Book number 35 for the year – “The Trouble With Women” by Jacky Flemin. I stumbled upon this title while looking for affordable graphic novels. The name was obviously triggering for a second (trouble with women? excuse me – we are perfect). Then I noticed it was by a woman author. “Ooh, interesting, a satire!” I thought and clicked ‘buy’ immediately.

While the book wasn’t exactly what I expected, it was hilarious, wittily expostulating wise old men and their arguments on why women could never be their intellectual equals. Flemin takes a dig at many a male “genius” in her comic panels, that could upset a certain audience. While I was hoping for a story of some sort, it read like a fun ‘black & white’ comic strip you come across in newspapers. Flemin’s art-style is caricature like, not exaggerated, but Chaplinesque, as if you are watching a comedy-of-errors unfolding on the pages.

The author begins hilariously by stating how there were no women in the “olden days”, which is why you don’t get to read about them in history text-books. She then goes on to talk of why there are such few women ‘geniuses’ and the role men played in keeping it that way.

One needs to take “The Trouble With Women” with a pinch of salt and revel in the humour. Loved this little book and would recommend it to those who know a joke when they see it.

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