Hollman, Gemma

A welcome and refreshing exploration of the lives of medieval women achieved through exceptional prose and the use of stunningly appropriate images. Hollman’s presentation of these once forgotten lives is, indeed, an illuminating one.

Gaps in the historical record prompt Hollman to make some questionable speculations about the women’s attributes and relationships, but for the most part this is a well-researched and enlightening look at how cultural fear was used to justify acts of misogynistic vengeance and greed.