Warriors and Wenches: Sex and Power in Women's History

by Michelle Rosenberg

The world is full of women we don’t know whose stories have been overlooked or airbrushed from history.

Often faced with limited life choices, this book proudly showcases those women who took matters into their own hands and became forces to be reckoned with.

These are women you SHOULD know about. Love them or loathe them, they made their mark. From cross dressing soldiers to scheming mistresses and courtesans, Warriors and Wenches offers up an indulgent romp through centuries of history, from widows turned tank drivers bent on bloody vengeance and fierce martial arts fighters, to women who magnificently and outrageously turned their social lot in life to their the mistresses, courtesans and uniquely French maitresse-en-titres who wielded incredible power and influence in the sumptuous courts of Europe.

Warriors and Wenches doesn’t seek to decide whether these women were ‘good’ or ‘bad;’ we’ll leave it up to you to make up your own minds. But these are just some of the women who, through military skill, incredible courage and loyalty, scandal, poison plots and sexual debauchery, have crossed over into the realm of legend and myth and become powerful symbols of feminist power.

“When the destiny of a nation is in a woman’s bedroom, the best place for the historian is in the antechamber.” ~Charles-Augustin Sainte-Reuve

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2019

Reviews

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I read this book in a little over the day and I loved the layout.

I thought that the chapter length was perfect, it was just enough to give a brief insight in to the lives of some of the female personalities that the author has labelled either a “wench” or a “warrior”.

I have heard of a few of the women in the book but some of them were new to me and they have certainly made me intrigued and determined to follow up on them and read more about what happened during their lives and what happened to take them down their paths of life.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed the layout and the length of the chapters and it was a great way for me to pass a few hours – highly recommended!!

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘I am not afraid. I was born to do this.’ Joan of Arc

This was an interesting read. Many ladies I want to do more research on….

* Joan Of Arc
* Caterina Sforza
* Grace O’Malley
* Catalina De Erauso
* Mariya Oktyabrskaya
* Faye Schulman

‘One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than death.’ Joan of Arc

[Jewlsbookblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best description I can give this book is fascinating mini-bios on quite a few interesting women! While I liked the warrior’s brief sketches over the wenches a little more-I had no clue there were women samurai and then the Russian who bought the tank for revenge…yeah…. Now the wenches could hold their own too, wielding their power with court games, sex, and some pretty vicious backbiting. The sketches are brief, maybe a couple of pages or so each, and makes for really easy reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is a great collection of snapshots of courageous women who wanted to live life on their own terms. While brief, these biographical sketches were engaging and informative. This book would be a great jumping off point for further research and inspiration.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on blog.
Summary:
A short introduction to the lives of a variety of women, mostly from 1400 onwards and mostly European. Humorously written, short chapters for dipping into.