PositiveThe Times Literary Supplement (UK)Using a good range of contemporary sources, from chroniclers such as William of Tyre and Matthew Paris to artefacts such as the beautiful Melisende Psalter held in the British Library, Pangonis deftly weaves together the life stories of the dynasty of women who ruled in the Latin East during the twelfth century ... Perhaps the greatest strength of this work is that Pangonis situates these women in the landscape, architecture and culture of the Near East, combining physical descriptions of place with a colourful and engaging narrative. Like any work of popular history, Pangonis’s is creative in its imagining of events, and the narrative does not significantly challenge current interpretations, but Queens of Jerusalem explores some truly fascinating stories about women that deserve to be retold.
