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comet_or_dove's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cwilsongarry's review against another edition
4.0
In 1400s England, two women's stories of faith, motherhood and grief overlap with one another. One is Julian, an anchoress who seeks silence and answers in solitude. The other is Margarey, a mother of fourteen who is ostracised because of her visions of Christ. It's worth mentioning that both Julian and Margarey were real women, and Mackenzie's book does both of them justice in this retelling.
This is a short book, and one that's so compelling it's easy to read in one sitting, but it manages to say a lot about women, spirituality and history itself. Mackenzie's version of medieval England is free of all the dark, gloom and greyness that often crowds depictions of the era. Instead it is full of light - from small connections to nature to the lifelong impact of a closeness with God. Mackenzie manages to make these women's lives, so different to readers, feel incredibly close and intimate.
Balanced alongside this is a focus on the treatment of women - Margarey is punished for visions that, coming from a man, would be celebrated and canonised. This book has a lot to show about the impact of friendship and support shared between women, especially in the face of adversity.
I found this book incredibly moving, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in women's stories, faith, or historical fiction more generally.
This is a short book, and one that's so compelling it's easy to read in one sitting, but it manages to say a lot about women, spirituality and history itself. Mackenzie's version of medieval England is free of all the dark, gloom and greyness that often crowds depictions of the era. Instead it is full of light - from small connections to nature to the lifelong impact of a closeness with God. Mackenzie manages to make these women's lives, so different to readers, feel incredibly close and intimate.
Balanced alongside this is a focus on the treatment of women - Margarey is punished for visions that, coming from a man, would be celebrated and canonised. This book has a lot to show about the impact of friendship and support shared between women, especially in the face of adversity.
I found this book incredibly moving, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in women's stories, faith, or historical fiction more generally.
shakespeareanqueer's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lillianfc's review
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
A lyrical text very fruitful for those who know nothing of Margery or Julian as historical figures. For those who are well versed — this text doesn’t do much more than reading these women’s original medieval texts, beyond making you wish the fictional version centered other characters in these women’s lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, and Body horror
thepaperbackboo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rebeccawill's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
enemaofthestate's review against another edition
5.0
“And I thought how Christ is like a mother, and loves us like a mother. Didn’t he labour in agony on the cross that we might have life?"
smth about this book is so tragic to me. margery and julian were both so lonely and plagued by the exact same fears but they only met each other so briefly.
thelibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
chloeforkerway's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
The meeting of two medieval women mystics doesn't appear to promise the most propulsive of plots, but this was a quietly compelling narrative. It is a long time since I read [b:The Book of Margery Kempe|22186955|The Book of Margery Kempe|Margery Kempe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400499589l/22186955._SY75_.jpg|296207] and [b:Revelations of Divine Love|370774|Revelations of Divine Love (Short Text and Long Text)|Julian of Norwich|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420607880l/370774._SY75_.jpg|360743], but the voices of the two protagonists seemed to marry with my memory of the language of their respective 'revelations'. It is oddly full of anachronistic moments which in a more world-building historical novel would be jarring, but here where the focus is the interior life of two divinely inspired/mentally ill women such errors are secondary and easily ignored.