Author:Patricia Skinner,Elisabeth van Houts
'Woman, who is equal to the moon in the flower of youth,
Is equal to a little old ape after the onset of old age'
This remarkable collection brings together a host of writings from across different regions and cultures of the Middle Ages, from the ninth to the fifteenth century. They are arranged to follow the life stages of a Medieval woman living a secular existence, from infancy and girlhood, through marriage and motherhood, to widowhood and old age. Some women are famous or captured in exceptional circumstances, many more are anonymous: an abandoned baby in Italy, or an epitaph for the female leader of a Synagogue, speaking across the ages.
This selection contains an introduction discussing the Medieval woman's status, separate introductions to each chapter, notes and a bibliography.
Both medieval historians and feminist historians will be delighted about this extraordinary, long-awaited anthology [...] This volume appears to be the best possible textbook currently available for a seminar on medieval women, covering the entire spectrum from birth to death [...] Anyone interested in the life of women in the premodern era will certainly want to pick up a copy and consult it intensely.
—— Professor Albrecht Classen, The University of ArizonaIf you’re fascinated by twentieth-century Russian history, you’ll be intrigued by the tale of Sashenka, a loyal Communist wife married to a powerful party member, whose life starts to unravel when she embarks upon an affair…The author is a noted historian, and this novel is full of fascinating, meticulously researched detail about Russian life.
—— Daisy BuchananTo write a good historical novel you have to recreate that world, both physically and intellectually - and there must be a sense that history is driving the plot forwards. Montefiore succeeds on all counts... The real achievement of this novel is that it describes the profound levels of self-deception required if you wanted to stay alive and be a loyal communist in Stalin's Russia
—— EVENING STANDARDAgile plotting, vivid characterisation and the exuberant spectacle of a well-informed author enjoying a flourish of serious frivolity - convoluted plot twists, astonishing coincidences, tear-jerking family separations and all - combine to make Sashenka an addictive page-turner with an elegant, steely edge of verisimilitude
—— SUNDAY TELEGRAPHA tale rich in conspiracy, seduction, glamour and intrigue that should satisfy all
—— IMAGE Magazine, EireThis epic tale spans almost 100 years of tumultuous Russian history in the mould of Dr Zhivago; its themes of love, lust, treachery, sacrifice and family values dominate the book
—— THE COURIER-MAIL, New ZealandA compelling and affecting saga that resonates long after the reading. Montefiore's depiction of the epoch is superb. The language is precise and evocative without getting in the way of the storyline. Its evocation of 20th Century Russia is so intoxicating it made want to buy a plane ticket and find out more for myself. I can't remember being as moved by the fate of a character in a novel for some time
—— SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, AustraliaA must read! Montefiore polishes all the facets of a good story - secrets, lies, betrayal, love and death - and places them in Russia's grand setting
—— THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, New ZealandGripping... moves you to tears
—— DAILY EXPRESSThis completely addictive story offers an authoratative insight into Stalin's USSR and, in its huge characters and epic ambition, carries echoes of Tolstoy himself
—— DAILY MAILA heartbreaking tale of passion, betrayal and an unthinkable decision
—— IN STYLEA compelling novel of passions and secrets, politics and lies, love and betrayal, savagery and survival
—— SAGASweeping historical epic about a daring young woman forced to make a hard choice in Stalinist Russia
—— OBSERVER TOP FIVE SUMMER READS OF 2008Excellent... the historical detail is strong. The characterisation is superb, with Sashenka being especially well drawn. With her unwanted beauty and charisma, her gentle nobility that transcends class or wealth and her earnest ideals which eventually cost her so much. Sashenka commands out total sympathy, and when she is forced apart from her children, the sadness is profound and hard to dispel. A powerful novel... with a heroine who lingers in the mind when the story is finished
—— SPECTATORSashenka is grand in scale, rich in historical research, and yet never loses the flow of an addictive, racy, well-wrought plot. It combines a moving, satisfyingly just-neat-enough finale with a warning - that history has an awful habit of repeating itself
—— THE SCOTSMANAn epic novel... The suspense lasts until the final pages. There is no let-up. At the end of the book, you really feel that even though Sashenka is a fictional character, she has become one of the thousands of real people who haunt the Moscow archives that Montefiore knows so well
—— SUNDAY EXPRESS