Customer Reviews

Unsuitable for Ladies: An Anthology of Women Travellers

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Jane Robinson is a genius - although many readers of this anthology might not realise it at first. She is clearly someone who loves her work, and her collection of travel books by women writers - she has, in "Unsuitable for Ladies" cut through much of the long travelogue and found pertinent, thought provoking and often laugh out loud quotes. And they are so interesting....and so relevant....and and...so darn interesting!

So many of the books she uses are either no longer in publication, or difficult to get - or ones you just would plain never have heard of.

If you are planning a big overseas trip somewhere - or know someone who is - give them this book as a present. Especially for women - it is just wonderful - putting in perspective 600 years of women's journey's around the world.

I'd also highly recommend her wonderful book "Wayward Women" which is a sort of mix between anthology of women's travelling books and potted bios of each traveller.

In this spunky companion volume to Wayward Women (her book about women travel writers through history), Robinson collects the global travels of women like Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Karen Blixen, Freya Stark and Jan Morris. Grouped by geography with numerous entries for each place which serve as a conversation between the region, the time and the characters themselves, the chapters are bookended by thoughtful selections in "Setting Out" and "Coming Home", indicating that the act of travel is and has always been a transformative force in women's lives. Sometimes reputation risking and life threatening, but often culturally redeeming and personally empowering, travel must be intellectually prepared for, and assimilated.

What a wonderful find! The real-life adventures of women travelers spanning the past 300 years. Brave, joyful women who carried the same adventurous spirits in their souls as I do when I travel (real or armchair). Soul-mates found across the generations! I have always enjoyed reading letters and diaries of women but this is an extra special collection. I look forward to reading Jane Robinson's next work.

I bought this book years ago and was incredibly inpsired by it. At the time I was determined to do my dissertation on Victorian women travelers - I couldn't think of anything more fascinating (imagine the research this would have entailed!) I ended up doing my dissertaion on George Eliot, but after many years I'm back dipping into this wonderful book. As a writer, a Victorianist, and and armchair traveler, it's a great book for fueling my dreams.