Joan of Domrémy by Kennith Maitland is a novella snapshot of Joan of Arc's life when she seeks an audience with the Dauphin to save the French city of Orléans from the English. In Joan's efforts to speak with the Dauphin about her visions to save France, she encounters a gardener, a starving English soldier,… Continue reading Review: Joan of Domremy by Kennith Maitland
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy. S. Kaufman reframes the Robin Hood legend from the perspective of ordinary peasant girl Jane Crowe. The story opens with Jane's lover, Bran, introducing her to the band of "merry men" in the Greenwood. From there, Jane undergoes an initiation filled with subterfuge and tricks with Robin (very… Continue reading Review: The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman
Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier follows Eleanore Blanchet at the start of the Black Death in 1347 France. Elea is a healer skilled in herblore and midwifery, as taught to her by her late mother. When she unsuspectingly meets Guigo, the Pope's physician foraging for berries to make a tonic, a new life opens… Continue reading Review: Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier
In 1348 Italy, at the height of the Black Death, Ginevra is summoned out of exile to Florence to aid the city in ridding the pestilence. The local clergy believes the plague is caused by the disappearing holy relics from the city and turn to Ginevra who had previously been marked as having knowledge of… Continue reading Review: The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche
Matrix by Lauren Groff has been on my TBR for ages, and it wasn't until I recently read The Vaster Wilds that I figured I better finally read this one. What I thought I was getting into: a historical novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine. What I actually got: Horny Medieval Nuns, but make it Literary… Continue reading Review: Matrix by Lauren Groff
Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler reimagines Lady MacBeth pre Macbeth. An heir to the crown of Alba with Pict heritage, young Gruoch lives her life according to a prophecy made by her Druid grandmother that she will inherit the crown and be remembered for ages to come. Gruoch is often blinded by this prophecy, even… Continue reading Review: Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler
The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society by Eleanor Janega, professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at the London School of Economics, explores the roles of women in medieval society in terms of sexuality, beauty standards, occupations, religion, and much more. Dr. Janega writes in an accessible way, so… Continue reading Review: The Once and Future Sex by Eleanor Janega
Medieval Woman by Ann Baer is not your typical plot-driven narrative, but rather an intimate portrait of ordinary life among farmers and tradesmen in medieval England. The reader follows Marion, wife of Peter the town carpenter and mother of pre-teen Peterkin and infant Alice. From the start, Medieval Woman is vivid and raw in its… Continue reading Review: Medieval Woman by Ann Baer
The Maiden of All Our Desires by Peter Manseau takes place about twenty years after the deadliest stretch of the Black Death in 14th century Europe, as well as incorporates flashbacks occurring just before the start of the plague. While the novel follows Sister/Mother John, Mother Ursula, and Sister Magdalene, the nuns sometimes feel like… Continue reading Review: The Maiden of All Our Desires by Peter Manseau
The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier tells the little-known true story of 6th-century nun Clotild who leads a rebellion for the rights and freedom for her sisters. The story takes place in medieval France at the monestary of the Holy Cross where, after the death of the progressive-thinking (for the time) abbess, the male-led… Continue reading Review: The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier
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