Thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 2/28/2025. Overall, this is a pretty solid starting point to learn about ten really interesting, strong, and diverse women from the Georgian period (1714 to about 1837 in England). Quite a few of them, I already knew - Ada Lovelace, Mary Wollenstonecraft, Jane Austen - but it was lovely to find a few new ones such as Sarah Pennington, Mary Fildes, and Elizabeth Fry. The women in this book range all over, from different social classes to different areas of concern. We have aristocrats, middle class, poor working women. We have scientists and mathematicians, writers, social justice leaders, and just plain old originals who wanted to live life on their terms and not those narrow confines of a Georgian world. Wilson offers plenty of research and factual data but she also inserts her own speculations about such things as motivations for these women. Such additions will be a "your miles may vary" sort of thing. Sometimes I found them thought-provoking, sometimes I found them more indicative of Wilson's mind (also thought-provoking, to be honest). That said, I would not have titled this book Georgian Feminists; the title lead me to expect a very different book as very few of the women between these covers meet any kind of strict definition of "feminist." Unless we are going very broad stroke and defining the term as "a woman who does what she believes, pursues what she wants, and brushes off the opinions of those around them." I would have called this something more along the lines of uplifting women or trailblazers, etc. So read the book for some very interesting women and inspiration to read further but don't go into it expecting feminist movements and tracts. (Mary Wollenstonecraft is about the closest you get in here and just as much of her write-up is about her love-life as it is about her famous work, A Vindication of the Rights of Women.)

This is very educational and I like the collection of women RW included in this book. She kept their respective stories concise, digestible, and on point, with enough intrigue to keep the readers engaged. This did not read like a text book at all. Maybe the finished copy will have them, but I wish portraits were included, it's always nice to put a face to these historical figures. She also mentioned a lot of anecdotes and summed up some quotations from letters or articles/pamphlets, it would've been nice if the actual quotes were included so we have the full context/picture of the event. Like the pamphlet Mary Wollstonecraft wrote: A Vindication of the Rights of Men, it would've been fantastic if a portion of the pamphlet was quoted directly and not just a footnote reference to it.

Absolutely brilliant. Rebecca Wilson has done an amazing job of selecting a diverse range of ladies from the Georgian era and giving them full credit for their achievements. Over centuries, the role of women in society is under valued and mis represented, The time to redress the balance is long overdue and books like this help to inform a wider audience if the Rome if women. I knew of most, but found their stories well fleshed and riveting. Lovelace is never credited with her genius. Mary Anning was astonishing in her contribution to the geological world, but was and is trivialised. She was not only female, she was poor. Lister’s life beggars belief. What a spirit! Galavanting across Europe to climb in the Alps dressed in shoes and an overcoat. Misguided, maybe but a visionary and a singular individual. Every one of these ladies has a story to tell. They’re part of the rich fabric of history and it’s right that much of the tapestry is being revisited and refreshed by authors who can redress the balance so well. Rebecca Wilson does a great job of setting the context, with a look at Georgian life. It’s an amazing read and one of interest to anyone who enjoys social history or even people watching. I loved this book

This is a very impressive collection of women from the Georgian time period. The author has a well rounded list. She first described the living conditions of women at the beginning of the book. I'll admit, some of it was hard to read, particularly childbirth. It makes me grateful for modern medicine. From there, she lists important women: some rich, some poor and blends the already famous with the lesser well known.

Sarah Pennington
Mary Wollstonecraft
Dido Elizabeth Belle
Jane Austen
Hester Stanhope
Elizabeth Fry
Mary Fildes
Anne Lister
Mary Anning
Ada Lovelace

It's obvious the author has done extensive research, since there are quite a lot of footnotes. This is great book. I learned a lot about many women I had never heard of, before. I'm also interested in the author's book on Tudor women.
Thank you to Pen & Sword for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Great historical perspective on strong historical females in Uk. Enjoyable read. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Rebecca Wilson, Georgian Feminists Ten 18th Century Women Ahead of their Time, Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword History, February 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

The introduction to Georgian Feminists is an impressive weaving together of the underlying philosophy and social context which impacted the individual lives of the ten women who feature in this book. Rebecca Wilson has adopted an accessible style without neglecting a scholarly approach to ensuring that the women’s stories are seen as the outcome of the ideological foundations impacting the period. Wilson frames the women’s lives and their rebellion in the society that depicted them as inferior, worthy of little respect or economic independence and the chattels on whom men might rely, but unworthy of credit or even acknowledgement. She returns to this approach throughout the book, making it a worthy intellectual endeavour as well as promoting easily absorbed information.

The ten women, some well-known, others about whom little has been recorded are well chosen. Sarah Pennington is followed by more familiar figures such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Fry and Ada Lovelace. Dido Elizabeth Belle, Hester Stanhope, Mary Fildes, Ann Lister, and Mary Anning round out the group so that the themes that might be familiar from other authorities and Wilson’s work on familiar characters can be applied readily to new stories and actors.

Wilson raises new viewpoints about known women, for example, she questions the way in which Austen’s work has usually been considered. Importantly, she brings to her accessible work the understandings found in heavier academic texts where feminist re-readings have raised new ideas about Austen’s approach to women’s position, particularly as it relates to marriage. This approach brings a freshness to stories considered known, making such a valuable contribution to women’s history. At the same time, the introduction of less well-known women’s history rounds out the book.

Demonstrating her independent approach to women’s role throughout history, Wilson begins by acknowledging that some women have always been independent of the social mores that determined their existence. This is a well-considered beginning, accepting as it does, that no century has been without its women of note, and fortunately some of their activity has been recorded. Not enough about particular women, and not about enough women in general, it is true. However, Wilson’s support for recognising that women’s independent thought and activity is not confined to ‘waves’ as some writers suggest provides an important foundation to her work. Some women have always moved beyond the confines of their sex, and Wilson is introducing some, adding more information to others, and, most importantly, producing a book that is readily accessible.

There are notes, an index and a bibliography. Examples from the latter provide an important part of the main text, Wilson often discussing the findings in relation to her own interpretations of events, characters, and behaviour. Again, this points to the work as one which makes an accessible and valuable contribution to recognising individual women’s activities as well as providing a social and scholarly context in which to view them. Overall, this is a very satisfying read indeed.

‘For the most part, the role of a woman remained much as it had done for centuries. Girls were brought up with the sole purpose of finding a husband, ideally one of good standing and with money.’

I adore Rebecca’s work. This was such a fascinating read and my love for Georgian history has just grown so much more after reading this.

Every woman was inspiring to read about.

A must read for anyone who enjoys history and woman’s history.

‘Her strength to leave that marriage and her determination to contact her children made her stand out from the many married mothers in this country. She went to such lengths to make her children feel loved.’

Rebecca has also written Tudor Feminists and her next book is Victorian Feminists which isn’t released until 2026 but I am EXCITED!!!!

Georgian Feminists is a must read for anyone who is an avid history buff. It digs deep into the forgotten lives of Georgian women, their struggles, their hopes, and how they tried to change the world not only for themselves but for their descendants. I couldn't put this down. As a history buff, I found the story enthralling and intriguing.

I like the description of Georgian Feminists by Rebecca Wilson and also the cover looks nice. But I couldn't really get into the book.

As someone who always been for women this book was fantastic read know many women in history been trying change the destiny of women