lou's library

I discovered Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given in a small bookshop in Oxford last autumn and immediately had to buy it because something about it just spoke to me (and the beautiful cover did help, too). And my gut feeling was right: I loved that book so much that I wanted to thrust it into every woman’s hand and shout about it from the rooftops. And I knew I wanted to read the author’s first book, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty too. Fast forward twelve months and here we are, with me just having finished it. So, here are my thoughts on this non-fiction feminist book.

While I did enjoy Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, I fear I might have read Florence’s Given’s books in the wrong order. Her first one is much more of a basic feminist text than Women Living Deliciously, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I just think that Women Don’t Owe You Pretty is a great introduction to feminism if you perhaps haven’t given much thought to it yet or feel like you have some gaps in your knowledge. But if you’re not new to the subject, then the book probably will not hold much new information for you.

I am glad to have read it anyway, as I think a bit of a reminder of how truly fucked up gender inequality still is today is always useful, and because I very much appreciate Florence Given’s own honesty when tackling the subject. She does not expect perfection from anyone, including herself and at the same time does not hesitate to call people (including herself) out for making mistakes or excluding certain groups of people from the conversation. But she does so compassionately and in the knowledge that, when it comes to feminsim, there is no use in tearing other women down to make ourselves feel better.

I would say that Florence is a very kind and empathetic teacher, if this book truly is your introduction to feminism. Her dedication to putting yourself first before you can help others does seem extreme in some places, but I do believe she has a point in arguing that women don’t often get to prioritise themselves and that we don’t owe anyone anything. Of course, it should go without saying that this is not a free pass for selfish behaviour or not helping others when you have the ability and capacity to do so.

In terms of a target audience for Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, anyone can benefit from reading it, but particularly girls and young women will probably enjoy this the most. The writing style is fun and includes a fair bit of swearing, and it is clear that Florence Given spends a lot of time on the internet. I enjoyed all of these aspects but I can see how someone older might prefer a different style.

The author’s dedication to intersectional feminism is something I was very glad to see, and it felt only right that she tried her best to include as many perspectives as possible and to call out her own privilege as a thin, white and able-bodied woman. Also, as a completely unrelated side note: the illustrations in this book are just as gorgeous as in Women Living Deliciously and I think Florence Given did a great job of portraying so many different body shapes and skin colours and of showcasing the beauty of women in their diversity.

So I guess that if you feel like you already have a solid understanding of intersectional feminism, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty isn’t essential reading for you, unless you want a brush up of your knowledge. But even if you feel like you do know a lot about the topic, please do yourself a favour and read Women Living Delicioulsly, as that book taught me so many new perspectives and made me feel seen and appreciated as a woman in a way I can only hope will be considered normal one day.

If you need more book recommendations, I have a blog post all about empowering books here, as well as one about books with unusual portrayals of masculinity. Happy reading!