“At its heart, Cities of Women is both a detective story about the search for, and love letter to, the women who worked on the beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the medieval era. The novel is both sensitive and well researched, an accomplished debut which marks Jones out as one to watch.” —Laura Shepperson, author of Phaedra

“With a scholar’s commitment to accurate detail, and the heart of a lover of beauty, Kathleen B. Jones’s engaging and well-crafted parallel story brings to light female creativity in medieval France. Jones’ s writing is as colorful and lucid as the illuminated manuscripts at the center of her novel, and the unforgettable story makes Cities of Women a must read for anyone interested in finding and honoring the forgotten women of western art.” —Laurel Corona, author of The Mapmaker’s Daughter

"Kathleen B. Jones’ great talent is her ability to slide through history showing how the past is inextricably alive inside of every present moment. With witty dialogue and lovingly rendered descriptions of beauty, Cities of Women is both a page turning mystery and an intricate tapestry that entwines academic research, medieval history, art, love, and most importantly, the enduring friendships of women." —Karen Osborn, author of The Music Book

"Cities of Women is a vivid and absorbing dual-timeline novel following a 21st century historian as she uncovers the life of a forgotten medieval female artist. Illuminating and smart, it reads like a love letter to curiosity and creativity. This is an empowering tale of two women separated by the centuries, but united in their determination to pursue their passions at all costs.” —Nikki Marmery, author of On Wilder Seas and the forthcoming Lilith

"A meticulously researched and colourfully written exploration of female creativity and tenacity." —Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

"Jones weaves a story that entertains and educates.... What adds to the excitement is how de Pizan reaches out across the centuries and touches a woman seeking something she cannot quite identify. It reflects the power of women to influence others regardless of time or space. In that regard, Cities of Women is a book about and for the ages." —New York Journal of Books

“Poetic…clearly well-researched. Cities of Women is a deft look at women who defy the expectations of their times yet remain overlooked by the patriarchy and attempts to place them at greater parity and make them less invisible." —Midwest Book Review

★After ten years of research, Professor of Women's Studies Kathleen B. Jones has completed a brilliant and deeply moving historical novel masterpiece! With her profound academic research foundation and acute and delicate perspective, she has ingeniously and thoroughly integrated and presented the cultural atmosphere of the Middle Ages, elements of suspense and investigation, time travel elements, rich poetic expressions, the lasting friendship, influence, and creativity of women, and so on.
★This is a deeply touching, multi-century dual narrative work, a parallel time story and multi-faceted exploration book! It tells the lives of those women who dared to challenge the current social norms and risk their reputation and livelihood for their passion, and tells the leisure and happiness as well as the huge traps faced by medieval female artists and contemporary women obsessed with medieval books. It is an interaction and dialogue between two timelines of women that spans time and space.

A deeply affecting dual narrative separated by several centuries, Cities of Women examines the lives of women who dare to challenge the social norms of their days, risking their reputations and livelihoods for the sake of their passions.
In the twenty-first century, we meet Verity Frazier, a disillusioned history professor who sets out to prove that the artist responsible for the illuminated artwork in Christine de Pizan’s medieval manuscripts was a remarkable woman named Anastasia. As Anastasia’s story unfolds against the exquisitely-rendered medieval backdrop of moral disaster, political intrigue, and extraordinary creativity, Verity finds her career on the brink of collapse by her efforts to uncover evidence of the lost artist’s existence.
Inspired by a decade of research, Jones has woven together a luminous and incisive masterpiece of historical fiction, evoking the spare joys and monumental pitfalls facing medieval women artists and a contemporary woman who becomes obsessed with medieval books.

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Biographical Background:

Christine de Pizan was born in Venice, Italy in 1364. She grew up in the French royal court as her father was appointed as the royal astrologer of King Charles V of France. She was a renowned female writer and historian during the European Middle Ages of the Renaissance period. She advocated for women's rights and promoted equal educational opportunities for young women. She is regarded as the first feminist in history and the first woman to make a career in literature.

Anastasia became famous in Paris around 1400. She was a French manuscript illuminator who seemed to excel in creating the increasingly popular elaborate decorative borders and landscape backgrounds. In her time, most manuscripts were produced in commercial workshops, and many of the artists were women. Little is known about her, except that she was highly praised by the medieval writer Christine de Pizan in her work "The Book of the City of Ladies" (1405). Pizan called her the most outstanding illuminator of her time: "I have recently met a lady named Anastasia who is extremely skilled in the art of creating manuscript borders and miniature backgrounds. In all of Paris (where there are the world's best craftsmen), there is no one more outstanding than her, no one who can draw flowers and details better than her, and no one who is more highly regarded. People talk about her a lot. I know all this from my own experience because she helped me complete some of the most exquisite masterpieces."

Kathleen B. Jones
Kathleen B. Jones was born and raised in New York. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. in political science from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. After teaching women's studies at San Diego State University for twenty years, she resigned to focus on writing and recently earned an MFA in fiction from Fairfield University, where she is currently a professor emerita of women's studies.
Dr. Jones became a professor of women's studies at San Diego State University in 1991. She served as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1995-1998) and the chair of the Department of Women's Studies (1993-1996). In the spring of 1990 and 1991, she was also a visiting associate professor of women's studies and political science at the University of California, Berkeley. In the fall of 1997, Dr. Jones was awarded a STINT fellowship (Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education) and became a visiting scholar at Örebro University in Sweden.
Dr. Jones' academic works include "Compassionate Authority: Democracy and Women's Representation" (Routledge, 1993), "The Political Interests of Gender" (Sage, 1988), edited by Anna G. Jónasdóttir, and co-editor of "Women Transforming Politics" (New York University Press, 1997). She also published the memoir "Living Between Danger and Love" (Rutgers University Press, 2000). Additionally, her work "Diving for Pearls: Hannah Arendt's Journey of Thought" won the 2015 Barbara "Penny" Kanner Book Award from the Western Women's History Association. Her essays and short stories have appeared in "International Literary Quarterly", "Mr. Beller's Neighborhood", "Blair-Cleaver Review", and "The Los Angeles Review of Books".
Dr. Jones is also the co-editor of the "International Journal of Feminist Politics".