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Lady at the Window: The Lost Journal of Julian of Norwich: A Novella
Lady at the Window chronicles the last Holy Week in Julian of Norwich’s life.
In her secret journal (because women are forbidden to write in English) the great English mystic chronicles her inner life, including her relationship with the “courteous Lord,” who when she was young was a constant presence in her life, but now in her old age feels to be more of a constant absence, Deus Absconditus.
There are two windows in Lady Julian’s anchorage: one looks upon the interior of St. Julian’s Church with its high altar and tabernacle; the other opens onto the city of Norwich with its publicans, sinners, poor, people in the marketplace, and neighbors. Among these there are those in deep distress who find their way to Lady Julian, now famous for her wisdom and holy counsel. There is the young woman with a child outside of marriage. There is a wounded young soldier, jobless, homeless, and afraid. There is a man who has betrayed his betrothed. And others. No one leaves Julian’s window without psychological and spiritual uplifting.
But the underlying theme of this novella is Lady Julian’s dark night of the soul. As with other mystics who came after her, e.g., St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Calcutta, Julian abides in a cloud of unknowing, praying daily that her darkness be dispelled by divine light.
In her secret journal (because women are forbidden to write in English) the great English mystic chronicles her inner life, including her relationship with the “courteous Lord,” who when she was young was a constant presence in her life, but now in her old age feels to be more of a constant absence, Deus Absconditus.
There are two windows in Lady Julian’s anchorage: one looks upon the interior of St. Julian’s Church with its high altar and tabernacle; the other opens onto the city of Norwich with its publicans, sinners, poor, people in the marketplace, and neighbors. Among these there are those in deep distress who find their way to Lady Julian, now famous for her wisdom and holy counsel. There is the young woman with a child outside of marriage. There is a wounded young soldier, jobless, homeless, and afraid. There is a man who has betrayed his betrothed. And others. No one leaves Julian’s window without psychological and spiritual uplifting.
But the underlying theme of this novella is Lady Julian’s dark night of the soul. As with other mystics who came after her, e.g., St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Calcutta, Julian abides in a cloud of unknowing, praying daily that her darkness be dispelled by divine light.
- GenresNovella
128 pages, Paperback
Published April 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 19, 2020
"I am acquainted with aloneness, a constant companion."
This is a fictionalized journal from Julian of Norwich but if you aren't acquainted with this anchoress from the middle ages, this gives you a sense of her themes. It had some unexpected synergies with my own sense of waiting and watching and making only minimal connections to the outside world - she had her window, I have the internet.... Interestingly between reading this book and writing this review, I came across an article with advice from the Middle Ages for How to Cope with Self-Isolation and one of the people references is Julian of Norwich.
I didn't dislike the book exactly, but I am not sure why you would prefer a fictionalized journal over the writings of the actual person; or maybe a complete fiction like The Anchoress - there was something that bugged me about the author being male, as an anchoress is so very female. She talks at length about what it's like to be a woman and devoted to the divine, and having been through marriage and birth and miscarriage. When I look at the other works by this author I just have to wonder, why this book? Who are you? Why are you writing this? What is your expertise? So I went looking and he does have more credentials than I thought, and seems to be particularly interested in Christian devotional thinkers, and imagining more of their inner lives than exist in known documents. It's a pretty specific niche but I do think people interested in solitude, devotion, isolation, and spirituality would enjoy this work.
I had a copy of this novella from the publisher through Edelweiss and it came out April 7.
This is a fictionalized journal from Julian of Norwich but if you aren't acquainted with this anchoress from the middle ages, this gives you a sense of her themes. It had some unexpected synergies with my own sense of waiting and watching and making only minimal connections to the outside world - she had her window, I have the internet.... Interestingly between reading this book and writing this review, I came across an article with advice from the Middle Ages for How to Cope with Self-Isolation and one of the people references is Julian of Norwich.
I didn't dislike the book exactly, but I am not sure why you would prefer a fictionalized journal over the writings of the actual person; or maybe a complete fiction like The Anchoress - there was something that bugged me about the author being male, as an anchoress is so very female. She talks at length about what it's like to be a woman and devoted to the divine, and having been through marriage and birth and miscarriage. When I look at the other works by this author I just have to wonder, why this book? Who are you? Why are you writing this? What is your expertise? So I went looking and he does have more credentials than I thought, and seems to be particularly interested in Christian devotional thinkers, and imagining more of their inner lives than exist in known documents. It's a pretty specific niche but I do think people interested in solitude, devotion, isolation, and spirituality would enjoy this work.
I had a copy of this novella from the publisher through Edelweiss and it came out April 7.
July 28, 2021
There is an old saying about not judging a book by its cover. Unfortunately, I was drawn to this novella by its beautiful cover design. I wish I could say I was also drawn in by the author's prose, but that would be inaccurate. There is no substitute for reading Julian herself and this fictionalized "lost journal"proves the point. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the author's predilection for throwing in Middle English spellings of words to make them appear more authentic seems contrived.
June 13, 2021
I read a Thomas Merton book years ago and wasn't too keen on the mystics, but after listening to an Englewood Review of Book's podcast with authors familiar with the female medieval mystics I decided to give one of the medieval female mystics a try. Wow! It's amazing how Julian of Norwich's reflections from the late 1300s seem contemporary and are certainly relevant to today! Highly recommend!
July 4, 2021
This book came to me through Paraclete Press' offer of 10 books for $20 (and really, who can resist that). I had heard of Julian of Norwich, but really didn't know much of her story. This was a wonderful way to access her - I was so impressed by the writing, and how it brought Julian of Norwich to life for me.
September 7, 2021
cried thinking about how good mothers are. cried thinking about how good God is. cried thinking about Jesus as a six year old with a skinned knee. please read this book.
August 10, 2024
If you want an easy read that will give a good overview into Julian of Norwich, I recommend this book. If you're a stickler for correct details and chronology, then perhaps not. But it's a good read and the author captured Julian's spirt very well.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews