Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife, Hetta Howes
Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife, Hetta Howes
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Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife
The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women

Author: Hetta Howes

Narrator: Amy Noble

Unabridged: 10 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/07/2025


Synopsis

An invaluable reassessment of what we think we know about the daily lives of women in medieval Europe.

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife charts the lives and times of four medieval women writers—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—who all bucked convention and forged their own paths. Largely forgotten by modern readers, these women have an astonishing amount to teach us about love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and earning a living.

Reading the words of these four writers, Hetta Howes engagingly reveals how everyday women lived, survived, and thrived in medieval times. Who did they marry and why? Did they ever have extramarital affairs? Could they earn money and become self-sufficient? Could they be leaders? What did they think about death—and what about life and their place in it? Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife paints a vibrant portrait of these women, their world, and the ways they speak to us today.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ido

I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a medieval journey based on four groundbreaking women. These four women (hence the excellently fit and creative title), with their norm-defying attitudes, bravery, honesty and determination, provide us with i......more

Goodreads review by Chris

Very disappointed in this book. I’ve recently read Matrix by Lauren Groff about Marie de France, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie about Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich and I, Julian by Claire Gilbert about Julian of Norwich and so thought this book would tell......more

Goodreads review by Sarah

Thank you to work for supplying another lovely proof. A phenomenal amount of research has clearly been done by Hetta Howes, because this book was triumphant from start to finish. Poet, Mystic, Widow Wife is a deep and riveting exploration of the lives of Medieval women. Reworking entrenched misogyn......more

Goodreads review by Serena

Completely eye-opening non-fiction. I now have a renewed admiration for Margery Kempe who I studied at uni (I found her annoying at the best of times!) but alongside Julian of Norwich, Marie de France and Christine de Pizan, can be viewed as medieval feminist icons! I enjoyed that the chapters were......more