"Five generations of women through the history of their emancipation"
By sally tarbox on 24 January 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
Lent me by an acquaintance; this was SO much better than I anticipated.
It begins with two sisters in 1855; the younger, Helena, has just made a 'good' marriage while the more independent Sarah turns her back on a future living in her sister's home and sets sail for Australia with the aim of buying her own farm.
Now knowing this was a family saga written from a feminist perspective, I was just waiting for Sarah to become a wealthy landowner, but it doesn't quite pan out like that - it's much more believable and interesting.
The future generations of women whom the narrative follows are not all mothers and daughters, but there is a link somewhere: Pearl, daughter of a loose-living barmaid; Ruby, who learns to be a secretary and ends up in India, a nameless prison wardress, and 1970s Jackie, with her ideas on women's liberation and free love...
A very entertaining and well-written light read. ( )

A decent read overall, but I thought the early stages, dealing with sisters one of whom emigrated to Australia, went on a bit too long. It was more interesting once we got to the wartime, and more modern characters. The author's feminist politics are all over it, but given that it's a family saga about women one can hardly complain. ( )

Brilliant ( )