A disillusioned history professor pushes past the point of obsession to prove the existence of the female artist who illustrated Christine de Pizan's manuscripts. In the twenty-first century, we meet Verity Frazier, a disillusioned history professor who sets out to prove that the artist responsible for the illuminated artwork in Christine de Pizan's medieval manuscripts was a remarkable woman named Anastasia. As Anastasia's story unfolds against the exquisitely-rendered medieval backdrop of moral disaster, political intrigue, and extraordinary creativity, Verity finds her career on the brink of collapse by her efforts to uncover evidence of the lost artist's existence. A deeply affecting dual narrative separated by several centuries, Cities of Women examines the lives of women who dare to challenge the social norms of their days, risking their reputations and livelihoods for the sake of their passions. Inspired by a decade of research, Kathleen B. Jones has woven together a luminous and incisive masterpiece of historical fiction, evoking the spare joys and monumental pitfalls facing medieval women artists and a contemporary woman who becomes obsessed with medieval books. A modern-day woman pushes past the point of obsession to prove the existence of a medieval artist.
Three talented narrators transport listeners from the 14th to the 21st century as Jones's novel reveals the struggles of women to be seen and heard throughout history. Elisabeth Lagel�e, the voice of Beatrice, speaks with intelligence and determination as Beatrice struggles to achieve her artistic dreams in the face of society's limited expectations. Mia Barron brings the historical figure Christi
