I wanted to like this so much! Alas it just set my teeth on edge. The problem is that I am a bit too much of a history nerd so the gossipy style didn't really appeal. I also got a bit irritated that a lot of the princesses listed within were actually mythological - specifically the pirate princess who the author admitted towards the end of the chapter may never have existed at all. I think I would be more suited to a more traditional historical book on these women. It felt a bit low-effort if I'm honest and I think I could have dragged up more info about the women in the book from Wikipedia.

Polite women never make history and thank God for their rebel hearts. Seeing women throughout history that defied all the rules could be considered a history lesson and a class in women's studies. Buy it for your daughters!

This was a weird one with some of the stories actually based on historical figures but some were still only myths or legends. I was hoping to see more real heroines throughout history but they were still fun to read about nevertheless.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

This is an interesting book but not for children. It's a long list of stories of women who didn't behave as they were "supposed to" in the old days -- becoming pirates, having affairs, killing people, etc. The author uses a sort of humorous tone that sometimes feels exploitative, considering these women really often suffered because of their circumstances and probably wasn't really fun for them. I'd love to see a version done for kids and done a little more respectfully. It ultimately didn't hold my interest but it would be a good fit for women who like reading about nontraditional women in history.

I loved this book, a collection about powerful women in history, especially because it went beyond the English-speaking parts of the world! So many of us have been raised with the Disney versions of princesses, with a dash of the Brothers Grimm fairytales, but history is is often stranger than fiction. A wonderful memoir to begin a feminist collection with!

The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: History and Folklore is littered with women who stepped out of the stereotype of their times to become legendary, or notorious (depending on who you ask).





Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? Princesses Behaving Badly reads more like a magazine aimed towards providing gossip fodder rather than historical facts. I know that sounds harsh but there you have it. I was expecting actual, factual documentation of these so-called princesses (which some of them are not actually princesses) but instead there is a touch of facts interwoven with opinions and written in a tone best saved for conversations with your friends. If that's your thing then by all means pick up this book.

It’s not all bad per say, there are plenty of pretty amazing women that I’d never heard of before but I definitely had to head off to Google to find more information on them. Some of these fearsome women are unfortunately relegated to tall tales passed down through the centuries, there is no actually documentation that they ever existed which is a shame because they would have been interesting to learn about.

What I could have done without was the new wave feminist undertone going on throughout the book. It’s not necessary and I’m tired of it being shoved in my face. The women highlighted in the book don’t need to be identified as anything other than women who defied convention in order to be who they truly were, good or bad. The constant insinuation that this is a “feminist” book is just in poor taste. And while I do identify as a feminist, I don’t identify with the new wave of feminism. It's best to not label a book and let the reader decide rather than sway them one way or another.

Click It or Skip It? Borrow It. Despite the constant feminist tone and the lack of hard core documentation, the book is still an enjoyable read. It might lead you on a merry Google search for more information about the fierce and sometimes merciless women of history.

This book was originally published in 2013, so it's great to see it's gone into a timely reprint to reach a wider audience. These tales bring to light the lives and deeds of strong women throughout history who have not all been acknowledged by most history books. The persistence and determination of what these women went through in order to pursue the lives they wanted to lead is both interesting and inspiring.

Stories of women whose stories are often left untold.
A local theater group is creating devised pieces with teenage girls about unsung women, and ive suggested this book as part of their research.

Have you had the picture perfect image of an elegant princess who lives happily ever after in your mind since childhood? Get ready for that image to be shattered! Princesses Behaving Badly introduces you to all of the forgotten and little-known princesses on history. How many Disney princess stories involve patriots, spies, murderers, and mothers? None. This books delves into all the dirty stories not suitable for Disney and bedtime stories.
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie does an amazing job researching and spinning the glorious and tragic tales of these princesses found throughout our history. Women have played second fiddle to men in the history books for too long. McRobbie features the strong women that history has lost and brushed aside. These women are victorious, vicious, angry, argumentative, laid low, and lascivious. They are depicted as they are, no ruffles. This book gives the reader intriguing stories of strong women in nice manageable portions. It is an easy book to carry around with you throughout your day and dive into on your breaks.

An interesting, thought-provoking and eye-opening retelling of stories we thought we knew. I enjoyed this book and the research it led me to.

I've had this book on my Netgalley list for so long but I've finally got round to reading this slightly sarcastic, easy non-fiction read about so many badass women throughout history. I thought this book would be similar to The Women Who Made New York which I loved in December 2017 but this book was much lighter, less serious and seemed to be aimed more at a YA audience which I didn't fully expect or want.

However, I liked the illustrations, although I wish there were more and I did enjoy the stories of these unknown (to me), real amazing women throughout history who led armies, defied the gender stereotypes of their time and more. I liked the mini biography style of this book along with the stories of these women and while I did enjoy this book, I was a little disappointed on the whole.

Princesses Behaving Badly is a non-fiction collection starring an array of women through history that definitely differ from the popular image of "princess" . What the author suggests is to provide a different take on your standard Disney princess that is so unlikely to exist or to have ever existed in reality.

While the concept is quite interesting I found McRobbie's initial aim confusing since I don't see how, while Disney princesses can arguably represent an unrealistic standard that (especially in earlier animated films) can be damaging to young children, these women could take those famous princesses' place. Sure some of them can be badass, unapologetic and inspiring but in this book we mostly see brutal, mindless and mentally ill women that one can hardly look up to, if not pity or ultimately despise them when understanding is no longer possibile.

Having said that, I unfortunately didn't enjoy the structure of the book; the way in which these "princesses" (for not all the women actually earned that title) are divided doesn't always make sense, as it was an attempt to simplify their characters into categories whose lines are actually blurred, and their personality more complex than a simple title could convey.
Sometimes there is a small synopsis in the beginning of a story that feels completely unnecessary since the "slice of life" that we get afterwards is already pretty short and very condensed.

This takes me to talk about the writing style, which is very poor and sort of wikipedia-like, with a tinge of irony that wasn't always welcomed or appropriate. The tone is at times judgmental and at times condescending which I found, again, misleading in terms of the author's intentions. I was very sad to find out more on Google about these women than this book would issue and I also thought the lack of references to be troublesome, most sources being liquidated through phrases like "according to the classicists",

I would have preferred more depth and more precision. I understand that the author didn't have enough information to give each woman the same "space" and treatment, but this resulted in some of them being just mentioned because they could fit into a certain category and ultimately not really saying anything about them. The fact that the book promises "Real Stories from History" but then throws in also legends and myths that are not really documented or verified doesn't help in increasing credibility and accuracy from the author's part.

I cannot say that I enjoyed the reading experience of this collection of short stories although I really wish I had, since the premise of the book was fascinating and really attractive.

These vignettes or tales of women who didn't fit the societal norms of their time, as well as their fates and adventures, are recounted here in this enjoyable but sometimes uneven read. Overall, this is a good addition for a collection of women's history, etc.

Well researched and well written book with fascinating stories of princesses and noble women who did the opposite of what society expected of them.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I loved the concept behind it and learning about all kinds of incredible women throughout history who refused to fit into the role that society had envisioned for them.

It was empowering and made me want to research these women even more after the fact.

Really accessible and fun popular history. I really enjoyed the writing style and the subject matter itself was fascinating

Another month, another book to read about fabulous historical women. At this point, I have read a good half-dozen or so of these books and no matter if I am reading about the same selection over and over, I am still having a pretty good time.
Nonetheless, I think Princesses Behaving Badly has to be the weakest of those I have read so far. Still enjoyable, yes, but I think it missed some of the empowering and non-judgmental tone that the others had buckets of - particularly when it came to criticising the Disney machine for creating generations of shallow children obsessed with princesses and their pretty dresses, and yet constantly seemed to focus wholly on the princesses’ appearances.
Every damn time.
Unless the woman used her looks as a weapon, or they were used as a weapon against her, I did not find it to be entirely necessary and felt that it just continued to reiterate that, whatever else these women did in their lives, the only thing that mattered was how she looked.
Aren’t these books supposed to be proving the opposite??
It also seems that, to be a princess featured in this collection, the women had to reject femininity entirely; undertaking traditionally male roles and displaying traditionally male traits. It created a confusing sort of contradiction in which, to be deemed worthy, the women had to be unnaturally stunning or horrifyingly ugly, with a penchant for participating in male spheres and doing it better than any male could.
Whilst, yes, a lot of kick-arse women today and throughout history can claim to have done exactly that, it only applies to subset and continues to tell young girls that the only way to achieve greatness, is to reject femininity entirely.
That femininity is evil and something to be shunned.
And honestly, there is something almost misogynistic about that way of thinking.
It is an ideology that continues to erase and ignore amazing women who have embraced femininity wholeheartedly and excelled at things that have been traditionally deemed as part of the women’s sphere, or were part of the only options available to women in the time period.
It is something that more and more makes me ask, what makes women great? What makes princesses great? The answer that I have landed on?
Just being who they are.

This book attracted me with the theme of looking beyond the Disney stereotype of sweet, always good-natured and usually pampered princesses who live “happily ever after “. The author presents here a multitude of historical princesses who were often kick-ass in nature, idiosyncratic and sometimes quite evil in actions. In short, interesting! The book is entertaining and enjoyable. But don’t expect a lot of detail- there are so many examples here that only a brief synopsis is possible for each. However, the positive aspect to this is that I learned of many “princesses “ I didn’t know before and was able to do further research on the cases that particularly intrigued me. Definitely recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the stories of the Princesses that you may or may not have heard of, who may not have had such a "happily ever after"

My only disappointment really, is that not all of the stories are "true". Some are based off of folklore, etc.

I always love learning the "offbeat" stories in history, so it was a fun read for me!