Middle Ages Books

I remember the exact day I went to the library and found this book. I remember the week. I remember what other books I checked out, and mostly this is because this book was so important to me. And I almost didn't want to pick it up because of the terrible cover on the edition I found.

Silver Woven in my Hair is Shirley Rousseau Murphy's take on Cinderella and a fresh, new perspective at that. It follows the tale of Thursey, who has all the classic elements of the Cinderella tale: no father, wicked stepmother, evil stepsisters, never-ending chores, and a ball to try and get to. Thursey has a love for fairy tales and collects them in a book. In this way, other characters are introduced. BUT, if you're looking for fairy godmothers with sparkling wings or pumpkin coaches or magic, you aren't going ot find them in this version of the story.

Her character is sweet and kind, and although the plot is very easy to figure out, I didn't really mind. The story is simple and the secrets revealed are obvious, but it's absolutely perfect that way. Along with Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted, this is my favorite rendition of Cinderella. It might be hard to find. I was really lucky because I just happened to come across it to buy when I wasn't even looking or thinking I would be able to find it. If you like fairy tales this is a perfect book to read. My one complaint is that it ended, and I wish that the writer had drawn the story out. I would have liked for it to have been longer.

Other reading suggestions:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (my other favorite retelling of Cinderella)

Snow by Tracy Lynn (A very strange take on Snow White; I'm not sure how much I like it. I do like it, but sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Part of the Once Upon a Time series.)

The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey (Another Once Upon a Time series book and a take on Shahrazad. This is my favorite of that series.)

And last, The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hale (There are two companion novels, I think. One is The Healer's Keep and the other is The Light of the Oracle. The Healer's Keep was very good although not as good as its predecessor, and if I had known any better, I would have stayed away from The Light of the Oracle. The Seer and the Sword is an excellent book, and I found this one the same week I found Silver Woven in my Hair.)

That may be an odd thing to say, but it's actually true. When I was in 4th grade (needless to say, many years ago) I read this book and fell in love with it and with reading. I remember being riveted by the characters. It taught me about empathy, somehow. I've never looked back. Books are what get me through long plane rides (and short ones for that matter!), childhood family fights, long days on the beach in SoCal, and any number of moments throughout my life. Books- fiction mainly- are a constant in my life. And I owe it to this book!

This book, though rather juvenile in appearance, is pure magic. Shirley Rousseau Murphy is adept at creating sympathetic characters with a few, well-placed descriptions. Thursey is a spirited and intelligent Cinderella who enjoys defying her greedy stepmother and hideous stepsisters who use her as a slave for their inn. Loving stories and fairy tales of all sorts, her own begins when she meets a kind goat boy named Gilly returning with the queen and prince after the war. But is he really who he seems? And though he partly plays the role of the beneficial fairy, it's ultimately up to Thursey to make her own magic come true.

Simply and beautifully told, Silver Woven in My Hair was one of my first fairy tale retellings (along with Beauty by Robin McKinley) and remains one of my favorites. A pleasant companion to the equally excellent Ella Enchanted, this book is definitely worth the effort it will take to find.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who likes the classic story of Cinderella. Though it may not be the exact story you may know, it is a very finely crafted version of the timeless fairytale. Shirley Rousseau Murphy captures the true spirit of the classic tale of a poor girl who dreams of a life other than her own where she is forced by her wicked step-mother and step-sister to clean, cook, and serve them after her father dissappears. Even if you aren't a fan of Cinderella, if you do like magic, adventure, surprises, and descriptions so real you feel like you're in the story, then this could be the book you've been looking for.

Not having a correct informational background on this particular folkhero; I can only assume that the facts gathered are correct. The story is written very well; and the illustrations are nicely done. The story gives facts in an easy to understand and enjoyable fashion.

Loved this book! My son, who is a first grader, enjoyed the story and the illustrations. Very sweet message about how Johnny Appleseed expressed his kindness and love of mankind by sharing and spreading his appleseeds throughout the country. Very easy to read and had just the right amount of pages so that my son completed story in two readings(could have been done in one) which gave him a sense of accomplishment!

Johnny Appleseed is of course a classic American tale of the spreading of apple trees by one very simple and peaceful man who got along with everybody he met. Whether the story is true or not does matter. It still tells about the American frontierland in Colonial days. Johnny Appleseed has become a model of American Patriotism and good will. Aliki has done a nice job of bringing him to life again while keeping the text simple enough so that mid-year first graders should be able to start on this book. The illustrations are oil pastel and tell what they need to without being too busy. They are well matched to the text and, like many books of its day, alternates between color and black-and-white illustrations. This is a nice edition that children will be able to read and learn an American Tall Tale at the same time.

Why 5 stars?:
This book is on a level that most children will be able to read in kindergarten and first grade. The illustrations allow them to use their imaginations. The story is a great introduction to the genre of Tall Tales.

Who knew? I picked up "The Story of Johnny Appleseed" at the library on a whim, and my children (boy and girl; 3 and 5) love it.

Normally we just read regular children's' fair (fairytales, Thomas stories) and I wasn't sure how this 'biography' would go over but they simple adore it. My 3 yo even wants to go as Johnny for Halloween.

Perhaps it is the friendly drawings, or perhaps it is Aliki's way with words, but I couldn't be more pleased at being able to introduce some Americana into their lives.

Five Stars. A 'just right' dose of American myth and legend that young children can absorb and appreciate.

My 12 year old son, ...loved reading this book. I planned to assign him to read 1 chapter a day and expected the usual struggle to make him read it, but he loved it so much that he finished it in short time and kept telling me what a great book he thought it was. He just didn't like when a dead character came back alive to fight Rolf, or the witchcraft parts, but otherwise wanted to read more books by this author...

Allen French has translated some of the old Icelandic sagas, including GRETTIR THE STRONG, but this is a novel, using some of the locations and settings and even some of the characters of the sagas. I first encountered this book at about the age of twelve, read it many times, and always wanted a copy. The story has plenty of adventure, some interesting twists, and is a good read, but it also deals with how to face adversity and the danger of pride. It's an excellent book for teenagers and adults will probably also enjoy this story.

The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow is one of the best recrafted narratives I have ever read. Allen French brought to life this story that he originally found as one of the Kolbieters. (The Kolbieters, founded by JRR Tolkien, was a group of friends that read ancient verse in their original languages.) I would recommend it to any history buff, Tolkien fan, fantasy reader, or just any one looking for a well written story.

This book was an amazing story. You will read this book again and again until you've memorized it. What happens is that Rolf a young viking boy is the best archer in the land. He lives a happy life until someone kills his father. He leaves his land to find someone who can out do him with the bow by three yards. I'm not telling you anymore about this story. Read this book and find out what happens. I'm sure you will have a blast reading Rolf and the Viking bow.

I can't believe I found this book; ya see, I read Tara's Song when I was in high school. I can't wait to read it again!!!!

This book in my collection is so worn and dog-eared, because I have reread it so many times. The history of the era seems to ring so true, and the story of the lovers Tara and Rorik will take your breath away. I think this is the kind of love all women secretly hope and long for, the sense of destiny and an eternal bond. I would recommend this book so much, if you want a book you just cannot put down, and one you will enjoy again and again.

"Hers is the song of all women.
It cries to be heard
As she sings of her love
For one man
Listen! Tara's Song."

Her song, her story, and her passion were so heartfelt and meaningful. The way Barbara Ferry Johnson captured Tara's feelings was incredible. This novel was so intense, I don't think I ever put it down. It was one of those books you never want to finish.

After Tara fled from her home, she took refuge in a convent and started to lead a peaceful life. She began to see this place as her new home and grew more accustomed to their ways, until one day unexpectedly, Viking invaders raided her abbey, burning it and taking the women prisoner. Tara would not be a victim of their menace, but try as she might; her own beauty gave her away while trying to hide in the woods. She was then captured and given as a gift to the Viking chieftain. His name was Rorik, and even though she despised him in every way, it would be a name she would never forget for the rest of her life. Tricked into marrying him, she saw no more meaning in her life. She now, through marriage, had vowed to extinguish any beliefs in her god and follow his "barbarian" faith.

Though anger, fear, and hate surged through her whole self, from the pain and sorrow he had put her through, she had come to love him. She loved him more then she had ever loved. There bond was so strong and sacred, they needed one another to survive. She then grew accustomed to his ways and began to accept her new family and loved them as if they were her own. Yet it seemed like all good things came to and end with her, because no sooner had she tried to accept her life, it was then stripped from her. There was a secret rivalry between her husband Rorik and his brother, and Tara had been pulled into the middle of it. She and her husband were captured and taken away from each other. She didn't have the slightest clue as to where he was going, or if he was even alive. But fate brought them together, and she would not let anything rip them apart.

This book, I think, was one of the most awe inspiring and heart capturing books I've ever read. It invoked such feeling in me that I don't know how to explain it. Tara's Song taught me what true love is. It helped me understand fate; it showed me everything happens for a reason. Even in the ugliest deeds, good can derive. Tara wouldn't allow herself to love Rorik because she had been hurt in the past. She had loved another man, but he was to wed her older sister, so she then fled from her home. It hurt her so much to see that she couldn't be with the one she loved. He was stolen from her, and she didn't want that to happen again. She was afraid that if she admitted her love for Rorik, he would also be taken away from her, but love always prospers.

Tara's Song is an incredible book. It will be one book that I recommend everyone to read. It is a book that can be read over and over again where you can discover new things every time. This book gives the true meaning to love; to hate; to fear, and to sorrow. It allows you to feel all different emotions. If you've never experienced a broken heart, this book will show you what it is to be broken hearted. After reading this novel, you will long to love and be loved. You'll long to feel the way Tara felt. You'll want to be able to experience her every emotion, her every feeling. This book left me with the sense that life should never be taken for granted. Everyone should know how it feels to be loved; you shouldn't only read about it, we should live it.

This is the first book I've read by Johnson, and I have picked up several others now. This book is about Tara who was at a novice abbey and is taken by viking invaders. She ends up married to the cheftain Rorik.(one of the parts that I enjoyed was how he tricked her into marrying him) Tara falls in love with Rorik then they are torn apart and they search for each other. I couldn't put this book down. It is worth reading!!

This text is most definitely a "must read" for anyone who is seriously interested in the theological background of Pope Benedict XVI (henceforth referred to under his published name for this title, Joseph Ratzinger). In many ways, it was most excellent for me to read this text after having read a variety of titles by Ratzinger. Having had a decent background in his various later works, it was very easy to detect where his thought was born in his dissertation studies. Primarily, these become visible in the categories of eschatology, revelation, and Love.

In this essay, Ratzinger primarily investigates the eschatological thought of Saint Bonaventure, placing the aforementioned topics into relation with the thought of the Seraphic Doctor. The eschatological development of Bonaventure with respect to the Franciscan order is compared with those of his day, particularly Joachim of Fiore who had an eschatological outlook which was more progressive and historically-directed than even that of Bonaventure. It is here that we see Ratzinger's personal development of the realization of Christ as the midpoint of history by means of Bonaventure's work. Additionally, he appropriates the conceptual framework of revelation which was developed by the Seraphic Doctor (although it would be more appropriate to refer to this as a "theology of revelations"). Finally, while looking at the dialogue (and polemics) between Bonaventure and the Aristotelians of his day (including, to a degree, the Thomistic school of thought), one is able to see the seeds which Bonaventure sowed into Ratzinger's mind, reflecting on the temporary character of scholastic/philosophical/rational theology which makes it subservient to full supra-intellectual Love of God.

As a whole, the text remains a great contribution to the overall corpus of material available about Bonaventure's thought on eschatology and the role of the Franciscan order therein. However, I think that the most profitable reading of this text will ascertain those latent predispositions in Ratzinger's work which remained with him through the years. In order to understand the overall theological vision of Pope Benedict XVI, this text is fundamental for seeing the foundational lenses through which the master views the issues of eschatology, revelation, and Love.

Former Cardinal Ratzinger, now the current Pope, has experienced an interesting if not meteoric rise in the senior ranks of the Catholic Church. By virtue of his office, it is essential for every serious Catholic to understand Ratzinger's theological thought and the basis for his ideas and pronouncements.

This early work on the historical theology of St Bonaventure helps give one some understanding of Ratzinger's often deeply conservative stance on many issues. Indeed Ratzinger might be said to stand in the Augustinian tradition of the Church, while Pope John Paul II was firmly in the tradition of Aquinas. Ratzinger's monograph focuses then on how Bonaventure thought about history and where the history of the world was leading, and what this meant for the Church, from the time of Adam to the final eschaton at the Last Judgement.

While Raztinger writes this book mostly with academic theologians in mind, the non-theologian can get useful insights into the theological orientation of his later works and stances as the Prefect for the 'Inquisition' or Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for someone interested in the scholarly work of Joseph Ratzinger. Written before his elevation to the College of Cardinals and eventual election as Pope, it is one of the clearest insights into his brilliant scholarship.

A theological must read.

This is the English publication of Ratzinger's second doctoral dissertation. It's topic is clear from the title but Ratzinger focuses on two sub-topics of great interest: Bonaventure's embrace of the medieval belief that St. Francis ushered in the eschaton and Bonaventure's so-called Augustinian tradition. Both are carefully discussed in light of Bonaventure's theology of history, which is centered primarily around Christ being the pivot of history rather than its end. It is a refreshing piece of the Ratzinger corpus.

I bought this book for my daughter at the recommendation of her drama teacher. It has been very useful for both school performances and competition meets. Has some very fun monologues in it.

What a good series. I have read a great many pieces which purport to be written for this age group and unfortunately as a result am also painfully familiar with the dull subject matter or condescending manner which tend to emerge from a usually leaden series of diatribes. It is of great credit to the author that she not only puts words in the mouths of children which can be spoken with genuine interest, but also without losing the natural rhythm and swing of speech. A consistently good and deceptively skillful enterprise.

Over the years I've purchased a variety of monologues to use with my students in a summer theater program. Most of them are edited books that are okay but not very good to use with young teens. This is the first book that I must admit provided a lot of fun for my students. If anything, this is a review which reflects their impressions as well as my own. From my students, I heard comments like the following: "This is so much fun.", "Oh, I can identify with this." and "I want to do this one, you do the other."

In short, my students identified with the subject matter because the monologues truly captured the essence of the teen years. The author, Kristen Dabrowski, used words to paint colorful images that provoked laughter, giggles and uproar. They are funny monologues.

If there is a test for a book, it is how an actor and his/her audience reacts to the material. Well, this had an extremeful positive raction from my students. They all had their favorite monolgues. Like them, I also have some favorite monologues that I think are very creative. If you purchase the book, get a laugh by reading these particular ones: "The Smartass of Stratford," "Nickname Calling,"Family Vacation to Hell,"Woo-Hoo" and "Literature Losers." A great buy!

As a teacher, director and coach for young actors I was thrilled to discover Kristen Dabrowski's 111 One-Minute Monologues for Middle School Actors. I have been very frustrated in the past by the substandard material out there for kids. For example, many other books attemps at modern slang has been laughable and I end up spending class time helping my students find ways to make the language conversational rather than on the work itself. Dabrowski's monologues use the vernacular of today's middle schooler and the kids immediately relate to the conflicts she presents in her work. The monologues are fresh, funny and completely unique. And for young character actors there she provides a number of "period" monologues from such historical figures as an adolescent Martha Washington, Annie Oakley or William Shakespeare. My students enjoys these monologues so much they find it difficult to choose only a few to work on in class. I am eager to get my hands on more of Ms. Dabrowski's exciting new works! Two thumbs up!

This conflict has been ongoing for a long time. Books that discuss the problems can be very complex. This book by Mitch Frank does an excellent job of sticking to a brief analysis of the major problems in prose that is easy to understand.

English is not my primary language but this book was easy enough to finish in two days. I did not know much about Israel-Palestina conflict and was looking for a good book with basic information. This book taught me how the three religions-- Judaism, Muslim and Chiristianity-- are related, and why different peoples see the Holy Land as their homes.

This book is for not only children but perfect for adult readers whose primary language is not English. Highly recommended.

After reading this book, I feel that I finally have better understanding of what's going on -- and more importantly, why --in the Holy Land area.

The book is written for a middle-school audience, and therefore the language is much easier to understand than that in other books I've tried to read on the subject. Since the subject matter is complicated, and the average reader would need to focus his/her attention on really comprehending the issue, having the author's easy-to-understand language to guide through the chapters is really, really helpful.

As of summer 2005, the book is as up-to-date as can be. I hope that someone -- if not this author -- will able to follow the issue and keep informing the public the way this book has.

This book should be read by anyone of any age who really wants to understand the full story of the conflict in the Middle East. Mr. Frank offers an empathic and stunninly clear explanation of the cultural and political background and beliefs of all parties to the conflict. He includes a tremendous amount of information, making this complicated subject accessible and shedding light on a situation most Americans know little about. I highly recommend this book.

For Calvin, union with God is by faith. It would be a mistake to attempt (as the Mannermaa school has done) to suggest that there is no forensic element to soteriology. However, neither Luther or Calvin made soteriology only forensic, as the Mannermaa school has suggested. It is both/and: both forensic and unia mystica. Overall, a very interesting and informative read.

Dennis Tamburello is pure genius. His clear writing simply brings St. Bernard to life in this scholarly portrayal. This goes down with "Ordinary Mysticism" as one of the biggest classics of our time.

Dennis Tamburello is pure genius. His clear writing simply brings St. Bernard to life in this scholarly portrayal. This goes down with "Ordinary Mysticism" as one of the biggest classics of our time.

intelligently written and great for everyone who loves st. bernard. books written by bernard are difficult to read, you really have to like this guy, he is very flowery and does not speak to us in our time. not contemporary. so in this book you only get small doses of bernard and it is very good. unlike leaders in the catholic church bernard does not shrink from giving priority to faith over good works. catholics today stress being good deed doers. god accepts us because of belief in Christ. this emphasis and other medieval thoughts present in bernard's mystical writings are a pleasure to read being examined by the scholarly author.

This book can change your life. It certainly changed mine. It is a journey into the clarity and perfectness of the purity of faith, the purity of Being - THAT which is beyond all faith and culture, yet captured in simple terms in a Christian context. If you are a true seeker after truth or a true finder of the truth you will treasure this book. Well done Tony D'Souza - please give us another one as good as this.

I come to recognize publishers that publish books interesting to me, specifically with titles of spiritual and religious topics. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company of Michigan, USA and Cambridge, United Kingdom is one such publisher. A friend loaned me the book titled, "The Way of Jesus," I am happy to recommend this anonymous work after reading it. I admit I may have found myself overlooking the title if it had not been brought to my attention. This is a book helpful in knowing Christ and living the Christian life.

The book was originally discovered in Germany in 1516 under the title "Theologia Germanica," published by Martin Luther. A contemporary style helps with understanding the work, it was translated into the contemporary English by Tony D'Souza, who lives in London, England. The writing contains a certain charm without being difficult to the 21st Century American reader; hence the editing is successful if only containing a whiff of plainness and kind of simplicity. This may be to its credit, after reading the entire book and looking back on it.

You guess this is a mystical work, probably, and you guess right. Written in short segments, one may read it on a daily basis finding time to reflect on each chapter. I read it straight through, so to speak, not reading it as a devotional, but as an instructive and illuminating work on Christ and my relationship and understanding of him in my life. Fortunately, I found this satisfying and illuminating.

The work is an illuminating book, 140 pages and introduces itself on the cover as, "a contemporary edition of a spiritual classic." Tony D'Souza is noted as "editor," by the way. Just to be clear on the matter and give proper credit to him.

From the start, the book offers evidence and instruction: "...[O]ur knowledge of God should become so perfect that we see that none of our gifts or will, love or good works come from ourselves but that they all come from God, from whom all good proceeds." Perhaps you as reader of this review say, "How obvious." But I recall a situation where I confused my own sense of smallness before God instead of his largeness; instead my posture required an attitude of humility that accepts and acknowledges His goodness and greatness. This is not so large an error, or far from a way to humility, yet to get on a better path to the Way of Jesus this book is helpful in sorting out relationship and truths. There is discernment on its pages.

Again, in the same line, as the author says early in the book, "...[I]t is better that God should be loved, praised, and honored even if we vainly imagine that we love or praise God. This is preferable to God being left unloved, unpraised, and unhonored, because when the vain imagination turns into understanding of truth, then claiming anything for our own will fall away naturally...'Poor fool that I was, I imagined it was me, but all the time it was God.'" Simple, yes, but clarifying and also helpful in bringing the reader to an insight to Christ's significant and special relationship with mankind (womankind, too, of course.)

It is by degrees and example, by various dictums the writer lets us know something of perspective: "Four Things Are Necessary Before a Person Can Receive Divine Truth and Become Possessed by the Spirit of God."

Possessed by the spirit of God? I ask, and I wonder. This statement about divine truth is novel to my ears, as are discussions of evil personified by the Devil. Yet as a reviewer I urge you to buy the book to read on and persevere; the reader will find this endeavor of a book both entertaining and also written so that its certain realities are recognizable in our century. Reading a classic work does take some leaps and jumps, especially when written almost 500 years ago.

Christ says blessed are the poor. He means material poverty, and that is common knowledge. But he also says, blessed are the poor in spirit, and the author who is imparting "knowledge," or a way of knowing, ends a chapter with the promise of his teachings: "Out of this grows that poverty of spirit of which Christ said..." One gets the firm intention of learning something about spiritual poverty by this work, and thereby a humility. To this end, the chapter headings are like aphorisms, such as the chapter just noted: "There is a Deep and True Humility and Poverty of Spirit in a Person Who Shares in the Divinity of God." I thought these a kind of Zen Koan. But slightly so. More a puzzle made statement than an exercise in special construction. Yet the book is that, too, in its own way.

There you have a sense of the way mystery is constructed by the modern edition, I guess the modern language is true to the original since a noteworthy publisher publishes the book. Here is another "aphorism", clearer and less puzzling, but a puzzle: "What Sin Is, and How We Must Not Claim Any Good thing for Ourselves, because All Good Belongs to the True Good Alone."

I was glad to find this book title available through Amazon.com, for I tried searching on it (the title), but could not find the book. I tried a search on the editor, Tony D'Souza, and found the book on Amazon.com. This particular copy, which was loaned to me, was purchased at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California (USA) where my friend said she found it by browsing.

I am happy she thought it suited my interests and tastes, and also that I would appreciate something that takes a desire for a special religious flavor of instruction. My Deacon friend practices contemplation in the morning, and knowing my own interest in contemplative prayer is correct in her recognition that contemplatives will find the book, "The Way of Jesus," helpful in living a Christian life. That is a lot to say about a book, but I am sure if you've gotten this far in this review, you have an interest that will make this a work beneficial to your own life, contemplative in leaning or not. This is also a book for the active life in Christ, for it clarifies and instructs on understanding this historic person and God. A helpful book in living a Christian life.

--Peter Menkin, Pentecost 2007

Compiled and edited by London-based writer and special teacher Tony D'Souza, The Way Of Jesus is a modernized rendition of an anonymous, mystical masterpiece that has been a cherished devotional text for nearly five centuries, since its discovery in 1516 in a monastic library in Germany. First published under the title of "Theologia Germanica" by Martin Luther, the text has been rendered into plain terms for the lay reader, and flows with a clear message that transcends eras. A highly recommended classic of worship, whether for stand-alone reading or as a companion volume to more archaically literal transcriptions of Theologia Germanica.

Martin Luther discovered and published this 14th century handbook in 1518, naming it "Theologia Germanica," and calling it the third most influential written work in his life, after the Bible and the writings of St. Augustine. Mr. D'Souza's contribution is to render it in up-to-date, accessible English, for which the modern reader on the contemplative path will be grateful. This is an important work. Clearly the anonymous German priest/author was aware of the teachings of Meister Eckhardt, the Dominican friar whose compelling writings were condemned after his death in around 1328; he knew the work of other 13th and 14th century mystics, and was familiar with the tensions between Church authorities and practitioners of Christian mysticism and contemplation. He frequently warns the reader that it is easy to fall into error on the contemplative journey, and identifies errors, showing how they may be corrected.

Why is The Way of Jesus important to us 650 years after it was written? It seems to be an original, authentic voice from the apophatic (via negativa) tradition, of which we have far too few. It explains clearly and concisely in simple language and imagery what the contemplative journey is and what its purpose, and invites the reader to consider the deepest of life's questions and answers in the company of an articulate, accomplished master.

In a recent TV programme I was surprised to hear Terry Jones, medieval historian and ex-Monty Python, describe women in the middle ages as merely 'chattels'. This excellent book shows how mistaken this view is. In Regine Pernoud's fascinating book you can read about the many and varied roles that women had in medieval times. here are powerful queens and duchesses, influential nuns, women saints, warriors, writers, doctors, tradeswomen and craftswomen, none of them at all chattel-like. This book shows how a woman like Joan of Arc could become leader of an army, there was nothing unusual in the Middle Ages about a woman taking on such a role. I had never thought before about the invention of the mill as the first great labour-saving device, but of course as Regine Pernoud points out, it freed women from having to spend their days in the back-breaking task of grinding corn by hand, something women still have to do in parts of the world. This is an absoultely enthralling book.

I think all women, particularly Catholic women, should read this. Studying primary sources, Ms. Pernoud shows that during the feudal era in the Middle Ages, around 1100-1300 AD, women were intelligent, capable, and highly influential citizens, involved in all areas of life, including medical, professional, education, political and administration. Never again have women had such influential roles in their society. As the Renaissance began to grip Europe, and the University of Paris barring women and the resurgence of classical Roman law, the role of women completely diminished.

This book was an eye-opener--I've always enjoyed studying the middle ages, but I thought the women saints from that era (like St. Clotilda) were only exceptions to the rule, not the norm. This book proves the opposite. And as a woman, I deeply appreciate the influential roles these women played during that time. I also can see that I have the gifts to influence my husband, family and society in a truly unique feminine way, something that is forgotten in this day, where equality in a feminist's eyes merely means becoming like a man.

I love this book. Regine Pernoud is my new favorite historian. Ms. Pernoud writes about the Middle Ages when men were men and women were--well if not in charge pretty darn close to being so. Ms. Pernoud's premise contradicts much of what I have read elsewhere, but she goes to the primary sources and produces much material to support her thesis.

First of all, Pernoud says a number of women living in the Middle Ages were queens in their own right. She names these rulers--and some better known than others largely owing to the writing of male historians who seemed to have concentrated on queens married to illustrious men. Of course, there was Eleanor of Aquataine--the grandmother of Europe--who was the wife of both a French and an English king (in succession). She went on a Crusade with her French King. Later, she married Henry II and became the mother of Richard I and poor John of the Magna Carta fame. But Eleanor had some pretty well situated daughters also, and Pernoud tells the reader about them. Also, Eleanor's mother-in-law was the famous Matilda, who sparred with her usurper cousin Stephen for the English throne, which she finally secured for her son Henry II. Another, lesser known queen was a Matilda who along with Agnes of Poitou played a major role in the reforms of the church in the 11th Century by siding with the Pope against the Holy Roman Emperor. "Matilda Dei gratia si quid est" -- Matilda by the grace of God if she is anything.

Hildegard von Bingen has become known in our age because of her beautiful music, and of course many other women were powerful Abbesses in their own right--or Saints like Joan of Arc. I found interesting Pernoud's assertion that the Celtic and Germanic tribes welcomed Christianity because it reinforced their notions of equality of the sexes and the hearth and home as the center of life. So, not only were women queens of countries and lords of fiefdoms, they were "queens" of households. Pernoud points out what any archeologist will tell you--family wealth is centered in the hearth and home--combs, copper pots, and gold crosses.

And Charing Cross? That's named for Eleanor of Castile, granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquataine. When she died, her husband had a gold cross mounted everywhere they had lived. One site can be found at the Charing Cross station in London. Charing Cross is a corruption of "Chere reine" -- beloved queen.

I cannot but concur with the very positive reviews written before mine: this is indeed a wonderful and well written book that goes a long way towards "debunking" the frequent gross misconceptions of the so called "dark ages" and the role of women in it, and at so many levels!!