Böcker av Sara Read

This is a lively exploration of the everyday lives of women in early modern England, from 1540-1740. The book uncovers details of how women filled their days, what they liked to eat and drink, what jobs they held, and how they raised their children. With chapters devoted to beauty regimes, fashion, and literature, the book also examines the cultural as well as the domestic aspect of early modern women's lives. Further, the book answers questions such as how women understood and dealt with their monthly periods and what it was like to give birth in a time before modern obstetric care was available. The book also highlights key moments in women's history such as the publication in 1671, of the first midwifery guide by an English woman, Jane Sharp. The turmoil caused by the Civil Wars of the 1640s gave rise to a number of religious sects in which women participated to a surprising extent and some of their stories are included in this book. Also scrutinised are cases of notorious criminals such as murderer Sarah Malcolm and confidence trickster Mary Toft who pretended to give birth to rabbits. Overall the book describes the experiences of women over a two hundred year period noting the changes and continuities of daily life during this fascinating era.

Midwife Lucie Smith had expected to live a retired life of quiet contemplation, somewhere with a small garden to tend and room for a few hens. However, 1666 sees her with no option but to keep serving remedies in her late husband's shop at the sign of the Three Doves, since no new apothecary can be found for the town of Tupingham.Not only that, but Lucie's house gradually refills with people in need of shelter and care. Her son Simon comes home, seeking refuge from the Great Fire of London. Teenaged twins have been abandoned by their family following a solemn discovery in an outside privy. And refugees from the fire have started to flood into the town.Amidst all this, Lucie is confronted with painful memories of her unresolved losses from years gone by. In a vulnerable state, she succumbs to a winter sickness which almost kills her. With two men vying for her hand in marriage, and Simon attempting to steer her in a new direction, she must decide which path she should take and whose intentions she can trust. One thing is certain, Lucie will be the one to determine her own course.

In early modern English medicine, the balance of fluids in the body was seen as key to health. Menstruation was widely believed to regulate blood levels in the body and so was extensively discussed in medical texts. Sara Read examines all forms of literature, from plays and poems, to life-writing, and compares these texts with the medical theories.