A History of France in 21 Women

by Katherine Pangonis

Liberté, égalité, sororité!

French women have always had so much more to say than ‘let them eat cake’! Whether kicking the English out of Orléans, marching on Versailles or running messages for the French resistance, their stories of courage, creativity and genius have long defined French history.

Unveiling the lives of twenty-one women who changed the course of French history, Katherine Pangonis spins a new history of France from the fifth century to the present day.

Trace the rise of Eleanor of Aquitaine from teenage bride to the most powerful woman in medieval Europe; follow Berthe Morisot as she infiltrates art’s biggest boy’s club – the Impressionists; and discover how two of the twentieth century’s great fashion icons – Coco Chanel and Josephine Baker – found themselves spying for opposite sides during World War Two. Fresh, funny and unapologetically feminist, A History of France in 21 Women reveals France as never before.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Historical, Womens

368 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2026

Reviews

[Shahin Keusch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a fascinating read. The book traces French history through the lives of 21 women, moving from the 6th century to the present day.

Some figures, like Joan of Arc and Empress Joséphine, are well known, while many others were new to me, which made the book especially engaging.

Two standouts for me were Louise Michel and Coco Chanel—one fought for the working class, and the other collaborated with the Nazis.

In fact, all 21 women portrayed in this book left me wanting to read more about them. Overall, this is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in history

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to look at history through the eyes of the women who played important roles at pivotal points in history. This time, the focus is on women in France. The usual suspects are here including Joan of Arc and Catherine de Medici, as well as leading writers, artists and fashion icons, - Coco Chanel, Colette, Edith Piaf.

I enjoyed this book, but it is really a hopping of point for me to read more about specific periods of history - in my case, the earlier the better. I felt frustrated that, of necessity, each of the lives were so brief and I wanted more detail, before we were leaping on to the next woman. And there were certainly one or two (naming no names) that held less interest for me.

A good introduction to the history of France, but I'm needing to read more - c'est la vie.

[Maurene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 21 women are so varied that it adds to the interest of the whole book. From Joan of Arc to Brigitte Bardot with even more variations in between. I am sure if the book had been published just a little later, the name Gisele Pelicot would have been added to the list.
Although the reason these ladies had been selected were different they all had that certain french something that stood them out from the crowd.
A great read which you can take your time with.

[Marie Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book mixing culture, history, scandal, politics & fashion. I really enjoyed it. The style is lively, and it seems very well researched too. I encountered a lot of women I had never even heard of - and found those chapters to be the most fascinating.

[Gisele Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m in awe of these women. Their stories are fascinating yet, unfortunately, largely unknown to the world — a perfect example of the old saying that history has been written by men. This book is beautifully written, never bogged down by statistics, and tells its stories with remarkable skill.