Hartney's study brings into focus the preaching of one of the most prolific and highly acclaimed preachers of the ancient Church, John Chrysostom. The central aim of the book is to show how his sermonising reveals a concerted effort to create a Christian discourse intent on transforming the entire fabric of traditional city life and the public sphere, not simply in a confrontational manner, though, but in ‘overlaying’ existing structures with a Christian perspective. Special attention is given to ‘gendered’ behaviour where John's preaching presents role models for both sexes, but notably for women. This interest ties in with related topics including social order and wealth. The gender perspective, and the attention to the construction of a Christian discourse, chime with recent trends in scholarship and put a contemporary emphasis on themes which have traditionally been examined in the perspective of ‘Christian ethics’. However, claims that the relevant areas have been under-researched are overstated and ‘traditional’ studies might in part fill some of the purported gaps. It is unfortunate in the context that the bibliography consists almost entirely (with a few exceptions in French) of English-language studies. The focus on rhetoric directs the attention to the relationship between preacher and audience and prompts a wider, principal question. If Chrysostom had a coherent programme of instruction, which he followed in Antioch as much as in Constantinople, what do audience responses tell us about the social fabric of both cities and John's (in)ability and (un)willingness to accommodate difference? Even if such responses can only sporadically be reconstructed and the dating and placing of individual sermons or even series of sermons on related texts is extremely difficult (as Hartney rightly points out), the question remains. Unless the absence in Antioch of the hostility and criticism we hear from Constantinople is just a blind spot in our sources, something important must be different. And surely it matters to the ambitious social programme outlined by Hartney whether – and why – John's sermonising succeeded or failed to create a positive rapport with his audience, their needs, worries and self-perception. John's temperament is only in part to blame; for a fuller answer, more research into the social worlds of Constantinople and Antioch is needed; here, there may still be much to uncover in Chrysostom's sermons and Hartney's study marks an important step in that direction.