"Juanita Feros Ruys introduces us to a more humane Abelard, as he evolved in the 1130s only after re-connecting with Heloise, the woman who had transformed his life two decades earlier. Through her edition, translation, and commentary of two, unjustly neglected poetic texts, his Carmen or Song for Astralabe and his Planctus or Laments, Ruys shows with elegance and finesse how Abelard could move beyond the moralism that characterises his earlier writing to Heloise to reflect on complex issues of family relationships, justice, and the human condition." - Constant J. Mews, Professor and Director, Centre for Religious Studies, Monash University, Australia 
 
"This is one of the most original and important books to have been published about Abelard. Through impeccable scholarship, the fascinating but difficult poetry of his later years is made accessible to today's readers. The master of Latin rhetoric, who is revealed here, is as engaging as the more familiar figure of Abelard the philosopher and theologian. Here too is a fresh way of understanding the personal story of Abelard and Heloise." - M. T. Clanchy, University of London, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Institute of Historical Research, University of London, UK