The author cannot be faulted for research, but the presentation is focussed entirely on such "male oppression" as nuns endured. Anyone looking for compelling spirituality, a full look at the incredible achievements of religious in any century, or even recognition of the fact that the professional and educational achievements of religious Sisters far exceeded that which other women could begin to hope for in recent centuries will be disappointed.

It is unbalanced, rather dismal, and not likely to appeal to anyone unless her philosophy of religious life is entirely one of a fight between the sexes.

One of the only books available to provide an overview of the orders from beginning to recent times. Readers are likely to be surprised by the diversity of the early orders, and the range of growth and the transitions they have made over the centuries. The majority of the text describes the development of the orders, providing fascinating insight to some of the practises that have come and gone over the years. Detailing social culture that surrounded the convents as well as the communities within the convents, it provides context to the lives of the nuns. This book may not present the ideally framed version of history many would like to see, especially if you're pursuing some notion of blissful cloistered weak women protected by the Church. Politics aside, this is a compelling view into the lives of women through the centuries who have exhibited strength in their dedication to their ideals with or without the aid of men.

Medieval Masculinities (Regarding Men in the Middle Ages), edited by Claire A. Lees, is, like many collections of essays by different scholars, something of mixed bag. The very broad topic makes this more evident than usual in this particular volume. The essays take the tools of feminist criticism and focus it instead on the men. It may be in literature, such as Beowulf, Castilian ballads or the fables of Marie de France, or in such topics as matrimony in medieval Italy. The essays vary in quality and the all suffer a little from taking a large topic and distilling it into a few pages which may leave a reader either confused or overwhelmed. Each of the scholars takes a different perspective on the topic as well with some essays seemingly barely related to the subject. Some of the pieces are of definate interest and this book, hopefully, will launch more fully developed research into this potentially important arena.