3.25 stars. This was a really nice mix between information and comic strips of famous women who wrote, but I didn't feel like I got a whole lot of information on any of the women, especially when I am already familiar with some of them from Monster, She Wrote. Review to come.

Due to working as a high school teacher, I am often behind on reviews, but here are my initial thoughts. Book will be included in March 2021 wrap-up.

I requested Why She Wrote on a whim from Netgellay, because I was looking for an interesting graphic novel that was a little different from the other graphic novels that I’ve read so far. I generally enjoy the genre, but I do struggle with the fact that there is often so little text, which makes it feel like I’m missing out on pieces of the story. Unfortunately, that was again the case here. I honestly think that it might just be my perception of the type of novel, but it never really does the trick for me 100%.

Why She Wrote is a book that gives you a bit more background of 18 big female writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th century. Some of the authors, like Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Frances Hodgson Burnett were familiar to me, whereas others were not. There was a little story about each woman that details a specific situation about their lives, however I often felt like I was missing the bigger picture. This was especially the case with the to me unknown writers.

Additionally, since the book is titled Why She Wrote, I expected the focus of the stories about these women to be the reason they started writing in the first place. This is sometimes mentioned, but never the main focal point, which was a little disappointing.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this graphic novel, but I think it could have been better. However, reading about female empowerment and women who defy the odds is never a bad thing!

A wonderful little graphic intro to some of the landmark female writers of the western canon! The art style was so cute, and I learned some things about some of my favorite writers that I hadn’t known before. Also lovely to see POC and lgbtq writers in the mix!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC.

This book was so much more than what I expected, I was waiting for reasons behind these women decided to start a writer's career (and I got that) but I got the relationship each had with each other. I got to "meet" writers I didn't know existed, and/or facts about these women that have been kept private or secret for taboos or social things that make me feel awful. I love how the authors of this book added the part of these women that were activism, feminism, and pure independent of what their families or partners thought. How those obscure details, as some of these women having relationships with other women or having affairs, were exposed and explained here. Not because I like the "bochinche" (as we say in Puerto Rico), of it but because we can see how real they were, the flaws in their stories (not only with the affairs but with other details of their lives too). I think this book is a good way to introduce children into these amazing writers that gave so many other women, including their child, the base to step onto and be the writer they want to be. The only reason I took a star (and is not a whole star, it is 5) Is because I was expecting a full graphic novel but it includes short written biographies of each author.

Why she wrote è uno dei saggi più belli che abbia mai letto, e di sicuro il più stimolante.
Bellissima la prefazione in cui, piuttosto che ricercare differenze e unicità delle scrittrici trattate, si pone l'accento sulle loro similitudini e su quanto alcune di esse ne abbiano influenzato altre.

Non solo di romanziere parla il testo, ma anche di attiviste, poetesse, donne che si sono battute per i propri diritti intellettuali, che hanno dovuto nascondersi dietro pseudonimi maschili e superare notevoli difficoltà dovute ai tempi in cui sono vissute, spesso alle precarie condizioni economiche, quasi sempre al fatto di non essere degli uomini.

Il volume non racchiude aride biografie, quanto piuttosto brevi - ma non per questo non esaurienti - testi che pongono l'accento sugli eventi più importanti e sul background delle scrittrici, facilitando la contestualizzazione.

La presenza di brevi fumetti è stata fuorviante, perché mi aveva fatto pensare ad un volume per bambini o ragazzi. Le tavole, invece, - dichiaratamente romanzate - si occupano spesso di momenti molto difficili delle vite di queste donne, come il terribile intervento subito da Frances Burney, tuttavia c'è anche spazio per eventi più gioiosi e piacevoli, come la scoperta di un amore insperato da parte di Elizabeth Barrett Browining.

Ogni capitolo si chiude con alcuni aneddoti - spesso simpatici - riguardanti le scrittrici, e un elenco dei loro lavori, che spinge il lettore a ricercarli per saperne di più.
Accanto ad autrici più conosciute e famose come Jane Austen, le sorelle Bronte o Beatrix Potter, il saggio permette di conoscerne altre, come Edith Maude Eaton, nata da madre cinese e padre inglese e dedicatasi soprattutto alla narrazione di storie di immigrati euroasiatici, o le attiviste afroamericane Alice Dunbar Nelson e Frances E.W. Harper, che si batterono per i diritti delle donne e della loro gente.

Why she wrote è un volume che consiglio a chiunque mastichi l'inglese - sperando che venga presto tradotto in italiano - e di cui metterò in wish list la versione cartacea.

This book combines many fun elements like comic strips, anecdotes, and general biographical facts to provide the reader with easily-digestible information about many different authors. Despite the wide range of authors being showcased, connections are still drawn between them, making this book flow very well together.

This book would be a great way for high schoolers to better understand some of the authors they may be reading in class.

Why She Wrote provides a short overview of women writers throughout history.

I was really drawn to this book to learn more about women writers and it was very informative while being concise. This book is part written biography and part graphic novel, which at points I enjoyed and other parts I found it to not flow.

At times it was was hard to follow the story in the graphic novel sections as there wasn't much background to what was happening. I learned a lot from this book and found the overviews of the writers to be so interesting. The illustrations were not my favorite and sometimes the script used was difficult to read.

Overall, I think this was a really cool way to discuss classic women writers and think those who love classics would really enjoy this book.

•Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 3.5☆
• Side characters- 3.5☆
• Flow of the story- 2.5☆
• Overall - 3☆

I am thrilled to review this graphic novel if only because it has all of my favorite lady authors in it and I get to read more about the reasons behind "why they wrote." Without Netgalley I never would have known this graphic novel was coming out. What an amazing piece of literature! Each author has a comic and a page long biography that really gives the reader interesting information about the author. This book is a prime example of why non-fiction graphic novels are so amazing and important, they can take large broad topics and bring them to a more focused and fun media to learn from. Amazing book, I will be recommending it.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book, but all opinions are my own.

"Women writers are presented as hobbyists, anomalies, or accidental geniuses. Their authorship is challenged, and their content dismissed. To combat those stereotypes head-on, we wanted to show these women at work."

I love me a strong female protagonist, and in this book, the female authors are the protagonists themselves! How can you not fall in love with this book?

First off, I absolutely support the sentiment of the authors, Ms. Hannah K. Chapman and Ms. Lauren Burke. I know I get absolutely frustrated with historical shows and books with characters (men) that look at women intellect with disdain. It hurts deep in my heart to know that this actually happened in history, that for a time, women were seen as less than men. And when I think about topics like this, it makes me ever so grateful that I am born in the 21st century, where I can express my true thoughts and opinions without them being dismissed. So for all of the 18 women authors in this book, my heart breaks for the adversity they had to face but also I smile at their bravery and hope to emulate them in the future.

I think overall, it was such an empowering read, especially for readers who are aspiring authors (not me; I am content to remain reader). And my tbr list has absolutely gotten longer. Definitely check this one out if you have time!

I was really interested by the concept of the book, which is why I first requested it.
I enjoyed the structure of the book (chapter divided by theme featuring3 to 4 author each) and the way each author was presented (a portrait, 1 page of written biography followed by a graphic storytelling about the author and, finally some facts and a bibliography), it was clear and gave us the main information regarding those authors. I also really enjoyed the art, I thought it was going very well with the theme and stories of the book.

However, I was a bit disapointed that only English speaking author were represented, I would have liked to see more translated author (the only exemple that comes to my mind just now is the French author George Sand), as well as more BIPOC and LBTQ+ author. It would have been nice to get to discover lesser known author.

Overall a good introduction for readers who want to discover some of the big name of English literature.

The book that makes me to want read classic books
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why she wrote is a combination of graphic novel and biography of women who wrote in those times when a woman can not have her own voice but some of them wrote under a pseudonym. They talk about pain, lose, happiness and freedom, everything that seems impossible like impossible love, arrive to another country and a life where every person will be equal.
I do not read a lot of classic books, but this one gave me everything that I need to start to read them. We can see the history of some women who wrote books a long time ago and nowadays we can consider classics because it made a change in those times, also me can see in a few pages the problems that each one had and how affected when it comes to write. It makes me think that their struggle is not quite different than today.
I really liked this book, from the cover to the illustrations on each biography. Maybe it seems like a lot of biographies but when you start to read you do not realize that you are in middle of the book. Something that I appreciated is not all comics are not based in their love life, they are based in why they wrote and the problems that they had like copyrights, the color of their skin, the places where they came or for the only fact that they were women.

My thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an advanced copy of this graphic novel.

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers by Lauren Burke, Hannah K. Chapman, illustrated by Kaley Bales is the graphic novel that you never knew you needed, and after reading want more of. Eighteen women writers, most from before the twentieth century are featured, with a quick written introduction into their lives and works, with an illustrated section allowing the women to be seen, share unknown facts and inspiration and show how complicated their lives were even after their publishing. The illustrations are beautiful, panels are full of information and make the characters clear and interesting. These sections are funny, informative and inspirational. The reader will learn about copyright law, discrimination among the suffragette movement, and the gumption they needed to be published. I hope their will be many volumes in this series. A nice graduation gift for any young woman who thinks of entering the arts, or just to inspire young minds.

I was hopeful about Why She Wrote and it did not let me down. While reading, I kept thinking how a 15-year-old Me would have adored this book. I’m going to buy a print copy just to have. I was impressed with the biographical information and that the graphic novel portion included stories of the lives of the women writers. I had worried they would include novel excerpts so I was pleased by this. I enjoyed the details that were included in the illustrations. Overall, it was a quick read and I appreciate the authors’ reasoning for writing the book (e.g. they explained their backgrounds as podcast creators.

This was interesting but I think that it could use an edit. As a writer, I found places I see that can be made more concise. Just a preference.

Why She Wrote is a fantastic collection of the basics you need to know about some of the most notorious female writers out there. Not only does it cover a quick family history, but also the struggles that they faced trying to get their works published in an industry that even today does not give women writers all the credit that we deserve.
The format of this book is a great medium to reach different types of readers. There is a page of written text with information about the writer, and then there are a few pages of graphic novelized biography about them as well. This means that those who don't like to read do not have to read much before getting into the graphic pages, and those that are not into graphic novels (like myself) can dive into the writing and gloss over the drawn pages.
I think this would be a great addition to libraries and English classrooms in both middle and high schools.

There are 6 chapters, each dedicated to three female authors. Every author gets a very brief written bio, several pages of a comicbook treatment, one page of trivia and a short summary of their bibliography. I was sceptical about the format at first. The first chapter was hardest for me to get through because I know all three authors - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and Charlotte Brontë - quite well and I didn't enjoy how short and incomplete the information on their life was. But as I went on I started to enjoy the book more and I fully appreciated the format when confronted with authors I knew nothing about, e.g. Alice Dunbar Nelson or Edith Maude Eaton. In conclusion, this is a great introduction to classic female authors. The format makes it perfect for people who are looking for a brief summary rather than detailed information and the illustrated portions of the book make it more appealing to a younger audience.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this! I love the illustrations - they were beautiful and uniform without being repetitive and too similar. I appreciate the highlighting of women authors and their contributions to their respective genres, setting the bars high. I felt connected in one way or another to the different approaches each other author took to get their work out there. I think the balance between their personal lives and works was well done.

That said, I do think this was a missed opportunity to spotlight more women from marginalized communities. I believe there are 2 or 3 Black women and one half Asian woman included, and a few wlw relationships mentioned. While I appreciated learning more about the authors whose names I've heard my whole life, information about them is easily accessible. There are so many women of color, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women, etc. who have contributed so much to the literary world who deserve more shine among the greats included here.

Actual rating: 3.5, but not leaning to a 4. This book was quite fun to read because of the additional side illustrations that showed a bit more of the author's personality that was highlighted. Perfect for a younger audience who would like to know more about authors and why they wrote, as a glimpse into their life can really give a lot of context on their writings.

Why She Wrote is the perfect book to share this March, which is also Women’s History Month. ⁠
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Why She Wrote is written by Lauren Burke and Hannah K. Chapman and illustrated by Kaley Bales and will be available in April 2021.⁠
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Why She Wrote is a non-fiction book about famous women writers from the past. Every chapter in this book provides a short biography of the author and also has a graphical story of a key moment in the author’s life. The book starts with how writing was not a respectable profession for women, the aliases the writers used, and how a few women writers fought for the copyright of their works. It also mentions that many authors turned to write as a means to support themselves.⁠
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The first time I knew that Frankenstein was written by a woman, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, I was surprised. Also, I was surprised when I knew George Eliot was a woman named Mary Anne Evans. In this book, I learned that Beatrix Potter fought to earn copyright of her character, Peter Rabbit, which was sold as a stuffed animal by stores and infiltrated on the ownership of her work. ⁠
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Thank you to @netgalley and @chroniclebooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would have enjoyed the paper version of this book more.⁠
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Category: Adult non-fiction (part graphical)⁠
Publication date: Apr 2021⁠
Authors: @bonnetsatdawn

A breezy biography of women writers boasting brilliant representations of some of blockbusting bigwigs of the written word, Why She Wrote is well-researched and bristling with entertaining and excellently rendered re-enactments; I really enjoyed the Anne Lister and Edith Maude Eaton extracts especially. Limelighting the rocky roads and rough waters that racked the lives of these wearied women of letters, Why She Wrote is a learned and lively resource that is laudable in referencing the works of lesser-known litterateurs from the trenches of literature - though it is tentatively a touch reductive in being limited to explicitly *English* literature, and with the less lightweight topics it is sometimes too laid-back when it could be more reserved and reflective. Still, it serves as an illuminating introductory resource or inspiring refresher to recap things for the already initiated on the subject, and makes for a riveting and indulgent read all in all.