Margaret Hunt has given us a fascinating picture of the lives of women and men in eighteenth-century Europe, all the richer because she draws examples from Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and the Caribbean colonies. Women emerge from her pages in all their variety: slaves, merchants and queens; Protestant reformers, Jewish storytellers, and Sufi mystics. A wonderful read! Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University This is a comprehensive and deeply perceptive study of women’s experience across the European continent into Russia and the Ottoman Islamic East. Its richly learned exploration of women’s lives across religions and cultures offers a persuasive argument for the reality of early modern Europe as 'Big Europe'. This is a landmark work. Madeline Zilfi, University of MarylandHunt’s book offers a fascinating and enriching picture of women in eighteenth century Europe. The study…provides a vivid fresco of the social, economic, cultural, religious and political life of women from all social groups: from queens and aristocrats to women from the middle and lower classes.Beatrice Zucca Micheletto, University of Rouen
