Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood?

by Dee Gordon

This “lively” study of female lawbreakers across centuries and cultures is “chock full of disquieting stories and truly twisted personalities” (Booklist).   Organized A-to-Z under six categories, this book offers insight into the lives and minds of women in different centuries and different countries, with diverse cultures and backgrounds from the poverty-stricken to royalty, who have defied law and order and social taboos. Read about mistresses, murderers, smugglers, pirates, prostitutes, and fanatics with hearts and souls that feature every shade of black (and gray!). From Cleopatra to Ruth Ellis, from Boudicca to Bonnie Parker, from Lady Caroline Lamb to Moll Cutpurse, from Jezebel to Ava Gardner—as well as less familiar names like Victorian brothel-keeper Mary Jeffries, American gambler and horse thief Belle Starr, and La Voisin, the seventeenth-century Queen of all Witches in France—you’ll find a variety of women from the daring and outrageous to the desperate to the downright evil. Wicked? Misunderstood? Naïve? Foolish? Predatory? Manipulative? Or just rebellious? Read their stories and decide.   “[A] rollicking survey of 100 female renegades . . . this compendium of historical trivia is a lot of fun to read.” —Publishers Weekly  Includes photos and illustrations

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Womens, Ebooks, Historical

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2017

Reviews

[Kara Babcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those tough books to rate and review, because anything I say is going to feel too harsh. Bad Girls from History is not a bad book by any means; I think there is a sizable audience out there for whom this could be an interesting and informative read. I’m just not a member of that audience. Dee Gordon’s dive into presenting 100 women who misbehaved is a little too encylopaedic, a little too dry, for me.

This book reminds me of A Strange Wilderness , in which Amir D. Aczel presents mini-biographies of many great mathematicians. I enjoyed that book, for he puts a lot of passion and enthusiasm into discussing math through these people’s lives, but I still struggled with his choice of format. The same goes for Bad Girls from History. It is definitely researched and informative; Gordon has clearly laboured over her choices of women and how to discuss them.

It just lacks that little spark, that hook, to bind everything together for me. But I can easily see that not being a problem for a different reader, so I don’t want to damn this book with faint praise.

Basically: if you want something that you can dip into, maybe read about one or two “Bad Girls” a night for a while, this book will work for you. It might give you ideas for women you could learn more about from dedicated biographies, if one exists. If you’re looking for detailed commentary that links these women’s lives into more coherent threads, or if you’re looking for analysis with a bigger picture, then you won’t find that here. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just not quite what I was hoping for.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 out of 5 stars) This was a wild bunch of women from history, some I was familiar with, but plenty was new to me which kept it interesting too. From infamous murdering courtesans of Europe to American film stars such as Ava Gardner, there are both highborn females and the less high. It was fun to see who they included as being bad girls. There was an interesting mix from different time periods and countries. They had quite a lot of cases for a book that isn't all that lengthy. It seemed to go by quickly for me. It would also work over several evenings reading just a few cases a night before bed if you wanted to make it last too. Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword History, and the author for giving me an eARC for review.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood?
by Dee Gordon
I love history so I thought I would like this book more than I did. It has women who were just a bit promiscuous, to thieves, pirates, and then insane murderers. There were a few famous ones but most I didn't know. Out of the latter group, many of those weren't very interesting. It was researched well enough but it just didn't hold my attention very well.
I gave it a 2 1/2 stars rounding up to 3.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a listing that categorizes by types. And then each woman has a 2 or 3 page entry of her biography as you would find in a wikepedia form. But it is shorter and usually has her outlier characteristics as events occurred within the highlighted detail. But nearly all have birth and death dates and factual birth family and occupation and/or locale information that is researched.

What lost an entire star for me was not the dryness as others state, but that the judgmental quality of the author was quirkier and more flagrant as the book progressed. Not so detectable in the first sections but by the 1/2 way point and the remaining criminal (almost entirely) characters within the 1/2 half of the point- that "overlook" slant become discernible. And that doesn't belong in non-fiction to this tone.

For instance, she states that of course all the "rich people" would not care if blood and murdered children's hair was included in their cosmetic products. She assumes some is all consistently and box labels groups. That kind of comment tweaks nearly each entry at points. It doesn't belong in a book that is set up for non-fiction listings, IMHO. It wasn't just in one section and especially became dominant in the last 2 categories. Over and over that type of judgment comment of assumed "real". Gordon's prejudices reigned as much as the historical characters actions were displayed. Did not anyone edit this material for a consistent whole? Especially within tone and % of correct and historical information to "here's what I think" material. They did note if any portion or end of life was unknown. This could have been done much better within a better balance. The editing was poor.

Knowing the history of a majority of these women within much more period and actual resultant acts' context myself? It made me question how much this author actually understands the historical placements by what she chose to reference for those periods that they lived within. That was a 2 star is some cases for not always "getting" a strong core of the period life. I know my history more than the people who wrote and edited this book. I found incorrect time period assumptions for "all". Especially within the Old West (USA) and in Renaissance ages of Europe.

And yet here are some women that would absolutely not be considered "bad" today. In fact, quite the opposite. So I did think there was considerable value in the viewing of "eyes" here in this book by someone who does OR does not know much of those periods. How, what and where a women may act or choose a profession or a attitude toward dress or any proclivity for abode or work which may be impossible in one era and applauded in another.

And there are a few women too in these sections that I do NOT understand why they would be in the book at all. Reputation does not equate to bad! Heroic, famous, marketed? So definitions of bad or outlier were quite slanted too for characterization, IMHO.

Still, this is an informative window into our own changing lens of 2018. Far more than most others who have read this book in their reviews/ reactions judge as valuable. The author's opinion about groups, religion, and some of the most common practices of the past being as "enlightening" as those lives recorded in my own eyes' reaction, IMHO.

Evil and bad are not the same thing. Notorious is not the same as famous. You understand reader, I know you do! None of these women were misunderstood either, IMHO. Not with their outcomes or their practices OF THEIR ERA. So the title is rather off in definition too.

But I was most surprised at the amount/ numbers of flimflam con women existing in all eras. You can fool most of the people for most of the time, IMHO. Visuals mattered greatly. Still do.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s that well-known quote that we’ll-behaved women rarely make history - but in this book, we meet many who were notorious in their day for transgressing all kinds of boundaries generally imposed on women.

The author covers a wide variety of geographical regions and time periods in her selection of women. They are divided into sections by what it is about them that made them infamous - it was interesting to compare and contrast them this way. Each bio is fairly short, just a couple of pages long, which serves to hit all the highlights. For more information about the women who especially intrigued me though, I’ll have to turn elsewhere.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually quite interesting. There was some women we all know of including Anne and Mary Boleyn, Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de Medici, plus a whole load that I haven't heard of before.
All sorts of women are in this book and you'd be mistaken if you think they're just criminals. They range from courtesans and prostitues to killers to witches and pirates.
Some more information on a few of the women would have been good but as far as their basic stories go, this was very insightful. Some of these women did horrific things though.
If you have even the slightest interest in women of history and what they got up to, this is an interesting read!

Thank you to Pen and Sword Books for the free review copy.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This definitely wasn't as interested in exploring its title question as I was hoping it would be. Also it tripped one of my major skepticism wires in the last chapter: not only did it act like Anne Bonny and Mary Read were basically the same (they really, really weren't; see Joan Druett's chapter on them in She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea for a good breakdown of why), but Gordon also credited Daniel Defoe as an author of A General History of the Pyrates, which has been discredited by most pirate history scholars.

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author: Dee Gordon
Title: Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood?
Series:
Cover Rating:
Gold star

Book Rating:
3 stars



About the Book:
You won't be familiar with every one of the huge array of women featured in these pages, but all, familiar or not, leave unanswered questions behind them. The range is extensive, as was the research, with its insight into the lives and minds of women in different centuries, different countries, with diverse cultures and backgrounds, from the poverty stricken to royalty. Mistresses, murderers, smugglers, pirates, prostitutes and fanatics with hearts and souls that feature every shade of black (and grey!). From Cleopatra to Ruth Ellis, from Boudicca to Bonnie Parker, from Lady Caroline Lamb to Moll Cutpurse, from Jezebel to Ava Gardner.

Less familiar names include Mary Jeffries, the Victorian brothel-keeper, Belle Starr, the American gambler and horse thief, La Voisin, the seventeenth-century Queen of all Witches in France but these are random names, to illustrate the variety of the content in store for all those interested in women who defy law and order, for whatever reason.

The risqué, the adventurous and the outrageous, the downright nasty and the downright desperate all human (female!) life is here. From the lower strata of society to the aristocracy, class is not a common denominator. Wicked? Misunderstood? Nave? Foolish? Predatory? Manipulative? Or just out of their time? Read and decide.



My Thoughts:

Bad Girls From History is interesting less what I expected but still decent to read if you want some basic detail profiles on many notorious women in history. Most of them misunderstood, others given a bad reputation brought onto them by men as usual others who actually are quite bad and enjoyed being so.

I wish there had been more history explored about these characters and more information provided about their lives, who they were what their backgrounds are unfortunately its lacking in depth exploration. Most the information on the women mentioned can easily be found online. Still its nice to get them all in one place and I liked that some of them included images of the women mentioned.



Disclaimer:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

Note:
If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another Christmas present and I have to say that I adore my friends see something titled Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood? and immediately think of me. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Now, this book is more little snippets of historical information than a cohesive text, but it was rather interesting to learn about some of the women in history who are or were known for all the wrong reasons. In most cases, I didn’t think less of the women who were features, especially the courtesans and mistresses. They had the looks and the personality to entrance people and they used it to become powerful, wealthy, and influential. I really don’t see anything wrong with that, but that is probably my modern sensibility. Once we got to the serial killers, however, it was obvious that some women are very wicked indeed, not to mention to the female members of the SS. The only complaint I really have about the book is that some of the authors personal basis slip into her quick review of facts about the women. However, since she spent hours pouring over research, I guess it would only make sense that she would form opinions about these women that I don’t have from the page and a half summary. Still, as everything is presented as historical fact, it was a little jarring when those opinions or basis found their way into the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another one of my forays into the quirky corners of history. Dee Gordon has compiled what seems to me to be a pretty comprehensive list of bad girls. The biographical sketches for each are short but very informative. The book is broken down into sections: Courtesans and Mistresses; Madams, Prostitutes and Adulterers; Serial Killers; “One-Off” Killers; Gangsters, Thieves and Con-Artists; The Rebel Collection. The author has collected stories of women going all the way back to biblical times and up to the 20th century. These bad girls come from all over the world, and all kinds of backgrounds. The author presents the historical facts of these women’s lives and then leaves it up to the reader to decide if they were truly wicked or just misunderstood. I found this book really enjoyable and easy to read.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book.

I read the first chapter of the book and decided that I thought it was in poor taste to have a chapter of mistresses and prostitutes included in this book as "Bad Girls." Just because a woman is a mistress does not make her a bad person. I flipped through and saw women who were also acquitted of murder in this book - again...

I think this would have been better if the idea was these women were perceived as bad, but they really weren't and here is why..

[Stina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kanske en bra inkörsport till tyngre grejor, men det här faller absolut in under kategorin Böcker Som Borde Varit Listor På Wikipedia Istället.

[Bunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I didn't expect this to be as dry as it is. Which is extremely disappointing, because this is the kind of subject matter I liiiiiiiive for.

The one thing I will take away from this very tedious read is that Camilla Parker Bowles's great grandmother was Alice Keppel, infamous mistress of King Edward VII.



MM hmm.

There is an audience for this, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info on Collette, Grace O'Malley and Mae West.

Brief biographies of women in history, both well known and unknown, all well written, not aimed at children, and fully documented in bibliography.

[Pam Ostdahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun history.

[Olga Miret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Alex and the whole team at Pen & Sword for providing me a paperback copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Although totally unplanned, I find myself writing this review on the International Women’s Day 2018. One can’t help but wonder about the title of the book, not so much the wicked or misunderstood part (some definitely seem to fall into one of the two categories, while many share characteristics of both, although that depends on the point of view), but the Bad Girls. In my opinion, it makes perfect sense for the argument of the book, as the expression bad woman has a certain meaning and connotations attached to it (very moralistic and misogynistic), while perhaps bad girl allows for a more playful and varied reading. And it has nothing to do with age (the catalogue of historical figures examined by the author includes a large number of women who died quite young, but there are others who lived to ripe old ages as well). It is, ultimately, a matter of self-definition. But I digress.
This book shares a collection of brief biographies (the vast majority are under a couple of pages long), of women, organised in a number of chapters that group women in several categories (although some overlap and the author has to make a choice as to which group a particular figure belongs to). These chapters are: 1) Courtesans and Mistresses; 2) Madams, Prostitutes, and Adulterers; 3) Serial Killers; 4) ‘One-Off’ Killers; 5) Gangsters, Thieves and Con-Artists; 6) The Rebel Collection – Pirates, Witches, Megalomaniacs, Exhibitionists. The book also contains a brief bibliography (I guess otherwise a second volume would have been necessary just to include all the sources), and there are pictures of the women (portraits, photographs, illustrations), and also documents, newspaper cuttings, letters…
Although I was familiar with quite a few of the women featured (in the case of Mata Hari, for example, I had read a book about her not long ago, although in many others I still discovered things I didn’t know) there were also quite a number that I had heard the names of but didn’t know much about, and others that were completely new to me. I have no doubt that most people reading this book will think about other women they would have added to the collection, but I would say all of the women included deserve to be there. This is not a judgment of character though, as that is not what this book is about. The author’s style is engaging and, despite the briefness of the vignettes, she manages to make these women compelling (and horrifying in some cases), and she is at pains to try and paint as balanced a picture as possible, rather than just present them according to the prevalent morality of their time. Reality and legend are sometimes difficult to tell apart, but the author, tries (and at times acknowledges defeat and provides the most interesting versions of a woman’s story available).
Among the many women in the book, I was particularly intrigued by Jane Digby (1807-1881), a lover of travel and an adventurer who also had a talent for choosing interesting men, Enriqueta Martí (1868-1913), who lived in Barcelona and who, according to recent research might not have been guilty of the horrific crimes she was accused of (I won’t talk about it in detail, but let’s say that, if it was true, she was not called The Vampire of Barcelona for nothing), Princess Caraboo (aka Mary Baker: 1791-1864), who knew how to come up with a good story, or Georgia Tann (1891-1950), that I felt intrigued by when I read that Joan Crawford (who has featured in one of my recent reads) had been one of her clients. But there are many others, and of course, this is a book that will inspire readers to do further research and look into the lives of some of these women (or even write about them).
The women in each chapter are organised in alphabetical order, and that means we jump from historical period to historical period, backward and forward, but there is enough information to allow us to get a sense of how society saw these women and how class, patronage, social status, money… influenced the way they were treated. There are personal comments by the author, but she is non-judgemental and it is impossible to read this book, especially some of the chapters, without thinking about the lot of women, about how times have changed (but not as much as we would like to think, as evidenced by recent developments and campaigns), and about how behaviours that from a modern perspective might show strength of character, intelligence, and independence, at the time could condemn a woman in the eyes of society, ruining her reputation and/or destroying her life.
A book to dip in to learn about social history and the role of women, and also one that will inspire readers to read more about some of these women (and others) that, for better or worse, have left a mark. A great starting point for further research into the topic, and a book that will make us reflect about the role of women then and now.

[Juli Rahel · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was still at university I quickly began specialising in women from history. I absolutely loved discovering fascinating upon fascinating women in my text books, seeing how women always rebelled, in one way or another, against the rules imposed upon them by the patriarchy. Those discoveries are one of the things I miss most. A book like Bad Girls from History is like a treasure trove to me. Are some of the women in this book despicable? Absolutely. But each mini biography in Gordon's book is an insight into a period in history, into a certain mindset, into a certain ideology. There is a lot to work with and to think about, and I love both of those things when it comes to historical women. Thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book is split into six different sections. ‘Courtesans and Mistresses’ contains such illustrious characters as Cleopatra for her affairs with Caesar and Mark Anthony, as well as Kitty Fisher. ‘Madams, Prostitutes and Adulterers’ presents us with the likes of Anne Boleyn and Sidonie Colette. This is perhaps the chapter that had me most confused as some of these, like Boleyn, really didn’t seem to fit. ‘Serial Killers’ is a truly horrendous and fascinating chapter full of women like the Countess Bathory and Lizzie Borden. This was a runner up for my favourite chapter. ‘One Off Killers’ is easier on the mind than the previous chapter, but includes mostly women that haven’t gone down in infamy. ‘Gangsters, Thieves and Con-Artists’ is the chapter for anyone in love with Bonnie & Clyde. Here you will find even more women breaking the law left, right and centre. The book finishes with ‘The Rebel Collection – Pirates, Witches, Megalomaniacs, Exhibitionists’ and since I have a massive penchant for female pirates and witches, I adored some of the women appearing in here. There’s Anne Bonny, Boudicca, Empress Cixi and much more. What this overview hopefully shows is how diverse, in some ways, Bad Girls from History is. There are many women from different walks of life, all of which were considered bad once upon a time. Some of these women, like Bergen-Belsen guard Irma Grese deserve that judgement outright, while many other of the women in this book seem very much a victim of their time.

Gordon passes no judgement in this book, and often also doesn’t go very much deeper into her subjects than the bare boned facts, as far as those are available. As such, Bad Girls from History is more like a dictionary of women who, one way or another, drew attention to themselves. Maybe they wrote beautiful yet divisive poetry like Sappho, maybe they acted outside of normal gender patterns like Calamity Jane. Although I would have liked to see Gordon dig into these women, analyze what led them to their actions, how they were forced into certain situations by gender roles etc., Bad Girls from History is not that book and also never pretends to be. The fact I wanted more, however, shows that Gordon presented and interesting and well-written case. Her biographies are interspersed with humour, small comments upon the actions of this or that woman, and ruminations upon how their actions would be seen now. But mostly she lets these bad girls’ actions speak for them.

I really enjoyed Bad Girls from History and found myself racing through its pages. I wanted to know more about those women, more about what they did and why. As such, Gordon's book is a perfect starting point for any reader. The facts on many of these women are scarce, yet Gordon does the best with the material available to her. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in women throughout history.

[OnceUponaPeach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye opening read! What a different world so many of these women lived in with either what they went through or what they got away with! Short paragraphs giving a glimpse into the lives of a wide variety of women. Not too in depth but a great collection. It peaked my interest to look up several of these ladies online to learn more (Lola Montez and her Notorious Spider Dance!). I can easily see how some of them have been misunderstood based on the time they were living or the people around them and how more that a few were just vile, wicked women. Several ladies had my jaw dropped with their deeds and reasoning (Human sacrifice to protect her sons with no remorse - why not use the remains to make soap?(!!!)). I think an interesting detail is when they met their end (how long they got away, or continued, with the wide range of offenses, and the method for their demise) - Some of the shortest lives were packed with more action that several life times and some lived into their old age with lengthy wild tales. You will recognize some famous names (including who they were involved with!) and learn about several lesser known - a walk through time and a read worthwhile.

P.S. and I have a soft spot for Pirate Women and their stories so check them out!

3.5 Stars

Copy Kindly Provided Through Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review

[Judi Easley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...

Possibly the strangest book I have ever read. And with my reading history, that's saying something. The author broke the bios down I to rough groupings by type of crime, and I do mean rough groupings. From what I could see, that was the only structure to it. They didn't seem to be on a timeline, by location, nor even alphabetically. Some of the bios were barely a paragraph, while some of them went on for a couple of pages. Each bio started with birth and family info, then gave a brief life history. The story went into relationships and children and then into the crime(s). The story followed the woman's story until her death. Some gave mention of famous descendants. Many of the stories were interesting in a rather morbid way. Rather like people who watch when they pass a car accident. One or two of the women I felt were simply out of their time, such as Mary Wollstonecraft. Her thinking was ahead of her time. Does that make her bad? I spent two days reading this book, and I was almost depressed when I was done. There was a lot of information put forth, but sometimes I felt I was reading in circles, with lots of run on sentences like my own worst reviews, when I don't quite know when to put in periods instead of commas. If you decide to read this book, please do leave a review and send me a copy.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely some very cruel and mean women included in this book. A short read that started with mistresses and madams, then onto murderers and then onto outlaws and bank robbers.

Some of these women, I had heard and some I had not. I did spend a lot of time checking out the pictures of these women trying to find out what made them so attractive that they were able to sell their bodies for most of their lives to the wealthy, elite and royalty. I guess attraction was a different thing in some of these eras.

I definitely recognized Georgia Tann although that is only because I had read "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate which was a fictional tale about a family of children that Ms. Tann had requisitioned through her nefarious ways. A really good book if you get the chance to read it, by the way.

Of course, there was Bonnie Parker, Calamity Jane, Ma Barker, and Lizzie Borden just to name a few.

I do have to say that I had to quit reading about the murderers as it was pretty much grossing me out while reading during lunch.

Interesting and informative.

Thanks to Pen and Sword and Net Galley for a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Jillianne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sometimes get the feeling that accessibility is why some people don’t get into history. I mean, history is the best. Why wouldn’t a person be into history?! But when you look at the main portal for getting into history, most of the time it’s going to be books. Thick books. Heavy, intimidating books, mostly written by academics who are writing for other academic types and not the everyday person.

This is where Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood? by Dee Gordon comes in.

Recently published in the UK (it’s out next month in North America), Bad Girls is a good primer for those of us who are interested into women who wanted to experience more than needlework in their sitting room and were either forced into rebellious lives or chose that path of their own free will.

Gordon’s book is a light, quick read and includes about 2 pages on a range of “bad girls,” divided into six categories: Courtesans and Mistresses; Madams, Prostitutes and Adulterers; Serial Killers; ‘One Off’ Killers; Gangsters, Thieves and Con-Artists; and The Rebel Collection (basically miscellaneous). Some of my favorite biographies included were Mary Wollstonecraft, Mae West, Emma Hamilton, Lola Montez, Belle Gunness, Mary Carleton, the female pickpockets, a couple Nazis, Mata Hari and Catherine de Medici.

Gordon walks a thin line between the spiciest details and the myths that made these women immortal—well, most of these women. I like that Gordon included many that even this women’s history nerd had never heard of.

My only major criticism of this book is its lack of women from outside the English-speaking world. Cleopatra and a handful of others are in there but it’s mostly women who lived in the UK and the US. I realize this was probably due to lack of resource material more.

For someone just getting history or even women’s history specifically, this is a great, short beginner level book with a broad range of subjects that will likely make you want to learn more about your own favorites.

[Rohase Piercy · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Not just one type of bad girl, but the complete range, in one volume' promises the blurb - and indeed there are just short of a hundred women featured in this collection, each given a short biographical paragraph.
It's a great read if you just want to get a flavour of the bad girls' lives, but rather frustrating if you'd prefer to know more about them - though the reader can, of course, seek out longer, more in-depth biographies of those characters that arouse interest.
A bit too much emphasis on physical attractiveness, or lack thereof, for my liking and I'm not sure why a a couple of them even count as 'bad girls', as they seem to be included purely because of the challenged they posed to patriarchal values - Sappho??? Cleopatra??? Mary Wollstonecraft???
But it's an interesting collection to leaf through and I learned some interesting facts about some daring and impressive women!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these types of books, quick reads that give you a thumbnail of a variety of individuals or subjects. You can then go on to read books for more information on the individual topics you found most interesting.

This book looks at 100 notorious women down through history giving the reader the important facts of interest. Many of these women I had never heard of, a few, like Mata Hari & Empress Cixi of China, I have read books about but still discovered new tid bits about in this book. I was surprised at the amount of so called baby farming that went on & the use of arsenic as a cosmetic. Wow what some wouldn't do to maintain their looks!

This is an entertaining quick read for anyone interested in a look at "naughty" women through history & how they came to be included in the book.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Girls from History recounts a wide array of tales of mischievous women. The wickedness captured in these stories ranges from the standard mistresses and adulterers, to the naughty-by-trade pirates, gangsters and witches, all the way out to the deplorable serial killers and one-off murderers. Each account is clearly well-researched, pieced together from what remains of records of the past, yet some of the tales still leave the reader wanting more - more historical context, more information about the society that these women found themselves in. Overall, it was interesting to learn of these women's lives and impacts on the world around them, but it felt as though it had spread itself a bit too thin. .
2.5
// I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynn Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that author Dee Gordon's book, Bad Girls from History, Wicked or Misunderstood?, was not what I expected. It is a very readable account of women through the ages who've been judged, or perhaps misjudged, as wicked and bad. I was disappointed to find that the stories about the women were short, more encyclopedic in nature than complete. While the book was a good overview, it included many women whose names I didn't recognize at all, and it didn't offer enough--at least, for this reader--on the women who were notorious or infamous. I wish the author had gone into more depth on each listing.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wide ranging collection of women who broke societies rules and laws to do what they wanted and live fulfilling and occasionaly criminal lives. These women are not necessary bad but didn't want to do what society told them and embraced their own realities and choices in spite of all the barriers in front of them. They range from Bouddica and Cleopatra (VII if we're being accurate) to Ruth Ellis and Bonnie Parker covering all aspects of womanhood and the choices women have and continue to make. Each woman has a short section dedicated to her life, which does leave a lot out but gives you more than enough to get a feel for who they were/are and whether you want to find out more.

[Robyn Ghafoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book of the year finished. This was a good pick up and put down book, as in you don't have to read cover to cover (which I did anyway lol). It was like Wikipedia in a book form, I really love history and sometimes spend hours searching people and incidents to the point I don't know where I started and this book was like a version of that. A good mix of women in the book, some I had heard of and others I hadn't and it allowed me to go and research these women further. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in history, true crime, etc.

[Steven C Runo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of scandalous short stories

This is a fun of “bad girl” short stories from supermatket journalism perspective -not very deep and mostly focused on the sensational. Virtually every story starts with poverty and rough family beginnings and quickly transitions to a list of their transgressions ( murder, larceny,, deceit and betrayals). The women described are grouped with others that committed similar transgressions and many of the offenders are UK royals or associates. Fun and fast reading, but a bit “ guilty pleasure, rather than scholarly study.

[Laura Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories and tales about an interesting selection of throughout history. Each story is a perfect snapshot of the woman in question. The woman are grouped into various categories for each chapter. This layout of the book allows you to dip in and read about a few stories whenever you want. A really interesting exploration of the perceptions of woman who completed actions that were different from the norm in many different ways.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected

Although the information was interesting, the presentation was more a recitation of facts (some just conjecture) that made the reading somewhat dry. Sentence structure was sometimes confusing too. References to other people in history implied general knowledge of who they were as well as the central character but I often had to look them up to understand why they were included in the narrative.