CHIN UP, GIRLS! is a fabulous collection of obituaries of 20th century women that captures the their spirit - many of whom came of age between emancipation and the Sex Discrimination Act. Unfettered by fear of failure or mockery, these are women who bucked trends and forged their own untrodden paths, sometimes out of sheer determination, sometimes out of sheer eccentricity.
From the self-styled ‘Queen of Soho’ who sued BA, claiming to have been bitten on the bottom by a flea, to the aviatrix who beat the London to Cape Town flying record by a day, and picked up a couple of lion cubs on the way, this is a celebration of the women who refused to fulfil society’s expectations. Their company includes the woman who survived four months adrift in a dinghy in the Pacific and the woman who played professional polo disguised as a man for fifteen years, as well as the inimitable Dame Barbara Cartland and Fanny Cradock. And there are over one hundred more. This is the first time that the Daily Telegraph has dedicated a book to women’s stories; very few of the women featured were ‘celebrities’, yet their stories represent a century of progress and change, capturing the spirit of those who came of age between Emancipation and the Equal Opportunities Act, whether high life or low life, pioneers or bluestockings. Taking its title from the inspiring lines of a matron whose nurses faced a WWII firing squad, this is a fascinating portrayal of unforgettable and extraordinary characters united by their refusal to accept society’s constraints.
'A glorious collection, with enough material for 100 biographies' - Sue Baker, Publishing News
Author
About Georgia Powell and Katharine Ramsay
Georgia Powell was educated at University College, Oxford. She has worked on television documentaries for the BBC and Channel Four and joined the Daily Telegraph obituaries desk in 2000. She is married with two children.
Katharine Ramsay read history at Cambridge and worked as a member of the Number 10 Policy Unit under John Major. She joined the Daily Telegraph obituaries desk in 1997 and is married with two children.
From the self-styled ‘Queen of Soho’ who sued BA, claiming to have been bitten on the bottom by a flea, to the aviatrix who beat the London to Cape Town flying record by a day, and picked up a couple of lion cubs on the way, this is a celebration of the women who refused to fulfil society’s expectations. Their company includes the woman who survived four months adrift in a dinghy in the Pacific and the woman who played professional polo disguised as a man for fifteen years, as well as the inimitable Dame Barbara Cartland and Fanny Cradock. And there are over one hundred more. This is the first time that the Daily Telegraph has dedicated a book to women’s stories; very few of the women featured were ‘celebrities’, yet their stories represent a century of progress and change, capturing the spirit of those who came of age between Emancipation and the Equal Opportunities Act, whether high life or low life, pioneers or bluestockings. Taking its title from the inspiring lines of a matron whose nurses faced a WWII firing squad, this is a fascinating portrayal of unforgettable and extraordinary characters united by their refusal to accept society’s constraints.
Chin Up, Girls! features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Recommendations
Chin Up, Girls! is available in Hardback
Chin Up, Girls! was written by Georgia Powell and Katharine Ramsay and published by John Murray General Publishing Division
Join Our Community
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
