Red-Haired Ash Reads

TW: Discussion of murder, slavery, matricide, forced transitioning, rape; racism; disablism and ableism, mainly to those with dwarfism (Ch. 5); eugenics; pedophilia; miscarriages; abortions; 

This book takes you through thirteen of the worst breakups in history. Like Wright’s other books, this was an enjoyable look at a specific topic in history. This book covers many famous couples who are most likely recognizable, like Emperor Nero, King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Lucrezia Borgia, and King Henry VIII. But it also talks about people like Anna Ioannovna, Timothy Dexter, Caroline Lamb and Lord Byron, Edith Wharton, Oskar Kokoschka and Alma Mahler, and Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor. 

While I had heard of the famous kings and emperors stories, the other couples in this book were all new to me. Like most books that are compilations of different parts of history, I found some of these couples more interesting than others. The ones I found most interesting were the sections about Oskar Kokoschka, Frank Lloyd Wright, Debbie Reynolds, and Caroline Lamb. While I knew that Debbie Reynolds had a rough relationship with her ex, I did not know that Elizabeth Taylor was a part of the split. 

Overall, this was an interesting collection of breakups. Like I said, I enjoyed some of these more than others. Wright does a great job at writing about history and keeping it enjoyable with her humor. 

---

Goodreads | The StoryGraph | Amazon

---