Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World

by Kate Mosse

Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries brings together Kate’s rich and detailed knowledge of unheard and under-heard women’s history, and of how and why women’s achievements have routinely been omitted from the history books. This beautiful illustrated book is both an alternative feminist history of the world and a personal memoir about the nature of women’s struggles to be heard, about how history is made and by whom.

Split into ten sections, each covering a different category of women’s achievements in history, Kate Mosse tells the stories of female inventors and scientists, philanthropists and conservationists, authors and campaigners. It is the most accessible narrative non-fiction with a genuinely diverse, truly global perspective featuring names such as Sophie Scholl, Mary Seacole, Cornelia Sorabji, Helen Suzman, Shirley Chisholm, and Violette Szabo. And in deeply personal passages Kate writes about the life of her great-grandmother, Lily Watson, where she turns detective to find out why she has all but disappeared from the record.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Audiobook, Historical, Biography, Politics

420 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), and Citadel (2012), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). Kate’s new novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is out now.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.

Reviews

[Sandy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really interesting book about women in history. It explains how women were rarely credited with their work, often attributed to men and rarely recorded or recognised. It's not a book to be read cover to cover but one for reading in bite-sized chunks, which is usually how I read non-fiction books. The author herself advises that it's a book to dip in and out of. Some of the women I was familiar with, the majority however, were not. Initially, the style of the book's layout were off putting, but once I had gotten over this, it made sense. I really liked how the brilliant research is interwoven with her own family history in the form of her great-grandmother Lily. It's massively informative, documenting the largely undocumented lives of women in history, putting them back into the consciousness and recording women their lives. Very interesting indeed.

[Georgina Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Warrior Queens...' is my new encyclopedia of women to research in more detail. So many women are described, and from a wide range of professions and reasons why we (sort of - just!) still know of them.
It's a great starting point for, firstly, bringing home just how many women's achievements are both unintentionally and purposefully forgotten, and second, for finding women to read up on and find inspiration and reassurance from. Women are not deviations from the 'standard', despite what written history may suggest.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not Kate Mosse's fault that this is not the book I was hoping for. It actually should never have been a book - it should have been a website with links for further information and with provision for adding more. As it is, it is really just a list of women whom the author has discovered in her meticulous and admirable research - the lucky ones get a few paragraphs, many more only a few lines. There are quite a few very famous women as well as lesser-known, but there are some very odd omissions. (Jocelyn Bell Burnell? Ada Salter? Rosa Luxembourg? Emma Goldman? Rigoberta Menchu? Florence Price?)
So it is a list of women, written in quite a tedious style, with a "linkng" theme of the author's great-grand-mother. However, given that the author is a novelist, it is surprising that not even the great-grand-mother comes alive on the pages. Compare this with Janina Ramirez's recent "Femina" and you will see the difference.
But as I said, it's not Kate Mosse's fault that I had the wrong expectations.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries by Kate Mosse was an amazing book but I found it a hard book to get into. I have enjoyed all Kate's other books and a big fan of her's but this book was not for me.

I hate giving Kate 3 stars but it will never put me off reading and purchasing all her other books in the future. As I have all her books in my bookcase and they have all been read and loved.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think the way Kate Mosse structured it, loosely organized by theme, but also connecting her great grandmother's life to each chapter, was a brilliant idea as it juxtaposed the historical with the personal and underscored that all these women mentioned would have had private lives, too. The sheer number of women mentioned, some I knew of, but most I didn't, shows how easy it is to disappear from history when you're not the one writing it. I've been inspired to learn more about them and Kate Mosse deserves a world of gratitude for bringing their names back to light.

[Zoë · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I got a little bored of the endless lists of women who brilliantly pioneered in their field. The first female lawyer in Israel, first female rabbi in Israel, first female queen in Egypt... Brilliant women but it felt like a long unending list.
The story of Mosse's great grandmother was endearing, however.

[Hannah Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both love and hate this book. The historical accounts of specific women throughout history is so important to capture and remember the impact they had. However trying to relate their combined impressiveness to the life of one woman is ridiculous, and I don't think using your position as a published author to get your Nan's life story published is a good move.

[Emma Boylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Kate Mosse writes so well and tells each woman's story intertwined with her family's own history.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

HER STORY
I got this from the library and think it would be a good reference book to own. I skimmed some of it but still learned a lot. KM has managed to cover so many women in history from a wide area interspersed with the story of her grandmother’s fascinating life. As usual with this author it is well written and accessible.

[Vicuña · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed fiction by Kate Moses and was intrigued by this book, her first foray into non fiction. I think it’s a triumph. It’s essentially pen portraits or mini bios of numerous women whose achievements are unrecognised. It’s an eclectic mix and I found it easy to read and absolutely fascinating as I hadn’t heard of most of them. As I’ve got older, I’ve come to understand just how much fact and history is dominated and manipulated by male voices. Babbage is generally considered the brain behind computers, with little recognition for Ada Lovelace’s work and her achievements are rarely acknowledged. We live in a patriarchal society where, despite so called equality, women are subjugated, ignored and dismissed. It’s very refreshing to find a well researched book which is inspirational, informed and challenging. This is on my Christmas list; I’m going to buy a couple of copies to give as gifts and hope that the contents will inspire others in the same way.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

[Beachcomber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sometimes feel Bill Bryson has set an impossibly high bar for non fiction writers. This book had promise, shining a light on pioneering women throughout history - but as others have said, even the most effusive ones get a few paragraphs, some get a few lines (Jane Bloggs (1859-1927) was the first female lawyer in Egypt). That’s it. Sometimes it was just a list of names and their life dates.

Bar one or two who stood out, I can’t say I feel too much more enlightened, it was more a dictionary of names with brief details. Each chapter featured women through history and a bit about the author’s relative, but I didn’t feel Lily ever really became 3D for me.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book, everything I didn’t know I needed, I love reading about strong women, but to read about so many I never heard of before was a pure delight, but also aggravating that it’s 2022 and I’m still only learning about these amazing women. I also really appreciate the title Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries’, because Mosse does cover the differences these great women made as described, some made massive influences in quiet ways and we should be shouting out the impact now. An important and much needed book I am recommending to everyone

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bookishgamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author states this isn’t meant to be read as a novel in the introduction and she is right, it’s more like a springboard for research into the women chronicled in the book.

I learned a lot about women who aren’t mentioned in the history books. Very well researched and written but again not to be read as a novel

[Liisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Mosse’s Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is a beautifully illustrated, deeply researched, and accessible exploration of women’s history—both the well-known and the overlooked. In a world where women’s achievements have been routinely omitted from historical narratives, Mosse shines a spotlight on those who have shaped society in remarkable ways.

The book is structured into ten sections, each focusing on a different category of women’s contributions, from inventors and scientists to authors, campaigners, and philanthropists. With a truly global perspective, the diversity of voices and achievements makes this an invaluable resource for those interested in feminist history and the ongoing struggle for recognition.

What sets Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries apart is its personal touch. Mosse weaves in the story of her great-grandmother, Lily Watson, a woman whose life and accomplishments have largely disappeared from the historical record. This thread of personal discovery adds emotional depth and underscores the broader themes of the book—how history is written, by whom, and who is left out. The juxtaposition of the historical with the personal is particularly powerful, reminding readers that behind every name and achievement lies an individual with a private life, struggles, and ambitions.

Mosse’s writing is engaging and informative, making complex histories accessible without oversimplifying them. The only slight drawback is that, at times, the sheer breadth of women covered means some stories are necessarily brief, leaving the reader wanting more. However, as an introduction to these remarkable figures, it is a compelling and inspiring read.

Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is an insightful and beautifully curated tribute to women’s achievements throughout history. It is both a valuable historical resource and a deeply personal reflection on the power of storytelling. A must-read for anyone passionate about uncovering the voices that history has too often silenced.

[maven · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone deeply interested in women's history, this book sounded like something that would be exactly my kind of read. Unfortunately, it was deeply disappointing, with very dry writing and dull commentary.

The author tries to merge an overly brief encyclopedic-style book of women's history -- similar to Rosalind Miles' Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World -- with her experiences tracking down information about her great-grandmother, who was also a writer. It probably should have been one or the other, but instead it's a painful and quite sparse mix of the two.

Some of the women only have their name and "dates" mentioned, and the author even speculates on what her great-grandmother might or might not have known of these women, without knowing either way. She also repeatedly talks about how the book came about and her approach to writing about her ancestor, but frankly, I lost all interest and just wanted to get to the historical women. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the copy I checked out from the library hadn't been read at all in the several years they'd had it.

I've not read anything else by Kate Mosse, so I don't know if this is representative of her other writing. I don't really feel compelled to look into her other books after this experience.

[Fozz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant as a huge text to dive into and learn about someone new. Also great perspective on archiving and historiography. I know she says at the beginning that this is a book to dip into rather than just read, but I think even if I was dipping into it, I would find it difficult to navigate. I found the categorisation interesting and is obviously shaped by her life, it made me think how I would categorise a book like this. It wasn’t radical enough for my taste, but all respect to the wider purpose of this.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Incredibly interesting, and I enjoyed some chapters more than others, such as exploring medicine and inventors. I struggled initially as the order women were mentioned seemed all over the place to me - it was explained as to why it was in this order in the foreword but I just couldn't get on with it. That being said, I learned lots of new things and would frequently say "did you know..." to my husband. 

[The_Full_Brontë]

As I said to the Jehovah’s Witnesses who knocked at the door last week, “Oh god, I just can’t today.”

I didn’t know this book would be (more or less) a list with no real detail on any of the women. That’s my bad since I made assumptions, therefore no rating and no bad haiku.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[d · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book that is sadly made less good because it covers way, way too much ground. author should have picked a few women and went in-depth about them. sometimes the names come at you so fast they become meaningless. still interesting though.

[Paula Corker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important encyclopædia of (some) women’s inspirational and valuable yet hidden contribution to our collective history.

[Robynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this book after coming across some inaccuracies that completely undermined the credibility of the rest of the book. At one point the author attributes the fact that haemophilia is rare in women to the ‘fact’ that “it is linked to the X chromosome, which only women carry”. I continued reading because I thought the rest of the content seemed well researched (the author is a historian, not a scientist, so I could look past that) but then later she wrote that Sophie Germain was a German mathematician, which is completely false, she was French. At this point I decided to stop reading because I could no longer trust any of the other descriptions of people that I am not familiar with to be accurate, which defeats the point of reading a book like this. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed the book up until that point.

[Leigh Millar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept but not for casual reading, not the type of book you can pick up and read through. A very valuable project but I’m not sure how you would use this book.

[Amy Bougainvillea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely fascinating and at the same time is kinda hard to processing all of the informations that I got from this book. Just as I discover this fantastic pioneering woman from history. There where certain women that I would have loved to have learned about it. And turns out because of this book I started doing my own research into these interesting characters that capture my attention.

My conclusion for this book is, this book is an amazing resource to dip into and I learned so much from reading this book and found some amazing women that I don't recognize at first now that I know they existed and all of their background.

And also I love how the author mentioned her great-grandmother into this book❤️

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was good! It was awesome to hear about some of the not so well known women in history 💜

[Kath Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot of information in this book but I’m so glad I finished it. So many important women are recognised, the research that must have gone into it is astounding. An inspirational book and a good starting point to find out more about the women in this book that could have been forgotten.

[Jessica Hooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I don't remember all the names, it was interesting to learn about the variety of women participating across the board and that many are important in various fields. It was nice to have them broken up by the story of the grandmother.

[Annette Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

having recently also read Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman, this is a far superior telling of some amazing women from across history and the modern day. I would advise on following the authors advice and not trying to read it as a novel (from cover to cover). I read a couple of chapters a day, moved onto another book for a break then returned for the next installment the following day.

[Gem ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and intersectional dedication to women throughout history who have succeeded in changing the world and yet there remains little, if any, recognition left of their phenomenal paths. From botanists, explorers, warriors and poets to Abolitionists, scientists, physicians, inventors and martyrs, and so many more, the contribution of literally hundreds of women throughout time and across the globe is meticulously researched and recorded by Mosse in this wonderful collection. I particularly enjoyed how her own family history was interwoven within each section, detailing the efforts made to unearth & connect with her great- grandmother who was also an author and revealing tragic secrets and an enduring love story through many letters and remnants of family archives.
This is truly an amazing gift to learn the histories of these women and join the voices of those shouting to have their contributions noted and their memories preserved on an equal footing with their male counterparts and compatriots.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is perhaps the most wide-ranging collection of inspirational women you'll ever find in one book, with over a thousand covered across the pages. I particularly liked the way Mosse structures her selection, linking the women by themes rather than historical eras. This means there is a much wider geographical scope than most similar books, and although many of the women get little more than a paragraph, it's just enough to inspire you to find out more. There were a lot of names I recognised, but many more I hadn't heard before.

Mosse also mixes the standard encyclopedic style entries with biography, telling the story of her great-grandmother, Lily Watson. It adds another dimension to this feminist history, putting her great-grandmother (and my extention, herself) in the context of history as shaped by these revolutionary women.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in history or looking for inspiration from some incredible trailblazing women.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*