Glynis Ridley

I felt this book left me with nearly equal feelings of enjoyment and irritation. It is not the author’s fault that there is just not that much information available. That she uses a combination of analysis and imagination to try to fill in the gaps is understandable, but at times she really unleashes the imagination to a disturbing extent. At a time where spelling of everything is consistently variable, she speculates that two r’s In the main character’s name is hard evidence of ptsd due to gang rape. Whilst she makes every allowance for questionable behavior of Baret, she has no compunction speculating that all the male characters are guilty of a variety of unseemly behaviors ranging from mild selfishness to taking part in and covering up said rape. I’m not saying there weren’t some who were, that seems likely, but she seems to use a broad brush… (more)

Fascinating, informative story about Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the world - in disguise (at first) to be sure, but undertaking all the hard work and privations of her otherwise male companions. Not only does Glynis Ridley do a masterful job of telling the story, teasing out the original sources and drawing insightful inferences, but she makes the central character come alive in a thoroughly believable way. The history of apothecaries and their plants-women was a revelation, at least to me.… (more)

A fascinating look at a woman I never knew existed--the first woman known to have circumnavigated the globe. Jeanne Baret was a French peasant woman who became an assistant to a French physician and naturalist, Philibert Commerson. She was an herb woman who gathered and sold natural remedies to the male doctors for use on their patients. Baret became Commerson's housekeeper and mistress after the death of his wife. They moved to Paris together when Commerson was offered a government post in the Royal gardens. In 1765 he was offered the position of naturalist on the expedition led by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville to explore the South Pacific in hopes of discovering lands and useful crops for France's empire. Baret could not be an official member of the expedition as women were forbidden on French naval ships; she disguised herself as a boy to accompany Commerson. Commerson needed her help both in the field to gather specimens and as a personal nurse, as he suffered from a recurring leg infection. The trip was long and filled with hardships and is described in detail by Ridley.

My one problem with the book is Ridley's tendency to project contemporary emotions on her subjects. This problem is not unique to Ridley, indeed it seems to be a pattern in recent histories. Admittedly there are sections of the story that beg for explanation, especially Bourgainville's decision to ignore what appears to have been the open secret of Benet's actual gender and allow her to continue on the voyage when he could have put her ashore in Rio de Janiero.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of science and the history of women in science.… (more)