The best thing about this book is definitely the stories of WOMEN! Sure, some are more interesting than others but that's life. I'm just pleased to see Knowles has done the research to bring these women together. More books like this, please.

I was initially interested in reading this book, however my tastes have shifted and I do not think I will be able to get to it now. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital copy!

What Regency Women Did for Us focuses on the lives of twelve Regency era whose notable contributions to the world (with only a few exceptions) have been largely forgotten today. Thanks to Knowles, their accomplishments—which were made during a time when women were thought to be lesser than men and were expected only to marry and raise children—are acknowledged and celebrated even more so for having been done during a restrictive era for women.

The women discussed in this book were authors (Jane Austen and Maria Edgeworth), scientists (Jane Marcet, Mary Anning, and Caroline Herschel), an engineer and inventor (Sarah Guppy), businesswomen (Marie Tussaud and Eleanor Coade), actresses (Sarah Siddons and Harriot Mellon), a mountaineer and philanthropist for women (Mary Parminter), and a prison reformer (Elizabeth Fry).

I was unfamiliar with many of the women discussed in this book. The only names I was familiar with were Jane Austen, Marie Tussaud, and Maria Edgeworth. Although I was aware Maria Edgeworth was an author, something I didn’t know is she created the historical fiction genre. (And I’m so thankful she did, because I love historical fiction!)

I love learning about women’s history, so this was an enjoyable read for me. I would recommend this book to others who enjoy reading about women’s history.

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Pen & Sword Books via Netgalley.

I didn't like this book. It would be okay as a research book or if one is looking for different women for history. Personally, It wasn't one I would normally read.

Good book with short biographies of each woman, some well known, like Jane Austen and Elizabeth Fry, but many unknown and forgotten. Which is sad, because so many of them made important contributions to society as scientific pioneers, writers, and even an engineer who patented the first suspension bridge.
Even where they have been commemorated in our modern age, many aspects of their lives are sidelined or ignored, such as the Fossil Hunter Mary Anning's strong religious faith.

Even for someone like me, whose familiarity with the Regency period is minimal, to say the least, this could prove an enlightening and encouraging read.

Thanks to Pen and Sword Books for providing me with a PDF copy to read and review. I was not required to write a positive one, and no incentive was given.

This is an enjoyable and enlightening read for fans of the Regency or British history. Rachel Knowles's lively and entertaining style makes thes interesting women come to life. These enterprising women include Eleanor Code who had her own business manufacturing artificial stone, Caroline Herschel who was the first woman to discover a comet and the novelist Maria Edgeworth. In a time when women had few basic rights and intellectual women were regarded in a derogatory manner, these women managed to have their own careers and overcome many obstacles.

I especially liked reading about Eleanor Code who even manufactured stone for King George III.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Interesting subject but didn't care for the writer's writing style.

An interesting and inspiring collection of 12 stories about inspiring women from the Regency period. Besides the well-known Jane Austen, there are biographies about relatively unknown personalities associated with the struggle of being recognized as subject with full rights, including to pursue a scientific career. The stories are based on rich bibliographical references, easily integrated as readable stories. An inspiring and brain-storming lecture.

I love history and will happily (if I can make the time) read lovely big, thick, detailed histories of medieval queens or scientific movements. This book seems to be more along the lines of popular history so if you just want a quick overview of the lives of women in the Regency period this could be the way to go.

The book covered an interesting selection of women including those I’m sure most people will have heard of, like Jane Austen or Madame Tussaud, some known to those with a little knowledge of the era, like Maria Edgeworth (for those who know more on the literature side) or Caroline Herschel (for those who lean to the scientific). There are short biographies, a summary of their work and achievements and also of their legacy, and they should serve as a great starting point for any more detailed reading. I think I may now be led on to investigating further into the life and works of some of the women here who I was either unaware of or only knew by name. Harriot Mellon sounds like a place to start, or maybe Mary Parminter….Ah well, all the best reading just leads onto more books!

I’m not sure why this book has such average reviews; it delivered exactly what I expected it to!
What Regency Women Did for Us gives brief but heavily-researched biographies of women of the Georgian/Regency eras. This includes women who had careers that people of the era (and perhaps even now) would be shocked to see a woman involved in, and some women who never married, giving them freedom to choose their own futures.
I read books like these for the facts, and appreciate authors who can pack a lot of detail into fairly short sections. It makes it a good book to read in bits and pieces, and really challenges the idea women of the past were all passive and boring.
It delivered exactly what I wanted it to.
I don’t know what the version on sale is like, but I did have some issues with the formatting in my review copy (it kept jumping to the last few pages). Hopefully this is fixed now.

Fabulous Book!! Well written and educating but fun to read, a keeper!!

"What Regency Women Did For Us" provides short biographies for 12 women who were remarkable in their time and who lived during the Regency period. They included business women, scientists, authors, an inventor, and women who used their money to help others.

For each woman, we learned a bit about their childhood, their adult life and career, their later life, how others described them, and their legacy. Some still have a wide, lasting impact (like Jane Austen), but others don't. Eleanor Coade, for example, ran a successful artificial stone business and some pieces made from this stone still exist. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting read to fans of short biographies.

Eleanor Coade (1733-1821) - business woman
Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) - astronomer
Sarah Siddons (1755-1831) - actress
Marie Tussaud (1761-1850) - business woman
Mary Parminter (1767-1849) - traveler, mountaineer, philanthropist
Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) - author
Jane Marcet (1769-1858) - author
Sarah Guppy (1770-1852) - inventor
Jane Austen (1775-1817) - author
Harriot Mellon (1777-1837) actress, business woman
Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845) - reformer, nursing
Mary Anning (1799-1847) - fossilist