On the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, when some British women were given the right to vote, we take a look at some of the inspirational women who dedicated their lives to the fight for equality. First up, Michelle Birkby tells the story of suffragette, Lady Constance Lytton. Lady Constance Lytton was […]
Workhouse Orphans by Holly Green
Workhouse Orphans is a fascinating and richly detailed book focusing on the poor of Victorian Liverpool and the world they live in. In mid-Victorian Liverpool, two young children, May Lavender and her brother Gus are orphaned by the death of their mother. They are sent to the Workhouse, a cruel, cold place, where they are […]
Review: The Women who Flew for Hitler by Clare Mulley
Clare Mulley has written a fascinating biography about two fascinating women. You would have thought that two women who grew up in post-World War One Germany with a love for flying and an intense urge to succeed in becoming pilots, would have been allies, even friends. Instead, Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg (nee Schiller) […]
Desert Island Books: Michelle Birkby
I can only take five books to a desert island? Just five? And I presume one of them can’t be an exceptionally large map book, with tidal currents and shipping lanes and a handy pair of semaphore flags? No? Alright then, just five books to while away the hours. Sounds rather fun, actually. Jane Eyre […]