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Historical The Private Life of an Elizabethan Lady: The Diary of Lady Margaret Hoby 1599-1605 ed. by Joanna Moody $29.95 / Sutton Publ. / 2000 I have to admit that after reading the Introduction to this book I expected to be bored to a screaming-point; day after day, journal entry after journal entry, nothing but domestic chores and an endless round of devotions and prayer-sounds about as interesting as a mime interpretation of the Begats. Forgive me, Lady Margaret! This book is not exactly a wide-eyed page-turner, but somewhere in the repetition and unsingularity of your days, I learned several lessons. In your calm, orderly routine there was a satisfaction and a restfulness which explains much about why monks and nuns might choose a life of quiet meditation and devotion. And when I came to the end of your journal, I felt a simple enjoyment and, oddly, a wish to know more. It is not that any big mysteries remained unsolved, it is just that devout Lady Margaret Hoby and I had become friends. I had almost called you "ordinary," my lady, but what a disservice that would have been, for there is much here to envy, for those of us buffeted by the hurdy-gurdy of the dawning 21st century. And herein lies the second lesson I learned: when life is gentle and flows softly, the slightest ripple becomes exciting. In other words, it takes only a small thing to lift life out of the humdrum. Joanna Moody serves her readers well, leading us into the world of Lady Margaret Hoby and then simply leaving us to wend our way through her days. The Private Life of an Elizabethan Lady is a book I will go back to, probably when I need to remember several of the truths of existence-the safety in knowing what tomorrow will bring and the joy in being surprised. —Anjuli MacDonald of Clanranald

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