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Revelations: A Sweeping Feminist Adventure – Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich's Epic Journey Through Medieval England
A kind of fifteenth-century Eat, Pray, Love, Revelations illuminates the intersecting lives of two female mystics who changed history—Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich.
Bishop’s Lynn, England, 1413. At the age of forty, Margery Kempe has nearly died giving birth to her fourteenth child. Fearing that another pregnancy might kill her, she makes a vow of celibacy, but she can’t trust her husband to keep his end of the bargain. Desperate for counsel, she visits the famous anchoress Dame Julian of Norwich.
Pouring out her heart, Margery confesses that she has been haunted by visceral religious visions. Julian then offers up a confession of her she has written a secret, radical book about her own visions, Revelations of Divine Love. Nearing the end of her life and fearing Church authorities, Julian entrusts her precious book to Margery, who sets off the adventure of a lifetime to secretly spread Julian's words.
Mary Sharratt vividly brings the medieval past to life as Margery blazes her trail across Europe and the Near East, finding her unique spiritual path and vocation. It’s not in a cloistered cell like Julian, but in the full bustle of worldly existence with all its wonders and perils.
Bishop’s Lynn, England, 1413. At the age of forty, Margery Kempe has nearly died giving birth to her fourteenth child. Fearing that another pregnancy might kill her, she makes a vow of celibacy, but she can’t trust her husband to keep his end of the bargain. Desperate for counsel, she visits the famous anchoress Dame Julian of Norwich.
Pouring out her heart, Margery confesses that she has been haunted by visceral religious visions. Julian then offers up a confession of her she has written a secret, radical book about her own visions, Revelations of Divine Love. Nearing the end of her life and fearing Church authorities, Julian entrusts her precious book to Margery, who sets off the adventure of a lifetime to secretly spread Julian's words.
Mary Sharratt vividly brings the medieval past to life as Margery blazes her trail across Europe and the Near East, finding her unique spiritual path and vocation. It’s not in a cloistered cell like Julian, but in the full bustle of worldly existence with all its wonders and perils.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2021
61 people are currently reading
2562 people want to read
About the author
Mary Sharratt
14 books490 followersMary Sharratt is an American writer who lives with her Belgian husband in the Pendle region of Lancashire, England, the setting for her acclaimed 2010 novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL, which recasts the Pendle Witches of 1612 in their historical context as cunning folk and healers.
Previously she lived for twelve years in Germany. This, along with her interest in sacred music and herbal medicine, inspired her to write her most recent novel, ILLUMINATIONS: A NOVEL OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, which explores the dramatic life of the 12th century Benedictine abbess, composer, polymath, and powerfrau.
Winner of the 2005 WILLA Literary Award and a Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Mary has also written the acclaimed novels SUMMIT AVENUE (Coffee House 2000), THE REAL MINERVA (Houghton Mifflin 2004), THE VANISHING POINT (Houghton Mifflin 2006), and co-edited the subversive fiction anthology BITCH LIT (Crocus Books 2006), which celebrates female anti-heroes--strong women who break all the rules. Her short fiction has been published in TWIN CITIES NOIR (Akashic Books 2006).
Mary writes regular articles for Historical Novels Review and Solander on the theme of writing women back into history. When she isn't writing, she's usually riding her spirited Welsh mare through the Lancashire countryside.
Previously she lived for twelve years in Germany. This, along with her interest in sacred music and herbal medicine, inspired her to write her most recent novel, ILLUMINATIONS: A NOVEL OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, which explores the dramatic life of the 12th century Benedictine abbess, composer, polymath, and powerfrau.
Winner of the 2005 WILLA Literary Award and a Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Mary has also written the acclaimed novels SUMMIT AVENUE (Coffee House 2000), THE REAL MINERVA (Houghton Mifflin 2004), THE VANISHING POINT (Houghton Mifflin 2006), and co-edited the subversive fiction anthology BITCH LIT (Crocus Books 2006), which celebrates female anti-heroes--strong women who break all the rules. Her short fiction has been published in TWIN CITIES NOIR (Akashic Books 2006).
Mary writes regular articles for Historical Novels Review and Solander on the theme of writing women back into history. When she isn't writing, she's usually riding her spirited Welsh mare through the Lancashire countryside.
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March 5, 2021
Margery Kempe (1373-1438) was “a mystic living in the full stream of worldly life – she triumphed in transforming herself from a desperate housewife into an intrepid world traveler and lifelong pilgrim.”
England, 1392. Margery is a daughter of a trader. At the age of nineteen, the seas claim the man she loves. Thus, she marries a man her family picks for her, almost twice her age, to avoid cloistered life. Life behind the walls is not meant for her. She knows that there is so much more beyond some walls or beyond her town of Lynn. She has seen York and she craves to explore other places.
While continuously giving births and to keep herself sane, she makes “weekly visits to Master Alan, the holy and high-learned anchorite who reads” books to her and feeds her mind and spirit. Now pregnant with her fourteenth child, her visions which started with her first birth have intensified strongly and she can’t stop them. She feels that she needs to act on it. And fearing that another pregnancy might kill her, she makes a vow of celibacy.
She becomes a pilgrim and her pilgrimage takes her to Norwich to Dame Julian, an anchoress. Margery kept her visions to herself as she was afraid to be called mad, but in the company of Dame Julian she feels safe to reveal her visions. In return, Julian entrusts Margery with a book of her own revelations. As Margery continues her pilgrimage to Jerusalem at certain stops certain people copy what she carries with her. These are dangerous times, when church tries to get rid of Lollards, punishing those who follow the words of John Wycliffe, who “openly preached against the sale of indulgences. (…) He refused to submit to the prelates. He appealed to Christ alone as the supreme judge.” Those who call upon Christ’s authority above a prelate are in grave danger.
I enjoyed Margery’s journey of self-discovery and transformation. Her pilgrimage puts her on a path of great discovery, of exotic places such as Venice, and of high-learned women and girls. With her eyes wide open to a different world, she sees “a window into the East.” What she rebuked as a young woman, now she greatly admires. Seeing educated women, she questions her own decision. “Their holy calling had elevated them to this sanctuary where their intellects could flourish.”
It was interesting to read about beguines. A community of women, some virgins, some widows, that offered them something between marriage and becoming a cloistered nun.
The story is vividly presented. You witness some terror with your own eyes and smell the flesh of a burning body. You get comfortable with Ignatius, assisting pilgrims across Christendom. You get swept away to a time when women had very little choice in their lives and yet some show us a meaningful path. You can feel the strong-will of Margery and her spirit for exploring the world. She is so happy to visit Danzig and York and craves to see so much more. Her character with other women are all touchingly depicted.
Richly imagined story, engrossingly woven and with beautiful prose, transports a reader to a different time and place. With heroine you deeply care about and witness her journey of self-discovery and transformation.
P.S. Previous books I’ve read by this author and highly recommend: Illuminations, The Dark Lady’s Mask, and Ecstasy.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
England, 1392. Margery is a daughter of a trader. At the age of nineteen, the seas claim the man she loves. Thus, she marries a man her family picks for her, almost twice her age, to avoid cloistered life. Life behind the walls is not meant for her. She knows that there is so much more beyond some walls or beyond her town of Lynn. She has seen York and she craves to explore other places.
While continuously giving births and to keep herself sane, she makes “weekly visits to Master Alan, the holy and high-learned anchorite who reads” books to her and feeds her mind and spirit. Now pregnant with her fourteenth child, her visions which started with her first birth have intensified strongly and she can’t stop them. She feels that she needs to act on it. And fearing that another pregnancy might kill her, she makes a vow of celibacy.
She becomes a pilgrim and her pilgrimage takes her to Norwich to Dame Julian, an anchoress. Margery kept her visions to herself as she was afraid to be called mad, but in the company of Dame Julian she feels safe to reveal her visions. In return, Julian entrusts Margery with a book of her own revelations. As Margery continues her pilgrimage to Jerusalem at certain stops certain people copy what she carries with her. These are dangerous times, when church tries to get rid of Lollards, punishing those who follow the words of John Wycliffe, who “openly preached against the sale of indulgences. (…) He refused to submit to the prelates. He appealed to Christ alone as the supreme judge.” Those who call upon Christ’s authority above a prelate are in grave danger.
I enjoyed Margery’s journey of self-discovery and transformation. Her pilgrimage puts her on a path of great discovery, of exotic places such as Venice, and of high-learned women and girls. With her eyes wide open to a different world, she sees “a window into the East.” What she rebuked as a young woman, now she greatly admires. Seeing educated women, she questions her own decision. “Their holy calling had elevated them to this sanctuary where their intellects could flourish.”
It was interesting to read about beguines. A community of women, some virgins, some widows, that offered them something between marriage and becoming a cloistered nun.
The story is vividly presented. You witness some terror with your own eyes and smell the flesh of a burning body. You get comfortable with Ignatius, assisting pilgrims across Christendom. You get swept away to a time when women had very little choice in their lives and yet some show us a meaningful path. You can feel the strong-will of Margery and her spirit for exploring the world. She is so happy to visit Danzig and York and craves to see so much more. Her character with other women are all touchingly depicted.
Richly imagined story, engrossingly woven and with beautiful prose, transports a reader to a different time and place. With heroine you deeply care about and witness her journey of self-discovery and transformation.
P.S. Previous books I’ve read by this author and highly recommend: Illuminations, The Dark Lady’s Mask, and Ecstasy.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2022
A fascinating fictional recreation of the life of Margery Kempe, a female Christian mystic in 15th century England, her pilgrimages, and her (also fictional) mission to share Julian of Norwich's manuscript of Revelations of Divine Love with the world.
To me, this read like a mix of Matrix and Margaret the First (one of my favorite novels). It goes on a bit too long and can be heavy to read because of all the hardships Margery has to endure, but it's a bewitching read.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
To me, this read like a mix of Matrix and Margaret the First (one of my favorite novels). It goes on a bit too long and can be heavy to read because of all the hardships Margery has to endure, but it's a bewitching read.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
April 18, 2025
I really enjoyed this novel 😃😁😊 I can't quite remember how I came across it in the libraries... and how my 2024 Ramadan reading turned out to largely comprise early Christian women mystics! 😃😁😊
🌟❤🧡💛💚💙💜🌟
the novel is a historical fiction (15th century) focussing on two women and centring around the book 'Revelations of Divine Love', by Julian of Norwich (about which/whom I was also reading).
the prologue starts shortly after the death of Dame Julian... Margery Kempe (from Lyn in Norfolk) is in York Minster, and is apprehended by the canon and mayor, and arrested for... well, for being a woman basically! 😯🙁
the story then goes back to the 14th century with chapter 1, and her earlier life... a visit to York and it's Minster.
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
an early encounter with Mistress Moon, the lollard... around the time of her beloveds death and funeral - interesting church and societal politics and norms, and power struggles too.
"I began to wonder how many more pregnancies my body could endure"
(pregnant with 8th child, 12 percent in) 🙁
tho the subsequent pregnancies are not as dramatic as the first with its visions and months of ill health.
a woman's body not her own 😕🙁
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
after her 14th child Margery leaves her children with her mother and sets out to make pilgrimage... first visiting Dame Julian in Norwich. the church in a poor part of town, receiving prostitutes as readily as anyone else, from her cell. Julian knew Margery was coming before she arrived. the recognition and sensitive receipt of her confession by Julian brings ease to Margery.
Julian reads her book to Margery over a week.
"her words and phrases sang inside my heart as though they'd always been there... "
Margery takes Julian's book with her on pilgrimage, across to a community of beguine - a beguinage - in the Nederlands... loves life there... 🙂😃😁
locates a group to travel with... the perils of pilgrimage... ! 😯
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
the novel really well describes how precarious the position of women in societies of the time...
the disreputable nature of some of Margery's travelling companions, esp the friar! 😕🙁😬
but Julian's connections keep her from further harm...
Margery travels on from Constance with Ignatius, and they come to create a friend/family -ship of sorts... Margery coming into strength, and learning wandering ways from Ignatius.
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
I think it was around quarter way in that the novel became more compelling for me - itinitially took me a little while to get into it and the style/language
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
pilgrimage to Jerusalem... an extended stop in Rome... return to England...
then to Spain to make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella... with a young Cornish woman. the small detail of the similarity between Cornish and Galician 🙂
lots of encounters with women 🙂😃😁😊
then a journey back to England, and to York with pilgrims she made the return journey with... and circling back to the opening of the book, and arrest in York.
(book 3)
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
I loved how many mystic women featured 😃😁😊
the perceived threat a woman posed was chilling and hilarious at times.
especially chilling was the threat to such a woman, a man's lies often accepted over a woman's truth 😕🙁😬
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
💛 a story of one woman's life
🧡 a story of women's lives
❤ a story of historical points and tensions
💜 a story of remembrance of Julian of Norwich 😊😍
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
"the far flung holy places beckoned me... "
"for what other path was there, but this pilgrimage through our earthly existence, our painstaking journey back to the one who had created us"
🌟❤🧡💛💚💙💜🌟
📚📖 an historical afterword
tells what happened after the trial, that she looked after her husband until his death, that she later travels to Danzig visiting many revered pilgrimage sites on her way, and that she preserved her story in 'The Book of Margery Kempe' c 1437-38 (dictated to a priest) - the first autobiography in English language. she also in 1438 became a member of the mercantile elite in Lynn.
📚📖 the major events in the novel are drawn from her autobiography, tho some things are left out... some characters were fictional, while others are straight from her autobiography, and some characters based on real people from the time (tho not always chronologically accurate).
📚📖 the carrying of Julian's manuscript was inspired by a documentary about Julian of Norwich's controversial 'Revelations of Divine Love'. that was likely passed from person to person, because of its need to be kept secret.
📚📖 abit more about Julian's book - finally reaching a wider audience in 1901.
📚📖 'The Book of Margery Kempe' was lost to the world for 5 centuries and found by accident in 1934 in a clutter of books in a cupboard of an old house in Derbyshire 😃
📚📖 her fits of weeping? variously diagnosed in 20th century as hysterical, psychotic, schizophrenic, epileptic or even menopausal!
in medieval context, maybe affective piety - a highly emotional devotion to the humanity of Christ and the joys and sorrows of the Virgin Mary.
📚📖 the author also acknowledges translations relied upon, a companion to Margery Kempe's book, an essay that served as very inspiration, important secondary texts,
other essays and books that informed re Lollard trials, pilgrimage,
the Julian Centre and Friends of Julian, and other places visited... including parts of pilgrimage routes.
🌟 🌟 🌟 4.5 stars rounded up i think 😊🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Polly Lee.
🌟❤🧡💛💚💙💜🌟
the novel is a historical fiction (15th century) focussing on two women and centring around the book 'Revelations of Divine Love', by Julian of Norwich (about which/whom I was also reading).
the prologue starts shortly after the death of Dame Julian... Margery Kempe (from Lyn in Norfolk) is in York Minster, and is apprehended by the canon and mayor, and arrested for... well, for being a woman basically! 😯🙁
the story then goes back to the 14th century with chapter 1, and her earlier life... a visit to York and it's Minster.
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
an early encounter with Mistress Moon, the lollard... around the time of her beloveds death and funeral - interesting church and societal politics and norms, and power struggles too.
"I began to wonder how many more pregnancies my body could endure"
(pregnant with 8th child, 12 percent in) 🙁
tho the subsequent pregnancies are not as dramatic as the first with its visions and months of ill health.
a woman's body not her own 😕🙁
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
after her 14th child Margery leaves her children with her mother and sets out to make pilgrimage... first visiting Dame Julian in Norwich. the church in a poor part of town, receiving prostitutes as readily as anyone else, from her cell. Julian knew Margery was coming before she arrived. the recognition and sensitive receipt of her confession by Julian brings ease to Margery.
Julian reads her book to Margery over a week.
"her words and phrases sang inside my heart as though they'd always been there... "
Margery takes Julian's book with her on pilgrimage, across to a community of beguine - a beguinage - in the Nederlands... loves life there... 🙂😃😁
locates a group to travel with... the perils of pilgrimage... ! 😯
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
the novel really well describes how precarious the position of women in societies of the time...
the disreputable nature of some of Margery's travelling companions, esp the friar! 😕🙁😬
but Julian's connections keep her from further harm...
Margery travels on from Constance with Ignatius, and they come to create a friend/family -ship of sorts... Margery coming into strength, and learning wandering ways from Ignatius.
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
I think it was around quarter way in that the novel became more compelling for me - itinitially took me a little while to get into it and the style/language
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
pilgrimage to Jerusalem... an extended stop in Rome... return to England...
then to Spain to make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella... with a young Cornish woman. the small detail of the similarity between Cornish and Galician 🙂
lots of encounters with women 🙂😃😁😊
then a journey back to England, and to York with pilgrims she made the return journey with... and circling back to the opening of the book, and arrest in York.
(book 3)
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
I loved how many mystic women featured 😃😁😊
the perceived threat a woman posed was chilling and hilarious at times.
especially chilling was the threat to such a woman, a man's lies often accepted over a woman's truth 😕🙁😬
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
💛 a story of one woman's life
🧡 a story of women's lives
❤ a story of historical points and tensions
💜 a story of remembrance of Julian of Norwich 😊😍
🌟🌳🌿🥾📖🎚🌟
"the far flung holy places beckoned me... "
"for what other path was there, but this pilgrimage through our earthly existence, our painstaking journey back to the one who had created us"
🌟❤🧡💛💚💙💜🌟
📚📖 an historical afterword
tells what happened after the trial, that she looked after her husband until his death, that she later travels to Danzig visiting many revered pilgrimage sites on her way, and that she preserved her story in 'The Book of Margery Kempe' c 1437-38 (dictated to a priest) - the first autobiography in English language. she also in 1438 became a member of the mercantile elite in Lynn.
📚📖 the major events in the novel are drawn from her autobiography, tho some things are left out... some characters were fictional, while others are straight from her autobiography, and some characters based on real people from the time (tho not always chronologically accurate).
📚📖 the carrying of Julian's manuscript was inspired by a documentary about Julian of Norwich's controversial 'Revelations of Divine Love'. that was likely passed from person to person, because of its need to be kept secret.
📚📖 abit more about Julian's book - finally reaching a wider audience in 1901.
📚📖 'The Book of Margery Kempe' was lost to the world for 5 centuries and found by accident in 1934 in a clutter of books in a cupboard of an old house in Derbyshire 😃
📚📖 her fits of weeping? variously diagnosed in 20th century as hysterical, psychotic, schizophrenic, epileptic or even menopausal!
in medieval context, maybe affective piety - a highly emotional devotion to the humanity of Christ and the joys and sorrows of the Virgin Mary.
📚📖 the author also acknowledges translations relied upon, a companion to Margery Kempe's book, an essay that served as very inspiration, important secondary texts,
other essays and books that informed re Lollard trials, pilgrimage,
the Julian Centre and Friends of Julian, and other places visited... including parts of pilgrimage routes.
🌟 🌟 🌟 4.5 stars rounded up i think 😊🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Polly Lee.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2022
I have to pull the plug on this book based on the life of Margery Kempe, who is credited with writing the first autobiography in England. (1373-1438)
15% and done
Library Loan
15% and done
Library Loan
October 31, 2021
3.5 rounded up
I'm not a big reader of historical fiction, but the blurb - which describes this as "a kind of 15th-century Eat Pray Love" - jumped out at me. It transpires that this (while a quite funny way of describing the novel) is a pretty accurate description in some ways.
Sharratt's novel tells the partially fictionalised version of a wholly true story, that of Margery Kempe and is based on Kempe's own book The Book of Margery Kempe, held to be the first autobiography written in the English language.
Kempe was from Bishop's Lynn, Norfolk (now King's Lynn), who, after meeting Julian of Norwich (who was the first woman to write a book in English), decides to travel to Jerusalem on a religious pilgrimage. I don't want to spoil too much of the story, but Kempe had lead a relatively normal life up until embarking on this journey, having 14 children, and the novel tells the story of how she was vilified for falling outside of what society expected of women at this time.
Margery's book was lost for over five centuries before being discovered by accident at a country house party in Derbyshire in 1934. And what great fortune that it was re-discovered! Sharratt weaves a fascinating tale of Margery's life, most of which is taken from Margery's own writing. The setting was vividly realised, and the story fast-paced. I find the old words and convoluted ways of phrasing things often used in historical fiction to be off-putting, but this wasn't the case here.
Recommended!
Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not a big reader of historical fiction, but the blurb - which describes this as "a kind of 15th-century Eat Pray Love" - jumped out at me. It transpires that this (while a quite funny way of describing the novel) is a pretty accurate description in some ways.
Sharratt's novel tells the partially fictionalised version of a wholly true story, that of Margery Kempe and is based on Kempe's own book The Book of Margery Kempe, held to be the first autobiography written in the English language.
Kempe was from Bishop's Lynn, Norfolk (now King's Lynn), who, after meeting Julian of Norwich (who was the first woman to write a book in English), decides to travel to Jerusalem on a religious pilgrimage. I don't want to spoil too much of the story, but Kempe had lead a relatively normal life up until embarking on this journey, having 14 children, and the novel tells the story of how she was vilified for falling outside of what society expected of women at this time.
Margery's book was lost for over five centuries before being discovered by accident at a country house party in Derbyshire in 1934. And what great fortune that it was re-discovered! Sharratt weaves a fascinating tale of Margery's life, most of which is taken from Margery's own writing. The setting was vividly realised, and the story fast-paced. I find the old words and convoluted ways of phrasing things often used in historical fiction to be off-putting, but this wasn't the case here.
Recommended!
Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2020
We need more novels that breath new life into the stories of courageous women of ages gone by. Margery Kempe was a little known late medieval woman until the manuscript of her life was found disintegrating at an old English estate in the 1930s, and now the world knows her story. Mary Sharratt's exceptional historical novels have brought to life several of these women's stories, and I eagerly grabbed this early galley to devour it. Margery Kempe was the life of many medieval women: born to drudgery and witness to plague upon plague, bearing child after child until death came knocking, and many more horrors. Margery's zeal for life and adventure, buoyed by a strong faith and revelations of divine love, spurred her to become a pilgrim in an era where a woman alone did not make pilgrimages. She is no wilting flower in the face of danger--she uses her voice to stand up for herself and for others. Sharratt doesn't impose 21st century character traits on Margery; she uses the original source material to enhance this almost unbelievable story that deserves a wide audience, men and women included. A breathtaking adventure that shines with hope and faith in the midst of immense struggle.
May 26, 2021
Historical fiction at its best – well-researched, informative, and entertaining. It’s a fictionalised autobiography of Margery Kempe, the author of the first autobiography written in English and the first written by a woman. And what a remarkable woman she was. Wife, mother, mystic, pilgrim – here she narrates her amazing life in all its detail, and thereby provides the reader with a window into the medieval world. Daily life, travel, religious controversies, the position and treatment of women, the Church, Beguines – and so much more. Her meeting with Julian of Norwich, who entrusts her with the manuscript of Revelations of Divine Love and that book’s subsequent trajectory, is a fascinating story in and of itself. Yes, the book is occasionally overwritten and descends into romantic fiction, and yes, the villains are almost caricatures of villains. But then we see everything through the filter of Margery's own voice so such small quibbles can be overlooked. By me, anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and overall I found it a truly compelling account, which had me scurrying off to find out more. The author acknowledges that she has changed the chronology slightly and has Margery present at events she could not have been present at, but she justifies this in a way I found convincing and although I am usually a stickler for historical accuracy I agreed that such changes made for a more coherent narrative. All in all a great read.
October 19, 2020
Revelations by Mary Sharratt is an excellent historical fiction that is based on the true life and experiences of the once-forgotten Margery Kempe. This is a wonderful glimpse into the 1400s England. Everything about this book, this journey, resonates with me.
First off, I had to do research after reading this book, as I have never heard of Margery Kempe before and found it fascinating that the pages from the author of the first female “autobiography” was unearthed less then 100 years ago. This is fascinating. To get this kind of a window into history is astounding.
The author clearly did her research, and there were times when I literally felt as if I was traveling along with Margery. The dirt, the smells, the landscapes, it was all there. Not only did I get a glimpse into this time period, but I also got a closer look at this interesting woman. By her descriptions, her trials, her fears, hopes and sacrifices, I was able to piece together the societal rules and restrictions that tethered women. It was hard to see how difficult life truly was, how unfair, and I found myself rooting for Margery and her quests and travels, hoping that she would fulfill her purpose and find what she was ultimately looking for.
Just stunning. A must read for anyone that enjoys strong female characters and medieval English history.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Miffilin Harcourt for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/27/21.
First off, I had to do research after reading this book, as I have never heard of Margery Kempe before and found it fascinating that the pages from the author of the first female “autobiography” was unearthed less then 100 years ago. This is fascinating. To get this kind of a window into history is astounding.
The author clearly did her research, and there were times when I literally felt as if I was traveling along with Margery. The dirt, the smells, the landscapes, it was all there. Not only did I get a glimpse into this time period, but I also got a closer look at this interesting woman. By her descriptions, her trials, her fears, hopes and sacrifices, I was able to piece together the societal rules and restrictions that tethered women. It was hard to see how difficult life truly was, how unfair, and I found myself rooting for Margery and her quests and travels, hoping that she would fulfill her purpose and find what she was ultimately looking for.
Just stunning. A must read for anyone that enjoys strong female characters and medieval English history.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Miffilin Harcourt for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/27/21.
September 5, 2021
I went into Revelations with some fear and trepidation, because I love the work of Julian of Norwich so much that I didn't want to be disappointed. However, Revelations is more about Margery Kempe, the first English autobiographer, a visionary mystic and pilgrim. I don't know much about Margery and haven't read her Book yet, but Revelations made me hungry to learn more.
Sharratt is an amazing historical fiction author and I look forward to reading more of her books, especially Illuminations, about Hildegard of Bingen. Sharratt brings the 14th & 15th centuries to life, full of details about the food, clothing, celebrations, controversies, and trades of the day. I loved how she highlighted traditions and figures in Christian spirituality through the whole book, especially women, putting all of them into conversation with each other. It made Revelations a feast for a history nut like me. There's something so precious about imagining women like Bridget of Sweden, Julian of Norwich, beguines, and others in conversation with each other. (You don't have to imagine Margery and Julian in conversation, because they did meet IRL.) And then there were the true historical details that make this story shocking, such as the Duke of Bedford, who tried Margery for heresy, later persecuting Joan of Arc.
My biggest concern going into Revelations was the portrayal of Margery's visions and religion in general. Overall, I thought Sharratt did a great job with these tricky elements. Margery's visions were related forthrightly, giving credence to her visions and beliefs. On one hand, I loved this because, as a Christian, nothing bothers me more than people discounting religious experiences like Margery's. On the other hand, narratively, I felt like the visions could have been treated a little more...mystically?...to give the reader a more accurate experience. However, I haven't read The Book of Margery Kempe so I can't judge Sharratt's retelling of Margery's narrative. The language of the novel gave me the impression that Sharratt had spent a lot of time with the Book and let its language seep into her story, so she has the full benefit of my doubt. While Sharratt does lean towards "all churchmen in the medieval era were lecherous pigs," she had a few nuanced male characters who displayed faithful piety. The devotio moderna movement is largely shown as female in the novel, though one of its most famous writers (Thomas à Kempis) was male. No mention is made of the Western Schism (those fun decades when there were like 3 popes), but there's so much else included in Revelations that I'm not annoyed about anything being left out.
Only a few things got on my historical nerves. First, Julian's famous phrase, "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" is never hers in Revelations of Divine Love. It's a quotation from Jesus in her visions. The novel Revelations always puts "all will be well" in Julian's voice, and when Margery quotes it, she's quoting Julian. I wish Sharratt had properly attributed the quotation. Julian did not credit herself with the phrase, but her Lord, and would want it noted as such. Second, the portrayal of Margery's marriage was missing something.
Sharratt plays around with historical events a bit, mostly squishing things into her story so it would align with Margery's journey. Much of what she changed was in the same 100 years or so as the novel, and I felt it was justified in the narrative. For example, Margery sees a famous execution that later emboldens her during her trial for heresy. Ahistorical? Of course. Worth the tweak? Absolutely.
Overall, I really enjoyed Revelations and am eager to read more of Sharratt's work. I heartily recommend this novel to anyone looking to learn more about Margery Kempe, religion in 14th/15th century England, or pilgrimage in that era.
[on visiting a monastery] "Though silence pervaded our scribing, it was not the silence of repression but of deepest concentration. I shall never forget the joy and feverish hunger for knowledge on the Sisters' faces....Their holy calling had elevated them to this sanctuary where their intellects could flourish." (149)
Content warnings: marital rape, violence, burning at the stake
Sharratt is an amazing historical fiction author and I look forward to reading more of her books, especially Illuminations, about Hildegard of Bingen. Sharratt brings the 14th & 15th centuries to life, full of details about the food, clothing, celebrations, controversies, and trades of the day. I loved how she highlighted traditions and figures in Christian spirituality through the whole book, especially women, putting all of them into conversation with each other. It made Revelations a feast for a history nut like me. There's something so precious about imagining women like Bridget of Sweden, Julian of Norwich, beguines, and others in conversation with each other. (You don't have to imagine Margery and Julian in conversation, because they did meet IRL.) And then there were the true historical details that make this story shocking, such as the Duke of Bedford, who tried Margery for heresy, later persecuting Joan of Arc.
My biggest concern going into Revelations was the portrayal of Margery's visions and religion in general. Overall, I thought Sharratt did a great job with these tricky elements. Margery's visions were related forthrightly, giving credence to her visions and beliefs. On one hand, I loved this because, as a Christian, nothing bothers me more than people discounting religious experiences like Margery's. On the other hand, narratively, I felt like the visions could have been treated a little more...mystically?...to give the reader a more accurate experience. However, I haven't read The Book of Margery Kempe so I can't judge Sharratt's retelling of Margery's narrative. The language of the novel gave me the impression that Sharratt had spent a lot of time with the Book and let its language seep into her story, so she has the full benefit of my doubt. While Sharratt does lean towards "all churchmen in the medieval era were lecherous pigs," she had a few nuanced male characters who displayed faithful piety. The devotio moderna movement is largely shown as female in the novel, though one of its most famous writers (Thomas à Kempis) was male. No mention is made of the Western Schism (those fun decades when there were like 3 popes), but there's so much else included in Revelations that I'm not annoyed about anything being left out.
Only a few things got on my historical nerves. First, Julian's famous phrase, "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" is never hers in Revelations of Divine Love. It's a quotation from Jesus in her visions. The novel Revelations always puts "all will be well" in Julian's voice, and when Margery quotes it, she's quoting Julian. I wish Sharratt had properly attributed the quotation. Julian did not credit herself with the phrase, but her Lord, and would want it noted as such. Second, the portrayal of Margery's marriage was missing something.
Sharratt plays around with historical events a bit, mostly squishing things into her story so it would align with Margery's journey. Much of what she changed was in the same 100 years or so as the novel, and I felt it was justified in the narrative. For example, Margery sees a famous execution that later emboldens her during her trial for heresy. Ahistorical? Of course. Worth the tweak? Absolutely.
Overall, I really enjoyed Revelations and am eager to read more of Sharratt's work. I heartily recommend this novel to anyone looking to learn more about Margery Kempe, religion in 14th/15th century England, or pilgrimage in that era.
[on visiting a monastery] "Though silence pervaded our scribing, it was not the silence of repression but of deepest concentration. I shall never forget the joy and feverish hunger for knowledge on the Sisters' faces....Their holy calling had elevated them to this sanctuary where their intellects could flourish." (149)
Content warnings: marital rape, violence, burning at the stake
May 1, 2021
Revelations by Mary Sharratt brings to vivid life Margery Kemp and her world with all its riotous color, conflicting religious beliefs, deadly perils, saints and sinners. In Sharratt’s skillful re-imagining of Kemp’s travels and travails she gives us a Margery Kemp who is not only wife, mother, steadfast pilgrim, and surely one of the most remarkable women of her time, but also an implausible yet endearing heroine. Sometimes incredible, sometimes bizarre, Revelations is a fascinating journey into both the medieval world and the medieval mind.
March 14, 2023
3.5 stars. I found this book super interesting and fascinating, but I struggled with the writing. There were SO many similes. It felt like every description was followed by "as if", and then a totally unremarkable analogy. There also seemed to be a lot of repetition. It was like the author expected that someone might pick up the book and start in the middle and therefore need to be informed about the particulars of something that was already discussed and described in depth.
April 28, 2021
For Medievalists, especially lady Medievalists, the names of Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich have a reverence attached to them. Both Christian mystics in their own time, these women offer us a look at their intellectual and deeply personal spirituality that is not often part of the primary narrative of Medieval history. And while the intellectual lives of women are often overlooked and reserved for niche areas of historical analysis, Kempe and Norwich - like Hildegard von Bingen before them - seem remarkably fresh and relatable even to audiences in the 21st century. More to the point, when both of these historical figures were generated into shadow Twitter accounts (seriously, historical Twitter might be the best Twitter) hardly anyone seemed surprised by what these two women proclaimed in a 140 character count post. And Margery Kempe is an interesting figure to use to tell the story of female mysticism in the Middle Ages because unlike her contemporaries that she has been compared to since her own time, Kempe was not a nun and therefore her story as mystic, madwoman, intellectual is supremely intriguing.
'Revelations' by Mary Sharratt is an absolutely delightful novelization of the life of Margery Kempe and her fateful meeting with Julian of Norwich around 1413. Kempe is an interesting figure and dictated what many consider to be the first autobiography in English in the 1420s which detailed her visions, mystical and religious experiences, as well as her travels and pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land, her trial for heresy, and her documented confessions. What Sherratt does is provide readers with a rich contextualization to the life and adventures of Margery Kempe much in the same way that Philippa Gregory has done with her War of the Roses and Tudor stories. What I supremely appreciate about Sharratt is that she picked a subject that was not motivated by love or ambition, but rather her spirituality and her zest to discover all that God's world had to offer.
These historical fictions are delightful and make the women of the past real for a contemporary audience separate from academia. I would encourage any who enjoyed this book, to seek out The Book of Margery Kempe and the Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich for themselves.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
'Revelations' by Mary Sharratt is an absolutely delightful novelization of the life of Margery Kempe and her fateful meeting with Julian of Norwich around 1413. Kempe is an interesting figure and dictated what many consider to be the first autobiography in English in the 1420s which detailed her visions, mystical and religious experiences, as well as her travels and pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land, her trial for heresy, and her documented confessions. What Sherratt does is provide readers with a rich contextualization to the life and adventures of Margery Kempe much in the same way that Philippa Gregory has done with her War of the Roses and Tudor stories. What I supremely appreciate about Sharratt is that she picked a subject that was not motivated by love or ambition, but rather her spirituality and her zest to discover all that God's world had to offer.
These historical fictions are delightful and make the women of the past real for a contemporary audience separate from academia. I would encourage any who enjoyed this book, to seek out The Book of Margery Kempe and the Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich for themselves.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 13, 2020
Revelations is a profound, moving novel, one that honors its main character as author Mary Sharratt fleshes out the flawed and fantastic figure of Margery Kempe.
I read The Book of Margery Kempe (Margery’s dictated autobiography) a few years ago, and found her simultaneously grating and inspiring. This fascinating woman left her family to travel across Christendom on pilgrimage, seeking both divine grace and societal freedom as she moved farther from her confining role as a wife ravaged by fourteen pregnancies and the scorn of her local community. Sharratt draws on what is known about Margery and spins an engrossing tale of female tenacity and medieval mysticism. Margery’s vivid divine visions (true to the sources) and her deep connection to with the famed anchored Julian of Norwich add rich layers to her journey — along with the resonating themes of class and gender.
5/5: An excellent and imaginative take on one of the foremost mystics of the late Middle Ages. Such a compelling story, and one I hope those not familiar with Margery Kempe will still seek out. Her faith is conveyed in a way that I think would appeal to those of varying beliefs (I am not religious and really enjoyed it). But I’m definitely going to go recommend this to all the medievalists I know.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I read The Book of Margery Kempe (Margery’s dictated autobiography) a few years ago, and found her simultaneously grating and inspiring. This fascinating woman left her family to travel across Christendom on pilgrimage, seeking both divine grace and societal freedom as she moved farther from her confining role as a wife ravaged by fourteen pregnancies and the scorn of her local community. Sharratt draws on what is known about Margery and spins an engrossing tale of female tenacity and medieval mysticism. Margery’s vivid divine visions (true to the sources) and her deep connection to with the famed anchored Julian of Norwich add rich layers to her journey — along with the resonating themes of class and gender.
5/5: An excellent and imaginative take on one of the foremost mystics of the late Middle Ages. Such a compelling story, and one I hope those not familiar with Margery Kempe will still seek out. Her faith is conveyed in a way that I think would appeal to those of varying beliefs (I am not religious and really enjoyed it). But I’m definitely going to go recommend this to all the medievalists I know.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 17, 2022
This book is everything that I had hoped Matrix would be! Fascinating to learn more about the lives of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe as well as what life was like on the pilgrim paths of Europe and the Middle East in the Medieval period. Definitely makes me want to read the writings of both of these women as well as appreciate more deeply how lucky we are that their works survived through time.
March 13, 2022
in my nun era
May 9, 2025
I very much enjoyed this historical fiction tale of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. I cannot wait to get my hands on Julian's Revelations of Divine Love... why do no bookstores have it on their shelves? I may have to resort to I ordering g it.
July 16, 2022
This is an idiosyncratic gem of a book! It is historical fiction at its best, taking off from Margery Kempe’s own autobiography which was the first published book in English by a woman. Kempe was a religious pilgrim and mystic and her book gives us a very rare glimpse from a woman’s perspective of the degradation of women’s lives in 14th century England, from chamber pots, to filth, food, to complete control by men, to constant pregnancies. Kempe herself bore 15 children and shockingly left her husband and children to go on pilgrimage to the great sites of Europe and Jerusalem. The insults and degradations she endured along the way were appalling. But her mystical experiences of Jesus and Sarratt’s expansion of Kempe’s friendship with the great anchoress Julian of Norwich were truly heartwarming. The book also discusses the heresies of the time, particularly Lollardy. Sharratt’s Kempe is at once infuriating, with her constant crying and wailing, and admirable. She is a flawed saint and one of extraordinary courage, intelligence, and perseverance. I loved how Sharratt handled this remarkable story. I recommend the audible version, which is VERY well done.
September 23, 2021
“My story is not a straightforward one. Women’s stories never are.”
Margery Kempe, born in the small town of Bishop’s Lynn in Norfolk circa 1373, was a woman who confounded and transformed her medieval world. Married to a much older man, she left her family life behind after bearing fourteen children, taking a vow of celibacy and choosing to pursue a spiritual path.
Following her first pregnancy, she had suffered a mental breakdown and was brought out of it after seeing a radiant vision of Christ which instilled her with a feeling of divine love. Later, as a middle-aged woman, after receiving support and understanding from the anchoress Julian of Norwich, Kempe took a pilgrimage route to the Holy Land and later to Santiago de Compostela. Toward the end of her life, she composed a book thought to be the first English-language autobiography.
Mary Sharratt’s Revelations brings us acutely into the interior life and outward experiences of Margery Kempe, who narrates her story in the first person. It’s a wonderful evocation of an extraordinary figure and the medieval mindset in general. The author is an eloquent chronicler of historical women’s thorny paths to self-fulfillment, and Margery faces significant obstacles on her journey, as a sole female disrupting the gender status quo, and traveling through a world designed for men.
“A questing soul with a hungry mind,” Margery challenges sumptuary laws by dressing in white, as her visions direct her to, and narrowly avoids convictions of heresy at a time when Lollards – followers of John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English – are burned at the stake. On her wanderings throughout Europe, Margery sees many strange and wondrous sights (the landscapes are beautifully described), comes into the company of other travelers, and must quickly decide how much she can trust them. Trouble accompanies her everywhere. She remains a sympathetic figure, and at the same time, it’s clear how some of her actions and beliefs are incomprehensible to those around her.
Revelations is an illuminating read for anyone interested in stepping back into a long-ago time and envisioning its main character’s life and accomplishments. Though both are separate stories, it makes for a nice pairing with the author’s earlier novel Illuminations, about Hildegard of Bingen.
Revelations was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt earlier this year (I read it from a NetGalley copy).
Margery Kempe, born in the small town of Bishop’s Lynn in Norfolk circa 1373, was a woman who confounded and transformed her medieval world. Married to a much older man, she left her family life behind after bearing fourteen children, taking a vow of celibacy and choosing to pursue a spiritual path.
Following her first pregnancy, she had suffered a mental breakdown and was brought out of it after seeing a radiant vision of Christ which instilled her with a feeling of divine love. Later, as a middle-aged woman, after receiving support and understanding from the anchoress Julian of Norwich, Kempe took a pilgrimage route to the Holy Land and later to Santiago de Compostela. Toward the end of her life, she composed a book thought to be the first English-language autobiography.
Mary Sharratt’s Revelations brings us acutely into the interior life and outward experiences of Margery Kempe, who narrates her story in the first person. It’s a wonderful evocation of an extraordinary figure and the medieval mindset in general. The author is an eloquent chronicler of historical women’s thorny paths to self-fulfillment, and Margery faces significant obstacles on her journey, as a sole female disrupting the gender status quo, and traveling through a world designed for men.
“A questing soul with a hungry mind,” Margery challenges sumptuary laws by dressing in white, as her visions direct her to, and narrowly avoids convictions of heresy at a time when Lollards – followers of John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English – are burned at the stake. On her wanderings throughout Europe, Margery sees many strange and wondrous sights (the landscapes are beautifully described), comes into the company of other travelers, and must quickly decide how much she can trust them. Trouble accompanies her everywhere. She remains a sympathetic figure, and at the same time, it’s clear how some of her actions and beliefs are incomprehensible to those around her.
Revelations is an illuminating read for anyone interested in stepping back into a long-ago time and envisioning its main character’s life and accomplishments. Though both are separate stories, it makes for a nice pairing with the author’s earlier novel Illuminations, about Hildegard of Bingen.
Revelations was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt earlier this year (I read it from a NetGalley copy).
September 21, 2021
I knew nothing about Margery Kempe before reading this novel. Apparently a bundle of papers which were her autobiography were found in an English Estate in the 1930s, some 500 years after she lived. Wonder if that will happen in 500 years time with my journals I've kept since I was 10....lol...although my life isn't as half fascinating as Margery Kempe!
I shudder at the thought of being born at a time where women were perpetually pregnant giving birth to children for almost their whole life. Margery herself had 14 children. I shudder to think of the physical and mental toll that would have had on her. As well as life of subjugation with no rights - being owned by your husband and burying sometimes more than half of your children (if you didn't die in childbirth yourself).
This is a fascinating read set in the 1400's when religion was the centre of life (and could lead to life or death if you disagreed with the church) - its hard to imagine in our modern secular society. Maybe today we can look back at Margery's staunch faith and visions and see a woman who would have been diagnosed with a mental illness and delusions but her faith was her way of coping with a very difficult and constrained life and it gave her courage to become a pilgrim in an era where women didn't leave their husbands and children to go on a pilgrimage. This was beautifully written in a first person narrative and I applaud the author for not making Margery a "modern" woman but what I imagine would have been an authentic medieval woman of her time.
I shudder at the thought of being born at a time where women were perpetually pregnant giving birth to children for almost their whole life. Margery herself had 14 children. I shudder to think of the physical and mental toll that would have had on her. As well as life of subjugation with no rights - being owned by your husband and burying sometimes more than half of your children (if you didn't die in childbirth yourself).
This is a fascinating read set in the 1400's when religion was the centre of life (and could lead to life or death if you disagreed with the church) - its hard to imagine in our modern secular society. Maybe today we can look back at Margery's staunch faith and visions and see a woman who would have been diagnosed with a mental illness and delusions but her faith was her way of coping with a very difficult and constrained life and it gave her courage to become a pilgrim in an era where women didn't leave their husbands and children to go on a pilgrimage. This was beautifully written in a first person narrative and I applaud the author for not making Margery a "modern" woman but what I imagine would have been an authentic medieval woman of her time.
did-not-finish
August 23, 2021I was really intrigued by the premise of a woman who carved a different path for herself, but it was just a bit too much for me with the religious zeal and being a mystic with visions of Jesus. This is just not the right book for me, but the actual writing is really good. DNF at chapter 7.
August 4, 2022
It was written well and I did enjoy it but from about the middle it got a little tedious and took me a long time to finish. Margery Kempe's courage to do things that women at that time just didn't do was quite inspiring. I love how this author takes powerful female characters whom time has forgotten (purposefully or not) and brings them back to life. Kudos for that!
Content review: women are mistreated and there are incidents of marital rape as well as another attempted (but thwarted) rape, a man is burned alive, however none of these scenes are written in a graphic manner.
Content review: women are mistreated and there are incidents of marital rape as well as another attempted (but thwarted) rape, a man is burned alive, however none of these scenes are written in a graphic manner.
July 28, 2021
Too religious-y and slow for me. I didn't particularly like the writing style and found it repetitive and stilted. I'm not sure how this even ended up on my to-read list, but I did enjoy "Illuminations" from this author, so I guess I was hoping for more focus on the historical than the religious aspects. I did learn about the existence the the Lollards and the beguines, so that was kind of interesting, I suppose. Mostly this was pretty dull.
March 26, 2021
I'm going to put a much longer review on my blog and may fill in more later here but in the interim, I just want to say that I loved it and if you're thinking of reading because it's the sort of thing that appeals to you, pick it up right away! Pre-order it! I loved it. Best book I have read in i don't know how long.
I received an arc of the book
I received an arc of the book
June 28, 2021
Loved Illuminations so ran right to the library when I realized Sharratt had a new one about another religious woman. Combines compelling fiction, fascinating history (especially the plight of women in medieval England) and spirituality.
December 25, 2022
in my nun era
August 22, 2024
I read this novel after reading I Julian by Claire Gilbert. Margery visited Julian and recorded the visit in her autobiography. So I read this book to find out more about Julian and to also find out more about Margery herself. Below are some of the passages I liked.
Pp 74-76. Her encounter with Julian of Norwich
"They were so real, Margery. I saw Our Lord's passion. I felt his hot blood dripping on my face. And then he opened up his heart and showed me what lay inside. I saw such love endless love. It was so vivid, it ravished my heart. I lost myself in him."
Her words left me swaying.
"What's more," she said. "In all he revealed to me, I saw neither sin nor blame nor wrath nor even hell. I could only conclude that sin has no substance. It cannot be discerned at all save for the pain it causes -for a time. In this sense, you could even say our failings and mis takes are necessary, for they serve to purify us and make us know our- selves and ask for mercy. Think of this, dear Margery-all our trials and anguish are tastes of Christ's passion. But behind the reality of our deepest suffering lies the mystery of God's love. Know that all is well."
Her words lifted me to such a high place that I could gaze down upon the world as though it were a map. I was lifted higher and higher until I could behold this precious tender world and all the starry heavens nestling like a hazelnut in God's palm.
"After that," she said, "I couldn't go on living a worldly life, so I chose this life as an anchoress. It had to be this way, you understand. I couldn't bear to stay on as a Sister at Carrow and have my prioress and her priest cross-examine me about my visions at every turn. I needed privacy and solitude to make sense of it all. I've devoted the past forty years to contemplating all I've seen. But I never for a moment doubted what our Beloved revealed to me. And neither, dear Margery, should you doubt what he has shown to you."
Dame Julian, the holy and high-learned anchoress, spoke to me as though I were her peer. A mystic, like her. This made me weep all the more-in gratitude and wonder.
"When Our Lord visits us with the gift of tears," she said, taking my hand, "it serves as proof that the Holy Ghost dwells inside us. No evil spirit can grant the gift of tears. Saint Jerome wrote that our tears torment devils more than all the agonies of hell." She leaned forward as if intent that I commit her every word to memory.
"The seat of God is in your soul. Dear sister, how can you believe in God if you don't believe in yourself? Until you have faith in your calling and all the grace he has revealed to you?"
The room seemed to shift around me as her words nestled in my heart. Even the air I breathed seemed redolent with blessing.
"Set all your trust in God and don't worry about what the world says of you." She cracked a smile. "If some people dislike you, perhaps that means you're doing something right."
I laughed for the first time in days. All my life I had been seeking someone like her. A wise friend. A spiritual authority. A confidante who understood my womanly condition and to whom I could tell everything, holding nothing back. Dame Julian gave me the greatest gift any human being could give-permission to trust myself.
"So my quest to leave my family and go on pilgrimage isn't selfish?" My heartbeat quickened.
She squeezed my hand. "As surely as I needed to enclose myself in a solitary cell to make sense of what I saw, it seems that you need to go out into the great world as a pilgrim to make sense of what our Beloved has shown to you."
I finally worked up the courage to ask what riddled me most. "How did you know my birthday? Or that I would come?"
The anchoress and I had lived our separate lives in towns more than forty miles apart. We had never met before and were not even the most distant of kin.
"Our Beloved revealed your face and your quest," she said. "I would know you anywhere."
As she spoke, a sleek ginger cat emerged from a dark corner and leapt into her lap.
"Such an infernal creature is allowed inside your anchorage?" I asked in alarm. From earliest childhood I'd been taught that cats were creatures of the night, in league with demons.
Dame Julian laughed. "How can any of God's creatures be infer- nal? Of course, I keep a cat. I live by the river. If it wasn't for dear Ru- fus, this place would be swarming with rats."
Rufus blinked his green eyes at me as though he were every bit as wise as his mistress.
As I laughed with Julian, a sense of buoyancy seized me, as if the two of us could fly away like swift-darting swallows, utterly unbur dened.
"Dame Julian, is it true that you wrote a book?"
"Indeed I have." A shadow fell across her face. But she continued to gaze at me steadily while stroking the cat. "Though many wish I hadn't."
She gave me a look of warning as a priest and his acolytes entered the small church in preparation for the next Mass. Only when the men disappeared into the sacristy did she lean forward and begin to speak in a voice as soft as her cat's purring. "If you so desire, I shall read my book to you in its entirety."
I stayed with Dame Julian for the next seven days, only returning to the priory to sleep. Nell, meanwhile, suffered to sit at the back of the church and fetch ale and fish pies from the market for us. But Julian's words were my true sustenance. They made the outer world drop away.
When there was no Mass being sung nor none milling about the church who might overhear us, Julian read to me her entire long text describing her sixteen visions. She had first begun writing her book the same year I had nearly died bearing my first child, gone mad, and received my first vision. Julian's Revelations of Divine Love filled me with an inescapable sense of divine presence. Of hope and ineffable love and longing. Her words and phrases sang inside my heart as though they had always been there but I'd been too wrapped up in my own petty miseries to hear them until this moment.
Contemplate the Beloved with all your heart. It is by our longing for our Beloved that we are liberated. Know the truth-there is absolutely nothing separating the Divine Soul from the human soul. Know that you are never alone. How could we ever be separated from our Divine Mother? We are all holy creatures of endless life. There is really no such thing as mortal sin. We suffer from the consequences of grave error and then our Mother redeems us. Though we cannot know the ultimate reality with our limited five senses, in the next life we will see our Beloved face-to-face and all that has perplexed us on earth will suddenly become clear. All is well and all shall be well. All manner of things shall be well.
P. 200 after returning from her pilgrimage
After landing in Yarmouth, I hastened to Norwich where I hoped to spill my every tale to Julian. Oh, to sit with her again and receive her wise counsel, her friendship as comforting as coddled wine. But when I arrived at her anchorage window, the shutters were closed. Her maid sadly informed me that Julian was ill and not receiving visitors. Alas, I had no money to stay on in Norwich while waiting for her recov ery, and the Sisters at Carrow Priory accommodated me for only two nights before they packed me off home in a wool wagon. To my deep disappointment, my daughter Anna remained lukewarm to me and seemed relieved to see me depart.
Thus, not a ha'penny left in my purse, I returned to Bishop's Lynn after nearly two years of travel.
When pilgrims first set off on their jubilant and perilous journey to holy places, nobody ever warns them what an ordeal it is to come home. My travels had utterly transformed me. I had witnessed a holy man being burned alive as a supposed heretic. I had conversed with all manner of educated holy women across Europe. Saint Bridget's maidservant had wept in my arms. I had learned to speak Italian. I had crossed the Alps on foot, ridden an ass across the Holy Land, and befriended a Muslim man. I had swooned in thrall of my visions in the Holy Sepulcher.
But what did anyone here in Lynn care? The town was just as money counting and full of snake-tongued gossips as ever. When I crossed the Saturday Market, my pilgrim's staff ringing out against the cobbles, fishwives and cheese mongers pointed and sniggered, as though they were in on some nasty surprise in store for me. I dragged my feet every step down those all-too-familiar streets.
P. 216
"You caused much consternation," he said, "with your cries to Mother God. The canons of Bristol raised the alarm and all but or- dered me to examine you for heresy, such a terror they have of Old- castle and his Lollard plots." He sounded weary, as though he wanted no part of this but his hands were tied.
I had always been able to elude such accusations before, but what defense could I offer after so many witnesses had heard my utterances? My only hope was to defiantly bluster through.
"I'm no Lollard," I declared. "I've nothing in common with poor John Badby."
Badby, I knew, had been sentenced to burn because he had denied the sacrament of the Eucharist and proclaimed that the host was sim- ply a wafer made of flour and water, not the body of Christ.
"All Bristol saw me falling in reverence before the true host," I said. "As for calling out to Mother God, Bernard of Clairvaux and his Cister- cian Brothers did exactly the same three centuries ago. You yourself know me to be a good man's daughter."
I hoped to hide my terror under my boldness. But what if the bishop or his henchmen discovered Julian's manuscript?
If anything, my tirade seemed to relieve the bishop. His hunched shoulders eased.
"I forget my hospitality," he said.
What astonished me most was how he bent with great humility to draw me to my feet even though he was so frail that I feared he might fall.
"You must stay here as my guest, Margery Kempe, until a ship ar- rives to take you to Spain." At that, he smiled, as though in gratitude that we could put this ugly talk of heresy behind us.
P. 237
"Mistress Margery!" the pregnant fishmonger called out. With her flushed cheeks, she looked no older than twenty, so fresh with youth and good health. "May Our Lady and all the saints protect you!"
"I have faith in God and I'm not afraid to die," I told them, even as my heart lurched in dread at what lay in store.
The women exchanged wide-eyed glances before a stout brewer with a broad, kind face stepped forward. Even from the attic window, I could smell the odor of hops and yeast coming off her kirtle and coif. "Mistress, can you tell us any more of what Dame Julian told you?"
"Hush!" a merchant's wife cried. "You'll get poor Mistress Mar- gery into even deeper trouble."
"Peace," I said. "As long as I have a tongue, I'll speak. Dame Julian said Our Lord showed her a little thing as round and small as a hazel- nut in her palm. She looked at it and asked herself what it could be."
The women clustered tightly, their faces raised as they listened.
"God told her, 'It is all that's made.' Yet she wondered how it could last, being so small-it looked as though it could simply disappear."
Despite my every resolve to remain strong and steadfast, my voice broke. "The answer appeared in Julian's mind. 'It lasts forever and will last forever because God loves it."
At the word love, I lost all power to hold back my tears at the loss of her. How could I go on without her, my friend who knew my soul bet- ter than any confessor? Not only that, I feared I had failed her. Failed to keep the oath I'd sworn to her almost four years ago-that I, unwor- thy though I was, would keep her book safe so it couldn't be destroyed. Her precious pages, hidden inside my pilgrim's staff, now lay at the mercy of Master Thwaite. Could he be trusted to keep his word and give it to my husband if I never saw freedom again? If so, what would John do if he discovered the manuscript?
Seeing my tears, the women, too, were moved. The oldest among them cried out to me as though I were her daughter. "Alas, Mistress Margery! Why should you be burned?"
"They might burn me," I called down. "But they can never burn the truth."
P. 286
"What do you say to this, Margery Kempe?" the abbot asked.
"I receive absolution from a priest at least once a year," I answered honestly. It would have been prudent to stop there, but my tongue would not be still. "Yet above all, I believe in the power of divine love and redemption."
Now I understood why these men feared and hated me so much. If I could live in union with my Beloved and seek his grace and goodness in my heart, what need had I for any of them? Unlike Julian and the other Holy Sisters I'd met on my travels, I hadn't renounced the world but was living in it. An ordinary wife of Lynn could touch the divine. And so usurp these men's power.
Pp 74-76. Her encounter with Julian of Norwich
"They were so real, Margery. I saw Our Lord's passion. I felt his hot blood dripping on my face. And then he opened up his heart and showed me what lay inside. I saw such love endless love. It was so vivid, it ravished my heart. I lost myself in him."
Her words left me swaying.
"What's more," she said. "In all he revealed to me, I saw neither sin nor blame nor wrath nor even hell. I could only conclude that sin has no substance. It cannot be discerned at all save for the pain it causes -for a time. In this sense, you could even say our failings and mis takes are necessary, for they serve to purify us and make us know our- selves and ask for mercy. Think of this, dear Margery-all our trials and anguish are tastes of Christ's passion. But behind the reality of our deepest suffering lies the mystery of God's love. Know that all is well."
Her words lifted me to such a high place that I could gaze down upon the world as though it were a map. I was lifted higher and higher until I could behold this precious tender world and all the starry heavens nestling like a hazelnut in God's palm.
"After that," she said, "I couldn't go on living a worldly life, so I chose this life as an anchoress. It had to be this way, you understand. I couldn't bear to stay on as a Sister at Carrow and have my prioress and her priest cross-examine me about my visions at every turn. I needed privacy and solitude to make sense of it all. I've devoted the past forty years to contemplating all I've seen. But I never for a moment doubted what our Beloved revealed to me. And neither, dear Margery, should you doubt what he has shown to you."
Dame Julian, the holy and high-learned anchoress, spoke to me as though I were her peer. A mystic, like her. This made me weep all the more-in gratitude and wonder.
"When Our Lord visits us with the gift of tears," she said, taking my hand, "it serves as proof that the Holy Ghost dwells inside us. No evil spirit can grant the gift of tears. Saint Jerome wrote that our tears torment devils more than all the agonies of hell." She leaned forward as if intent that I commit her every word to memory.
"The seat of God is in your soul. Dear sister, how can you believe in God if you don't believe in yourself? Until you have faith in your calling and all the grace he has revealed to you?"
The room seemed to shift around me as her words nestled in my heart. Even the air I breathed seemed redolent with blessing.
"Set all your trust in God and don't worry about what the world says of you." She cracked a smile. "If some people dislike you, perhaps that means you're doing something right."
I laughed for the first time in days. All my life I had been seeking someone like her. A wise friend. A spiritual authority. A confidante who understood my womanly condition and to whom I could tell everything, holding nothing back. Dame Julian gave me the greatest gift any human being could give-permission to trust myself.
"So my quest to leave my family and go on pilgrimage isn't selfish?" My heartbeat quickened.
She squeezed my hand. "As surely as I needed to enclose myself in a solitary cell to make sense of what I saw, it seems that you need to go out into the great world as a pilgrim to make sense of what our Beloved has shown to you."
I finally worked up the courage to ask what riddled me most. "How did you know my birthday? Or that I would come?"
The anchoress and I had lived our separate lives in towns more than forty miles apart. We had never met before and were not even the most distant of kin.
"Our Beloved revealed your face and your quest," she said. "I would know you anywhere."
As she spoke, a sleek ginger cat emerged from a dark corner and leapt into her lap.
"Such an infernal creature is allowed inside your anchorage?" I asked in alarm. From earliest childhood I'd been taught that cats were creatures of the night, in league with demons.
Dame Julian laughed. "How can any of God's creatures be infer- nal? Of course, I keep a cat. I live by the river. If it wasn't for dear Ru- fus, this place would be swarming with rats."
Rufus blinked his green eyes at me as though he were every bit as wise as his mistress.
As I laughed with Julian, a sense of buoyancy seized me, as if the two of us could fly away like swift-darting swallows, utterly unbur dened.
"Dame Julian, is it true that you wrote a book?"
"Indeed I have." A shadow fell across her face. But she continued to gaze at me steadily while stroking the cat. "Though many wish I hadn't."
She gave me a look of warning as a priest and his acolytes entered the small church in preparation for the next Mass. Only when the men disappeared into the sacristy did she lean forward and begin to speak in a voice as soft as her cat's purring. "If you so desire, I shall read my book to you in its entirety."
I stayed with Dame Julian for the next seven days, only returning to the priory to sleep. Nell, meanwhile, suffered to sit at the back of the church and fetch ale and fish pies from the market for us. But Julian's words were my true sustenance. They made the outer world drop away.
When there was no Mass being sung nor none milling about the church who might overhear us, Julian read to me her entire long text describing her sixteen visions. She had first begun writing her book the same year I had nearly died bearing my first child, gone mad, and received my first vision. Julian's Revelations of Divine Love filled me with an inescapable sense of divine presence. Of hope and ineffable love and longing. Her words and phrases sang inside my heart as though they had always been there but I'd been too wrapped up in my own petty miseries to hear them until this moment.
Contemplate the Beloved with all your heart. It is by our longing for our Beloved that we are liberated. Know the truth-there is absolutely nothing separating the Divine Soul from the human soul. Know that you are never alone. How could we ever be separated from our Divine Mother? We are all holy creatures of endless life. There is really no such thing as mortal sin. We suffer from the consequences of grave error and then our Mother redeems us. Though we cannot know the ultimate reality with our limited five senses, in the next life we will see our Beloved face-to-face and all that has perplexed us on earth will suddenly become clear. All is well and all shall be well. All manner of things shall be well.
P. 200 after returning from her pilgrimage
After landing in Yarmouth, I hastened to Norwich where I hoped to spill my every tale to Julian. Oh, to sit with her again and receive her wise counsel, her friendship as comforting as coddled wine. But when I arrived at her anchorage window, the shutters were closed. Her maid sadly informed me that Julian was ill and not receiving visitors. Alas, I had no money to stay on in Norwich while waiting for her recov ery, and the Sisters at Carrow Priory accommodated me for only two nights before they packed me off home in a wool wagon. To my deep disappointment, my daughter Anna remained lukewarm to me and seemed relieved to see me depart.
Thus, not a ha'penny left in my purse, I returned to Bishop's Lynn after nearly two years of travel.
When pilgrims first set off on their jubilant and perilous journey to holy places, nobody ever warns them what an ordeal it is to come home. My travels had utterly transformed me. I had witnessed a holy man being burned alive as a supposed heretic. I had conversed with all manner of educated holy women across Europe. Saint Bridget's maidservant had wept in my arms. I had learned to speak Italian. I had crossed the Alps on foot, ridden an ass across the Holy Land, and befriended a Muslim man. I had swooned in thrall of my visions in the Holy Sepulcher.
But what did anyone here in Lynn care? The town was just as money counting and full of snake-tongued gossips as ever. When I crossed the Saturday Market, my pilgrim's staff ringing out against the cobbles, fishwives and cheese mongers pointed and sniggered, as though they were in on some nasty surprise in store for me. I dragged my feet every step down those all-too-familiar streets.
P. 216
"You caused much consternation," he said, "with your cries to Mother God. The canons of Bristol raised the alarm and all but or- dered me to examine you for heresy, such a terror they have of Old- castle and his Lollard plots." He sounded weary, as though he wanted no part of this but his hands were tied.
I had always been able to elude such accusations before, but what defense could I offer after so many witnesses had heard my utterances? My only hope was to defiantly bluster through.
"I'm no Lollard," I declared. "I've nothing in common with poor John Badby."
Badby, I knew, had been sentenced to burn because he had denied the sacrament of the Eucharist and proclaimed that the host was sim- ply a wafer made of flour and water, not the body of Christ.
"All Bristol saw me falling in reverence before the true host," I said. "As for calling out to Mother God, Bernard of Clairvaux and his Cister- cian Brothers did exactly the same three centuries ago. You yourself know me to be a good man's daughter."
I hoped to hide my terror under my boldness. But what if the bishop or his henchmen discovered Julian's manuscript?
If anything, my tirade seemed to relieve the bishop. His hunched shoulders eased.
"I forget my hospitality," he said.
What astonished me most was how he bent with great humility to draw me to my feet even though he was so frail that I feared he might fall.
"You must stay here as my guest, Margery Kempe, until a ship ar- rives to take you to Spain." At that, he smiled, as though in gratitude that we could put this ugly talk of heresy behind us.
P. 237
"Mistress Margery!" the pregnant fishmonger called out. With her flushed cheeks, she looked no older than twenty, so fresh with youth and good health. "May Our Lady and all the saints protect you!"
"I have faith in God and I'm not afraid to die," I told them, even as my heart lurched in dread at what lay in store.
The women exchanged wide-eyed glances before a stout brewer with a broad, kind face stepped forward. Even from the attic window, I could smell the odor of hops and yeast coming off her kirtle and coif. "Mistress, can you tell us any more of what Dame Julian told you?"
"Hush!" a merchant's wife cried. "You'll get poor Mistress Mar- gery into even deeper trouble."
"Peace," I said. "As long as I have a tongue, I'll speak. Dame Julian said Our Lord showed her a little thing as round and small as a hazel- nut in her palm. She looked at it and asked herself what it could be."
The women clustered tightly, their faces raised as they listened.
"God told her, 'It is all that's made.' Yet she wondered how it could last, being so small-it looked as though it could simply disappear."
Despite my every resolve to remain strong and steadfast, my voice broke. "The answer appeared in Julian's mind. 'It lasts forever and will last forever because God loves it."
At the word love, I lost all power to hold back my tears at the loss of her. How could I go on without her, my friend who knew my soul bet- ter than any confessor? Not only that, I feared I had failed her. Failed to keep the oath I'd sworn to her almost four years ago-that I, unwor- thy though I was, would keep her book safe so it couldn't be destroyed. Her precious pages, hidden inside my pilgrim's staff, now lay at the mercy of Master Thwaite. Could he be trusted to keep his word and give it to my husband if I never saw freedom again? If so, what would John do if he discovered the manuscript?
Seeing my tears, the women, too, were moved. The oldest among them cried out to me as though I were her daughter. "Alas, Mistress Margery! Why should you be burned?"
"They might burn me," I called down. "But they can never burn the truth."
P. 286
"What do you say to this, Margery Kempe?" the abbot asked.
"I receive absolution from a priest at least once a year," I answered honestly. It would have been prudent to stop there, but my tongue would not be still. "Yet above all, I believe in the power of divine love and redemption."
Now I understood why these men feared and hated me so much. If I could live in union with my Beloved and seek his grace and goodness in my heart, what need had I for any of them? Unlike Julian and the other Holy Sisters I'd met on my travels, I hadn't renounced the world but was living in it. An ordinary wife of Lynn could touch the divine. And so usurp these men's power.
April 25, 2021
I received this as a review copy via NetGalley.
A fictionalised account of the life of Margery of Kempe, generally regarded as being the author of the first autobiography in English. Mystic, wife, mother, pilgrim, accused heretic, all-round confounder of stereotypes and expectations. Margery always comes across as something quite extraordinary, beginning with the fact that we know anything about her at all - so few medieval women are known to the historical record, let alone in her own words. (Well, probably; she's recorded as having dictated her account to a scribe. But I don't think anyone seriously doubts that her words are her own.)
What Sharratt chooses to do in order to really bring Christianity and mysticism to the forefront is highlight Margery's friendship with Julian of Norwich. They definitely did know each other, so that bit isn't a problem. Julian was an anchorite - she took vows and was sealed up in a room that she never left, the better to contemplate God. She was also an author - the first named English female author, in fact. Her book was about revelations from God, concerning grace and love and the overwhelming affection that God has for creation; and she goes so far as to refer to 'Mother God', and call God's love maternal. Sharratt makes her quite accessible, here, and the fate of her book is a significant part of the story - written as it was when England was terrified (and intrigued) by "Lollardy" - the idea of having the Bible in English and challenging the supremacy of priests as interpreters of God's word, and various other things imputed to them.
Julian and Margery together certainly challenge the structure of the medieval Catholic Church. Margery, too, claimed to have visions, and Sharratt includes them as genuine and deeply affective experiences. Through Julian and Margery, Sharratt touches on some of the issues facing the Catholic Church throughout the Middles Ages - the role of priests and of communion and the accessibility of God to laypeople. The book doesn't get especially deep into these issues, though. There are some truly despicable friars and priests, but also some genuinely loving and holy ones. Margery and Julian are certainly shown to be faithful daughters of God.
The one thing that troubled me here was some of the historical licence taken. Various true events have been included out of time for emotional impact: Margery witnessing the burning of Jan Hus, for instance. I don't really see that this was necessary to heighten the tension, and I don't think Margery needed to see someone being executed in order to have the reality of the dangers she faced brought home.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's well written and a fast read (I read it in a single, admittedly uninterrupted, day). It's useful for emphasising both the similarities of the Middle Ages to our own time, as well as the vast differences. I already knew a little about both Julian and Margery, so I don't know what this would be like with no prior knowledge; I suspect it would be fine.
A fictionalised account of the life of Margery of Kempe, generally regarded as being the author of the first autobiography in English. Mystic, wife, mother, pilgrim, accused heretic, all-round confounder of stereotypes and expectations. Margery always comes across as something quite extraordinary, beginning with the fact that we know anything about her at all - so few medieval women are known to the historical record, let alone in her own words. (Well, probably; she's recorded as having dictated her account to a scribe. But I don't think anyone seriously doubts that her words are her own.)
What Sharratt chooses to do in order to really bring Christianity and mysticism to the forefront is highlight Margery's friendship with Julian of Norwich. They definitely did know each other, so that bit isn't a problem. Julian was an anchorite - she took vows and was sealed up in a room that she never left, the better to contemplate God. She was also an author - the first named English female author, in fact. Her book was about revelations from God, concerning grace and love and the overwhelming affection that God has for creation; and she goes so far as to refer to 'Mother God', and call God's love maternal. Sharratt makes her quite accessible, here, and the fate of her book is a significant part of the story - written as it was when England was terrified (and intrigued) by "Lollardy" - the idea of having the Bible in English and challenging the supremacy of priests as interpreters of God's word, and various other things imputed to them.
Julian and Margery together certainly challenge the structure of the medieval Catholic Church. Margery, too, claimed to have visions, and Sharratt includes them as genuine and deeply affective experiences. Through Julian and Margery, Sharratt touches on some of the issues facing the Catholic Church throughout the Middles Ages - the role of priests and of communion and the accessibility of God to laypeople. The book doesn't get especially deep into these issues, though. There are some truly despicable friars and priests, but also some genuinely loving and holy ones. Margery and Julian are certainly shown to be faithful daughters of God.
The one thing that troubled me here was some of the historical licence taken. Various true events have been included out of time for emotional impact: Margery witnessing the burning of Jan Hus, for instance. I don't really see that this was necessary to heighten the tension, and I don't think Margery needed to see someone being executed in order to have the reality of the dangers she faced brought home.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's well written and a fast read (I read it in a single, admittedly uninterrupted, day). It's useful for emphasising both the similarities of the Middle Ages to our own time, as well as the vast differences. I already knew a little about both Julian and Margery, so I don't know what this would be like with no prior knowledge; I suspect it would be fine.
June 29, 2021
My Thoughts:
Revelations is a remarkable story. It is a story that causes me to pause and reflect on what it must have been like to be a woman who didn’t have a choice to say no. No was a forbidden word for females. Females were to be compliant and obedient. If they were not, they were viewed with suspicion.
Several reasons led me to give an excellent rating to Revelations.
1. I love the characterization of Margery Kempe. She is a woman ahead of her times. She loves her children but felt drawn to something more. She illustrates what grief does to people. She has a strong personality but is stifled by culture. Her character develops in her maturity. Through her story, I understand maternal and child health during this era.
2. I have not read another story about Margery Kempe.
3. Descriptive setting of her travel mode, scenery, people, and the places or cities she saw.
4. Other female characters in the story gave different perspectives on women’s lives of this era and how they felt about Margery.
5. The story is chronological or linear. I am so glad to read a story that is not multiple time periods going back and forth.
6. The story shows male and female relationships, especially marriage. I am more sad than angry at the dominance of males over females. Sad for the females of course.
7. The story shows the different roles or responses from her children. People are people and their perspective and behavior is varied, but I saw her children showing different responses to her life.
8. Inner and outward conflicts.
9. Revelations is one of my favorite types of historical fiction: women in history.
10. There is a building of sensory, imagination, fear, anxiety, and tension.
Themes in Revelations: death and dying, bravery, courage, kindness, innocence, shame, suffering, judgement, injustice, conformity, charity, and hope.
Source: Self-purchase.
Audience: Readers of historical fiction.
Rating: Excellent.
April 14, 2021
Margery Kempe, the only daughter of the mayor of Bishop’s Lynn, England has made a tough decision in 1413. She has decided to leave her home, her husband, and her fourteen children to go on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem as a way to honor her late father’s dying wishes. As she begins her journey, she meets the famous anchoress Julian of Norwich, who entrusts Margery with an important mission. She gives Margery her book Revelations of Divine Love and tells her to spread her message throughout the world in secret. Margery’s pilgrimage, her connection to Julian of Norwich, and the aftermath of her journey are intricately woven together in Mary Sharratt’s stunning novel, “Revelations”.
I would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. When I read the description of this novel, I was intrigued. I have heard the names Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich floating around in recent years, but I sadly knew nothing about their life stories. I hoped that this novel would shed some light on both women and why they are remembered in such high regard today.
Sharratt’s novel is based on the research of historians, such as Dr. Janina Ramirez, who have argued that Margery Kempe knew Julian of Norwich and that Julian gave Margery her precious book Revelations of Divine Love. Margery is no ordinary woman as she has visions that will guide her to the path in which she believes God has chosen for her.
We begin with Margery as a young maiden, who has no desire to marry the man that her family has told her to marry. Reluctantly, she does marry John Kempe and they have fourteen children together. It is during the birth of her fourteenth child, Margery almost dies and so she decided to make a vow of celibacy, which her husband reluctantly agrees to. It was not until her father’s death that Margery chooses to fulfill his dream for her, to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Since John chose not to go on pilgrimage with his wife, she decides to don the clothes of a bride of Christ, which means to dress all in white as a virgin.
Many believe that Margery’s visions, her sudden bursts of tears, and her choice to leave her family make her an evil woman. Except for Julian of Norwich, the famed anchoress, and someone who understood Margery’s struggles. Since Julian could not walk away from her duty as an anchoress to explore the world, she gave Margery the treacherous task of carrying her book throughout the world, giving it only those scholars who could be trusted with the knowledge of this scandalous text.
Margery’s journey to discover who she was meant to be is deep and riveting. It showed how even in the early 1400s, there was a struggle between different views of Christianity. From women accused of preaching in the streets to those accused of Lollardy, there was a real sense of danger and death for those who did not follow the status quo. Sharratt shows the dangers that a woman faced when she traveled on pilgrimage alone, but she also showed how deep Margery’s faith was and how willing she was to make sure that her message was heard. If I did have a small concern, it would be that I wish Sharratt delved into the writing of Margery Kempe’s autobiography, The Book of Margery Kempe.
As someone who has never read anything about Julian of Norwich or Margery Kempe, I found this novel enchanting. This was the first novel that I have read by Mary Sharratt and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a delightful escape into the past and the life of a friendship and a pilgrimage that would change the life of Margery Kempe forever. If this sounds intriguing to you, check out “Revelations” by Mary Sharratt.
I would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. When I read the description of this novel, I was intrigued. I have heard the names Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich floating around in recent years, but I sadly knew nothing about their life stories. I hoped that this novel would shed some light on both women and why they are remembered in such high regard today.
Sharratt’s novel is based on the research of historians, such as Dr. Janina Ramirez, who have argued that Margery Kempe knew Julian of Norwich and that Julian gave Margery her precious book Revelations of Divine Love. Margery is no ordinary woman as she has visions that will guide her to the path in which she believes God has chosen for her.
We begin with Margery as a young maiden, who has no desire to marry the man that her family has told her to marry. Reluctantly, she does marry John Kempe and they have fourteen children together. It is during the birth of her fourteenth child, Margery almost dies and so she decided to make a vow of celibacy, which her husband reluctantly agrees to. It was not until her father’s death that Margery chooses to fulfill his dream for her, to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Since John chose not to go on pilgrimage with his wife, she decides to don the clothes of a bride of Christ, which means to dress all in white as a virgin.
Many believe that Margery’s visions, her sudden bursts of tears, and her choice to leave her family make her an evil woman. Except for Julian of Norwich, the famed anchoress, and someone who understood Margery’s struggles. Since Julian could not walk away from her duty as an anchoress to explore the world, she gave Margery the treacherous task of carrying her book throughout the world, giving it only those scholars who could be trusted with the knowledge of this scandalous text.
Margery’s journey to discover who she was meant to be is deep and riveting. It showed how even in the early 1400s, there was a struggle between different views of Christianity. From women accused of preaching in the streets to those accused of Lollardy, there was a real sense of danger and death for those who did not follow the status quo. Sharratt shows the dangers that a woman faced when she traveled on pilgrimage alone, but she also showed how deep Margery’s faith was and how willing she was to make sure that her message was heard. If I did have a small concern, it would be that I wish Sharratt delved into the writing of Margery Kempe’s autobiography, The Book of Margery Kempe.
As someone who has never read anything about Julian of Norwich or Margery Kempe, I found this novel enchanting. This was the first novel that I have read by Mary Sharratt and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a delightful escape into the past and the life of a friendship and a pilgrimage that would change the life of Margery Kempe forever. If this sounds intriguing to you, check out “Revelations” by Mary Sharratt.
July 23, 2022
1.5 stars. Putting this down at the halfway mark. Getting to 50% was an unexpected struggle. Man did I want to like this book. As the obnoxious grad student who argued, with her classmates and professor, that Margery Kemp was totally worthy of being included with all the legitimate female mystics and not just an annoying, crazy lady, I was super hyped to read "Revelations." Unfortunately, Sharratt's characterization of dame Kemp made me want to put my head through a wall.
Sharratt wants to make Margery some kind of daring proto-feminist visionary, oppressed by a patriarchal society and Church. Which Kemp kind of was, however, where Kemp in her own work, for me at least, succeeds in conveying her own daringness to go forth, see the world, and cry on everything for Christ, Sharratt only makes Kemp annoying. Somehow, she tapped into the problems others have with Kemp's own narrative, the stuff I guess I found interesting in a primary context, and distilled Kemp down to her most annoying self.
The writing is also very uneven, with the author using too many "modernisms" do describe a late medieval world. Now I could be wrong, but no medieval would refer to the lavatory as "the throne." Such anachronisms fill the text, and it's just annoying. This book is as annoying as Margery Kemp's companions accused her of being. I probably need to come back and rewrite this review after I've thought on "Revelations" more but, to whoever reads this, do yourself a favor and read "the Book of Magery Kemp" you'll get more out of it.
Sharratt wants to make Margery some kind of daring proto-feminist visionary, oppressed by a patriarchal society and Church. Which Kemp kind of was, however, where Kemp in her own work, for me at least, succeeds in conveying her own daringness to go forth, see the world, and cry on everything for Christ, Sharratt only makes Kemp annoying. Somehow, she tapped into the problems others have with Kemp's own narrative, the stuff I guess I found interesting in a primary context, and distilled Kemp down to her most annoying self.
The writing is also very uneven, with the author using too many "modernisms" do describe a late medieval world. Now I could be wrong, but no medieval would refer to the lavatory as "the throne." Such anachronisms fill the text, and it's just annoying. This book is as annoying as Margery Kemp's companions accused her of being. I probably need to come back and rewrite this review after I've thought on "Revelations" more but, to whoever reads this, do yourself a favor and read "the Book of Magery Kemp" you'll get more out of it.
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