Rain Dodging

A Scholar's Romp through Britain in Search of a Stuart Queen

By: Susan J. Godwin

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Paperback | 17 October 2023

At a Glance

Paperback
312 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 2.54

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Scholar Susan Godwin is hooked when she comes across the captivating story of Mary of Modena—a seventeenth-century Italian princess who was only fourteen when coerced into marriage with the future king of England, James II, yet went on to cultivate a court full of women writers in an age when female authorship was rare. How did Mary achieve such a feat?

Rain Dodging is Susan’s creative nonfiction account of the years-long search upon which this question—and her own unquenchable curiosity—launched her. Godwin travels through both space and time, solo adventuring through Britain in pursuit of truth and, in a spicy parallel arc, chronicling her own cluttered but resilient feminist path. From schizophrenic lovers to out-there musicians to one unhinged mother, Susan tells the story of her personal enlightenment even as she visits the palaces and manor houses in England and Scotland Mary once inhabited and pores over materials in Oxford’s stunning 400-year-old Bodleian Library, finding moments of transcendence and unexpected delight along the way.

Join Susan in this irreverent and illuminating journey—a fascinating account of the late Stuart monarchy, the progression of feminist history, and the unexpected connection between the two.

Industry Reviews

"It was an honour to read Rain Dodging. It brought tears to the eyes and a renewed sense of how blessed I was with you and your cohorts all those years ago."
-Professor Peter McCullough, Lincoln College, Oxford

“Rain Dodging is a kaleidoscope of memoir and mystery, a collage of images and events. In a voice that's candid, engaging, and thoroughly original, Godwin takes us on a journey through her life and into the 17th-century court of British Queen Mary of Modena. You’ll be hooked as you watch the connections unfold.”
—Shellie Michael, Professor of English, Volunteer State College

“Rain Dodging is a vision quest. I am typing through tears. I LOVED THE BOOK! I love her; what a character, free spirit, person I would like to hang with . . . ‘eternally curious about so much.’”
—Teresa Steve, social worker

“The opening chapters of Susan Godwin’s memoir whet the appetite for more. With vivid portrayals of Oxford’s Radcliffe Camera and Rare Book reading room, Susan brings her memories to life and powerfully conveys the excitement of scholarly discovery as she explores primary sources for late seventeenth-century English society, religion, culture, and the awkward assimilation of an intellectually accomplished Italian princess into the English royal family.”
—John M. Fyler, Professor of Medieval English at Tufts University

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