The Warrior Queens

This is an excellent read for the history buff. The fact that queens were actually warriors in Medival Times is very interesting. This author writes in a very readable manner.

Antonia Fraser superbly writes about Boadicea of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth the First of England, Queen Isabella of Spain, the Rani of Jhansi, and the obscure Queen Jinga of Angola. All are delineated with grace and fervour and this book is another welcome addition to the opus of Lady Antonia Fraser. It is very highly recommended. Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

This book, like many by Antonia Fraser, was very entertaining and quite thrilling. There was a British bias but it helped to frame the book and there were many side journeys to other nations to keep this journey fascinating.What was most interesting was how the various women used being women to their advantage as well as how their enemies also used their femaleness against them. Antonia Fraser weaves all these women together but clearly presents their differences. They are all linked by being women but it is shown how that very similarity can be so differently used and percieved by all these various warriors. The inidivduals that come out of this story are unique and interesting. It is these vivid brief portraits that carry this book along. Well done.

Lady Fraser's book is an excellent treatment of her topic. I was concerned that it might be too politically correct, but in fact she has examined the ways in which women have accepted and cemented positions of power. Her analysis treats on a wide historical range and does not limit itself to the familiar figures: Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, etc. Her style is informative but not difficult and pleasant without being overly colloquial. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how women present themselves in order to attain and hold power and to people interested in learning more about some histories they would probably not otherwise come across.