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Greenleaf Book Group
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The Gilded Cage of Woman
The Intimate Memoir of Margaret Bryan (1757–1836) Even the most privileged woman’s glass ceiling in Georgian England was limited to a wealthy, titled husband and, if all things went well, perpetual pregnancy—boys first, please. But despite the pressures on her to marry, headstrong Margaret Bryan, always more drawn to numbers and stars than needles and threads, determines early in her life to courageously chart her own path to a world-class scientific education and an occupation of her own choosing. When Margaret comes into an inheritance, she decides to make use of her hard-won scholarship and open her own school to teach girls math and science. There, she gains a newfound independence and the friendship of two of England’s most influential noblewomen, who teach her how to leverage her image to advance her publishing agenda. Ushered into the London Ton and the Royal Society, unwelcoming of educated and intelligent spinsters like her, Margaret uncompromisingly embarks on a journey to pursue her career and find personal happiness with the support of her unconventional family and the attentions of a progressive royal prince. Drawing from her years of research on this extraordinary historical figure, Jayne Catherine Conway tells the forgotten story of her distant relative: a respected mathematician, astronomer, educator, and author who overcame tremendous societal oppression to redefine the limitations of her destined life.
Reviews
Conway paints the glittering promise and inequities of Georgian England in this delightful fictive memoir of societally caged Margaret Bryan, an inspiring real-life figure who harbored a passion and talent for mathematics and the natural sciences at a time when most women’s greatest opportunity in life was to marry well and have children. Following her Mamie's irrevocable faith that she possesses “the gift…[to] understand the music of mathematics,” Margaret convinces her uncle to indulge her in a formal clock-making apprenticeship—a vocation deemed unfit for women—and soon masters the technicalities of mathematics, clock-making, and astronomy, even more so than her male colleagues. Margaret’s successes, and a hefty inheritance from her uncle, prompt her to establish a boarding school for young women interested in a scientific education.

Seasoned with feminist observations of 18th and 19th-century norms and traditions, the narrative dives into the plight of womanhood through Margaret's intellect and independence, showcasing the patriarchal stumbling blocks that often block women’s progress and stymie the full expression of their genius. "It is ridiculous the games women must play to achieve anything of their own in this world," Margaret’s friend Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, muses, as she insists on having Margaret's textbook published without using a male pseudonym—but must do so under the pretense that Margaret is domesticated and has children of her own, contrary to her reality of being childless and unmarried.

The narrative’s sprawling style and loosely tied plot—the fates of some admirable characters are conveyed with an air of detachment—may hinder reader connection at times, but this engaging debut entertains with its first-hand peek at royal class gossip, digressing into betrayals and infidelities that star an upper echelons cast, going so far as to include Princess Caroline, the wife of Prince George IV. At its core, this vivid portrayal of Margaret Bryan's life shows the strength of a determined woman who dares to live a life of the mind.

Takeaway: Empowering tale of Margaret Bryan living the life she chooses in Georgian England.

Comparable Titles: Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist, Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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