The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women’s Movement

Resourceful. I think the first time I heard the word “beguine,” it was in hearing Cole Porter’s song, “Begin the Beguine.” His reference was to a popular dance in the 1930s, which became even more popular after his terrific song. In 2013, I read a newspaper article about the death of last beguine. So, when I ran across Laura Swan’s book titled, The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women’s Movement, I picked it up and started to hum the Porter tune. I stopped humming after a page or two and was delighted to read about these resourceful women who gathered in community from medieval times into the 21st century. Spoiler alert: these women were not dancers and they were not nuns. They were laywomen who banded together for their mutual support and for service to their communities. There hasn’t been enough accurate examination about the lives of women in society throughout history, since so much of contemporaneous history has been written by men. Any reader interested in learning something new about interesting women should consider reading this fascinating book. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Wisdom of the Beguines from amazon.com.