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Femina
- A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It
- Narrated by: Janina Ramirez
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
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Femina
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Extraordinary women have held positions of power throughout history. But, aside from the select few, why do we not hear about them?
The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, Saints and Kings: a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But by digging a little deeper into the truth, drawing on evidence from all disciplines, we can see that the 'dark' ages were anything but. BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word femina annotated beside them. Male gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, which has manipulated our view of history.
By weaving a vivid and evocative picture of the lives of the women who influenced their society, we discover not just why these remarkable individuals were removed from our collective memories, but also how many other misconceptions underpin our historical narratives, altering the course of history, upholding the oppressive masculine structures of their present, and affecting our contemporary view of the past.
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What listeners say about Femina
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lindsay
- 19-07-23
Fresh and informative
Meticulously and comprehensively researched, Ramirez's book provides the reader with a formerly neglected aspect of the Middle Ages without a shade of confirmation bias.
Entertainingly written and read over by the author at the right pace, she has fundamentally changed my perspective. I am far better informed and feel urged to tell others of her findings and recommend the work.
My sight has diminished much so that now in my eighties I cannot read for ver long. I am grateful that Femina is available in Audible.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- book_ish
- 28-03-23
Very illuminating
Illuminating, by enthusiastically read scholar Ramirez. She obviously has a passion for the Middle Ages and I learnt a lot in this book from historian Janina Ramirez. Very good to learn about some previously unknown names.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-02-24
Herstory
I liked the enthusiastic narration by the author. I have also listened to the Phillipa Gregory audible which is excellent but longer and the delivery is a bit flat. I learned a lot but it didn’t feel like hard work
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- I. O.
- 28-12-23
Excellent and level-headed
Probably one of the best history books I have read/listened to in a long time. The author is an excellent and level-headed modern historian with an engaging style. Dr Ramirez leads the reader into each topic by providing clear evidence of the relevance of those gone before us to today and how modern scholarship and reinterpretation can shine a new/different light on former discoveries.
I will definitely recommend this book to friends and family.
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- Liam_H
- 31-07-22
Brilliant
Finished this morning. Excellent read. Medieval history through the eyes of eight women. Some noble, some not. Secular and religious. Queen's and even a King in Poland's St Jadwiga (1373-1399, Canonised in 1999 by JP2)
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ms. M. Quinn
- 08-01-23
A superb look at forgotten elements of medieval history
This was a fascinating listen! Added so many different dimensions to the medieval European world and presents women in a different light, challenging misconceptions and myths. Highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. N. B. Cherry
- 06-08-22
All manner of things shall be good. And Bad. In parts.
The anticipation built by the five month delay between this title being listed for pre-order and actually becoming available to purchase via Audible was more than it could live up to.
The narration is spoiled by occasional misreadings, mispronunciations - a British art historian saying Van Gogh the American way? I ask you! - and grammatical errors such as hung instead of hanged. These should have been spotted and corrected prior to release.
The chapters are long with numerous sub-sections. It might have been better if the content had been divided into smaller chunks - if only to assist history students and general listeners wishing to refer to specific passages without needing to scroll through over sixty minutes of audio at a time.
I like the author but feel that is presentation could have been a little more polished.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 28-06-23
Left me hungry for more
Thoroughly hooked on this book. I’m inspired and was captured by a different lens of history. Thank you for opening my mind to so many fascinating tales.
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- Muriel
- 25-07-22
Powerful women and book
The best book I have ever read on the power of the female. Janina brings each woman alive and very real. The relevant detail of the times each one of these women lived in opened up how amazing each one really was. As a member of the university of the fifth age, passed the third age decades ago, I have time to learn about social history at my own pace and this book is a joy to listen to more than once. It does however put present day feminism well into the shade.
Definitely recommended to all but especially to those contemplating fighting for the rights of women. Their strategies and actions may gain more depth and success.
Thank you Janina Ramirez for narrating this precious book so well.
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9 people found this helpful
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- kimmidp
- 20-10-22
Fémina fantastic !
Brilliant brilliant brilliant ! Janina Ramirez is such a great author narrator and art historian More of this please could listen all day everyday Thank you 🙏
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1 person found this helpful