In Search of Mary: The Mother of All Journeys
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By Bee Rowlatt
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Toddler in tow, Bee Rowlatt embarks on an extraordinary journey in search of the life and legacy of the first celebrity feminist: Mary Wollstonecraft. From the wild coasts of Norway to a naked re-birthing in California, via the blood-soaked streets of revolutionary Paris, Bee learns what drove her hero on and what’s been won and lost over the centuries in the battle for equality.On this biographical treasure hunt she finds herself consulting a witch, a porn star, a quiet Norwegian archivist and the tenants of a blighted council estate in Leeds – getting much more than she bargained for. In her quest to find a new balance between careers and babies, Bee also discovers the importance of celebrating the radiant power of love in all our lives.
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"The central idea is the journalist Bee Rowlatt following in the footsteps of Mary Wollstonecraft on her journey to Norway and Scandinavia with her child and maid. This is a very easy to read accessible book. Bee Rowlatt shows us Scandinavia in a fabulous light, she wander round Norway with her child talking to fellow enthusiasts about Mary Wollstonecraft, eating great food taking about her heroine and enjoying fantastic scenery. This book has certainly made me wish to visit Norway. It has brought feminism back on to the agenda after years of being stuck in the back of a cupboard. It invites the reader to contrast the lives of women today with that of an 18th century feminist. I very much think it would encourage readers to pick up non-fiction. It is a great place to start."
"Bee Rowlatt, mother of 4, has found solace and inspiration from reading the works of Mary Wollstonecraft. She decides to replicate Mary’s journey to Norway in the 1760s, taking her 10 month old son, as Mary had taken her baby daughter. The journey zips along at a good pace and at each stage, Bee expresses her own feelings and quotes from Mary’s letters so that both women share their experiences and emotions…often very similar despite the time distance. This is how to use another writer’s work and bring it to the attention of a modern audience. Will now read Mary’s letters."
