{"product_id":"queens-of-a-fallen-world-9781399807982","title":"Queens of a Fallen World","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A brilliant new take'' Janina Ramirez, author of \u003ci\u003eFemina\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A masterpiece of the historian''s art'' Peter Brown, author of \u003ci\u003eAugustine of Hippo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe powerful and surprising story of the four remarkable women who changed Augustine''s life - and history - forever.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile many know of St Augustine and the \u003ci\u003eConfessions\u003c\/i\u003e, few know of the women whose hopes and dreams shaped his early life: his mother, Monnica of Thagaste; his lover; his fiancée; and Justina, the troubled empress of ancient Rome. Drawing upon their depictions in the \u003ci\u003eConfessions\u003c\/i\u003e, historian Kate Cooper skilfully reconstructs their lives against the backdrop of the late Roman Empire to paint a vivid portrait of the turbulent society they and Augustine moved through. She shows how despite their often precarious position, these women tried in their different ways to influence the world around them and argues that Augustine did not end his engagement because he was \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFascinating and well-written, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eQueens of a Fallen World\u003c\/i\u003e raises vital questions about the role of women in the founding centuries of Christianity\u003c\/b\u003e, piecing together a rich backdrop to Augustine's life that has rarely emerged before. Cooper convinces us that these women can be recovered, and that through his words and thoughts, their lives shaped the future of a fledgling religion. \u003cb\u003eA brilliant new take\u003c\/b\u003e -- Janina Ramirez, author of FEMINA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES, THROUGH THE WOMEN WRITTEN OUT OF IT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA masterpiece of the historian's art.\u003c\/b\u003e With a rare balance of \u003cb\u003estate-of-the-art erudition and felicitous hypotheses\u003c\/b\u003e, Kate Cooper has brought the hidden women in Augustine's early life into the light. Governed throughout by a humane sense of the texture of a distant late Roman society, she captures women's voices which we would not otherwise have heard -- Peter Brown, author of AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO: A BIOGRAPHY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat an invigorating book!\u003c\/b\u003e Cooper asks a haunting question: how different would our world be had this man married either his concubine - who was the loyal mother of his child - or the young heiress he was betrothed to, instead of withdrawing from sexual relationships altogether? -- Sarah Ruden, translator of Augustine’s CONFESSIONS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA marvelous achievement \u003c\/b\u003e. . . Cooper sketches an evocative landscape of the late Roman world in Milan and North Africa . . . Above all, her's is a world of human beings suffering heartache and loneliness while trying to reconcile the pull of the heart with the lure of ambition -- Susanna Elm, Sidney H. Ehrman Professor of European History, University of California, Berkeley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn enchanting tour de force of sensitive and probing historical writing\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Cooper's enquiry into the influence of women on Augustine - whether empress, mother, lover, saint, or slave - enriches his legacy -- Adrienne Mayor, author of THE AMAZONS: LIVES AND LEGENDS OF WARRIOR WOMEN ACROSS THE ANCIENT WORLD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA bold and imaginative venture\u003c\/b\u003e into challenging territory. Cooper casts new light onto the women of the ancient world - and one of the founders of Western thought -- Sarah Gristwood, author of THE TUDORS IN LOVE: PASSION AND POLITICS IN THE AGE OF ENGLAND'S MOST FAMOUS DYNASTY\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48738930852183,"sku":"9781399807982","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781399807982.jpg?v=1720050613","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/queens-of-a-fallen-world-9781399807982","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}