A fascinating and important collection of extracts from women's diaries through the centuries, including such iconic voices as Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Anne Frank, with a selection of pieces for every day of the year.
‘An extraordinary achievement. It's a book for all seasons – and all people. United across centuries, these women's voices open doors to lost worlds and make them seem familiar. A modern classic.’
'An intriguing, highly snackable guide to women’s experiences over the past four centuries.'
‘This compelling book … provides a unique lens into historical events from around the world through the eyes of the women who experienced them first-hand. The mix of diarists included means there is truly something for everyone.’
‘…Filled with such unexpected twists and turns…totally addictive to peruse. Without exception, every entry sizzles, each one revealing some peculiar detail or fascinating insight, and together, forming a rich and vivid picture of the female experience… It is these private, long-hidden musings which Gristwood has so cleverly unearthed, and which Secret Voices – this treasure of a book – so elegantly, strikingly captures.’
‘It’s an absolute treasure of a book … One of the best ‘dip in’ books I’ve seen in years, it would make a fabulous gift’
‘Finally women’s private thoughts can be publicly unleashed’
‘Brilliant… a really important record of women’
‘Spanning centuries, this day-by-day anthology of excerpts from women’s diaries is an engaging, enlightening pleasure.’
‘A beautiful object and one that can be dipped into daily for inspiration and humour.’
Sarah Gristwood is a biographer, journalist and commentator on royal affairs. Her previous books include the bestselling Arbella: England's Lost Queen, The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty, and biographies of Beatrix Potter, Winston Churchill, Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf, and HM Queen Elizabeth II. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Patron of Historic Royal Palaces, and regularly contributes to TV documentary series and coverage of royal events. She lives in Kent.