Medieval Woman

Village Life in the Middle Ages

By: Ann Baer

Narrated by: Sarah Whitehouse

A history of peasants in the Middle Ages, the story takes the listener into the life of Marion, the carpenter's wife, and her extended family as they struggle to survive through hardship, featuring a year in their lives at the mercy of the weather and the Lord of the Manor.

Existing without soap, paper or glass and only with the most basic of tools, we learn how they survive starvation, sickness, fire and natural disaster in their home on the edge of the Weald.

©1998 Ann Baer (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Interesting

Somewhat monotonous as I’m sure the life of a medieval woman must normally have been. Lives revolved around seasons and food stores and other essentials. I think what struck me as most sad is that they didn’t have much to occupy their minds in fallow times. No books, no nothing. Just sitting quiet and staying warm was all the luxury they could expect. Even an imaginative person usually had little to occupy the mind since they only had nature and knew almost nothing about the rest of the world. Second was the filth. People knew little about cleanliness and rarely washed. The stink must have been godawful. Pretty realistic portrait of the life of a serf.

I was surprised at the close relationship with the manor, the friendliness that seemed to exist between the noble family and their serfs. And also how little difference there seemed to be between their lives and the sorrows they were subject to.

The narrator is perfect for this.

I docked it one star because, with the lack of any actual plot, I was glad when it was done.

I want a Sequel!

Enthralled by this tale of a young woman’s life in a village where it was rare and frightening ( and few did) to even to travel to the next town. I did not want it to end!

A nice picture of Medieval daily life!

For those reviewers who complain it’s a boring story...they misunderstand the purpose of this book, this is NOT a novel.
It’s simply a look into the daily grind of a medieval woman’s life and it does it beautifully. Narration is wonderful and never distracting.

The unending labor!

This story went through approximately 1 year in the lives of a family during medieval times. Fascinating!

good book

It was enjoyable. It was what life probably looked like for a woman during those times. Only thing I didn't care for much was the narration. I liked the accent when the narrator was being in the first person. I did not care for her toddler impression when the narrator attempted the toddler voice. At least there wasn't a lot of it. Ewwww.. It is just my opinion. You may not mind it at all.

Reality check

Wonderful work. A friendly reminder of all the technological, legal, and social advances western society enjoys today.

Fantastic book

I wish I could find another book like this one, or a sequel. Historically accurate and fascinating.

Could Not Stop listening!

This book is simply an ordinary year in the life of an early Medieval woman, her family, the village and their feudal Lords. If this woman could write,it would be her diary. The author’s aim is to make this as accurate to the time period as possible.
No wonder Philippa Gregory loved this book!

I felt as if I were there.

This was an amazing and beautifully written book that had me picturing the life and surroundings so vividly that I was wishing for more at the end. Although it’s not a novel, it is written like a year in the life of a medieval villager woman and so that you are imagining what her life and concerns were. I’d love more like this! Well narrated, too; it seemed a natural fit! The reader was good enough that I virtually forgot I wasn’t just watching or reading this directly; it was seamless.

A window into an unfamiliar world.

Good historical fiction helps you understand those who lived in very different times and places while being true to historical fact. The author archives both while writing an interesting and compelling narrative.