BlogTour -Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines by Henrietta Heald

Today I am pleased to be taking part in Unbound's and Random Things' Blog Tour to celebrate the publication of Henrietta Heald's release, Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines.

In 1919, in the wake of the First World War, a group of extraordinary women came together to create the Women s Engineering Society. They were trailblazers, pioneers and boundary breakers, but many of their stories have been lost to history. To mark the centenary of the society's creation, Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines brings them back to life.

Their leaders were Katharine and Rachel Parsons, wife and daughter of the engineering genius Charles Parsons, and Caroline Haslett, a self-taught electrical engineer who campaigned to free women from domestic drudgery and became the most powerful professional woman of her age. Also featured are Eleanor Shelley-Rolls, sister of car magnate Charles Rolls; Viscountess Rhondda, a director of thirty-three companies who founded and edited the revolutionary Time and Tide magazine; and Laura Willson, a suffragette and labour rights activist from Halifax, who was twice imprisoned for her political activities.

This is not just the story of the women themselves, but also the era in which they lived. Beginning at the moment when women in Britain were allowed to vote for the first time, and to stand for Parliament and when several professions were opened up to them Magnificent Women charts the changing attitudes towards women in society and in the workplace.


'Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines' by Henrietta Heald is an interesting and informative piece of social history which celebrates the women of the 'Womens Engineering Society' formed following World War 1. 

I really enjoyed reading about the society and its members. There were many revolutionary and strong women who strode forward and were at the forefront of life,driving it forward following the end of World War 1. Many of the women had been drafted in to work in the factories while the men were at war and they wanted to do more than the monotonous work. They were able to use the skills learnt in the factories to create new designs and products.

Other women stood strong and went their own way in life, including the launch of a magazine and an activist who ended up in jail due to her actions.However this is not only about the the members of the Women's Engineering Society it is also a great piece of social history which looks at the way lives were lived and the movement in society, especially society's feelings towards women taking prominent roles within politics and other high ranking occupations.

I think this would be a great resource for anyone with a love of history and especially early 20th century Great Britain.Henrietta Heald has written a sensitive and infortmative read which celebrates the advances in society made by women.


Thank you to Unbound and Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review.