I thought that this book was written by a man for at least half of the book before finally noticing the name of the author. Something about the tone simply screams self-satisfied individual. Apparently, I associate extreme confidence with the y chromosome. Interesting insight into my own gender preconceptions.This book was amazing. I learned so much about early church history that I never knew and that gave me a whole new perspective on the history of Byzantium. I loved the global perspective that was broken up into subject areas rather than being arranged chronologically as most historical books are laid out.
I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the Mediterranean, Church history, European history, women in the Middle East, power politics, dynastic rulers, art, writing, philosophy, governance. It's a smorgasbord of yummy facts.
