Trailblazer

Reviews

As a long-serving head of the pioneering ‘College for Women’ I thought I had the measure of our flamboyant co-founder. I was wrong. Barbara Bodichon, artist, educator, influencer and more, was a driving force for an age of reform. Full of fab facts and inspiring incidents this book tells the remarkable story of a social outsider whose clear-sighted vision, disregard for convention, selfless support for others, and relentless pursuit of justice was game-changing for women's inclusion in political, professional and public life. Stylishly written, and rich with entertaining anecdotes, Robinson’s biography reanimates this almost forgotten, generous and visionary woman. Lively and well researched ... [Bodichon] was a vital cog in the wheel of social change for women. Her energy is contagious. ‘Jane Robinson is brilliant at putting the women back into history and her biography of Barbara Leigh Bodichon, a Victorian feminist we should all be grateful to, is as entertaining as it is necessary.’ Through skillful storytelling and a warm-hearted narrative style, she makes high-mindedness, endeavour and idealism seem both compelling and, in its deep and intellectual friendships even romantic ... One of the many engaging features of her book is the affection in which she holds her characters ... What a lot we have to thank Barbara Bodichon and her circle for. She was a charismatic but self-effacing woman so she would at the very least have been perplexed by the idea of being a role model. But I can't think of a better one for today.

Jane Robinson’s new biography reads like a
Who’s Who of Victorian political and artistic
society ... You close this book with a new character
in your mental list of great Victorians:

What an amazing biography Jane Robinson has written of this incredible social trailblazer and feminist pioneer, an account that both elucidates and entertains. Historical facts, political struggles, a life full of both challenges and fun. Truly brilliant. Jane Robinson’s admiration of [Barbara’s] achievements, and her incisive and immersive approach to writing her life story, ensures that her subject catches the sun. An overdue tribute to an unsung feminist pioneer. . . Robinson gives a buoyant, skilfully managed account that is undeniably moving. Her warmth for Bodichon is in the end beguiling: she is as sincere as her subject. Robinson provides a lively, sympathetic biography of a woman who was truly the trailblazer of her book's title. Expand reviews