This book was a fascinating biography of Margaret Paston, the 15th century matriarch of the Pason family. Much has been written on the Paston family, famous for their Letters which are windows into the lives of a Medieval gentry family. Margaret wrote many of those letters but has yet to receive a treatment of her own. Until now.

God’s Own Gentlewoman uses Margaret’s letters as a basis for sketching out her life and relationships with family members, but don’t be fooled: it is not just The Paston Letters #5. It is much more of a biography of a Medieval woman living during a period of political turbulence, war and uncertainty which very few in England escaped.

There’s more than just the politics though: the book recounts how women ran households and estates like businesses, defying the stereotype that women were powerless pawns. The passages detailing social and economic history were great. It is only sad that most of the places and sites related to Margaret are gone.

I requested this title on Netgalley. This review contains my own thoughts and opinions which are in no way influenced by a third party.

This is a book about Margaret Paston, a woman that had the most extensive collection of personal writings in Medieval England.

It delves deep into what life was like in Medieval Reedham, how the church behaved under certain circumstances. Revealing what it was like to live in those times.
Reading the letters that Margaret wrote to her Husband, who was often away with his work. Also letters from her mother-in-law to her husband, we see the turbulent everyday lives of those that lived in those times.

From love affairs, battles, marriages and political times, we have the privilege of how people lived.
The author is a world expert on Medieval women’s writing, and with writing this book, we also see how Diane Watt gathered information and the research that was built up writing this,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I was fascinated by what went on in these times and what traces are left in today’s times, how prominent dates are now remembered in buildings, that are in the Reedham town now.

If you love history, this is a book for you! Really enjoyed it and I will be making sure I read more of the author’s work. Beautifully written.

As an ethnologist and a person very interested in medieval European history I love reading accounts written by normal people. It’s fascinating getting a glimpse into how life was lived in the past and I think Watt has produced a very interesting book.

I liked how the letters and correspondence of Margaret Paston was used as a spring board to the 1400s and other events taking place over the course of her writing her correspondence. I thought it was quite accessible too!

This was a joy to read.