Almost Famous Women: Stories
Megan Mayhew Bergman (author) / Lesa Lockford (narrator), Dreamscape Media 2015

Basically, I loved the idea of this more than the actual book. It’s a collection of short stories about women who have been mostly forgotten by history – very different women, ranging from a little girl (Lord Byron’s daughter) to author and horse trainer Beryl Markham.

The stories vary greatly not only in subject matter, but also in length and style. This is also one of the book’s weaknesses, as not all stories work and the overall effect is somewhat disjointed, making the book feel not so much like a complete work as a pastiche of individual bits. There is also one story set in a dystopian future, apparently randomly inserted. I actually liked the story itself, but it was completely out of place – if the author was so keen to include it, it might have worked better at the end.

However, the book definitely peeked my interest in women I’d never heard of before – I foresee some pleasant hours spent falling down various internet rabbit holes. I assume that was one of the things the author wanted to achieve, pointing the spotlight at women whose lives were fascinating, exciting, tragic and deserve to be remembered, and that she definitely managed!

A note on the audiobook: Excellent reader, I was very impressed. She managed to capture the very different kinds of language used, sometimes through the use of dialects, others through subtle shifts in tone.