I've picked out two of the books I read this month which look, in their different ways, at issues around women's agency in a patriarchal society. First is The Invader , a novel by Hilda Vaughan. It's followed by John Sutherland's biography of Mrs Mary Ward.  The Invader, Hilda Vaughan (William Heinemann, 1928) The Invader is Welsh author Hilda Vaughan’s ( 1892–1985) third novel. Daniel Evans is a sheep farmer whose Welsh hill farm is centred around the eighteenth-century house, Plas Newydd. The farm belongs to an absent English landlord who has no interest in it apart from receiving the rents. Daniel passionately loves his house and his land and has been saving up for years to buy the property. He is one lambing season short of raising the capital. Disaster strikes when the owner dies and the property is inherited by English woman Miss Webster, who teaches in an agricultural college. Miss Webster decides to farm the land herself, and Daniel is ousted and rele...

A lot of my fiction reading comes from small, independent publishers, particularly those who are reissuing books that have been undeservedly forgotten. There are some real gems to be discovered, and below I’ve picked out some of the more “off the beaten track” books I’ve recently enjoyed.   Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy – Persephone Books You may already know of my fondness for Persephone Books. Founded by biographer Nicola Beauman in 1998, their aim is to publish neglected books, mainly by women working in the mid-twentieth century (but not exclusively). Their books are gorgeous: clad in stylish grey covers with stunning front and end papers taken from contemporary designs by iconic designers such as Liberty’s, Lucienne Day and the Omega Workshop – and they come with matching bookmarks. Throw in a great magazine ( Persephone Biannually ) and a lovely book shop in London’s Lamb Conduit Street, and you’ve got a book lover’s paradise. Reuben Sachs is by a Jewish woman, but has ...