An interesting account of the day to day of medieval women. Specifically women with the ability to record (write down) a history of their lives and opinions.

Interesting but quite dryly written. At times it felt like it would repeat information without adding anything new. I'd recommend this to people looking to understand more about women in this time but if you already have a background information this doesn't add much to the history.

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 divided between different roles the women were expected to take on (wife, mother, mistress) and the roles they had to carve out for themselves (hustlers, travellers, friends, influencers).

A quotation from Christine de Pizan shows us how important these studies in women’s lives are for our past, present and future: ‘Remember how these men call you frail, unserious, and easily influenced but yet try hard, using all kinds of strange and deceptive tricks, to catch you, just as one lays traps for wild animals.’ Hetta Howes teaches us to forge our own path, don’t worry about having it all, just have what you want. We benefit from more freedoms and opportunities today because of the these four trail-blazing women. Thank you Hetta for raising awareness, raising appreciation and raising love for these (often dismissed and ignored) heroes.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently read fictionalised accounts of the lives of three of the women here, I was interested to see how fiction met up with known fact. This is a great look at the lives of four medieval woman, some of the few where there is actual evidence in their own hands. It's a well-researched book and a clever premise to look at how history shaped the lives of women other than those born to money

A really informative and well written book about some fascinating historical figures who are often overlooked. I have heard about each of the women annecodetly in other history books, but it was interesting to hear more about each of them and get information about their lives. The historical and religious context that was built up in each paragraph was very well done to help the reader understand the reception and lives of these women better. The comparisons to modernity also helped to highlight where they were similar and different.

An eye-opening an engaging read of 4 women in Medieval history who forged their own paths. Hetta uses her own expertise and research in addition to many sources to paint a vivid picture of what life was like for women. From birth to death, marriage to adultery, earning money, and their influence in those times.

It's interesting how much you can relate to the four women even today.

Great structure throughout and understandable for those not familiar with the vocabulary as it features 
a handy vocabulary glossary.

I loved the references to other books - from the women themselves, as well as great philosophers of their time - I will now be adding many to my ever-growing to be read list.

Also worth noting this is a great kindle read - 
Lots of highlighting and notes for further research, with links to glossary throughout.

Recommended for those interested in:
Medieval times
Feminine archetypes
History

Strong female trailblazers
Philosophy

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a captivating and illuminating exploration of medieval women's lives. Through the lens of four extraordinary figures—Marie de France, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pizan, and Margery Kempe—Howes offers a fresh perspective on a period often dominated by male narratives.
What sets this book apart is its ability to bring these women to life. Their voices, thoughts, and experiences are vividly portrayed, challenging our preconceived notions of medieval womanhood. Howes skilfully weaves history into storytelling for a truly accessible and engaging read.
Whether you're a history enthusiast or simply curious about the lives of remarkable women, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a great read. It's a testament to the resilience, intelligence, and complexity of medieval women, and a reminder that their stories deserve to be heard.

Coming from Norfolk a book about two of the most important literary figures to come from the county was always going to appeal and this book didn't disappoint.
Mixing extracts from their works, biographies and historical context really made the medieval world these incredible women lived in come to life and after reading a few fiction works based on Kempe and Julian it was nice to get the background.
I hadn't heard of the two French women also featured but I am now looking out their works too.

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is a vivid and engaging primer to medieval womanhood. Howes approaches her subject through the writings of four key female figures - Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. Alongside a wealth of other primary sources, their literary works are a gateway to exploring the reality of life in the Middle Ages.

I found it well structured and balanced, divided by theme, with wonderfully readable prose. While her work understandably only touches of the surface of a vast period of history and range of experiences, Howes's enthusiasm for her subject shines through in every page.

An enjoyable read, I'd highly recommend Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife to anyone with an interest in history.

I quite enjoyed this book. It really spoke to my love of feminism and it helped me realise how difficult life must’ve been without even having the words to describe what’s wrong. These women really suffered and it was hard to read at times but it was a truly powerful read.

Hetta howes done an incredible job with this book, the research she's done is beyond fantastic. Very well written.

This book was incredible well researched, and has a very clear authoritarian voice. The use of original sources and well done research was also delightful.
As a fellow historian and Feminist I truely enjoyed learning about these impressive and interesting women as well as the culture in which they lived.

The writing while technically good, was however slightly drawn out and I do think a book like this might be a challenge for non scholars to truely understand. However the subject matter and research is so impo and I'm very happy to have been able to read an ARC of this book

This review will also appear on storygraph.

This book is an exploration of the lives of medieval women, organized around (albeit sometimes very loosely) the lives of four women: Marie de France, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pizan, and Margery Kempe. These were 'four different women who defied the expectations of their time and wrote back against the misogyny they experienced.' The author uses their own writing as well as other sources to describe what life was like for women, moving from childbirth to death, including marriage, adultery, travel, making a living, and influence in between. She states that all four of these women were 'trying to craft a legacy that would endure.' This book and others are witness to the fact that they succeeded, even if their work was unknown for a time.

This is a very enjoyable and informative book. It provides a fascinating glimpse into another time as well as showing us how some things continue hundreds of years later. It's a very readable book--lots of information but written in a very accessible style. If women's history in particular or medieval history in general interests you, then this is a great book to pick up.

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 incredibly interesting insights about medieval life.
Howes’ prose is compelling and captivating. This title is by far the most informative and engaging non-fiction book that I have read on this matter to date. Howes’ approach to these cool women’s writing, life and what medieval life was like for women is a great addition to the literature, and thanks to the smooth blending with a fitting narrative, it is a wonderful addition to ‘literature’ as well.

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 ... This book should come with a disclaimer as once you start reading you aren’t going to want to walk away.

Hetta Howes shines a bright spotlight on four women from the Middle Ages who have been almost forgotten or ignored for far too long. This period in history has always fascinated me and I know how very difficult it is to accurately research.
Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe all lived before the era of mechanical printing but their writing continues to stand the test of time.
The author looks closely at her primary sources but also delves much deeper to reveal a compelling, surprising, and often shocking glimpse of what life and death was like for women in the Middle Ages. She offers a perceptive comparison between past and present and in some ways it is hard to believe just how much has hardly changed across the course of several centuries.
These four extraordinary women were determined to craft a legacy that endures. From them there is still so much we can learn. The past has never been more relevant now that we must face the dangers of an uncertain future.