I, Christine

"Sprightly and sparkling...dramatic incidents abound...a lively rendering of a life and mind that inspires." In the year of grace 1396, Christine de Pizan is a young Parisian woman living in a tower overlooking the Seine, but hers is no fairy story. Since her beloved husband's death, she struggles daily to support her aged mother and two small children. Seeking to ease her broken heart, Christine begins to write poetry in a delicate blend of form and emotion that provides a much-needed outlet for her loneliness and sorrow. In time, Christine begins reading her verses at court, attracting the interest of powerful nobles who become valued-and generous-patrons. She's buoyed by her success until she learns that, as the only woman poet at court, she has also attracted the jealous attention of the men she has displaced. Having finally gained confidence and financial stability, Christine takes up her pen in defense of women and as an advocate for peace even as malevolent forces threaten her and the kingdom's very survival-but will it be enough? Can one woman, armed only with a pen and her wits, step into the breach and turn the tide? "...Internal struggles with grief and self-doubt, external conflicts against societal expectations, and dangerous court intrigues..." and brimming with meticulously researched detail that brings the fourteenth century to dazzling life, fans of Coirle Mooney and Elizabeth Chadwick will appreciate I, Christine: the incredible true story of the first woman in France to earn her living as an author.