Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: Female

  • The Women’s Circle

    The Women’s Circle

    The Women’s Circle from Karen Sepulveda is quite an engrossing story which is crafted in several periods of time. The past story is easy to follow as it is set in the 1700’s, and it shows similarities to women today. The main character is a woman called Anna. She is living in the present time and just finishing her jail sentence in Australia.

    Gradually we follow Anna on her first day out of prison. For the first six month she is living in a boarding house before she is allowed to re-enter society. Her thoughts and feeling are so realistic that it is easy to relate to her fear and reactions. The other women there are on a similar path and do not socialize. Each has her own set of goals.

    One of the conditions of Anna’s release is that she seeks a therapy group to join. Along with a part time job at McDonalds, this is her only outing from the house. When she tentatively joins the group, the leader is welcoming and after a session she shows Anna a large crystal. There is an instant reaction from the young woman and she begins to dream about another woman, living in the 1770’s in England.

    Aisleen is the English woman whose story is told through the crystal. Learning about her struggle, Anna realizes that life is a continual challenge for people, and that she has to be strong to break away from the life she was leading.

    The time travel comparisons in this story are interesting and have been cleverly woven into Anna’s struggle to move on from a disastrous past. She needs to be courageous enough to carve out a new future for herself. Aisleen also has her challenges to face in an unforgiving time. There are many interesting twists to this book.

  • Heroines of Olympus

    Heroines of Olympus

    The Women of Greek Mythology

    In the world of the ancient Greeks designed for men, women were expected to “Blend into the fabric of the city,” (according to Pericles); the Goddesses and Nymphs were the exception. Their behaviours were far more extreme and accepted, as was their power and their irrational actions. If we look at the purpose of Mythology as both a moral compass and entertainment, we understand why these behaviours were so accepted by women of the time.

    The contents page of Heroines of Olympus shows us there are fifty Goddesses and Nymphs whose stories are briefly told here. Ariadne has a page of introduction, together with her image. Following that is two pages of her story, which tells how her fortune changed from being discarded by Theseus, to being happily married to Dionysus. Each goddess is described, and her story outlined in the same way.

    The Heroines of Olympus is a wonderful book for Ancient History enthusiasts. The reader can pick and choose a favourite or start from the beginning. Much enjoyment comes from tying in relationships of the deities, and their feelings for each other.

    Satisfaction for suitable punishments of bad behaviours by men causes as much pleasure today, as it would for the women of ancient times. The power that was at the fingertips of many of these deities would be dreamed of by many young women. Ellie Macklin Roberts has created such an interesting read which takes a slightly different look at the life and times of Ancient Greece.

  • Not That I’d Kiss a Girl

    Not That I’d Kiss a Girl

    Lil’ O’Brien’s story is an authentic look at her life, without sparing the uncertainties, the drama and the knowledge that she was different to most other girls of her age. Growing up in New Zealand, Lil was a happy tomboy who was quite naïve and had little understanding of sexuality. On reflection, she had always admired the girl heroes in the books she read and felt drawn towards the female characters in the movies. She didn’t understand what was so interesting about boys, but nor did some of her school mates.

    As she matures, Lil realises that she is gay and at age nineteen, her parents overhear a conversation she is having with a girlfriend. They confront her and insist she leave the house immediately. Lil’s story moves on from there. She describes how good friends help her to find her feet and how learning to become an adult in a gay world has complexities that many people could not imagine. With very little family support Lil makes her way through study and the School Ball where all of the girls stayed at a Motel. She eventually moves into the working world.

    In the acknowledgements, Lil gives thanks to Rainbow Youth, an organization that supports young people who have gender issues. They inspired and helped her so much that eventually she was asked to share her story with High School students. This eventually led to her writing this book.

    It is such a frank and honest retelling that any young person who may be questioning their gender would benefit from reading it. Any person who doesn’t have questions about their gender would also benefit by reading this. To understand the struggle that Lil went through, and how a happy family can be shattered by her coming out makes us realise how difficult this process is. Happily, she is settled and willing to help others in their journey.