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A review by cwilsongarry
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie
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.