. Ruth Dean and Melissa Thompson explore electrifying women in, “Women of the Renaissance”.
“Women of the Renaissance” is a light, glossy-paged, colorful book apparently designed for YA readers. Yet, the pages are notable as the previous work by the authors, “Women of the Middle Ages”, is in black and white; creating a striking contrast between the two. Furthermore, even though the structure does seem somewhat like a high school text book; the prose and language will actually satisfy adult readers.
Dean and Thompson divide “Women of the Renaissance” into chapters based on subject per various roles women played during the Renaissance. Each chapter depicts the overall way of life of women within the topic/subject while also highlighting specific famous (and-not-so-famous-but-should-be) women. On a positive note, this offers the reveal of women that even those familiar with the Renaissance may not be aware of and thus encouraging further research.
On the negative end, Dean and Thompson are not very adept or smooth at quoting references and tend to use the same sources repeatedly (this appears to be a trend within books from the authors). Sadly, this truly makes “Women of the Renaissance feel like a YA text which may frustrate adult readers.
It should also be noted that “Women of the Renaissance” includes some historical inaccuracies stated as firm fact so perhaps some of the text should be taken with a grain of salt.
Dean and Thompson are especially skilled at keeping the pace alive and knowing when best to graze a topic and when to dive deeper. Basically, “Women of the Renaissance” is very readable and entertaining.
Unfortunately, “Women of the Renaissance” ends rather abruptly without a memorable summary or note. However, the authors provide lists of sources and book for further reading which is rather encouraging.
Overall, “Women of the Renaissance” is an interesting introduction into the roles of women during the Renaissance. Dean and Thompson bring specific women to the forefront whom aren’t often discussed thus providing new information even to those readers well-versed on the topic. “Women of the Renaissance” is recommended for its YA target audience but also for those interested in women’s history of the Renaissance period.
“Women of the Renaissance” is a light, glossy-paged, colorful book apparently designed for YA readers. Yet, the pages are notable as the previous work by the authors, “Women of the Middle Ages”, is in black and white; creating a striking contrast between the two. Furthermore, even though the structure does seem somewhat like a high school text book; the prose and language will actually satisfy adult readers.
Dean and Thompson divide “Women of the Renaissance” into chapters based on subject per various roles women played during the Renaissance. Each chapter depicts the overall way of life of women within the topic/subject while also highlighting specific famous (and-not-so-famous-but-should-be) women. On a positive note, this offers the reveal of women that even those familiar with the Renaissance may not be aware of and thus encouraging further research.
On the negative end, Dean and Thompson are not very adept or smooth at quoting references and tend to use the same sources repeatedly (this appears to be a trend within books from the authors). Sadly, this truly makes “Women of the Renaissance feel like a YA text which may frustrate adult readers.
It should also be noted that “Women of the Renaissance” includes some historical inaccuracies stated as firm fact so perhaps some of the text should be taken with a grain of salt.
Dean and Thompson are especially skilled at keeping the pace alive and knowing when best to graze a topic and when to dive deeper. Basically, “Women of the Renaissance” is very readable and entertaining.
Unfortunately, “Women of the Renaissance” ends rather abruptly without a memorable summary or note. However, the authors provide lists of sources and book for further reading which is rather encouraging.
Overall, “Women of the Renaissance” is an interesting introduction into the roles of women during the Renaissance. Dean and Thompson bring specific women to the forefront whom aren’t often discussed thus providing new information even to those readers well-versed on the topic. “Women of the Renaissance” is recommended for its YA target audience but also for those interested in women’s history of the Renaissance period.
June 21, 2019
Rich information on Arttemisia Gentileschi, including quotes, with bibliography.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews