The Eighteenth Century Woman by Olivier Bernier

The Eighteenth Century Woman Reviews

• 
  Olga Nikolaeva

  The very interesting subject doesn’t compensate for the writing style. Otherwise, a very light, Wikipedia-like read. No regrets but one specific comment - Jacques-Louis David was as pretentious as Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, he just didn’t have to work as hard as she did through his life, so spare me the comparison.
• 
  Alisa Kester

  SO GLAD I bought this book when I found it at the local used book store. Despite the fact that it's not a big book, and it profiles a lot of 18th century women, each woman's chapter is given plenty of room and doesn't feel rushed or lacking in any way (although several of these ladies were so fascinating that I'm going to have to find solo biographies on them). Lots of detail as to personality, costume and 18th century life - and a good number of photographs. Very enjoyable read, and one I'll be keeping in my collection.
• 
  Tocotin

  
  I enjoyed this book much more than I initially thought I would have. It is a compilation of short biographies of several prominent or successful women who left their mark on the 18th century (and sometimes on the years to come).
  
  The 18th century was the time when women were much more independent and influential than in the centuries before – or after; their opinions mattered. I picked up this because I wanted to read about the Princesse des Ursins, and the first chapter was about her, but the author’s focus is not on royalty or even noblewomen – he writes about women artists and artisans, about working women, as well.
  
  I also liked the descriptions of material culture of the age, the fact that it was the last time when even moderately well-off people in Europe were surrounded by beautiful, hand-crafted things in every moment of their life. Of course, that was the standard for countries in other parts of the world well into 19th century. But it is certainly something to consider when you’re interested in history. My heart aches to think how much of this has been lost forever (and I’ve always loved Rococo art, by the way!).
• 
  Marie Capet

  I love Olivier Bernier. He is witty, informed and a great read. I'd wanted this book for a while and couldn't find it anywhere (I finally got it for $4 on Amazon and it was apparently formerly in the Gourmet Magazine library). Anyway, it's a great reminder that women in the 18th century had incredibly varied lives in France and ran businesses and pursued careers. It's a must read, I think for anyone looking for a survey in daily life in 18th c. France.
• 
  Lyn Stapleton

  Two and a half stars. A bit ho hum. Writing wasn’t very good and most of the women I knew about. So nothing new.
• 
  Mary

  A very interesting read. Some of the names were familiar to me--Madame Pompadour, Madame DuBarry, Madame Vigee-Lebrun--but many were not. These women were bold and smart and influential in their salons. The author makes the point that the 19th century changed the equality of women until the 20th century took some of that back again. Maybe that is a bit strong because these 18th century women had much of their influence through their husbands not necessarily on their own.
  
  An exception was Abigail Adams--the only American in the book--whose letters give us a record of her time and her relationship with her husband. She ran a farm when her husband was gone to government roles. She pleaded for the ladies and their role in the new government.
  
  Madame Lebrun--I remembered a portrait she did of an aristocratic woman dressed as a milkmaid that was in the Snite Museum of Art at Notre Dame so it was fun to read about her career.
  
  I made a list of the women and have been looking them up on Wikipedia to get another perspective--and maybe just to keep them straight--so many Madames, affairs, salons, etc.
• 
  Alicja

  The book is a collection of bios of different women of the eighteenth century era. I enjoyed the stories and learnt a lot. The one downside was that I couldn't understand why some characters were chosen to be included in the book in the first place (for instance, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire) - I could not find anything exceptional about them. Also, on a couple of occasions author confused me by jumping from one fact to another, without 'filling in' the gaps. For instance, the margravine of Bayreuth and her husband are totally in love for the most of the story, yet we learn that as soon as she died he did not miss her much and instantly re-married. This is of course nothing out-of-ordinary, but it was just not explained or hinted at any point in the story and no explanation was given as why that might have been.
  
  Overall however, I really enjoyed the stories - it was difficult to put the book down.
• 
  Linda Edmonds Cerullo

  Well written, short book on famous women from the 1700s. I must say I was intrigued with the selection of ladies the author chose. I knew some, but certainly not all of them and I look forward to hunting down biographies of these fascinating females. Highly recommend this book. It's compelling and shows that feminism has a long history. Regrettably these women should be more well-known and I congratulate Olivier Bernier for bringing their stories to light.
• 
  Courtney

  A charming novel that offers short biographies on wonderful women of the eighteenth century. Encompassing both the working class as well as the upper crust, Bernier takes us all across the world in a quest to uncover some of the most fascinating characters of their time. I enjoyed these glimpses for the most part, and was pleased to see some of the working class represented. A light, breezy afternoon read!
• 
  Aletheia

  I’ve always been interested in history, so I was very pleased when I found this ebook on sale on Kobo. Women and history? Ticks all the boxes for me.
  
  This was a very interesting read and I was able to learn a lot about all these different women, with different lifestyles and different personalities.
• 
  reveurdart

  Highlights a selection of extraordinary women, giving you an overview and an introduction to the subject. The focus is entirely on Europe and America. There are several women and angles to the overall story that I, personally, would have included.
• 
  Lyn Sweetapple

  Excellent short biographies of some of the most powerful, but uncreditied women in 18th century Europe (including Abigail Adams).
• 
  Erin

  Delightful, educational, and entertaining. There were some familiar faces along with those I was newly introduced to. I'm a sucker for all things 18th Century, and this was a real gem for me.
• 
  Jean

  Not fiction. About 1800 ladies and how their day today was diff fromour. Actually more entertaining than what you’d think.
• 
  MaryAnn

  3.5 stars
• 
  Ingrid Rose

  Going back to France
  
  We are definitely going back to France with new eyes. I am so angry that the citizens of France destroyed the lovely things in Versailles during the Revolution. They destroyed what they had payed for and beauty that could not be replaced.
  
  I read these stories and kept having to stop to further research people for a more complete understanding of the woman and the context surrounding her life. I was already familiar with most of these women so this made interesting reading with the descriptions.