Femina: The instant Sunday Times bestseller – A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It

I love the wave of new examinations of the past. I'm fascinated by the idea of giving a voice to those who have for so long, been almost written out of history and I was attracted to this book because it promised to do exactly that. I'm also a huge fan of Janina Ramirez' TV work, having been introduced to it via a documentary about Sutton Hoo, which my youngest was obsessed with watching, so I began reading this book with a high level of expectation.I was not disappointed.Throughout, I kept stopping to tell my husband about some interesting fact that had been mentioned. I'd never heard of the Loftus Princess, but the comparisons between her burial and the one at Sutton Hoo, mean that I'm keen to learn more about her. I'd been vaguely aware of the status of women in the Viking world, thanks to a Horrible Histories sketch, particularly with regards to domestic violence. However, reading it made me wonder why it is that modern society seems to have regressed so far in this area. If societies at the time could give women autonomy to leave such relationships, why do we get it so wrong today?The standout story however, is that of Hildegard of Bingen. Nun, musician, visionary, her book was smuggled out of Soviet occupied Germany in 1948, thanks to the bravery of two women. A fact which seems incredibly fitting. I got very excited when she was mentioned in a children's TV programme I was watching with my six year oldThe final few pages are interesting in their own right though. Dr Ramirez discusses issues of gender and sexuality - a very current topic in society - through the lens of historical figures. It was a fascinating insight into the topic. Again, there was a Horrible Histories related fact that caught my eye - the Roman Emperor Elagabalus apparently liked to be referred to by female pronouns and allegedly discussed gender reassignment surgery.This is a fascinating insight into the lives of women who deserve to be far more well known than they are and it is my sincere hope that this will not be the last book to give such people a voice.This is well worth a read.

In Femina, Janina Ramirez gives us a potted history of the middle ages from the point of view of some of the women of the time.Detailed research, from grave goods to the words of the women themselves, underpins these fascinating stories. Most of the women featured are from wealthy and powerful backgrounds. Some are from the ruling elite, even titled king and ruling in their own right. Others chose a life of religious contemplation and wielded the influence and power that comes from being God's representative on earth. But all are many things, diplomats, leaders, warriors and artists. The one thing they all have in common however, is that they are bypassed by our conventional histories, overlooked in favour of the stories of their male contemporaries.Forgotten, ignored and often deliberately written out of history, these women deserve to be heard and Janina Ramirez has rescued them from obscurity for our benefit.

I was looking forward to reading and learning about the women whose stories had always been overlooked in history. Most of the women I had already heard of from other sources. I enjoyed the book but did think that, if all the background material, opinions and conjectures had been left out, the material was a little thin. There is only a limited amount of information about these women, it just seems to me that it's how it's dressed up which makes all the difference. The book is well researched and well written. I admire Janina Ramirez for her enthusiasm and personality when presenting her TV shows which are always eminently watchable, but feel the book just falls short of being worth 5 stars.

Janina's writing style makes what could be a dry and academic book into an enjoyable read. Her enthusiasm for her subject shines through her works as she explores an alternative view of mediaeval history through the eyes of the often neglected women of the period.She has obviously carried out extensive research to make her argument (the source notes and bibliography come to nearly 100 pages) and refreshingly she admits that the work is an argument rather than a definite history, and this enables her to introduce themes relevant to contemporary society that can be contentious such as gender identity and misogyny.A considered work in which Janina's enthusiasm shines throughout.

Arrived promptly and in good condition. Great service.

Interesting but tiresome

A wonderful book - highly recommend. The only negative comment I would make is that the illustrations were somewhat poor - difficult to see the details necessary to compliment the text.

I would have liked it a little less scholarly.

I really wanted to like the book, but I had a hard time reading it. While the content is undoubtedly relevant and important, my reading experience was somewhat marred by the book's structural and stylistic choices. The narrative occasionally loses its thread, describing extensive historical context before circling back to the main subject. I often found this irritating. Additionally, while the subject matter is engaging, the impact is lessened at times by the author’s writing, which can be clunky and not always serve the fascinating narratives within. Despite these criticisms, the book's importance in highlighting the significant role of women in medieval history cannot be understated.

The media could not be loaded.  Fascinating book we should all read at school, at least partly, in order to teach the unjustly deleted history of women (half our population, at any given point in time).

great corrective on the role of women in the middle ages. well written with great detailsa bit more on class and lower class women would have helped but excellent overall of an important topic

Fascinating history, really good book.

Dr Ramirez is a popular historian in the UK, a regular face on TV. I'm not a popular historian, out to tick those boxes that makes one acceptable to the media -I'm just a grumpy middle-aged white male archaeologist....so what do I know about anything eh?This is a popular history book and her style is not for everyone. Some good history; sometimes though she is just trying too hard to deliver The Message.Because I would rather spend my money on beer, whisky, kebabs and tabs I bought a second hand edition. Consider doing the same.