Why read Queens of a Fallen World?

Book cover of Queens of a Fallen World: The Lost Women of Augustine's Confessions

Book description

FINALIST: THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 2023

The vibrant and surprising lives of the women in Augustine's Confessions

While many know of Saint Augustine and his Confessions, few are aware of how his life and thought were influenced by women.

Queens of a Fallen World tells a story of betrayal, love,…

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Rome
Women

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Why read it?

1 author picked Queens of a Fallen World as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ian Ross

Author

I’ve been taking a break from the world of the later Roman Empire for a few years while I work on medieval stories instead, so it was refreshing to dip back into it with this new book.

Kate Cooper uses the lives of four women mentioned in Augustine’s Confessions as an aperture to view the era in which they lived. This sort of close focus on the experiences of individuals is what I love most in historical studies and mirrors the detailed character drawing I aim for in my novels.

Cooper isn’t afraid to work beyond the immediate boundaries of…

From Ian's 3 favorite reads in 2023.