The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women

A book review of The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women by Rosalie Gilbert

Stars: ****

Mango Publishing (2020)
History/Women/Sex
336 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: An inside look at sexual practices in medieval times. Were medieval women slaves to their husband’s desires, jealously secured in a chastity belt in his absence? Was sex a duty or could it be a pleasure? Did a woman have a say about her own female sexuality, body, and who did or didn’t get up close and personal with it? No. And yes. It’s complicated.

Romance, courtship, and behind closed doors. The intimate lives of medieval women were as complex as for modern women. They loved and lost, hoped and schemed, were lifted up and cast down. They were hopeful and lovelorn. Some had it forced upon them, others made aphrodisiacs and dressed for success. Some were chaste and some were lusty. Having sex was complicated. Not having sex, was even more so.

Inside The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women, a fascinating book about life during medieval times, you will discover tantalizing true stories about medieval women and a myriad of historical facts. Learn about:

• The true experiences of women from all classes, including women who made history
• The dos and don’ts in the bedroom
• Sexy foods and how to have them
• All you need to know for your wedding night, and well as insider medical advice
• How to get pregnant (and how not to), and more

Fans of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England, Medieval Women and Terry Jonses’s Medieval Lives will meet real women and hear their voices in The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women.

The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women

I couldn’t resist when I saw this book, I had to read it. I mean how often do you hear about sex in medieval times? TV shows and movies always show chastity belts but apparently, that’s not a common things in those times. Who knew?

This book was very interesting and at times, humorous. Some things were like, “What?! People believed that?” and other things are like, “What?! People DID that?”

Topics included are doing it the “right” way (according to the times), how to get pregnant, how not to get pregnant, church confessionals, strumpettes (prostitues), girls and girls and more.

There were some things I already knew but I learned a lot too. As I said before, it really was NOT like it is in the movies.

If you wanna have a good laugh or you have an interest in medieval history, this is a good book for that.

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