This was an impulse borrow from BorrowBox. It does what other says on the tin, picking 21 women from history who have done amazing things and influenced British culture, science, politics etc. and shining a spotlight on their achievements. 

It's quite an eclectic mix of women, and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't know some of the names chosen, which in turn made certain chapters far more interesting to listen to, even if their arena isn't a subject that takes my fancy (for example, the female composer Ethel Smyth). Each chapter is dedicated to one woman, and while of course it focuses on their accomplishments, the author does take the time to give a more rounded biography, making sure that the reader gets a feel for the woman behind the work. They're certainly not full biographies by any stretch of the imagination, but there's certainly enough to send you down a rabbit hole if you choose.

My favourite chapter was that of the author Frances 'Fanny' Burney. Overshadowed by the likes of Jane Austen (who actually name-checks Burney in one of her own novels), she wasn't known to me before, but I'm actually tempted to try one of her books despite my usual aversion to classics. But what really drew me in to her was her own story - she developed breast cancer and underwent what was effectively a mastectomy in a time before anaesthetic. She wrote a letter to her sister detailing the horror of the procedure, which is read almost in full, with sensitivity, by Jenni Murray. I'm sure it's quite something to read, but to hear it just hammers home Burney's extraordinary bravery, not only in going through the procedure but then sharing her experience with others so openly.

The author clearly has a connection to each of the women she has chosen, and her admiration for each of them is clear. This goes some way to explaining the choice of women in this book; there are definitely many, many others that could have been included, and lots of very well known names are absent. It's therefore very personal History of Britain in 21 Women, telling us as much about the author as it does the characters included. That being said, there is something of a 'BBC' balancing act going on, with Labour, Conservative and SNP MPs getting equally billing, Suffragists and Suffragettes stories told with equal respect and reserve and so on. There is a small, cynical part of me that wonders how many of the women were the author's choice, and then how many were chosen by outside forces - as the presenter of Radio 4's Womens Hour at the time this book was published, she would have had a responsibility to the BBC to remain neutral and balanced - but I hope that that's not the case. However, this balancing act does make it feel a little like the author's voice is being stifled (her walking the fine line in the Seacole/Nightingale debate being an obvious example).

The book explores feminism in a digestible way, showing the slow but steady steps forward towards equality over the years and the parts these women have played in cracking glass ceilings, overcoming prejudice and proving that women are just as capable as men. It's also a lesson in not resting on our laurels; we still have a long, long way to go before true equality reigns. The author gets particularly riled at the number of women who don't use the vote that previous generations fought, went to prison, were tortured and even died for; a sentiment I share absolutely. It's one small thing, putting a cross in a box, but making your voice heard and perhaps making it so that we don't live in a country where men's voices remain dominant is so, so important! 

My main criticism of this book is that, in places, the author relies far too heavily on the words of others - although I'm glad Fanny Burney's letter is included, the reading of it seemed to go on for pages. Likewise, there are a couple of places where she quotes poems almost in full. Murray is a very eloquent writer and, for the most part, there was no need to draw on these sources; she would have done a much better job at using her own words to illustrate her points. 

I also found it slightly odd that she would choose, for example, both Millicent Garrett-Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst, two giants of the women's suffrage movement, and yet she could only include one of Mary Seacole or Florence Nightingale (she chose Mary). It is not to take away from the importance of any of these women, but surely if you're trying to do the history of a country with a severely limited scope of people, you'd want to get as wide a range of achievements in as possible? Rather than picking several from the same field?

I'm looking forward to listening to the author's other book in this style, 'A History of the World in 21 Women' in the coming weeks. This was very much 'one and done' for me though - I've taken the interesting parts from it and filed them away for later consideration, but those who didn't 'speak' to me will surely fade from my mind until I need them as the answer to a pub quiz question.