This book examines the lives of history’s most infamous women. It separates fact from fiction in the accusations of witchcraft, murder, and treason leveled against powerful women—and exploring the lasting impact of these false or exaggerated narratives.

I enjoyed the storytelling style in this book. The true histories of these well-known women were interesting and informative. I appreciated that the book included women outside of Western culture.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The 11 women featured in this book are Cleopatra VII, Empress Wu Zetian, Joan of Arc, Lucrezia Borgia, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Bathory, Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, Lizzie Borden, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Iva Toguri the “Tokyo Rose".

History is filled with prominent, influential, and maligned women, who have helped shape society. However, some have legacies that need revisiting. Every historical figure is complicated.To fully understand maligned women, it is essential to study what was said and written about them by them, their peers, their supporters, and detractors in their lifetime and after their death.

Queen Mary I, was given the sobriquet "Bloody Mary".Mary sought to bring England back into the Roman Catholic fold on the heels of her protestant half-brother’s reign and while she did see to the deaths of many protestants, revered as martyrs by their co-religionists- she was not called “Bloody Mary” until the century after her death. By looking at the facts, Mary was arguably no more “bloody” or brutal than her brother nor her father before her. In fact, it could be argued that she wasn’t as “bloody” at all.

Mary Magdalene was portrayed as a sorry ex-prostitute, despite there being no scriptural evidence to support this depiction. All of this obscures Mary’s key importance in the canonical Gospels. As one of Jesus’s closest disciples, she stood by him at the foot of the cross—after his male disciples fled. Present at his tomb, she was first witness to the resurrection.

Women who stand out and dare to seize their power have been maligned throughout history. People tend to focus almost exclusively on the sensationalist aspects of women's lives.This lurid focus on a woman's sexuality, vices, etc., at the expense of all other areas of her life, demeans and degrades her. She is reduced to the men she was involved with and how she failed to be the 'ideal' woman.

These stories serve as a powerful reminder of the role of narrative and myth-making in shaping historical reputations and the ways in which individuals, particularly women in positions of power, can be vilified and scapegoated in times of societal upheaval.

An interesting and well researched read. Lots of famous women here and some less well-known so this was an interesting mix.

With thanks to Pen and Sword, and netgalley for this arc.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

For non-fiction November, I chose The Most Maligned Women in History. The eleven women in this book are Cleopatra VII, Empress Wu, Joan of Arc, Lucrezia Borgia, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Bathory, Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, Lizzie Borden, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Iva Toguri the “Tokyo Rose.”

These are not huge biographies on each of these woman, nor does the author attempt to redeem them of their ill deeds (and some of them were very, very naughty!) but she succinctly explores their character as a whole and how their reputations came to be - rightly or wrongly. I found it fascinating and whilst some of the women I was familiar with, it made me want to read more on the others. I found this to be an easy, informative read, with the author helpfully providing additional reading recommendations at the end. Would highly recommend!

I loved this. These were short story accounts of the lives of some of the most incredible women throughout history. Incredible, too, how this book featured women from different times and parts of the world, yet they were all vilified despite whatever great deeds they did. Easy, informative and interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for providing this eARC copy in exchange for an honest review. (There were however more typographical errors than most ARCs which affected readability.)

The Most Maligned Women In History is an interesting anthology focusing on various key figures across several hundred years. We follow stories from Cleopatra to Empress Wu and Iva Toguri.

I knew a number of the stories and had hope for the chapters to delve deeper into each section. It was all pretty surface level and is a helpful jumping off point, but I was still hoping for more.

I was particularly interested in the story of Iva Toguri, as I had never heard of her prior to reading this book and the horrendous miscarriage of justice with disgusting levels of xenophobia. I felt the author handled this chapter well, but would have loved to have learned more across the board.

Overall, this is an easy entry into the topic and I always appreciate an author trying to make an area more accessible.

1 Star

This book could have been so much more! I wasn't expecting white paper level writing, but the depth of research and the writing style is a let down. Too much hearsay and extrapolation - I don't believe this book contributes all that much except to the gossip that's already out there :(

Thank you very much to Pen and Sword & Netgalley for providing me with an advance reading copy!

'The Most Maligned Women in History' shines a much-needed spotlight on a diverse array of women who have been unfairly vilified and misunderstood throughout the ages. From Cleopatra and Lucrezia Borgia to Wallis Simpson and Zelda Fitzgerald, Morris expertly dismantles the myths and misconceptions that have long tarnished these historical figures' legacies.

Thoroughly engaging and enlightening, 'The Most Maligned Women in History' is a must-read for anyone interested in reclaiming the narratives of these unjustly maligned women and gaining a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped their legacies.

The amount of information in this book is OVERWHELMING. It is not a book that can be read in one, I didn't even feel like I could read an entire chapter in one because the information was so much and it made me dizzy.

That's why I read it slowly, little by little, and that also made me often lose track of what I was reading.

Taking this out, I think this work is very interesting because it tells us the life and work of certain women who were classified as 'evil' but not so much because of what they did themselves but, many times, because of the freedoms they had. Nothing new that we discover these kinds of things in these years, right? It is increasingly seen that women were ignored and pushed aside whenever possible, and when they could not... they were evil, ruthless, and beings worthy of living in hell. Yes, some of them were cruel and ruthless, just like many men who were never told anything.

Anyway, it is interesting that this type of book is made, I think it could have been accompanied with images or something that would relax so much text because one gets very dizzy. But with a little pause and a few eye stretches (hahaha) one reads this book with great devotion because it is always, and I mean, ALWAYS interesting to know what really happened.

Thank you very much Pen & Sword for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For some quick overviews on famous women who have been villainized throughout history- whether or not they deserved it- this is a decent start. Morris gives brief biographies of women, some famous others less so, and why today we know them as 'bad' when in their day they were perhaps merely ahead of their time, or just doing what men did. Vilified by their enemies either while alive or afterwards, those are the stories that come down to us.

A lot of what Morris gives us is over-generalized statements, or rather simplistic views. I think the idea is more to raise our interest and then to do our own research (there are further readings in the back to get started if you're interested). But I think it might be a good starter for younger audiences or others who think of history as 'boring', to show them that it can be anything but. I did like that Morris didn't just stick to Europe, but added a few Asian rulers in her 11 chapters as well.

The writing is casual, which was sometimes ok and sometimes almost too casual for me. A little difficult to explain, but it was sometimes hard to take the book seriously because of the writing style.

Overall not bad as an introduction to women in history you may never have heard of, but if you have (Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Bathory, etc) you're going to want to go for a more advanced read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

There's a sort of black legend about some women like Lucrezia Borgia as they've been pictured as murderess and their position and/or power were seen as a bad thing.
I liked how this book re-establish the right image to these women
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

**Review: The Most Maligned Women in History by Samantha Morris (4 stars)**

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword History, and Samantha Morris for the opportunity to read this fascinating book. I enjoyed it a lot—it was both informative and fun to read. I learned a great deal about some of the most maligned women in history, even those I thought I already knew well. The author introduced me to historical figures I hadn’t heard of before, which was a pleasant surprise.

One key takeaway from this book is that much of what we’ve heard or "know" about these women is based on rumor or propaganda. The author does a great job of separating fact from fiction, showing that these women were far more complex and interesting than history often gives them credit for. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the fascinating women of the past.

Very different from what I usually read, The Most Maligned Women in History narrates the biographies of 11 women across continents that have been unfairly treated by history.
I actually enjoyed this book to the maximum possible extent. The author takes great care with her research, providing an adequate bibliography at the end. She tries to make the book more easily readable than a boring history lecture. And most of all, she centres this book around diverse experiences.

While some stories I liked more than others, the book was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me. I'd honestly recommend it to anybody who shows the slightest interest in history.
The only roadblock to my experience was the fact that I had to read this in the Netgalley app which unlike this book, is subpar.

Kudos to the author - I hope there's more to come.

This was such an interesting read to be able to learn the truth about behind the falsehoods / fear behind these women's true stories.

Throughout history, women have been seen as pious mothers, wives, or daughters who stayed in their lane or vile manipulators who wanted power and were willing to do anything to maintain their status. While the former group of women would be an interesting study, as the saying goes, well-behaved women seldom make history. So why did certain women receive a villainess lens when we look at their lives and what do the historical records tell us about them? Samantha Morris has chosen to take the stories of these misunderstood maidens and tell them in her latest book, “The Most Maligned Women in History.”

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed the previous books that I have read by Samantha Morris which covered Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia and Girolamo Savonrola When I heard that she was writing a book about maligned women in history, it caught my attention immediately as I wanted to see which women would be discussed in this book.

As Morris states in her introduction, there are numerous women who she could have chosen for this book she could make a second book, but in the end, she selected eleven women from different countries and centuries to highlight. The eleven women in this book are Cleopatra VII, Empress Wu, Joan of Arc, Lucrezia Borgia, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Bathory, Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, Lizzie Borden, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Iva Toguri the “Tokyo Rose.” Morris takes the time to tell their stories succinctly while explaining why they are considered maligned.

I do appreciate the fact that she included women from different walks of life and different centuries to show how women have been vilified throughout history. We had women who were born queens, those who were mistresses or concubines and became rulers, and average women who did extraordinary things to the ire of those in charge. While I knew some of these stories like Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, and Lucrezia Borgia, others were completely new to me, such as Empress Wu, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Iva Toguri. The other women in this book were names that I had heard mentioned and knew some elements of their tales, but I didn’t know their full stories.

I found this book such a fun read full of vivacious women who were not afraid to go beyond the status quo. I do hope Morris will write a sequel book and include even more women from the past who have been viewed as maligned and maybe include women from Africa, Australia, and South America to show women from even more diverse backgrounds. If you want a delightful and insightful book about women who had some bad reputations, I highly suggest you read, “The Most Maligned Women in History” by Samantha Morris.

The Most Maligned Women in History by Samantha Morris is a fascinating read, concerning some of the most (in)famous of women from Lucrezia Borgia and Joan of Arc, to Lizzie Borden.
My knowledge of each of these women is limited, except to say that I understand they are notorious for their crimes - not an uncommon perception when I ask among my friends. What is less known, are their achievements and the struggles that they faced. The stories about these women are mainly just that, stories. The truth is far more varied and fascinating.
The Most Maligned Women in History is an accessible and easy read and one that I heartily recommend. It's intriguing to read a little about each of these women and I am buying another of Samantha's books as I want to learn more about Lucretia Borgia.

This book was a fun read with a lot of history thrown in. I personally didn’t know a lot of the info, so I definitely think that made the book more interesting to me. It’s also a pretty consumable writing which I appreciated.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

My thanks to Pen and Sword Press, Samantha Morris and Netgalley.
I suppose.that I did like this book. I think my major issue with it may not have anything to do with the contents. My issue would be with the fact that some people may have lived their entire lives believing the worst of these women.
I was unlucky enough to be raised in a house where women didn't matter much. My mom dealt with shit that I would not have put up with. That's why I left home after 10th grade.
Because of how things were in the past, I've never much believed in anything that had "his" story attached to it.
I can't imagine that things are much easier today than they were decades ago. I know that people try to be better, but being better is strongly attached to "for me" children. If you can't be better, then try to teach your children better
Except for the Batthory story, I've never believed any of it.
A witch? Oh! Did she beguile a man with her feminine wiles? Give it a fucking rest! If y'all men can't control your dick, then blame it in the witch. Bastards.
Honestly? I'm 60 years old and have been tired of this trope since the 1960's.
Also, Cleopatra? I don't know much about her, as there's not a whole lot that's evidentiary. Still? Love.
At first I was going to give this 3 stars. Mostly because I've seen no footnotes etc.
But, I'm just easy to please. I decided that since nobody ever gave any evidentiary scrap to the "evil women" trope, then I can and will say....fuck it! My women. Our rules. We totally have.rocked,.for millennia. Men just keep blaming it on witchcraft!
Good thing they have a dick, otherwise they'd get NO play.

The Most Maligned Women in History is by Samantha Morris is a title the accounts for many controversial women throughout history, due to their misdeeds or ruthlessness, or simply because they’re women. I found some chapters to be more well written than others. Sometimes I found the information confusing or repetitive, but overall, I thought this was a good book and I enjoyed reading it throughout its entirety. Thank you again to Netgalley for the opportunity!

‘And now, without any further ado, let us begin our journey into the lives of some of the most maligned women in history’.

When I seen the cover for this book and read the description, I was HOOKED!

Learning about these women was really interesting!

Some women we learn about are, Cleopatra, Empress Wu, and Lizzie Borden.

‘For women with power, or land, others wanted what she had and would go above and beyond to take it from her.’

The author has provided a list of further reading at the end of the book…. Not ideal for my never ending TBR!!!

A must read for history, true crime and women of history readers.