- Hardcover: 560 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; Reprint edition (4 Nov 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297814060
- ISBN-13: 978-0297814061
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,054,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Weaker Vessel (Women In History)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A brilliant and original account of the role and fate of women in seventeent century England by the author of the bestselling Six Wives of Henry VIII.
About the Author
Lady Antonia Fraser has been writing bestselling history for more than 30 years. She is one of a family of writers led by her mother, Elizabeth Longford. Lady Antonia has six children, two of whom are writers. She is married to the playwright Harold Pinter.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of the most readable and enlightening books that I have read about life in 17th Century England. Although this is a very comprehensive work it is very readable and, once begun, very difficult to put down. Although it primarily deals with the role of women in the 17th century, it balances this by putting that role in context with events taking place at the time. What I found particularly facinating is that the book managed to give an in-depth look at life at all levels of society. This is a book that, having read it from start to finish, I still dip into from time to time because it is just so interesting.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You don't have to be a keen historian or a reader of "dry" books. This book is extremely well written and kept me really interested right to the end. It covers all aspects of women's role in society in the 17th century, from midwives, mistresses, whores, witches, middle-class wives and poor fishwives and deals with each backing up points of view with short written quotations. In fact it encouraged me to buy Samuel Pepys diary (you have to read it to believe it)!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I started reading Antonia Fraser's books after having read Gunpowder Plot. The Weaker Vessel is just as readble, and portrays the lives and characters of women from all walks of life, before, during and after the civil war. I think Ms Fraser is an amazing researcher, her books contain the most interesting facts all put together in pleasant prose which flows beautifully - so really it is like reading a novel rather than a work of pure fact (even though so many historical facts actually are included). Ms Fraser makes the female heroines of this novel come to life, for each lady discussed you feel genuine compassion, admiration, and sometimes disbelief at their feats of courage in the face of civil war. Included are excerpts from letters, diaries , etc which makes the account even more enjoyable. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in 17th century history or the history of women. One star less because I feel that the reader is not given an overall view of women in the 17th century - Antonia Fraser focuses on a handful of women, most of them extraordinarily courageous, but I do not think that the women in question were representative of the majority of women in Britain at the time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Readable compendium of seventeenth century women's lives
Like Fraser's other historical books this is written with integrity and panache. Rather than focusing on a single figure or narrative, however, she surveys women throughout the... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Roman Clodia
the weaker vessel
very heavy reading , small print but interesting in parts , especially the witchcraft bits . i wouldnt recommend it though
Published 16 months ago by Tina taylor
Informative and readable
There is a lot of information in this book with plenty of references for further study. However, it is also easy to read on a lighter level for a general understanding of the... Read more
Published on 16 May 2009 by S. Stiles
The feminist's dream
This book is fascinating. It is a really easy and highly informative read. I love the fact that it covers all levels of 17th century society and not just the upper classes. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2008 by Queen of the mud
really good
A really good book. Authoritative, exhaustive historical and also entertaining. From the upper classes to dairy maids, scolds and "witches"; from the pain and perils of... Read more
Published on 17 July 2000
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