Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women

Author:   Hetta Howes ,  Allie Collins
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9781399408745


Pages:   320
Publication Date:   12 February 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Our Price $26.99 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women


Overview

Full Product Details

Author:   Hetta Howes ,  Allie Collins
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Continuum
Dimensions:   Width: 12.60cm , Height: 2.60cm , Length: 19.60cm
Weight:   0.240kg
ISBN:  

9781399408745


ISBN 10:   1399408747
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   12 February 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Reviews

A fascinating book about four women - each a heroine in her own way - it tells us so much about their world, and about our own… What jumps off the page is the liveliness of the women, their passion, their courage and their own way of being a woman. * Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Normal Women * Beautifully written and brilliantly observed. Full of surprises and packed with thrilling details, this is an important, eye-opening book. * Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives and Uproar! * A celebration of female ambition and endeavour... enormous fun. * The Sunday Times * Brilliantly revealing. * Observer * Lively and enjoyable… The result is illuminating… evokes the spirit of the period so well. * History Today * Howes’s book is highly readable and informative. * The Spectator * [An] immensely readable and academically rigorous book. This is a valuable contribution to our understanding. -- Claire Gilbert * Church Times * Hetta Howes unflinchingly explores the trials medieval women faced and, importantly, how they fought back. * Tabitha Stanmore, author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic * A brilliant portrait of four trailblazers. * The Simple Things * This meticulously researched book makes visible so much that popular models of medieval life have found inconvenient or uninteresting to accommodate. * Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place - shortlisted for the Women’s Prize * [A] witty and amusing portrait. * Vanessa 'V.M.' Braganza, currently at work on her first trade book, The Secret-Seekers: A Detective's Quest to Decipher the Renaissance * Engaging, authoritative and original. * Carolyne Larrington, Emerita Professor in Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford and author of The Land of the Green Man * A spirited, sparky and brisk account. * Anthony Bale, author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes * In this engrossing début work, medieval historian Howes explores the lives of four women. * The Bookseller's Buyers Guide Seasonal Highlights * Vivid, deeply researched, and addictively readable. * Irina Dumitrescu, Professor of English Medieval Studies at the University of Bonn and co-host of Medieval LOLs * A spirited commentary on the continuities and fractures in women’s history. * Julia Boffey, Professor Emerita of Medieval Studies, Queen Mary University, London * The lives of four groundbreaking women...are explored with great verve. * Independent * Hetta Howes shines a bright spotlight on four women from the Middle Ages who have been almost forgotten or ignored for far too long. * NetGalley review * 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. * NetGalley review * I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book. Howes’ prose is compelling and captivating. * NetGalley Review * Immensely readable... A bold and entertaining leap into the colourful and deeply nuanced world of medieval women. * Engelsberg Ideas *


Author Information

Dr Hetta Howes is a Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Literature at City, University of London, and a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. She regularly contributes to broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4, as well as writing for publications such as The Times Literary Supplement and BBC History Extra. She has a BA and MPhil from Cambridge University and a PhD from Queen Mary, University of London. Her academic book Transformative Waters in Late Medieval Literature was published by Boydell and Brewer in 2021. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife is her first book for a popular audience.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

RGFEB26

 

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List