Entrambe, sebbene per motivi diversi, vissero una vita di sofferenza e dolore fino al momento dell'avvicinamento a Dio, nel quale, non solo troveranno la loro ragione d'essere, ma sfideranno tutti gli schemi sociali pur di vivere a pieno il loro credo. Sì, perché essere anacorete o profete in quel periodo storico significava rischiare l'accusa di eresia e la condanna al rogo.

This is an extraordinary novel about two extraordinary women, the books they wrote and how those books survived. In 1934, while looking for a ping pong ball in the house of Lieutenant Colonel William Butler-Bowdon, a guest stumbled upon the only complete manuscript of The Book of Margery Kempe. Butler-Bowdon threatened to throw it on the bonfire, saying “then we may be able to find ping pong balls and bats when we want them”. Fortunately he changed his mind, and the manuscript of the earliest English autobiography is now safely in the British Library. Peccato che per le prime 141 pagine di 170 non succede niente, solo allora le due si incontrato, fino a quel momento riporta in maniera del tutto monotona i loro pensieri. Comprendo il contenuto, ma non si può parlare della stessa cosa per 141 pagine con le stesse parole. The first title in the deal, Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain, is a literary novel based on the lives of two medieval mystics, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. Set in 1413, it explores medieval women’s lives, the effects of grief and trauma, and the genesis of women’s writing.Magnificent, bold and compelling ... The writing is sometimes raw, at other times very beautiful - and from a place of deep knowledge and love of the historical period -- ROSIE ANDREWS, author of THE LEVIATHAN Intimately observed, lyrically written and meticulously researched. I loved this' KIRSTY LOGAN, author of Things We Say in the Dark

Set in 1413, this novel sees a pivotal meeting of two female mystics from the Middle Ages. Margery Kempe has left her fourteen children and abusive husband behind to make her journey to meet Julian of Norwich, an anchoress withdrawn from the secular world. Margery has visions of Christ that not only get her into trouble with her husband, but also the men of the church, who denounce her visions as heresy. Have a listen to Victoria's conversation with Shahidha Bari on BBC Radio 4's Front Row (recording begins at 15:13) Intimately observed, lyrically written and meticulously researched' KIRSTY LOGAN, author of THINGS WE SAY IN THE DARK Having studied and enjoyed the works of both Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich during my Masters, I was excited to hear that there was a novella imagining a situation whereby the two women meet.Julian, an anchoress, has not left Norwich, nor the cell to which she has been confined, for twenty-­three years. She has told no one of her own visions - and knows that time is running out for her to do so. Margery has left her fourteen children and husband behind to make her journey. Her visions of Christ – which have long alienated her from her family and neighbours, and incurred her husband’s abuse – have placed her in danger with the men of the Church, who have begun to hound her as a heretic. Magnificent, bold and compelling' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Leviathan Julian, an anchoress, has not left Norwich, nor the cell to which she has been confined, for twenty-­three years. She has told no one of her own visions – and knows that time is running out for her to do so.

Incredibile come da Gennaio a oggi io sia riuscita a incappare in tutte letture noiose o poco interessanti. Questo libro non è stato differente dagli altri, eppure ci avevo creduto. Partiamo con il presupposto che nonostante non mi piacciano i Pov in questo caso li ho apprezzati. Mettere in parallelo le vicende e i pensieri di Margery e di Julian è stata un’ottima mossa, è stato come rivivere in contemporanea due vite diverse, ma molto simili nelle vicende. TWO books that constellate around the life and writings of Julian of Norwich. Both are written in the first person and offer an autobiographical account. Both have captured the voice of Julian in such an authentic way that their text could easily be transferred directly to the stage. Both demand performance. Magnificent, bold and compelling' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Leviathan 'A startling read ... Magic' JO BROWNING WROE, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling A Terrible Kindness A startling read ... Magic' JO BROWNING WROE, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling A Terrible KindnessAn astounding debut, both epic and intimate, about grief, trauma, revelation, and the hidden lives of women - by a major new talent

As a category, spiritual autobiography lends itself well to this kind of literary adventuring, and both these books make promising additions to an interesting genre. Lives of the saints come alive with a first-person narrative; roll on the stage performances. Unfortunately, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain was a huge disappointment. Despite being a novella, the book dragged on and was effectively little more than a description of the hardships the two women had faced. We all know that life was extremely hard during the Medieval times, and this was written realistically, but the premise spoke of a meeting; this did not occur until right at the end of the book and was fleeting to say the least.

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This is the best first novel I've read in years. It is short, yet so full and so vivid; it is amazing. -- RODDY DOYLE, author of LOVE Dramatic interest comes from Julian’s interpretation of the scraps of information that come through the window to her anchorhold. She passes judgement and has opinions. How troubling, then, that the Church also must come under scrutiny. Holy Mother Church can be less than a mother in its dealings, especially with stray mystics. Gilbert’s Julian makes an intellectual leap. She interrogates the Church, too, from the comparative safety of her cell and sets up a dialogue between her mystical and her lived experience. Victoria will be in conversation with Sally-Anne, whose 2016 BBC documentary The Search for the Lost Manuscript, tells the story of how Julian’s manuscript was hidden for centuries. They will discuss women’s voices in historical fiction, the tradition of spiritual writing and much more. The author may even bring something of her own experience of that search for meaning in ­suffering to bear: Gilbert’s previous book, Miles to Go Before I Sleep (2021), was a thought-provoking account of her own two-and-a-half years of gruelling cancer treatment.