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.