Page 89 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Reviews

MAIDS, WIVES, WIDOWS

Explore what the early modern world was like for wom

Author Sara Read Publisher Pen and Swords Books Ltd
Price £19.99 Released Out now

iving what feels like an honest insight into factually many of these are broken by Re
the lives of early modern women, without Women may have typically led the cook
being patronising or opinionated, Read household duties instead of their husban
manages to engage and interest in Maids, they also dabbled in politics and literatur
G Wives And Widows. As she delves into the Read discusses the likes of Isabella Whit
depths of women’s existence in all areas of life, Lady Mary Wroth, who broke convention
from being a mother to being a working woman, producing poetry and prose. Many femal
Read keeps it neutral, just as an pursued careers, compl
author whose aim is to inform apprenticeships to beco
should. The whole book is well midwives and nursery
navigable, enabling the reader to to name just two forms
dip in and out of it easily if they employment on offer. R
so wish. No chapter is too long goes into detail about a
and drawn out, yet Read goes into modern female’s person
depth in the relevant areas, making and the various outlook
the text one that could easily be society had on such, di
used as an educational tool. pregnancy, for example
The whole book is loaded with is left unturned through
factual nuggets that could inform book and Read’s work i
even the most knowledgeable Lady Mary Wroth was certainly a useful and a
reader. The role of women in one of the first female reference point to explo
the early modern period holds poets to achieve an female position in the p
enduring reputation
numerous stereotypes, but Siobhan Maguire

STRATEGO WATERLOO EDITION

Commemorate this historic battle from your living room
Publisher Jumbo games Price £39.99 Released Out now

aterloo was described by Wellington as all have different qualities, and deciding when to allies set up their lines first, meaning the French
“the nearest-run thing you ever saw in attack, call in reserves or advance can mean the can see where regiments are placed and counter
your life,” and you’ll probably agree once difference between victory and defeat. accordingly. Great attention to detail has been paid
you play this game. Stratego Waterloo Designed for two players, Stratego Waterloo is to ensure that this game is as accurate as possible
W lets you pick your side – French or allied sure to delight any fan of Napoleonic history. There to the actual battle, which adds another exciting
– and go to battle against your friends. is an abundance of nods to the real events – with layer of realism to the gameplay.
The object of the game is to break your a clock counting down the arrival of Prussian For strategy game beginners, the rules can
opponent’s line of retreat by using the pieces at reinforcements, the addition of mud and hill tiles initially be a little heavy to understand. However,
your disposal. Cavalry, artillery and infantry pieces and even the initial allocation of pieces – the Stratego Waterloo has three different modes of
play – basic, standard and expert – to give you more
options as you become more confident with the
rules. For this reason, it also has fantastic replay
value; there are numerous different ways to play
the game and no one side has any great advantage
over the other. The addition of the buildings of La
Haye Sainte and Hougoumont as well as the hill
of Mont St Jean are a great way to shake things up
Rewrite and add new dimensions to the game.
history Stratego Waterloo isn’t really intended for the
with
Stratego casual gamer, it requires thought, planning and
Waterloo attention to get the most out of it. However, once
you have grasped the basics, it’s an immensely
enjoyable and mentally stimulating way to spend
an afternoon.
Frances White
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