In this book, Rachel Wilson concentrates on five well-documented families from the Irish peerage and political elite. On the basis of this substantial sample, intermittently supplemented by others, she surveys the gamut of female activities. The chosen group was marked by a degree of homogeneity through rearing, tuition, outlooks and expectations, but, as the detailed discussions of individuals reveal, strength of personality introduced noteworthy variations. Upbringing, preparation for, and then the realities of, marriage dominated. In eighteenth-century Ireland, the financial, legal and practical arrangements governing match-making and matches were well established. Widowhood, if it allowed greater freedom to some, brought responsibilities. Marriage settlements gave little scope for the unconventional. However, when it came to the raising of children, and the organisation and overseeing of house and household, there was more room for idiosyncrasies. Interestingly, it is suggested that the education of women at this elevated level diverged less than might be supposed from that for men. Certainly it was felt desirable to have conversable and competent women at the heads of prominent families. First steps towards literacy in the young were routinely assisted by mothers, sisters, female relations and upper servants, so the rudiments were thought essential in mature women. How they were to be instilled, whether by a pedagogical system rather than by luck, cries out for more systematic analysis. As it is, some of Dr Wilson’s suggestions, while plausible, are impressionistic. Practical and moral attributes had constantly to be displayed by women saddled with responsibilities. As the text shows, women who took charge (whether temporarily or for longer terms) developed skills on the job and were bombarded with advice. Virtue was found typically in Christian precepts. The relative importance of mothers and fathers in undertaking the moral instruction of the family is not pursued.