Jane Arthur reviews a personal investigation into womanhood, while Catherine Robertson finds a historical novel to her taste.
Notes on Womanhood by Sarah Jane Barnett Otago University Press (RRP $30)
Notes on Womanhood is a clear-eyed, considered, personal investigation of what might be meant by the notion of ‘‘womanhood’’ through an account of the author’s relationship with her body and identity as she enters middle age.
Wellington poet Sarah Jane Barnett (A Man Runs Into a Woman; WORK) knows ‘‘womanhood’ is more than a simple biological equation, having recently had a hysterectomy and being the daughter of a transgender woman. The resultant investigation is careful, illuminating and highly readable – I devoured it in two sittings. There’s a perfect balance of anecdotes from Barnett’s life – as a child, teen, wife, mother – with her interpretations of academic writing by others on the topic, always with a deliberate, selfreflective approach and consistent acknowledgement of privilege and intersectionality. Notes on Womanhood is the rare type of book that can clarify the vague, conflicting thoughts that rattle around the back of your mind, and may ultimately grant you permission to go easy on yourself, no matter your gender. – Jane Arthur
Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders
The Cuba Press (RRP $37)
To be honest, historical novels aren’t my first choice, but I started Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders and before I knew it, I was 100 pages in.
It’s an absolutely cracking read. Sanders, a keen sailor, based it on a true story.
The General Grant went down near the Auckland Islands in 1866, and only 15 survived, including Joseph Jewell and his wife, the lone woman in the group.
Though the barest of records exist, Sanders has created a compellingly plausible story of survival, told from the perspective of Mrs Jewell, acutely aware that a woman is an unwelcome burden, and filled with grief for the women and children whose drownings she witnessed.
This novel is both an exciting action-adventure and a deeply moving personal tale. Exceptional. – Catherine Robertson