Lives of Extraordinary Women

This is a wonderful collection of short, easy biographical sketches of women who have affected the history of the world--whether they were born to power or came to it by the strength of their own personalities. The mixture of basic facts with tidbits of personal information, or gossip, makes the selections interesting and easy to listen to, while providing much food for thought about the lives of women--and who has wielded power--through the centuries. Melissa Hughes's narration is a perfect fit. She reads clearly and concisely, enunciating each word. Her pace is steady, and her words are forceful, adding strength to each woman's story. Her accents, when quoting the women themselves, are faint but accurate, giving the listener a sense of the culture and setting of that time and place in history. A helpful addition for the audiobook would be an insert, or place on the bookjacket, listing all the women included, plus the dates of their lives, which are given briefly on the tape. Still, this is an excellent selection for beginning women's studies. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine