This is indeed a ‘groundbreaking’ study as the cover succinctly suggests. Its subject matter, however, is somewhat obscured by the title The care of nuns, despite the explanatory subtitle. The introduction takes care to specify that ‘care’ refers to the pastoral and liturgical undertakings assumed by the nuns.

The strength of this study lies in the fact that it is based on lengthy and wide-ranging research; and most of the results, along with the conclusions, are as impressive as they are by and large convincing. The author's agenda is both clear and straightforward, namely, to discover and to interpret the evidence, culled from a wide variety of original sources, in order to substantiate her conclusions concerning the extensive responsibilities assumed by women religious. In so doing, she brings to light new and fascinating details of the organisation and performance of the monastic offices and the daily regimen within the convent enclosure.

Katie Bugyis has provided us with a detailed description of the various areas of responsibility assigned to individual members of the community including those of sacrist, librarian, scribe, cantor and shrine keeper; and she notes that these offices, like those held by contemporary Benedictine monks, were performed by women religious in a similar manner. Further chapters aim to depict nuns in the roles of pastors, evangelists, confessors and intercessors. For example, she focuses on abbatial authority as it was seen and exercised by women superiors as pastors of their flock, in directing and regulating the daily offices and operations within the monastic precincts in accordance with the Benedictine Rule. She then refers to orders promulgated by the late tenth-century monastic Regularis concordia and other slightly later surviving documents, including potential evidence provided by the choice of abbatial images impressed on convent seals. Her views are supported and strengthened by her depiction of remarkable abbesses like Christina of Markyate (1096–after 1155), Edith of Barking (late tenth century), Matilda de Bailleul of Wherwell (d. 1212), Ediva of Godstow (c. 1080–c. 1167), and Eulalia of Shaftesbury (temp. Anselmi, 1093–1109) who corresponded with Archbishop Anselm and whom he addressed as ‘mother’ in his letters to her.

Bugyis has taken care to examine the surviving books and other writings of these and other nunneries with the aim of estimating the scholarly capabilities and achievements of these women religious. In so doing she has found impressive levels of literacy in both Latin and English and, also, the marked proficiency of women scribes who made frequent skilful additions and alterations to liturgical and other monastic texts. There is, however, insufficient surviving evidence to determine conclusively the extent of the confessional ministry performed by an abbess, although Bugyis has assembled a substantial amount of original source material to suggest that her role and authority over time became virtually identical with those of an abbot.

With regard to the intercessory role performed by religious communities of women, the author has been markedly successful in providing conclusive evidence of requests for prayers from both religious and secular communities and individuals. Many, in fact most of these requests were accompanied by financial donations which were a vital means of support, especially for the numerous impoverished female communities.

This is unquestionably a challenging volume, based on an impressively broad and thorough examination of the relevant manuscript source material, which all future scholars in the field will need to consult at the outset of their research. Bugyis has also taken care to provide us with many helpful aids in order to amplify her text and assist in clarifying her conclusions. These include numerous comparative tables, figures reproduced from manuscripts and also two maps. In addition, the indices of manuscripts and of both primary and secondary sources are, in themselves, invaluable at every stage of research.