This week's Top Five Wednesday challenge is "biographies". I love biographies, especially those featuring more than one person (though I seem to do more collecting them than reading them). Here are five that I own that are calling to me the loudest.
- Sisters of Fortune: America’s Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad by Jehanne Wake (2010)
Regency England has long been a period of history that interested me, so this one is extremely appealing. These four sisters, despite English prejudice against both Americans and Catholics, made a success of themselves in Regency Society due to their intelligence, beauty, and charm. Wake makes extensive use of their letters, which as the sisters were apparently "lively and opinionated", should make this one great fun.
- Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox (2011)
Katherine, first wife of Henry VIII, and Juana, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, were the daughters of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They both experienced tragedy and hardship, and, while generally glossed over in history as "wronged wife" (Katherine) and "mad queen" (Juana), were apparently both full of character, intelligence and deep conviction. I have a general knowledge of Katherine, but know nothing about Juana, so I expect to find this one quite interesting. - Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)
Another joint biography of sisters, this one also makes use of correspondence to give a voice to these "handsome, accomplished, extremely well-educated women". I know a good deal about their brother, George (first the Prince Regent, then King George IV), but I have never read anything about them. Again, it's a particular era of interest for me, so I know that this one will be enjoyable.
- The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak (2022)
This one is about Brunhild and Fredegund, sisters-in-law and rivals, who ruled realms during in sixth-century Merovingian France. I know very little about Europe before Charlemagne, so I had never heard of these queens. Discovering little-known but influential historical figures is something I truly enjoy. - The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser (1988)
Fraser, whom I greatly admire, explores a wide selection of female rulers throughout history and across the world who have led their nations in war. While I'm familiar with some, I'm not at all with many, so I expect this to be a fascinating read.
How about you? Do you like biographies? Have you read any of these or have any to recommend?
