Trudy Jacobsen’s effort to research the relationship of Cambodian women and power from the country’s earliest period until today is amazing. The author has not neglected searching for the smallest piece of history which might have contributed to women’s situation and the question of whether they have been powerful. Due to the author’s close relationship to Cambodia, its history, and its gender relations, the book provides comprehensive insights into Cambodian life and society – in the past as well as in the present.

 Lost goddesses makes a fascinating and highly original contribution to deepening our understanding of Cambodian history. Jacobsen brings to life the gendered history of the Southeast Asian country in a critical and sensitive manner through the book’s focus on the ways in which Cambodian women have wielded power in the past. Tracing the relationship between women and power over time, Jacobsen eloquently assesses which diametrically opposing images of women – as powerful or powerless – are most accurate. … [T]his is an exceptional book of considerable merit that will be of interest to a wide range of academics working in history, anthropology, gender studies, politics, religion and Southeast Asian studies. It is excellent value and would be a clear candidate to be published in Khmer so that the false constructs of earlier periods can be revealed.

...a comprehensive history of the role of women in Cambodian politics and society.  Theoretically, Trudy Jacobsen's book can be situated at an interesting intersection between post-structuralist gender studies and Cambodian history.  Bringing in a feminist perspective on the politics of gender relations in Cambodian history, Lost Goddesses closes a gap in social science research on this issue.

In a context of ongoing struggles for female empowerment, Lost Goddesses is of high political relevance.  What makes Jacobsen's book an interesting and important scholarly contribution is its emphasis on the intimate connections between narratives on gender, culture and national identity which are still prevalent in contemporary Cambodia.

 This book is a major breakthrough in studies of the position of women not just in Cambodia, but also in Southeast Asia more broadly. Well researched, well argued, well written and clearly organised, Jacobsen’s book reveals the rich treasures possible from a feminist reading of traditional historical sources. I am looking forward to the debates this book is sure to provoke.