Book Review: Well-Read Women
I was so happy when my copy of Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction’s Most Beloved Heroines, arrived today. Written and illustrated by my friend Samantha Hahn for Chronicle Books, it's exquisite in every way.
Samantha is a fabulous illustrator whom I've commissioned for both illos on my blog and in my second book, so I know how skilled she is first hand. Samantha has worked for some of the best clients out there, including a slew of gorgeous magazines and also Daily Candy. Her gorgeous debut book is now available for pre-order, so grab a copy now because it will make for the most lovely gift for yourself or a good friend. It's crazy beautiful and so unique.
In fact, it happens to be one of those books that really is perfect to give to a friend because it's not only gorgeous but full of girl power (she illustrated 50 legendary female characters and hand lettered quotes from them) so you can't help you feel so proud to be a modern female. I love what Samantha said about it recently on her blog, "Meet these heroines, befriend them, and in the process, perhaps learn about yourself. Whether you’ve read some or all of these stories, I hope you enjoy gazing into the eyes of all of the powerful, damaged, beautiful, and incandescent women in my book. I hope you follow them back to their original stories and come to see them in your own way, too." Such a fine statement!
I can't take my hands off of this book - I seriously love it and will definitely be buying copies to give to my friends. It's so unique, and I love that it's light reading because I can get lost in the quotes and paintings and let my mind wander. I also see so many pages that I'm tempted to remove and frame, but hopefully she'll be selling them eventually as prints. My favorite portraits are of Anna Karenina, Alice, Jane Eyre, Antigone, Juliet Capulet (swooning over that close-up, would love that on my wall!), Ester Greenwood, Estella Havisham, Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova, Scarlett O'Hara and my favorite painting is of Emma Woodhouse from Emma by Jane Austen - so gorgeous! What a collection of fantastic ladies.
You can also support Samantha, in addition to buying the book of course, by liking her Facebook page. This is her first book and I'm so proud of her!
Congrats, Ms. Hahn!
(images: samantha hahn)