this was soooo adorable!!! loved this and it's such a unique idea.

this part is a personal critique but netgalley made it extremely hard to read this. idk why but it was nearly impossible to scroll.

This book was a good concept but was a little disjointed. It was hard to read through the parts that weren’t graphic novel and seemed like you needed to have prior knowledge about some of the women

I found this to be a beautiful introduction to so many female authors. Many I've read from, but there were still so much I learned about them and all the others that were new to me. This book lets it be known that this is just suppose to be a jumping off point to get to know some of the most famous female authors, and I loved how after each author's segment there was a list of their publications. The art in this was also so cute, and I really enjoyed when there was cameos of the other women or side "characters" in different stories. I really want to read more from all the authors mentioned!

Why She Wrote
Author: Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir, History

When NetGalley showed this ARC as a graphic complication of the lives of 18 fascinating women novelists from the past, I couldn't let the chance pass me by. As it is, I love graphic novels, I love memoirs, I love the classics, and I love Jane Austen! When a book promises me all four, what more would I want?

The above shows the expectations the ARC created in me. Are the expectations met on reading this book? Read on!

If I have to describe the book in one word: I would say that it is FASCINATING! Shucks, I want one more word. It is INSPIRING as well.

So this is how the novel is structured: The 18 novelists are divided into six groups of three each, based on some common parameters. So we have the group information about what is common to the upcoming trio, then an introductory page featuring the author/poet in that section with one of her thought-provoking quotes, then a little writeup revealing the background and fascinating insights about her, then a graphic presentation of a key event in her life, and finally a couple of trivia to round up the section before moving on to the next author/poet. Every graphic presentation has been
researched and recreated using memoirs and/or letters written by the authors. Can you see the hard work that has gone into the making of this book? Unbelievable!

More than the graphic panels, I enjoyed the little snippets of information about each of the authors. There are such a lot of facts that I wasn't even aware of, not even for my favourite Jane Austen. The lineup of esteemed ladies covered in the book is equally astounding; it reads like a veritable who's who of the literary world of the 18th-19th centuries. And should I even write about the gorgeous cover? Oh my! It's been so long since I've gushed this much about a book!

I am so excited after reading this beautiful little gem, I feel like hugging it to my chest like Gollum, growling "My Precious!" Too bad I only have the digital copy for now!

I had the opportunity to read the advanced ‘uncorrected’ readers copy thanks to NetGalley, Chronically Books, the authors, Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke, and the illustrator, Kathy Bales.

Why she Wore is lovely reminder that women’s literacy is where it is today because of the writers presented in this graphic history novel. This graphic novel depicts the history of the lives, inspiration, and influences behind the pens or classic women writers. Some of the writers featured include the Brontë Sisters, Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter, Mary Anne Evans, and many more.

The graphics are beautifully designed, but also captures the darkness and rawness of some of these woman’s lives to remain true to their story. The content seems very factual and Well read. In a graphic format, I believe that the content is easy to digest for people who struggle with non-fiction, but also for younger audiences.

I did enjoy this, and there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the novels itself, but it wasn’t my favourite read. I think this would be an invaluable gift for someone who celebrates women rights, women’s art, women’s classical writing and authors,

This book at it's core is "Empowered Women, Empower Women*.

This book takes an interesting look at what inspired different women to take up their own mantle and put their own thoughts and ideas out there.

And through the course of this book we see often it's the women who came before them, inspiring them to follow in their footsteps.

It's a poignant reminder that we to may someday be the person someone looks up too.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie. At first, I judged Why She Wrote by its cover. I'm intrigued by the catchy title, the color scheme, and the cover illustration. I knew I had to get my hands on this book as soon as possible. My wish came true when I received the e-ARC from the publisher and NetGalley (once again, thank you!).

Why She Wrote did not disappoint. I love everything about it, from the narrative structure to its illustrations. I love the format and how it's divided into several parts according to the themes. The biographies of various inspiring female authors are very fascinating and insightful.

However, I wish more authors of color are included in this book. It's sad to see that there are only three authors of color among the eighteen authors featured in this book. The rest are white and mostly Europeans. If there's ever a second volume of this wonderful book, I really hope it will be more diverse.

As I've said before, I love the illustration, but the comic strip could be pretty confusing because sometimes it has little to no correlation with the biography. Last but not least, the script font in the comic strip is also hard to read and I hope the publisher would consider changing it to a more readable font.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely check out the authors' podcast (Bonnets at Dawn) after this!

From page one, you can not put this book down. The character descriptions of the women writers in this book are so different from what one remembers from school. The book is lively written and broken into cartoon sections that make it so interesting. More books should be written in the coveted method of writing that the authors use. It is my opinion that very Writter would be Writter and just reader is doing themselves a disservice by not reading WHY SHE WROTE. In this ME TOO movement we should all be aware of what women writers did for our modern cause. 5 STARS ......

If you’re looking for a book about women writers in history, whose books are considered classics, then that’s the one for you! ‘Why She Wrote’ summarises the story of many female writers, mostly from the 1800-1900s, and their stories are also illustrated by Kaley Bales in a way that makes it a fun and lighthearted read.

It’s a good way to know more authors, since some aren’t as known mainstream as others, and to know more about the lives of those you already know. This book is just perfect for people who want to start reading classics and classical authors, but find them particularly difficult to understand or keep up with, or those who don’t have much time in their hands to do so. Basically, it’s the perfect way to become familiar with classics.

It is also a very interesting reading in a historical point of view, to analyze the context those texts were written and which struggles those writers had to go through socially to be able to speak their mind and live their life as they wished.

Basically, it’s a book that deals with heavy topics, as expected from any form of media about women who lived a century ago, especially some who were sapphics, women of color or in poverty, but the narrative of this book is as lighthearted as possible, considering the topics it portrays. It’s a great book you should certainly read if you’re interested in history and/or literature.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why some of the most famous authors out there were inspired to write? Well, the creative team behind Why She Wrote asked themselves that question, and here is their answer.

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is an accurate description, and title, for this graphic novel. As this graphic novel tackles the stories of eighteen famous and beloved female authors.

This is a story that any interested reader should make a point of picking up. It allows for a quick glimpse into the lives and motivation of many authors we've known and loved for years. More importantly, it portrayed what some of them went through during the time they were making the decision to publish. It is something that adds almost a painful amount of context to their writing, in some instances.

It's also inspiring, in a way that I'm sure was intentional. And when not inspiring, it certainly is informative. I know that I learned a few things that my education or personal research never turned up. Gotta love it when that happens!

Why She Wrote is split into chapters, giving time to focus on each of the eighteen authors included. Each chapter includes a page (or more) of written history, details, and more about each author. Following that are the images that define this novel. They bring these true stories to life, in a way that is approachable for almost any age range.

It was so lovely to read about all of these women that I adore, and to learn more about the ones I didn’t really knew much about. Definitely an important book that gives voice to female writers! It allows readers to learn about their lives beyond their works (that many times are related), and how difficult it was for some of them to write and make a living out of it.

The fact that most of it is graphic novel made it so fast to read, and the illustrations were beautifully done.

I admittedly didn't expect there would be women in this book I hadn't heard of previously, but here we are. With a perfect balance of text and illustration, Why She Wrote provided an excellent history not only of historical female authors but the reasonings for why they ended up becoming who they are known as. This would be an excellent addition to school curriculums, both high school and college level.

An ideal book for our list. This is an incredibly interesting provocative book about a female writers. I highly recommend

This is a very interesting book. I love learning more about classic authors and, of course, about the women who managed to get their work published back then. Despite all the difficulties, their novels are still praised and the story behind the women is often very interesting.
And that is the part of the book I really enjoyed, the one where we learn about these women and why they decide to write their books. In some cases, it was even more interesting, since I was not as aware of those writer's background. However, the graphic novel part of the book was not my cup of tea. I appreciate it, and it definitely adds something different and interesting to the book. But I found myself wanting more of the text and less of the drawings.

Why She Wrote by Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke and illustrated by Kaley Bales was not at all what I thought it would be - in the best way! It is a unique storytelling format, one that kind of reminded me of Once Again to Zelda but in graphic novel format. Each chapter begins with a one page bio of the author followed by a short graphic novelization of a scene from their life.

Why She Wrote is not comprehensive, but that’s also not the intent - it provides snapshots of some of literature’s most influential authors, and would be great for getting young adults interested in them (I could see using excerpts to introduce a text to students). However, the content is definitely not for children.

I’m so excited to explore their podcast, Bonnets at Dawn, which inspired the book!

As a result of this book, I have been introduced to the writings of women that I had never heard of. In addition to this, the curtain has been pulled back on their life stories and motivations. I was amazed by Frances Burney who wrote about her horrendous experience of undergoing a mastectomy in 1812 for presumed breast cancer. I was impressed by the creativity and courage of Beatrix Potter who sought to protect the rights to her children's stories. Sui Sin Far wrote about her experience of being Eurasian in 19th century Canada and chose to use her writings to advocate for the Chinese communities of North America. I enjoyed the stories about these women and was a little surprised by their secrets that they managed to keep hidden from public view. The illustrations were less enjoyable than I expected them to be. At times they failed to capture how I imagined the women might act. "Feisty and strong" does not mean "angry and bolshy"; perhaps that it is how I felt these depictions came across. The illustrations for Frances Hodgson Burnett is a case in point.

Why She Wrote is a wonderful book to learn more about women writers from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. The book highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through comics. Biographical text, bibliographies, and fun facts are also included.

This is such a beautiful and fun compilation. I read the book in just one day and enjoyed every page. The Art work is amazing and the stories are easy to read. I would recommend Why She Wrote to people who like to learn more about (the history and lifes of) female writers and who enjoy graphic novels.

It is the perfect book to have on hand, to give as gift to any woman or girl. Like other books, it brings together the most important femenin writers in English literature, but the uniqueness of this book is in the way its authors give it.
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Eighteen women, eighteen lives each unique and unrepeatable. This book addresses the similarities, their ambitions, and their struggles. Emphasize work and unites them through her greatest passion and struggles and analyzes the way in which their work inspires or guides other writers.
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It is both a biography and an essay on the importance of women in the world of letters, a book that motivates and fascinates anyone who reads it. Simply beautiful and with illustrations that complete and mold each piece of life narrated
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I read it in one day, and I love every word, it is one of those books that you want to have at home and go back to his pages full of inspiration I really enjoyed it
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Thanks to #NetGalley and #Chroniclesbooks for letting my read #WhySheWrote before goes on sale the 20 April of 2021

A-M-A-ZING!

This is the kind of book I didn't know I was waiting for my entire reading life!

I have read too many graphic novels all these years but something like this is a first!

Women authors. Most familiar but some of them still not yet talked much about. Thanks to this fun, beautiful illustrated compilation of all these authors describing them and featuring some of their most important works.

Non-fiction, book about books and authors will never be this fun again I tell you!

I find the artwork quite invested and well done. It's so cool to actually know which parts of these authors' lives to be presented in such few pages like stories well portrayed through ink and colors!

I personally like the later half of the book much better as I see much improvements in the representation, description and the art sequence there, and not because of the authors in the second half.

Yes, it reminds me. The best part of the book is that it shows equality in the representation of all these 18 women authors regardless of their work, their popularity or their background.

Kudos to the team.

Thank you so much for the advanced reader ecopy.

I assure you this book will be so much beautiful in its physical version!

Damn 💞

This was a very nice book about well know women authors. Each author was talked about and then a cartoon was shown for each. They involved a pivotal moment in the authors life. At the end of each subject, they would have a list of the works that each woman wrote. The lesser known authors were really interesting to me. It showed how far women authors have come. In the past, women weren't even allowed to have their name on their book, they would go under a mail name. Many publishers didn't want a woman to have written stories, even if they were good. If you like history or reading about some famous authors, this book is for you!!