Cities of Women is a well-researched historical fiction story. I enjoyed reading about the Medieval art world especially with the dual point-of-views using past and current perspectives. There are numerous character names and details that don’t seem to sync across the two stories which makes for a confusing, disconcerting read in what could have been a beautiful book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This one was a bit hard for me. It just took so long to get drawn in. I enjoyed the story lines, though not too sure about Christine’s story - she just had a couple of chapters dedicated to her and then her story was just absorbed into Beatrice’s story. The language was a bit too embellished at times and I think the love story overpowered certain points in the plot - like the abbey scene. I would’ve liked to hear more about the mermaids on the celling.

Would recommend to someone simply for the interesting story of Beatrice but Verity’s story, while good, fell a bit short for me. As a character I found her frustrating and her love story just kept getting in the way in my opinion.

Kathleen Jones has produced an imaginative historical novel centering on two gutsy women in medieval Europe. While spinning a riveting story, Jones teaches readers about the art of bookmaking and illustration, and the challenges for women of the time. But that is only half the pleasure, for this is a dual timeline novel, where two contemporary women, as appealing as the medieval women, face challenges of their own. In her beautifully written novel, Jones presents new territory and fresh ideas.

I was so excited to read this book, since it seemed to be a literary mystery about medieval women. It was—kind of—but I quickly got bogged down in the story, especially the contemporary plot.

Although too literary for my taste, Cities of Women is extremely well-written and researched. I am glad I read it, and thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

*3.5 rounded down*
Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company, Keylight Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Cities of Women" is a dual narrative in which we follow two women separated by centuries and what they're willing to risk and do for their passions. At the center of the narrative is the work and research of medieval manuscripts and the people who created them and the scholars that study them. Although, medieval manuscripts are older than my field of research, I've always been interested in them in general. I got to study some of the Auchinleck manuscript during my first semester of graduate school and it was incredible just to see the amount of work and attention to detail that went into it so when Verity first sees that artwork by Anastasia, I related so much to her reaction. It was obvious how much research that Jones did for this novel and honestly, it was so cool. I think there is a special talent in taking scholarship and turning it into something creative like a novel. I enjoyed reading this a lot but there were some things that I wasn't a huge a fan of.

I wasn't a huge fan of how prevalent the present timeline with Verity became as the narrative progressed. I was really enjoying the chapters in medieval France, especially because it's so out of my realm of research. I guess at the heart of it, I kind of found Verity unlikable. I don't know what it was, but I guess I just found myself at odds with Verity, scholar to scholar. There's also quite a bit of archival/rare books and printing terminology that if you're not in the know, I think would be frustrating to come across with little to no explanation. Having taken the previously mentioned course where I got to look at the Auchinleck manuscript (not the real one, of course!) and learned about rare books, archival research, and the history and mechanics of printing, I think I would have been annoyed and frustrated by the elitism. I also just did not care for the romance subplot in this. It was just so convoluted and I feel like it really didn't do anything for the narrative.

Overall, I thought this was a fine read but there were a lot of glaring issues that for me, really took the enjoyment down.

Verity has been teaching for many years. As she approaches tenure her research no longer inspires her and she instead embarks on a quest to bring a forgotten medieval illuminator to light.
I wanted to like this book, I loved the idea behind it and I was ready to fall in love. However I don’t think this author’s writing style meshes with my reading. I found it to be a little on the dry and academic side.
The modern storyline felt a bit rushed for me and could have been either expanded or left out.
There was a lot of information about illuminating medieval manuscripts which is something I knew nothing about and I love learning new things.
Even if it wasn’t my cup of tea if it sounds like something you want to try this book hits shelves September 5, 2023.
Thank you to @netgalley and @keylightbooks for providing me a copy of this book to review. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #canadianbookstagram #readforjoy #bookreview #readallthebooks #bookworm #citiesofwomen #womensstories #read

Very well researched. Really liked the historical aspects of the novel; didn’t really get into the contemporary storylines as much.

This was a classic case where I adored the historic storyline and characters, but didn't connect as much with the modern day parts. I would have been thrilled it the whole book just followed Beatrice and Christine. The role of women in Medieval times, the art of books and illumination, the way women can empower other women... all this is so fascinating and ripe that I didn't want to switch back to the world of academia and research. All-in-all it was an enjoyable read even with feeling more emotionally drawn to one of the worlds. Thank you NetGalley and Keylight Books for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. I learned so much about Medieval book making and illustration. The main characters were all well developed and interesting. The story line is engaging for any history buffs.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

In Cities of Women we meet Verity who is a modern day academic who is feeling a disconnect with her current work. Her passion is resurrected by an art installation, which leads her on a quest to find the notorious Anastacia from Christine De Pizan's "The Book of the City of Ladies". Simultaneously we are introduced to Bèatrice, a woman in the 14th century. As we follow Veirty on her scholarly journey we learn both of a of a life lived undiscovered by history, and another trying to uncover that history.

The research talent of the author is very clear throughout the book, seen both in the modern and the historical chapters. Jones has done an excellent job bringing history into this book, even if I find it to be a bit much at times where accuracy comes in the way of the flow of the book. This is a personal preference, where I find too many "unnecessary" details added.

The writing in this book is two sided for me. Early on I found the Verity chapters to embody the arrogance of academia, both in the books vocabulary, but also the descriptions. Complex words are tossed around that I think will deter readers, especially people who isn't well versed in English academia. As someone who's native (and study) language isn't English I found it tedious. On the other hand the author is extremely skilled in painting a picture with words, and if that's important to you as a reader, this should be good for that.

I really wanted to love this book with my whole heart. When I started reading it it felt like an instant 5 star book, but it ended with me having to put it down for a while to really digest it and see what I felt about it. The first half had me hooked (mainly the Bèatrice chapters), but the enthusiasm ebbed. The romance sideplot in the Verity chapters felt very forced and hurried to me, where the characters became more and more unlikeable as the book went on. I'm sorry the book didn't turn out the way I would have liked, but it's not a book I regret reading.

D.N.F.

The premise was so interesting, but the writing of the story just did not meet expectations. Verity is soooooooooooooo boring. She's the main reason I couldn't finish this. I also didn't really understand the POV swap? Like not just having two POVs, but changing the characters up?

I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be able to slog through this book and enjoy it, but I cannot count myself among them.

Many thanks to Turner Publishing Company, Keylight Books, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely loved the medieval storyline not so much the present day. I would have really enjoyed the book more if the story of Anastasia and Christine was expanded and their characters more developed. I could tell the author did thorough research about the creation of medieval books and I was fascinated. Recommended if you enjoy medieval stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Cities of Women is a work of historical literary fiction inspired by a decade of research on the medieval life and times of the proto-feminist, Christine de Pizan, the first European woman of letters to support herself as a writer. Like A.S. Byatt’s Possession, the story moves between present and past in a dual narrative, evoking the spare joys and monumental pitfalls facing medieval women artists, and a contemporary woman who becomes obsessed with medieval books.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book, especially learning about Anastasia's life in the 14th Century and her journey to be an artist. But as I kept reading I got bored. I felt Verity's character was poorly developed, she never really cared for her or her romance with Anastasia and I feel all Verity's chapters dragged the book down.

I appreciate how much research went into this book, but it missed the mark for me.

'Women's stories of use and achievement never figured much in the annals of history. Of the inequity accompanying the birth of a daughter, of the treachery hidden b between false lovers' words, of the tribulations of women abandoned for the thrill of battle, of the depredations besetting downtrodden poor, of the loneliness and penury of widows, of the discourse of scorn heaped on women, and of their valiant accomplishments.'

Verity a history professor, has become despondent after being asked to edit her academic book, and compromise its integrity, for the sake of popularity before publishing it. However, a local museum exhibition on medieval illumination inspires her to pivot to studying female scriptor Christine de Pizan. Specifically, Verity is determined to prove that Christine's work was illustrated by another woman Anastasia and thereby dispel the emphatic belief that it was a man. 'As if man were the only architects of beauty, as if vision had only one sex.' Told in a dual timeline, we are transported to the life and times of Anastasia. Her world of privilege due to royal regard for her father, is quickly collapsed by black death and sinister rumours. What did happen to Anastasia and how do you prove a woman's existence and work hundreds of years later when traditional, recorded history, has only flailingly captured women's stories?

'Cities of Women' is inspired by real-life 14th Century writer Christine de Pizan. Kathleen B Jones uses luscious language when describing the medieval times Anastasia lived in; evocative of the illuminations she created. However, I was less captured by the modern Verity and her quest. For me, this was a case where the dual timeline failed to add depth to the overall story. To that end, you can tell the amount of research Jones has gone to in understanding medieval times, Christine de Pizan, and how women of that era worked, lived, and were regarded. I would have loved to have read a story wholly on this. I suggest anyone who has an interest in medieval fiction, with a strong feminist tone, read this book and decide for themselves.

2.5 ⭐️

The premise of Cities of Women sounded incredibly promising to me, since I, too, was fascinated by medieval manuscripts during my studies. Unfortunately, however, it failed to hit the mark for me.

I enjoyed the first half of the book, and especially the chapters following the life of the 14th century illuminator Béatrice were very moving and absorbing. As the story progressed and the present claimed more and more space in the story, I found myself growing rather frustrated and bored. The romance was a quite uninteresting (and at times problematic) subplot that didn't add anything to the story, but took the attention away from the main plot which redirected the story's course in a confusing and unsatisfying way. The dialogue was very stilted and caused the characters to fall quite flat - at the end I still didn't feel like I really knew them. Despite the fact that the chapters in the present didn't really speak to me, I did greatly appreciate the vast cast of characters that were women in academia.

I found it quite confusing why the author chose to include a couple of chapters from Christine de Pizan's pov, but abandoned her perspective once Béatrice made her acquaintance and wondered why she didn't even mention Béatrice in Christine's chapters. I did like the chapters set in medieval France, though, and I'm certain I would have liked the book better if the ratio present-past had been different.

The writing style in general had a little too much telling and too little showing for my tastes and was littered with unnecessarily complex words and too detailed descriptions of every single action Verity made, which both resulted in a quite artificial and dragging feeling to the story.

It is clear that Jones has put an incredible amount of research behind this book which I greatly admire, as well as her view on womanhood and her passionate campaign to put women in the foreground of history and their own stories.

A story with a wonderful premise, well-written and intriguing, but somehow missed the mark for me. I'm a bit hard-pressed to explain how. Maybe not knowing if any of it has historical basis. Maybe the rather uncomfortable romance between the modern-era characters ... alarm bells still ringing for me with respect to Anastasia ... and the way that sex was described was surprisingly robotic ... is this the sapphic love story of anyone's dreams ...? I was also in some part confused and others distracted by the historical perspectives ... too much space paid to the goings-on of the times ... too little on how the central characters got from here to there ... at least the rampant sexism in academia was accurate.

'Cities of Women' is an engaging historical fiction. I love the idea of modern women finding inspiration in the lives of women who lived before them, so this novel is great on that front. I found the chapters that took place in the past to be more intriguing than Verity’s point of view. I enjoyed the scenes from the past because the writing flowed off the page in a way that allowed me to visualize what the women were experiencing. The details about illuminated manuscripts seem well-researched, which contributed to those scenes feeling more tangible. Verity’s point of view seemed flatter in comparison since her drive was solely dedicated to her search for Anastasia. I understand that she was overcome with imposter syndrome, but it seemed like her sole purpose in the book was to introduce the chapters that took place in the past. The switch between points of view does allow the reader to learn about Anastasia almost at the same speed as Verity, so that is a nice touch. The one place where the book falls flat for me is in Verity and modern-day Anastasia’s romance. They never felt well-suited for each other beyond coincidence, and modern-day Anastasia’s attitude toward Verity and her research often felt superficial or outright rude. Rocky romance aside, this is a great historical fiction and reads like a love letter to history's forgotten women.

I received a free eARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Switching between the Medieval period and Modern Day, Jones details the lives of three extraordinary women: Verity, Anastasia, and Christine. As Verity races to uncover a centuries-long secret hidden in modern English and French archives, Anastasia and Christine make their marks in a time period where we know little about the lives and work of female writers and artists. Jones weaves a masterful tale that highlights the accomplishments of all types of women, and she draws you in with rich prose and fascinating historical details.

Coming into this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by all the history I was able to learn. As a history major, I am always awed by authors who can make novels out of seemingly ordinary history points. This book was no exception; I was most interested in Anastasia and Christine's POVs for this reason. It was also enlightening to learn more about The Black Death, indulgences, Charles V, etc. The history of book making/illustrating was also explained well, although sometimes it was a bit too technical for my tastes. I imagine that those who don't have a background in rare books or printing might be a bit confused by all the terminology.

In my opinion, Verity's chapters dragged the book down. She was just so boring; she had no personality besides her research. Additionally, I found it hard to believe that she could switch research topics so easily (and that her new manuscript idea would be accepted so readily by her university.) Also, there was such a huge buildup to her learning Anastasia's secret, and then there was a measly half-chapter that actually discussed her research presentation in front of other scholars. I was expecting something way bigger, so that was disappointing.

The romance subplot was disheartening, too. I don't know why, but I expected there to be something going on between Christine and Anastasia. However, Jones did not mention any chemistry between them. Also, the modern Anastasia was so toxic. I did not like her relationship with Verity, and all her drama was unnecessary to the plot. I wish she was not so rude and that she didn't belittle Verity all the time.

Finally, I loved the themes in this book. It was empowering to read about all the women who helped these main characters throughout their journeys, whether that be their mothers, their friends, the nuns, or the wives of powerful men. When examining history, it is essential to highlight the often-overlooked contributions made by women, so I appreciated that Jones handled this aspect of the book so well.

Thank you, NetGalley and Turner, for this digital ARC!

The Cities of Women is a multiple point of view novel that shifts between Verity Frazier, a modern academic, Bèatrice, a medieval French artist, and Christine de Pizan, the French-Italian writer for the court of Charles VI, during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. The title is a reference to Christine’s books, The Book of the City of Ladies andThe Treasure of the City of Ladies. Recurrent themes include feminism and achieving one’s personal goals in life and in one’s profession as well as attempts to change the patriarchal world through women’s written word and paintings.

The novel captures the medieval period quite well with its staggering differences between the wealthy and the poor, though the Black Death is a great equalizer. So many women are made to feel inferior even when they are experts in their respective fields, and Verity’s plight, feeling she’s an imposter as an academic and unable to complete her book on the women of the French Revolution, epitomizes this. The writing is poetic at times and the material clearly well-researched. I enjoyed the minutia of details about mixing pigments, making parchment, and how early books were manufactured. at the beginning of each new chapter.

Mixed in with the historical aspects is a modern sapphic romance. I didn’t find the love interest, Anatasia, to be very sympathetic and couldn’t understand Verity’s interest in her. Overall, Cities of Women is a deft look at women who defy the expectations of their times yet remain overlooked by the patriarchy and attempts to place them at greater parity and make them less invisible.

I was very excited to get the ARC of Cities of Women. I am a great lover of art and enjoy books that are set in the art world. This book in dual eras- modern Verity- woman trying to salvage her career as a professor, and 14th century Anastasia, a woman who may have illustrated an medieval manuscript, but was never given credit. The author clearly did a tremendous amount of research before writing this book. She painstakingly explores the world of ancient manuscripts and the arduous process of creating a manuscript with materials available at the time, starting with creating parchment. While finding the research impressive, I feel that character development was a little lacking, as can be the case with historical fiction. It's ultimately a study on how hard a woman has to work be get recognized for that work, in a world that would rather give the credit to men of lesser talents. After reading this, it makes one wonder how many other female artists there have been through the ages that have not been fully recognized for their contributions. Thanks for this opportunity NetGalley!