Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife
The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:12th Feb '26
Should be back in stock very soon
A spectacular, vivid, groundbreaking work of history which takes us into the mind and lives of medieval women.
'A fascinating book about four women - it tells us so much about their world, and about our own… What jumps off the page is the liveliness of the women, their passion, their courage and their own way of being...' PHILIPPA GREGORY, author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Normal Women
'A celebration of female ambition and endeavour... enormous fun' The Sunday Times
A spectacular, vivid, groundbreaking work of history which takes us into the minds and lives of medieval women.
What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories?
Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. But remarkably, there are at least four extraordinary women who did. Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a "no-good wife". In their own ways these four very different writers pushed back against the misogyny of the period. Each broke new ground in women’s writing and left us incredible insights into the world of medieval life and politics.
This mesmerizing book is an unforgettably lively and immersive journey into the everyday lives of medieval women through the stories of these four iconic women writers, some of which are retold here for general readers for the first time.
A fascinating book about four women - each a heroine in her own way - it tells us so much about their world, and about our own… What jumps off the page is the liveliness of the women, their passion, their courage and their own way of being a woman.
* Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Normal Women *Beautifully written and brilliantly observed. Full of surprises and packed with thrilling details, this is an important, eye-opening book. * Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives and Uproar! *
A celebration of female ambition and endeavour... enormous fun. * The Sunday Times *
Brilliantly revealing. * Observer *
Lively and enjoyable… The result is illuminating… evokes the spirit of the period so well. * History Today *
Howes’s book is highly readable and informative. * The Spectator *
[An] immensely readable and academically rigorous book. This is a valuable contribution to our understanding. -- Claire Gilbert * Church Times *
Hetta Howes unflinchingly explores the trials medieval women faced and, importantly, how they fought back. * Tabitha Stanmore, author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic *
A brilliant portrait of four trailblazers. * The Simple Things *
This meticulously researched book makes visible so much that popular models of medieval life have found inconvenient or uninteresting to accommodate. * Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place - shortlisted for the Women’s Prize *
[A] witty and amusing portrait. * Vanessa 'V.M.' Braganza, currently at work on her first trade book, The Secret-Seekers: A Detective's Quest to Decipher the Renaissance *
Engaging, authoritative and original. * Carolyne Larrington, Emerita Professor in Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford and author of The Land of the Green Man *
A spirited, sparky and brisk account. * Anthony Bale, author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes *
In this engrossing début work, medieval historian Howes explores the lives of four women. * The Bookseller's Buyers Guide Seasonal Highlights *
Vivid, deeply researched, and addictively readable. * Irina Dumitrescu, Professor of English Medieval Studies at the University of Bonn and co-host of Medieval LOLs *
A spirited commentary on the continuities and fractures in women’s history. * Julia Boffey, Professor Emerita of Medieval Studies, Queen Mary University, London *
The lives of four groundbreaking women...are explored with great verve. * Independent *
Hetta Howes shines a bright spotlight on four women from the Middle Ages who have been almost forgotten or ignored for far too long. * NetGalley review *
A spectacular, vivid and ground-breaking work of history that takes us into the minds and lives of medieval women. Superb writing from this author, a very eye catching cover, this book will go far, 5 stars. Blindingly excellent. * NetGalley review *
I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book.Howes’ prose is compelling and captivating. * NetGalley Review *
Immensely readable... A bold and entertaining leap into the colourful and deeply nuanced world of medieval women. * Engelsberg Ide
ISBN: 9781399408745
Dimensions: 196mm x 126mm x 26mm
Weight: 240g
320 pages