Hell Hath No Fury Like Her

The definitive look at the 1983 cinematic adaptation of Stephen King's terrifying novel about the eponymous demonic Plymouth Fury and the obsessive teenage boy who loves her.

Seven years ago, they took everything from me. My father. My husband. My child. When they stole my chance at justice, I vowed to get revenge. Then I met him. He tempts that long-lost part of me, but his presence is a reminder that betrayal lurks around every corner. Their biggest mistake is underestimating my commitment for vengeance. They don’t realize that when it comes to a woman like me, hell hath no fury.

Investigative reporter Wensley Clarkson has spent years researching the most extreme and intriguing cases of women who commit murder, and this gripping collection brings together 20 of his most thrilling true stories. These are the tales of women who challenge our idea of what many still, mistakenly, often think of as the weaker sex. Their characters and backgrounds are as diverse as they are deadly, and their crimes are every bit as shocking as those of of their male counterparts. From the case of the beautiful Diana Perry, who suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband before taking the matter into her own hands; to Bobby, a woman whose gruesome interest in blood led to one of the most horrific seduction killings ever seen.

It’s as old as time: the breakup letter. The kiss-off. The Dear John. The big adios. Simple in its premise, stunningly perfect in its effect. From Anne Boleyn to Sex and the City writer/producer Cindy Chupack, from women both well-known and unknown, imaginary and real, the letters here span the centuries and the emotions—providing a stirring, utterly gratifying glimpse at the power, wit, and fury of a woman’s voice. In a never-before-published letter, Anaïs Nin gives her lover, C. L. Baldwin, a piece of her mind. Charlotte Brontë, in formal fashion, refuses the marriage proposal of Henry Nussey. In a previously unpublished letter, Sylvia Plath writes to her childhood friend and brief lover, Phillip McCurdy, expressing her wish to maintain a platonic relationship. And “Susie Q.” lets “Johnny Smack-O” know that she’s onto his philandering. The brilliance of the mad missives, caustic communiqués, downhearted dispatches, sweet send-offs, and every other sort of good-bye that fills these pages will surely resonate with anyone who has ever loved, lost, left, languished, or laughed a hearty last laugh.

The characters and backgrounds of the women in this book are as diverse as they are deadly, and their crimes are every bit as gruesome as those carried out by their male counterparts. But what drives a woman to kill? Is there a common theme? Is it desperation, as in the case of the beautiful Diana Perry who suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband before taking matters into her own hands? Or could it be pure evil, as in the case of Bobby, a woman whose interest in blood led her to lead a sect of like-minded women into one of the most horrific seduction killings ever seen? This book looks at the gripping tales of women who kill.

The first major book to examine ancient Christian literature on hell through the lenses of gender and disability studies Throughout the Christian tradition, descriptions of hell’s fiery torments have shaped contemporary notions of the afterlife, divine justice, and physical suffering. But rarely do we consider the roots of such conceptions, which originate in a group of understudied ancient texts: the early Christian apocalypses. In this pioneering study, Meghan Henning illuminates how the bodies that populate hell in early Christian literature—largely those of women, enslaved persons, and individuals with disabilities—are punished after death in spaces that mirror real carceral spaces, effectually criminalizing those bodies on earth. Contextualizing the apocalypses alongside ancient medical texts, inscriptions, philosophy, and patristic writings, this book demonstrates the ways that Christian depictions of hell intensified and preserved ancient notions of gender and bodily normativity that continue to inform Christian identity.

An engaging collection that uncovers injustices in history and overturns misconceptions about the role of women in war When you think of war, you think of men, right? Not so fast. In Hell Hath No Fury, Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross prove that although many of their stories have been erased or forgotten, women have played an integral role in wars throughout history. In witty and compelling biographical essays categorized and alphabetized for easy reference, Miles and Cross introduce us to war leaders (Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher); combatants (Molly Pitcher, Lily Litvak, Tammy Duckworth); spies (Belle Boyd, Virginia Hall, Noor Inayat Khan); reporters and propagandists (Martha Gellhorn, Tokyo Rose, Anna Politkov- skaya); and more. These are women who have taken action and who challenge our perceived notions of womanhood. Some will be familiar to readers, but most will not, though their deeds during wartime were every bit as important as their male contemporaries’ more heralded contributions.