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Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest
Everyone knows about the events of 1066; the story of invasion and conquest. But what of the women? Harold II of England had been with Edith Swan-neck for twenty years but in 1066, in order to strengthen his hold on the throne, he married Ealdgyth, sister of two earls. William of Normandy's duchess, Matilda of Flanders had, supposedly, only agreed to marry the Duke after he'd pulled her pigtails and thrown her in the mud. Harald Hardrada had two wives - apparently at the same time. So, who were these women? What was their real story? And what happened to them after 1066? From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, 'Silk and the Sword' traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2019
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January 24, 2023
Connolly sums up her intention thus:
“From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, we will trace the fortunes of the women who had a role to play before, during and after the momentous year of 1066. Throughout these tumultuous times, women played a prominent part, in support of their husbands, their sons and of their people, be they English, Norman, Danish or Norwegian. Their contributions were so much more than a supporting role, and it is time that their stories were told, and the influence they had on events, was examined in detail. …My intention is to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, while providing the women with a platform for their stories, from the dawn of the eleventh century to its close.”
This history inevitably spans the whole of the eleventh century as well as straying before and after the allotted span. It covers much of Europe, especially Scandinavia, and as far as Kiev (“Harold II Godwinson’s own daughter, Gytha, would make her life in Kiev as the wife of Vladimir II Monomakh and was the mother of Mstislav the Great, the last ruler of a united Kievan Rus. Vladimir was the nephew of Harald Hardrada’s first wife, the Russian princess, Elisiv”)., there was an awful lot of travel! The connections and interrelationships are complex, just as complex as anything in Game of Thrones and there are murders at feasts/weddings.
There are examinations of the lives of many of the women on both sides of the Norman Conquest. These include the wonderfully named Edith Swanneck and the more well-known Lady Godiva, real name Godgifu. The myths about her stem from over a century after her death and are just that, myths. There is also a chapter on the unknown woman on the Bayeux tapestry.
This is a good counterpoint to the usually all male historiography of the era and fills a gap full of men. There are still lots of gaps and more research to be done. The women here play a variety of roles and there is even a saint among them! There are lots of perils and marriage is inevitably a lottery. All the women are interesting and this is a window on a complex world. The bibliography is excellent.
“From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, we will trace the fortunes of the women who had a role to play before, during and after the momentous year of 1066. Throughout these tumultuous times, women played a prominent part, in support of their husbands, their sons and of their people, be they English, Norman, Danish or Norwegian. Their contributions were so much more than a supporting role, and it is time that their stories were told, and the influence they had on events, was examined in detail. …My intention is to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, while providing the women with a platform for their stories, from the dawn of the eleventh century to its close.”
This history inevitably spans the whole of the eleventh century as well as straying before and after the allotted span. It covers much of Europe, especially Scandinavia, and as far as Kiev (“Harold II Godwinson’s own daughter, Gytha, would make her life in Kiev as the wife of Vladimir II Monomakh and was the mother of Mstislav the Great, the last ruler of a united Kievan Rus. Vladimir was the nephew of Harald Hardrada’s first wife, the Russian princess, Elisiv”)., there was an awful lot of travel! The connections and interrelationships are complex, just as complex as anything in Game of Thrones and there are murders at feasts/weddings.
There are examinations of the lives of many of the women on both sides of the Norman Conquest. These include the wonderfully named Edith Swanneck and the more well-known Lady Godiva, real name Godgifu. The myths about her stem from over a century after her death and are just that, myths. There is also a chapter on the unknown woman on the Bayeux tapestry.
This is a good counterpoint to the usually all male historiography of the era and fills a gap full of men. There are still lots of gaps and more research to be done. The women here play a variety of roles and there is even a saint among them! There are lots of perils and marriage is inevitably a lottery. All the women are interesting and this is a window on a complex world. The bibliography is excellent.
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December 2, 2018In her second book, Silk and the Sword, Sharon Bennett Connolly turns her attention to ‘the women of the Norman Conquest’. The timeframe covered is, in fact, somewhat wider than might initially be assumed, which helps the reader to put the events of 1066 into a much broader context. As is the case with most of her previous work, Connolly’s main aim is to raise greater awareness of the lives of medieval women, writing in an enthusiastic and accessible style.
The book is thoughtfully constructed. It is divided into three parts – covering the periods before, during and after the Conquest. Each section begins with a political overview, which is then followed by five chapters which tell the stories of various women who were active at the time. This does mean that some important episodes are covered more than once, but it is an advantage that each of the chapters can be read in isolation (which should allow the book to function as a work of reference). Connolly also takes great pains to ensure the reader is never lost amidst the large cast of Ealdgyths, Gundradas, etc. She does well to maintain an effective narrative thread, while also offering more specific insights into the experience of individual women.
Some of Connolly’s chosen personalities are better known than others. St Margaret, for instance, is one of Scotland’s most celebrated queens; her chapel at Edinburgh Castle is regularly visited by thousands of tourists. As a major patron of the medieval Scottish Church, Margaret has also been the focus of extensive academic research, some of which has been disseminated in more popular histories (as is the case here). In contrast, Edith ‘Swanneck’, who was King Harold II’s partner for much of his adult life, is a more elusive figure – although readers of historical fiction will probably be aware of her story, as it is a gift to novelists. According to the twelfth-century Waltham Chronicle, Edith was responsible for identifying Harold’s mangled body on the battlefield, because she ‘knew the secret marks of his body better than others’. She was apparently accompanied in this harrowing task by Harold’s mother, Gytha, whose life is also well covered here.
In other chapters, Connolly introduces some less familiar characters. I found it particularly fascinating to read about Elisiv (or Elizabeth), a Russian princess from Kiev, who was the first wife of Harald Hardrada. While Elisiv did not ultimately become Queen of England, one of the main strengths of this book is that it highlights Anglo-Saxon connections with other parts of Europe. Indeed, Norman influence in England predated the Conquest, notably via Emma (the daughter of Duke Richard I), who is tellingly described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as ‘the Lady’. Emma of Normandy first came to England in order to marry Aethelred ‘the Unready’, although after his death she also married Cnut and went on to be the mother of several other kings.
The book includes a useful selection of quotations from primary sources, as well as a few interesting passages which touch on questions of historiography. The myth that Queen Matilda was a dwarf, for example, is concisely and firmly dismissed, and Connolly also does a good job of explaining how Lady Godiva’s story has grown in the telling. The final chapter discusses the identity of a mysterious woman in the Bayeux Tapestry, exploring various possibilities. Overall, this is an engaging book for general readers that offers an unusual and worthwhile perspective on the history of eleventh-century England.
The book is thoughtfully constructed. It is divided into three parts – covering the periods before, during and after the Conquest. Each section begins with a political overview, which is then followed by five chapters which tell the stories of various women who were active at the time. This does mean that some important episodes are covered more than once, but it is an advantage that each of the chapters can be read in isolation (which should allow the book to function as a work of reference). Connolly also takes great pains to ensure the reader is never lost amidst the large cast of Ealdgyths, Gundradas, etc. She does well to maintain an effective narrative thread, while also offering more specific insights into the experience of individual women.
Some of Connolly’s chosen personalities are better known than others. St Margaret, for instance, is one of Scotland’s most celebrated queens; her chapel at Edinburgh Castle is regularly visited by thousands of tourists. As a major patron of the medieval Scottish Church, Margaret has also been the focus of extensive academic research, some of which has been disseminated in more popular histories (as is the case here). In contrast, Edith ‘Swanneck’, who was King Harold II’s partner for much of his adult life, is a more elusive figure – although readers of historical fiction will probably be aware of her story, as it is a gift to novelists. According to the twelfth-century Waltham Chronicle, Edith was responsible for identifying Harold’s mangled body on the battlefield, because she ‘knew the secret marks of his body better than others’. She was apparently accompanied in this harrowing task by Harold’s mother, Gytha, whose life is also well covered here.
In other chapters, Connolly introduces some less familiar characters. I found it particularly fascinating to read about Elisiv (or Elizabeth), a Russian princess from Kiev, who was the first wife of Harald Hardrada. While Elisiv did not ultimately become Queen of England, one of the main strengths of this book is that it highlights Anglo-Saxon connections with other parts of Europe. Indeed, Norman influence in England predated the Conquest, notably via Emma (the daughter of Duke Richard I), who is tellingly described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as ‘the Lady’. Emma of Normandy first came to England in order to marry Aethelred ‘the Unready’, although after his death she also married Cnut and went on to be the mother of several other kings.
The book includes a useful selection of quotations from primary sources, as well as a few interesting passages which touch on questions of historiography. The myth that Queen Matilda was a dwarf, for example, is concisely and firmly dismissed, and Connolly also does a good job of explaining how Lady Godiva’s story has grown in the telling. The final chapter discusses the identity of a mysterious woman in the Bayeux Tapestry, exploring various possibilities. Overall, this is an engaging book for general readers that offers an unusual and worthwhile perspective on the history of eleventh-century England.
November 12, 2018
One of the many things I learned from Sharon Bennett Connolly’s new book is there are six hundred and twenty six people depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, but only three are women. One is Edward the Confessor’s queen, Edith of Wessex, one is a woman fleeing from a burning house - and the third is an intriguing ‘mystery woman’, who has been the subject of much debate by historians.
I mention this because it touches in the central theme of Silk and the Sword, which is how little is known about the women involved in the build-up to the Norman Conquest. It has taken much detective work to sort out the few known facts from the many myths. It hasn’t helped that even the names of these women are debated and records of the time (including the famous tapestry) focus on the men.
Sharon Bennett Connolly begins with what she calls ‘the triumvirate’ of remarkable women from before the Norman invasion. I knew about Emma of Normandy – but suspected that most of what I know about Lady Godiva was wrong. Although she is arguably the most famous of the Anglo-Saxon women, her name was probably Godgifu. As for her famous naked ride, it’s no surprise that every retelling becomes more embellished in the fashion of the time.
For me, the most fascinating story is that of Gytha of Wessex, mother of an ill-fated dynasty. (Her father, the wonderfully named Thorgils Sprakaleg, was said to have been descended from the union of a bear and a Swedish maiden.) Gytha's life seems to have been an amazing saga of wealth and war, privilege and tragedy. As with all these women, I have the feeling that Sharon could have written a whole book about each of them. I am certainly inspired to find out more. Highly recommended.
Tony Riches
I mention this because it touches in the central theme of Silk and the Sword, which is how little is known about the women involved in the build-up to the Norman Conquest. It has taken much detective work to sort out the few known facts from the many myths. It hasn’t helped that even the names of these women are debated and records of the time (including the famous tapestry) focus on the men.
Sharon Bennett Connolly begins with what she calls ‘the triumvirate’ of remarkable women from before the Norman invasion. I knew about Emma of Normandy – but suspected that most of what I know about Lady Godiva was wrong. Although she is arguably the most famous of the Anglo-Saxon women, her name was probably Godgifu. As for her famous naked ride, it’s no surprise that every retelling becomes more embellished in the fashion of the time.
For me, the most fascinating story is that of Gytha of Wessex, mother of an ill-fated dynasty. (Her father, the wonderfully named Thorgils Sprakaleg, was said to have been descended from the union of a bear and a Swedish maiden.) Gytha's life seems to have been an amazing saga of wealth and war, privilege and tragedy. As with all these women, I have the feeling that Sharon could have written a whole book about each of them. I am certainly inspired to find out more. Highly recommended.
Tony Riches
February 18, 2019
Connolly looks at the lives of the women connected with the main players of the conflict of 1066. Each chapter concentrates on a different woman such as Emma of Normandy, Lady Godiva and the wonderfully named Edith Swanneck. Although little is known about most of them, the author manages to tease out facts from the chronicles written about their menfolk. This was very interesting if a little repetitive at times due to the women's lives overlapping.
January 11, 2019
I was first introduced to the history of pre-Norman England through the fiction of Bernard Cornwell and his Saxon Stories series of novels. Very quickly I discovered other fantastic series set in post-Roman through Anglo-Saxon times. All of this has really only been within the last decade or so. Previously I hadn’t really been aware that there was much history before the Normans showed up at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
How ignorant I was! There is a richness of culture and history, and the resources available to writers who write in this period is also rich. The most famous of these sources, and the backbone upon which rests the most classic writing, is the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals from late in the 9th century. It probably originated in Wessex during the reign of Alfred the Great. But chronicles like this and others like it only tell so much history. There are big gaps in the history this chronicle gives us, and perhaps the biggest gap is the history of the women of this period.
Enter Sharon Bennett Connolly who started writing about these women as a hobby. “My husband gave me a blog for Christmas 2014, History…the Interesting Bits and I started writing articles about those bits of history I find really fascinating. I discovered that my posts about women in history were more successful, and so started focusing on their stories. I realised that all these women, whose stories just seemed to be bylines in the stories their fathers, husbands and sons, were just as fascinating – if not more so – as the stories of their menfolk.”
The essence of Sharon’s book explains the times, places, and events of the lives of the women living around the time of the Norman Conquest of England. It is not really a narration but rather an enumeration. That being said, the strength of the book is in the repeated cross-referencing of the same people and events, examining the history from different geographic locations and perspectives. Each woman has a different story to tell, and each has a different viewpoint and motivation based on culture, politics, and family ties.
Other reviewers have observed that the book tends toward the repetitive (as I mentioned above), but honestly I found this compelling because the reader gains a richer and more developed understanding of the events swirling in the world at a given time. Each chapter is nuanced toward a different woman, but we see the same events from her perspective, making it easier to place her significance on the world stage more easily. And while Connolly didn’t discover any new source of research for her book necessarily, her work presents some interesting new scholarship because of the approach she takes in the book. Each chapter builds upon the previous, and by the end, a very complex picture has been created which might have been done had the book focuses only on one individual.
I believe this book is and should be an absolutely necessary reference for anyone interested in the period as well as for authors writing within this time period. Connolly has really filled a niche, and I think her books will continue to be an indispensible resource for years to come.
How ignorant I was! There is a richness of culture and history, and the resources available to writers who write in this period is also rich. The most famous of these sources, and the backbone upon which rests the most classic writing, is the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals from late in the 9th century. It probably originated in Wessex during the reign of Alfred the Great. But chronicles like this and others like it only tell so much history. There are big gaps in the history this chronicle gives us, and perhaps the biggest gap is the history of the women of this period.
Enter Sharon Bennett Connolly who started writing about these women as a hobby. “My husband gave me a blog for Christmas 2014, History…the Interesting Bits and I started writing articles about those bits of history I find really fascinating. I discovered that my posts about women in history were more successful, and so started focusing on their stories. I realised that all these women, whose stories just seemed to be bylines in the stories their fathers, husbands and sons, were just as fascinating – if not more so – as the stories of their menfolk.”
The essence of Sharon’s book explains the times, places, and events of the lives of the women living around the time of the Norman Conquest of England. It is not really a narration but rather an enumeration. That being said, the strength of the book is in the repeated cross-referencing of the same people and events, examining the history from different geographic locations and perspectives. Each woman has a different story to tell, and each has a different viewpoint and motivation based on culture, politics, and family ties.
Other reviewers have observed that the book tends toward the repetitive (as I mentioned above), but honestly I found this compelling because the reader gains a richer and more developed understanding of the events swirling in the world at a given time. Each chapter is nuanced toward a different woman, but we see the same events from her perspective, making it easier to place her significance on the world stage more easily. And while Connolly didn’t discover any new source of research for her book necessarily, her work presents some interesting new scholarship because of the approach she takes in the book. Each chapter builds upon the previous, and by the end, a very complex picture has been created which might have been done had the book focuses only on one individual.
I believe this book is and should be an absolutely necessary reference for anyone interested in the period as well as for authors writing within this time period. Connolly has really filled a niche, and I think her books will continue to be an indispensible resource for years to come.
March 5, 2020
I know Ms Bennett-Connolly personally and know that she does her research impeccably. In this her second book she covers a variety of women whose lives played out before and after the conquest. Not much has been known about the women of this time, and the author has to rely on what her men folk and others in her family were doing in order to get their lives in perspective in the context of the times.
I really enjoyed reading the chapters though I would have liked more silk and less sword, as a lot of the men turned up in many of the women's stories. I think Amberley let down the author with the editing there.
That aside, I felt the author's work was brilliant and loved it! That's why for me it is definitely a 5 star read!
I really enjoyed reading the chapters though I would have liked more silk and less sword, as a lot of the men turned up in many of the women's stories. I think Amberley let down the author with the editing there.
That aside, I felt the author's work was brilliant and loved it! That's why for me it is definitely a 5 star read!
July 20, 2019
There are quite a few events that one can name that radically shaped the course of British history. None more so than the events of 1066, the year that saw Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French forces, led by the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, invaded England in what we know today as the Norman Conquest. Most history books tend to focus on the men who lived before, during, and after the Norman Conquest: Aethelred the Unready, Edward the Confessor, Cnut, Harold II, Harald Hardrada, and of course William the Conqueror just to name a few. What the history books tend to gloss over is the strong women who stood by their husbands, brothers, and sons during this conflict. Who were these women? What were their stories? How did they help their families before, during and after 1066? These questions are answered in Sharon Bennett Connolly’s delightful book, “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest”.
I would like to thank Amberley Publishing and Sharon Bennett Connolly for sending me a copy of this book. It has been a long time since I personally studied the Norman Conquest, so I found it rather enjoyable to read about a subject that I really don’t know a lot about.
Connolly explains in her introduction why she wrote this particular book about these extraordinary women:
From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, we will trace the fortunes of the women who had a role to play before, during and after the momentous year of 1066. Throughout these tumultuous times, women played a prominent part, in support of their husbands, their sons and of their people, be they English, Norman, Danish or Norwegian. Their contributions were so much more than a supporting role, and it is time that their stories were told, and the influence they had on events, was examined in detail. ...My intention is to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, while providing the women with a platform for their stories, from the dawn of the eleventh century to its close. (Connolly, 13-14).
The story of the Norman Conquest does not start or end in 1066; 1066 is the climax of the story, which is why Connolly explores women from before, during and after 1066. Women like Lady Godiva, whose story many people think they know, but the story of her infamous ride is more fictitious than fact. Emma of Normandy, the wife of both Aethelred the Unready and King Cnut, who used her political influence to protect her sons. Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror, who helped her husband as regent of Normandy while he was in England. St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, who helped reform Scotland and bring it into the Roman Catholic faith. Edith, Gytha and the wives of Harald Hardrada who followed their husbands into the battlefield.
These are just a handful of the stories Connolly explores in this wonderful book. Connolly has meticulously researched the men and women who were all part of the events that led to and after the Norman Conquest. I took ample amounts of notes on this particular book, which to me was rather enjoyable. Connolly makes the rather daunting subject of the Norman Conquest and makes it so even a novice on the subject can understand it. If you are interested in the Norman Conquest, especially about the women during this time, I highly recommend you read, “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.
I would like to thank Amberley Publishing and Sharon Bennett Connolly for sending me a copy of this book. It has been a long time since I personally studied the Norman Conquest, so I found it rather enjoyable to read about a subject that I really don’t know a lot about.
Connolly explains in her introduction why she wrote this particular book about these extraordinary women:
From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, we will trace the fortunes of the women who had a role to play before, during and after the momentous year of 1066. Throughout these tumultuous times, women played a prominent part, in support of their husbands, their sons and of their people, be they English, Norman, Danish or Norwegian. Their contributions were so much more than a supporting role, and it is time that their stories were told, and the influence they had on events, was examined in detail. ...My intention is to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, while providing the women with a platform for their stories, from the dawn of the eleventh century to its close. (Connolly, 13-14).
The story of the Norman Conquest does not start or end in 1066; 1066 is the climax of the story, which is why Connolly explores women from before, during and after 1066. Women like Lady Godiva, whose story many people think they know, but the story of her infamous ride is more fictitious than fact. Emma of Normandy, the wife of both Aethelred the Unready and King Cnut, who used her political influence to protect her sons. Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror, who helped her husband as regent of Normandy while he was in England. St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, who helped reform Scotland and bring it into the Roman Catholic faith. Edith, Gytha and the wives of Harald Hardrada who followed their husbands into the battlefield.
These are just a handful of the stories Connolly explores in this wonderful book. Connolly has meticulously researched the men and women who were all part of the events that led to and after the Norman Conquest. I took ample amounts of notes on this particular book, which to me was rather enjoyable. Connolly makes the rather daunting subject of the Norman Conquest and makes it so even a novice on the subject can understand it. If you are interested in the Norman Conquest, especially about the women during this time, I highly recommend you read, “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.
February 6, 2020
Fabulous read, really interesting and well written
January 27, 2019
A very enjoyable overview of the 11th centuary and some of the women who had major roles.
However as the author herself said this is a time period where history was played put mainly on battlefields, histories both contemporaneous and those written in the following periods were by men and for men in the main. And the book suffers slightly because of this - there simply isn't enough information about the women and what roles they played in source material.. and this is not a novel. As a result some chapters the focus does not actually seem to be the women themselves but the men around them, and some of the book felt very repetitive
That said the author writes well and obviously has a passion for the women of history
While with her first book I was very familiar with the women included (Hands up for the Nicholla de la Haye fan club) in this book I was aware of the women but not familiar with their stories - or in fact some of the men around them so I did enjoy reading the information presented here.
It will be interesting tonsee where the author goes next with her research about the women of history
However as the author herself said this is a time period where history was played put mainly on battlefields, histories both contemporaneous and those written in the following periods were by men and for men in the main. And the book suffers slightly because of this - there simply isn't enough information about the women and what roles they played in source material.. and this is not a novel. As a result some chapters the focus does not actually seem to be the women themselves but the men around them, and some of the book felt very repetitive
That said the author writes well and obviously has a passion for the women of history
While with her first book I was very familiar with the women included (Hands up for the Nicholla de la Haye fan club) in this book I was aware of the women but not familiar with their stories - or in fact some of the men around them so I did enjoy reading the information presented here.
It will be interesting tonsee where the author goes next with her research about the women of history
May 1, 2019
We all know the story of 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England. However, most of the story revolves around the men and the women were perhaps as important due to their influence. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest covers the stories of Emma of Normandy, Lady Godiva, Gytha of Wessex, Judith of Flanders, Edith of Wessex, the wives of Harald Hardrada, Edith Swanneck, Ealdgyth, Matilda of Flanders, St. Margaret and Gundrada de Warenne.
Many of these women are shadows in history and it’s quite amazing that they finally have a chance in the limelight 1000 years later. Even I did not know some of these women. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest is very well researched and quite easy to read and follow. I would highly recommend it.
Many of these women are shadows in history and it’s quite amazing that they finally have a chance in the limelight 1000 years later. Even I did not know some of these women. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest is very well researched and quite easy to read and follow. I would highly recommend it.
May 23, 2022
A fascinating, in-depth book about a section of people we rarely see in the history books: women. In this superbly researched and well thought out book, we see the lives of important women on both sides of the Norman Conquest. Sometimes the power behind a powerful man, sometimes a lesser known woman who is brought into the light by Connelly's brilliant writing. This book gives a great picture of what life was like for the women who backed the men in power during the 11the century - or were chosen by them to share their lives.
July 19, 2021
Too much & not emough
I really wanted to like this book. I admire all the work & research Ms Connolly did for this book but I can't recommend it. There was too much extraneous information, such as details about the stepbrothers or in-laws of the husband of the daughter of the woman the chapter was about. Additionally much of the information was repeated in each chapter. Finally, it was mostly about the men and little about the women. I could only read it in small doses. It was maddeningly hard to read. A better editor was needed, if there was one at all.
I really wanted to like this book. I admire all the work & research Ms Connolly did for this book but I can't recommend it. There was too much extraneous information, such as details about the stepbrothers or in-laws of the husband of the daughter of the woman the chapter was about. Additionally much of the information was repeated in each chapter. Finally, it was mostly about the men and little about the women. I could only read it in small doses. It was maddeningly hard to read. A better editor was needed, if there was one at all.
October 22, 2019
Very good history book but it does centre more on men than women and this is a bit disappointing. There is quite a bit of background to each person portrayed going back for a few generations and it was quite easy to lose connection with the woman who you wanted to learn more about. Saying this, I learnt a lot more history about the early kings and how they fit into the history of England.
January 4, 2019
Really enjoyed this but felt the structure did not really work - repetitions of same info in different chspters. On the other hand, might have worked if book read to be dipped into.
July 4, 2022
I really wanted to like this book- but the editing was so bad! There were multiple paragraphs repeated, and the same information repeated- some of them must have died about ten times round in the book. I found it focussed less on the women, but more what the men were doing, and their relations to copious people! I felt it didn’t do justice to how fascinating these women were. I did enjoy reading more about Margaret of Scotland and learning about Gundrada de Warenne.
December 1, 2021
Connolly could have used a much better editor (far too many typos and grammar errors) and she has a tendency to be rambling and repetitive, but overall it was an interesting look at the women of that time. I always appreciate someone willing to put in the work and research to write about women in history when there's not a lot of knowledge about them available.
October 26, 2022
Women writing about women.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an honest interest in medieval history. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone that thinks women were fragile during this era. I am so happy to live during a time when women historians are on the rise and we are learning so much more about the strength of women throughout time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an honest interest in medieval history. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone that thinks women were fragile during this era. I am so happy to live during a time when women historians are on the rise and we are learning so much more about the strength of women throughout time.
September 27, 2020
20 percent silk, 80 percent sword - that pretty much sums this book up and I gave up reading it as I found the subtitle "The Women of the Norman Conquest" to be highly misleading.
Every time the author introduces a woman, she then goes on to name not just her husband but her father in-law and grandfather in-law too and it becomes very dull, very quickly.
The same information is repeated word for word in different chapters. On one particular page (Chapter 2) the same phrase is used in two paragraphs, literally one after the other.
I'm going to stop buying books published by Amberley as they clearly seem to think that a good editor is optional.
Every time the author introduces a woman, she then goes on to name not just her husband but her father in-law and grandfather in-law too and it becomes very dull, very quickly.
The same information is repeated word for word in different chapters. On one particular page (Chapter 2) the same phrase is used in two paragraphs, literally one after the other.
I'm going to stop buying books published by Amberley as they clearly seem to think that a good editor is optional.
August 7, 2019
I must admit I enjoyed the book but I was a little disappointed with it. I felt the author focussed on the men more than the women, with a lot of the women been portrayed as minor characters. There was also a lot of repetition, with the same family information been repeated chapter after chapter. It was interesting but I just felt more emphasis could have been put on the women, it felt as though they were an afterthought.
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