Book Review of Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe by Janina Ramirez
Back in May, I was lucky enough to see Janina Ramirez for a second time at Derby Book Festival. She is one of my favourite historians and if you ever get a chance to see her speak, I promise you won't regret it. I have watched her for many years doing her TV documentaries as…
Back in May, I was lucky enough to see Janina Ramirez for a second time at Derby Book Festival. She is one of my favourite historians and if you ever get a chance to see her speak, I promise you won’t regret it. I have watched her for many years doing her TV documentaries as well and honestly, what you see is entirely what you get with Janina. Lots of fun, passion for her topics and vivacity to go with it. Her books are very similar, just in the written format, so I was incredibly keen to get into her latest book: Legenda. Legenda showcases women from the Medieval and Early Modern periods who have helped shaped the identity of nations. Some of them well known, like Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria or Lady Godiva, others less known, such as Empress Adelaide of Bavaria. The choice of women is varied and is great at showing the different ways these women were able to carve a life out for themselves, often with centuries of difference, but which all contributed to the idea of a modern nation, such as France, England, Greece, or Germany (to name a few). I found this was an ambitious project and utterly commend Janina for the sheer amount of work, travel and research she must have put into this book. The passion and effort shine through the pages very easily. For a start, what a lovely cover! I’m all for anything shiny (the picture above doesn’t do it justice), so the fact that this cover is full of gold is wonderful! It easily reflects the art that depicts the women discussed in this book. The image is of Joan of Arc, with the saints she called upon, as well as church and state bowing down to her. The original is in the cathedral dedicated to her since she herself was declared a saint. I think this is the correct choice of cover image as it reflects the many different aspects that will be discussed in the book. I think the good thing about the sheer variety of women within this book is that everyone will end up having their favourites by the end of it. My favourite chapter of all was the one on France, which showcased Joan of Arc (a lifelong favourite of mine anyway) and Charlotte Corday. It was fascinating to read about how both women, who I already knew about, but in Corday not too much, have been adapted to suit the ever changing nature of the nation of France. However, I came out with an unexpected favourite who I had never heard of before this book: Lola Montez, an Irish woman who wooed the King of Bavaria, whilst pretending to be a Spanish dancer. She became vilified but I just love the fact she liked to start riots. In fact, at some point in the future, I would love to do a blog post on her. I have come to expect lots of wonderful research portrayed in an accessible and relevant way from Janina’s writing and this book certainly didn’t disappoint in that area. The fascinating narrative showcases the complexity of the women themselves, alongside the multiple ways their lives and images have been adopted and changed for nationalism. It certainly allows the reader to ponder on contemporary topics through a historical lens. We are living in a time of growing nationalism, where many are shouting make our country great again, but not necessarily saying what time they believe that to be. This book discusses the origins of such stories wonderfully. This book could easily appeal to those, like me, interested in women’s history, but also anyone interested in political history, ideas of nationhood, medieval or early modern history. It brings together so many different aspects. This does feel a little like information overload at times, but I still felt it was great to learn more about all of the different women this book covers. If you’re looking for your next good read, I would definitely recommend this, as well as any other of Janina’s previous books too. Published byvoyagerofhistoryHistorian with a BA History and MA Public History and Heritage graduate from the University of Derby. Author of Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer due 15th February 2024. View all posts by voyagerofhistoryPublished25th July 2026Post navigation