Rashi’s Daughters is the story of three sisters who lived in 11th century Troyes, France. The great Talmudic authority Salomon ben Isaac, a.k.a. Rashi, had no sons. At a time when most women were illiterate and the rare educated woman was one who could read the Bible, Rashi’s daughters studied Talmud. They were also vintners, midwives, merchants and mothers of the next generation of Talmudic scholars. Built on seven years of exhaustive historical research, Rashi’s Daughters explores what might have been, weaving actual events, as described in Talmud commentaries and responsa literature, into an account of the lives of these extraordinary women. Talmud is an integral part of this novel; readers will learn along with Rashi's students as he explains selected texts. This is also the story of the French Jewish community, how they lived, loved, worked, ate, prayed and interacted with their non-Jewish neighbors. The novel provides a wealth of material about medieval Jewish women’s daily lives, including how they observed life cycle events and holidays. "This carefully researched work provides a glimpse into the little-known medieval Jewish world in which Rashi lived and worked." -- Naomi Ragen, Dec 2004 Anton turns sketchy knowledge of Solomon ben Isaac (Rashi) and his family into an absorbing historical novel. -- Jewish Times News, August 18, 2005 Much like The Red Tent, it delves into rituals of women who were forgotten by history and marginalized by society. -- Library Journal, July 12, 2005 Recreates a medieval French community faithful to little-known details of Jewish ritual, including marital relations, childbirth, life-cycle events and holidays. -- The Jewish Press, Jan 11, 2006 Takes the torch from Anita Diamant, while using more research to explain the phenomenon that is Rashi and his daughters. -- The J of Northern California, August 25, 2005 The way Anton's extensive research and imagination combine to retrieve the lives of Jewish women is realistic and captivating. -- Dvora Weisberg, Nov 2004 Blending passages of Talmudic argument with imagined human dramas of the medieval scholar's household, it entertains and educates. -- Judith R. Baskin, Dec 2004 "Rashi's Daughters" is the story of the three daughters of the great Talmudic authority Salomon ben Isaac, a.k.a. Rashi, who lived in 11th century Troyes, France and had no sons. At a time when most women were illiterate and the rare educated woman was one who could read the Bible, Rashi's daughters studied Talmud. They were also vintners, merchants and mothers of the next generation of Talmudic scholars. Built on seven years of exhaustive historical research and ten years of Talmud study, "Rashi's Daughters" explores what might have been, weaving actual events, as described in responsa literature and Talmud commentaries, into an account of the lives of these amazing women. Talmud is an integral part of these novels; readers will learn along with Rashi's daughters as he explains selected texts. This is also the story of the medieval French Jewish community, how they lived, loved, worked, ate, prayed and interacted with their non-Jewish neighbors. A wealth of material about Jewish women's daily lives is provided, including how they observed life cycle events and holidays. I wrote this book because I wanted to share my research into Jewish women's lives in medieval France, how the prosperity and tolerance they enjoyed differed from the negative stereotypes usually associated with the Middle Ages. In addition, I wished to encourage women to study Talmud, the foundation of Jewish Law that, until very recently, women have been unable to access. I hoped to share the excitement and pleasure Talmud study can engender. Praise for RASHI'S DAUGHTERS: JOHEVED Recently, a new book titled Rashi's Daughters, written by Maggie Anton, has taken the torch from Anita Diamant, while using more research to explain the phenomenon that is Rashi and his daughters. - The Jewish Newsweekly of Northern California Anton does for the time of Rashi what Milton Steinberg did for the Tannaim in As a Driver Leaf ... This historical novel will especially appeal to Jewish women, but it teems with information that I certainly did not know before ... Anton's enthusiasm for her subject is infectious, and I came to care about the characters, as well as the relevant application of Talmudic argument. - Rabbi Laurence Edwards, CCAR Newsletter Joheved, the eldest of Rashi's three daughters, has a secret wish, something that is strictly forbidden to Jewish women in 11th-century France: she seeks to study the Talmud. For years, Joheved has watched enviously as her father, the great scholar Rashi, teaches the Talmud to male students ... Like a mirror held up to the past, this first volume in a trilogy draws readers into the lives of medieval French Jewish women; much like Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, it delves into the rituals of women who were forgotten by history and ma