For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain
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- Create Date：2023-01-15 00:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Victoria Mackenzie
- ISBN：1526647885
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Summary
An astounding debut， both epic and intimate， about grief， trauma， revelation， and the hidden lives of women - by a major new talent
In the year of 1413， two women meet for the first time in the city of Norwich。
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。
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。
The two women have stories to tell one another。 Stories about girlhood， motherhood， sickness， loss， doubt and belief; revelations more the powerful than the world is ready to hear。 Their meeting will change everything。
Sensual， vivid and humane， For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain cracks history open to reveal the lives of two extraordinary women
In the year of 1413， two women meet for the first time in the city of Norwich。
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。
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。
The two women have stories to tell one another。 Stories about girlhood， motherhood， sickness， loss， doubt and belief; revelations more the powerful than the world is ready to hear。 Their meeting will change everything。
Sensual， vivid and humane， For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain cracks history open to reveal the lives of two extraordinary women
Reviews
Annarella
，
There's a lot of books about historical witches and their persecution， there's not a lot of fiction books about mystics even if their life wasn't alwasy easy and they were often persecuted。Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich lived in the same time， they were both mystycs but their life is very different。Julian， the anchoress who wrote a very important book like Revelations of Divine Love that is very different from the average Middle Age theology。 An anchoress who lived in a small cell with a ca There's a lot of books about historical witches and their persecution， there's not a lot of fiction books about mystics even if their life wasn't alwasy easy and they were often persecuted。Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich lived in the same time， they were both mystycs but their life is very different。Julian， the anchoress who wrote a very important book like Revelations of Divine Love that is very different from the average Middle Age theology。 An anchoress who lived in a small cell with a cat and a woman to help herMargery the mother of 14 children， the histrionic preacher who was arrested and tried by the Inquisition more than once an travelled to Jerusalem and all over Europe。 A women who wrote the first autobiography in EnglishThis book is about them and I found it riveting and poignant。 The voices of these women sound "real"， similar to their voice in their books。It's not a long book but it's one that cause book-hangover as I wanted more， I didn't want to say good bye to these women and their incredible spiritual life。Two women who were able to chose a different life， women with a rich spiritual life and that strange gift call mystycism that mae them able to see what other couldn't see。It's an excellent debut and I strongly recommend it。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Vee Walker
，
My good fortune to read an advance copy of this book。 I predict it will become a book club favourite of 2023， encouraging debate about womens' rights and writing through time and wide-ranging discussions about the changing nature of faith and religious fervour， too。 My good fortune to read an advance copy of this book。 I predict it will become a book club favourite of 2023， encouraging debate about womens' rights and writing through time and wide-ranging discussions about the changing nature of faith and religious fervour， too。 。。。more
Holly
，
This is a well written book with an interesting premise but unfortunately I just did not feel motivated to pick this up， despite it's short size and I struggle to tell you why because on paper this is exactly my kind of book。I am giving this 3 stars but would never-the-less wholeheartedly recommend anyone interested in this time-period or in feminist history read this because I can foresee many people loving it。 This is a well written book with an interesting premise but unfortunately I just did not feel motivated to pick this up， despite it's short size and I struggle to tell you why because on paper this is exactly my kind of book。I am giving this 3 stars but would never-the-less wholeheartedly recommend anyone interested in this time-period or in feminist history read this because I can foresee many people loving it。 。。。more
Laura
，
This debut novella is told in short fragments， switching between first-person narration from the significant late fourteenth-century and early fifteenth-century female religious writers， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 As Victoria Mackenzie notes in her afterword， Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love is the earliest book written in English by a woman， while Margery’s dictated The Book of Margery Kempe is the first autobiography in English by anybody at all。 As my knowledge of these two figur This debut novella is told in short fragments， switching between first-person narration from the significant late fourteenth-century and early fifteenth-century female religious writers， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 As Victoria Mackenzie notes in her afterword， Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love is the earliest book written in English by a woman， while Margery’s dictated The Book of Margery Kempe is the first autobiography in English by anybody at all。 As my knowledge of these two figures is pretty limited， it’s hard to say how For Thy Great Pain。。。 would read to somebody who knows more about them; but I thought the clarity and simplicity with which Mackenzie conveyed the ideas these women struggled with was impressive。 While both wrestle with their relationship to God， I found that this novella both evoked how serious and important these questions were in the late medieval period， and had resonance for modern readers who don’t consider themselves to be religious。In the early sections， I struggled to tell Julian and Margery’s voices apart， but as the novel unfolds， Mackenzie establishes their distinctive characters and their very different attitudes to their holy visions。 This novella focuses on Julian’s time as an anchoress – she spent the last twenty-plus years of her life in a cell annexed to St Julian's Church in Norwich， with no physical contact with another human being。 Mackenzie beautifully handles Julian’s early difficulties in her isolation， and also the reasons why she chooses it。 'I had wanted to prolong each moment of my life， to get closer to experiencing time as God experiences it: not the instantly dissolving moment， but something larger and more encompassing。 A stillness that doesn't pass as soon as you think yourself into it。 I'd thought I would live as slowly as moss in my stone cell。 But。。。 I was myself， with all my usual racing thoughts'。 In contrast， Margery is perhaps less obviously sympathetic as she roams around， telling others of her visions and crying publicly and loudly about the sufferings of Christ。 Mackenzie writes her with wry humour， letting her desire to be remembered as a saint and comfort herself by thinking how she will be adored by God， Jesus and Mary in heaven even though she is mocked on earth。 However， the clever choice to juxtapose Margery’s story with Julian’s allows us to take her on her own terms rather than having to read her as a symbol of how all medieval merchant women engaged with religious faith。 We can see how her ostentatious holiness serves her in a patriarchal society， allowing her to do otherwise forbidden things like neglecting her children and refusing to have sex with her husband。 While Julian’s backstory is more likely to appeal to the modern reader – tragically widowed， losing her only child， unable to understand Margery’s ingratitude for her fourteen children – Margery brings us closer to the otherness of the medieval past。Despite the theological subject-matter， this book flowed so naturally that I found it difficult to put down， and even if I was sometimes inclined to skim the Margery sections to get back to Julian， I admired Mackenzie’s intentions in telling both of these stories。 。。。more
Kayleigh
，
Proof gifted by publisher*If I'd known what this was about rather than been sent it， I don't think I'd have picked it up。 Having been raised atheist， I just found this too spiritual for my tastes and the prose was not exactly an easy read。Of the two women I vastly preferred Julian， who seemed like a more reasonable， calm and rational figure over Margery。Margery， to my uncultured eyes， seemed absolutely bananas。 I mean I guess brave， but also narcissistic， stupid and selfish。 Her poor children wh Proof gifted by publisher*If I'd known what this was about rather than been sent it， I don't think I'd have picked it up。 Having been raised atheist， I just found this too spiritual for my tastes and the prose was not exactly an easy read。Of the two women I vastly preferred Julian， who seemed like a more reasonable， calm and rational figure over Margery。Margery， to my uncultured eyes， seemed absolutely bananas。 I mean I guess brave， but also narcissistic， stupid and selfish。 Her poor children who she apparently hates。 And I do appreciate why she hated them - women in modern times are traumatised by birth， and 14 medieval births is quite a feat， and must have been a real ordeal。There was barely a plot， just lots of preaching from both women。 I did like when they met but sadly this was most of the way into the book。The epilogue I found interesting having had no prior exposure to either Margery Kempe or Julian of Norwich。 Maybe I needed that or some other explanation at the beginning。Overall it might be worth a try if you're already familiar with the history of both figures or if you don't mind heavily spiritual character based books。 。。。more
Stephen Dilley
，
Victoria Mackenzie's debut novel 'For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain' offers a fictional account of a real-life meeting between the medieval mystics Julian of Norwich and Margery of Kempe in the early 15th Century。 They are now recognised as two of the most important women of their age， but in their lifetimes experienced pain and loss and faced great prejudice and abuse。 Although the two women's meeting is the focal point of Mackenzie's novel， this only occupies the final few pages Victoria Mackenzie's debut novel 'For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain' offers a fictional account of a real-life meeting between the medieval mystics Julian of Norwich and Margery of Kempe in the early 15th Century。 They are now recognised as two of the most important women of their age， but in their lifetimes experienced pain and loss and faced great prejudice and abuse。 Although the two women's meeting is the focal point of Mackenzie's novel， this only occupies the final few pages of the book and I felt that the real interest lay in the accounts the two women give of their own lives leading up to this moment。 Writing in short sections which alternate between Margery and Julian， Mackenzie fully inhabits both women's voices and very quickly brings to life both their struggles and their extraordinary visions。Importantly， Mackenzie takes both women on their own terms and resists the temptation to rationalise or pathologise their religious experiences。 While there are aspects of their lives which speak very directly to a modern audience - not the least the ways that Margery in particular is continually belittled by those around her - Mackenzie's account also feels faithful to the times in which both women were living and the ways that they saw the world。 And what beauty and richness there is to be found in their voices！ I was especially struck by the lyricism of Julian's observations despite her physical confinement， for instance when she describes herself as "an arrow， sprung from a box in God's service" or watches "the world coming into being， leaf by leaf， brick by brick， cloud by cloud， as if every day God says Let there be light and creates the world afresh。" Perhaps the greatest tribute I can pay to the novel is that it has motivated me to discover more about these two women by reading their own words。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel to review！ 。。。more
Jennifer Li
，
3。5This is a fictional retelling based on the lives of two women who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries， drawing on two translated works， The Book of Margery Kempe translated by B A Windett and Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich translated by Elizabeth Spearing。Julian and Margery’s narratives are told side by side， with their stories aligning as they both see visions of Christ and they are destined to meet。 Julian deals with the heavy grief of losing her father and sibl 3。5This is a fictional retelling based on the lives of two women who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries， drawing on two translated works， The Book of Margery Kempe translated by B A Windett and Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich translated by Elizabeth Spearing。Julian and Margery’s narratives are told side by side， with their stories aligning as they both see visions of Christ and they are destined to meet。 Julian deals with the heavy grief of losing her father and siblings at the age of 7 and then subsequently losing her husband and daughter to the plague。 She decides to live the rest of her life in isolation by becoming the anchoress of Norwich to demonstrate her acceptance of the path that God has chosen for her。 Margery’s journey is different where she has an abundance of children （14！） but the calling of Christ ignites a fire inside her that she is destined to share the world of her sightings and her devout faith than just being a quiet obedient mother and staying subservient to her husband。 Both women are mystics but they clearly profess their faith in very different ways。 While this book has a heavy religious focus， not being of Christian faith myself， I was still able to enjoy this fast paced story that illuminates the lives of these women。 This retelling sets the feel and tone of the stories to be in medieval times with these women constrained by the limitations of women in olden times。 It was interesting to read how Margery’s devotion to her faith and her open expression of it was mocked， feared and disbelieved。 Whereas if it had been a man， there would be no doubt that he would have been worshipped and impressed。I personally found Julian’s hardships to be devastating and traumatising。 However， the way she channelled her grief and loss into being a revered anchoress is admirable。It is brilliant that the author has brought back these two important medieval texts by women back into discussion。 。。。more
Aoife MF
，
This debut from Victoria MacKenzie is beautiful， insightful， moving， wry & inspiring。 It hits a sweet spot for me between the literary and the irresistibly readable; the kind of book that sucks you right in and delivers you back to the world with fresh perspective。 The works of Margery Kempe （The Book of Margery Kempe） & Julian of Norwich （Revelations of Divine Love） are not obscure。 But while their writings about mysticism have always fascinated me， the women themselves have often felt remote。 This debut from Victoria MacKenzie is beautiful， insightful， moving， wry & inspiring。 It hits a sweet spot for me between the literary and the irresistibly readable; the kind of book that sucks you right in and delivers you back to the world with fresh perspective。 The works of Margery Kempe （The Book of Margery Kempe） & Julian of Norwich （Revelations of Divine Love） are not obscure。 But while their writings about mysticism have always fascinated me， the women themselves have often felt remote。 I love that MacKenzie’s book has changed that， following the evolution of these two very different women from girlhood through to older age， drawing them inexorably closer with gentle and clear-eyed understanding。 The writing is elegant and striking， its metaphors deployed with a thrilling kind of precision。 Short chapters alternate between the bold， self-aggrandising Margery and the educated， introspective Julian， their stories cleverly twining about each other。 Margery’s loneliness and vulnerability come into relief as she struggles with the lack of power and authority that all women suffered during the period， her obedience to men expected in both church and family。 Meanwhile， a grieving Julian abandons her secular life to occupy a small cell attached to a church in Norwich。 Some of the most extraordinary passages in the novel describe Julian’s surrender to the limits of her cell， the infinite-external giving way to the infinite-internal。 I’ll return to these luminous passages often， to the realisation of how large a life can be lived in a small space。 Margery’s mysticism may have been born of post-partum psychosis; Julian’s of delirium during illness。 Whatever the true source， MacKenzie is excellent at invoking the dangers of its practice。 Charges of heresy threaten。 But are these women， already deprived of the right to public speech and influence， to give up their very thoughts， too？ - their vivid mystical relationships with Christ？These concerns ignite the novel’s terrifically poignant ending; transcendent， beautifully-crafted human connection。 In many ways， a sublime novel。 。。。more
Stacey Thomas
，
“A nun is a bride of Christ and so has a nuptial mass， but becoming an anchorite is a death。 I had to die to the world。”Firstly， wow！ Victoria Mackenzie’s debut， For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain， follows the lead-up and aftermath to a meeting between Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich， two women who have been blessed （or plagued you might argue） by shewings of Christ。 Based on true events， I found myself gripped by this story and the beautiful way the author uses language to tell “A nun is a bride of Christ and so has a nuptial mass， but becoming an anchorite is a death。 I had to die to the world。”Firstly， wow！ Victoria Mackenzie’s debut， For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain， follows the lead-up and aftermath to a meeting between Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich， two women who have been blessed （or plagued you might argue） by shewings of Christ。 Based on true events， I found myself gripped by this story and the beautiful way the author uses language to tell it: “Midwinter。 Night crushes day between her fingers， squeezing the light out of her。 A cold thin moon rises， a slip of paper between stars。” I ended up highlighting so many sentences while reading， and I wasn’t surprised to realize that the author’s a poet as well。 Both Margery and Julian experience visions， but while Julian chooses to lock herself away from the world as the anchoress of Norwich， Margery lives her life out in the open （in part due to the responsibilities of her husband and fourteen children） and shares her visions with the world despite the abuses she receives。 The voices of Margery and Julian were so different， yet equally engaging， however as I was reading I found myself questioning Margery’s motives。 It wasn’t until we saw Margery from Julian’s perspective that I realized why I was more doubtful of Margery’s intentions: "Her voice swanned and preened and boasted， yet there was another note to her song。 Margery Kempe was the loneliest woman I had ever met。"In my mind’s eyes， I tend to see mystics as infallible and humble。 Margery， despite her best intentions， is flawed。 She is， as Julian senses， boastful。 She is proud。 She is ambitious in a world where women are expected to be small and quiet。 Her behaviour contrasts with Julian whose relationship with God is intensely personal。 Despite this Julian isn’t a cardboard trope of what an ideal mystic should be。 She struggles with the burden of her self-imposed seclusion from the world and the loss of her husband and young daughter。I loved how the author was able to show the characters’ vulnerabilities and flaws despite their immense faith。 Often when I read about holy figures there’s a disconnect as no matter how well-written I feel as though I am constantly looking up to them。 But Julian and Margery are so painfully real that I felt as though I was side by side with them as they battled through their fear， their doubts， their growing self-assurance， etc。 Overall， I very much enjoyed this wonderfully written debut and I can’t wait to read more of Victoria Mackenzie’s work。 。。。more
Catherine Wilson Garry
，
In 1400s England， two women's stories of faith， motherhood and grief overlap with one another。 One is Julian， an anchoress who seeks silence and answers in solitude。 The other is Margarey， a mother of fourteen who is ostracised because of her visions of Christ。 It's worth mentioning that both Julian and Margarey were real women， and Mackenzie's book does both of them justice in this retelling。This is a short book， and one that's so compelling it's easy to read in one sitting， but it manages to s In 1400s England， two women's stories of faith， motherhood and grief overlap with one another。 One is Julian， an anchoress who seeks silence and answers in solitude。 The other is Margarey， a mother of fourteen who is ostracised because of her visions of Christ。 It's worth mentioning that both Julian and Margarey were real women， and Mackenzie's book does both of them justice in this retelling。This is a short book， and one that's so compelling it's easy to read in one sitting， but it manages to say a lot about women， spirituality and history itself。 Mackenzie's version of medieval England is free of all the dark， gloom and greyness that often crowds depictions of the era。 Instead it is full of light - from small connections to nature to the lifelong impact of a closeness with God。 Mackenzie manages to make these women's lives， so different to readers， feel incredibly close and intimate。Balanced alongside this is a focus on the treatment of women - Margarey is punished for visions that， coming from a man， would be celebrated and canonised。 This book has a lot to show about the impact of friendship and support shared between women， especially in the face of adversity。I found this book incredibly moving， and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in women's stories， faith， or historical fiction more generally。 。。。more
Becky
，
A delightful read， perfect for so many readers。 The stories of two influential medieval mystics are entwined， to create a sweet， touching story。 The characters of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe， are given authentic voices and brought back to life。
Rebecca
，
Two female medieval mystics， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe， are the twin protagonists of Mackenzie’s debut。 She allows each to tell her life story through alternating first-person strands that only braid together very late on when she posits that Margery visited Julian in her cell and took into safekeeping the manuscript of her “shewings。” I finished reading Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love earlier this year and， apart from a couple of biographical details （she lost her husband and baby Two female medieval mystics， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe， are the twin protagonists of Mackenzie’s debut。 She allows each to tell her life story through alternating first-person strands that only braid together very late on when she posits that Margery visited Julian in her cell and took into safekeeping the manuscript of her “shewings。” I finished reading Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love earlier this year and， apart from a couple of biographical details （she lost her husband and baby daughter to an outbreak of plague， and didn’t leave her cell in Norwich for 23 years）， this added little to my experience of her work。I didn’t know Margery’s story， so found her sections a little more interesting。 A married mother of 14， she earned scorn for preaching， prophesying and weeping in public。 Again and again， she was told to know her place and not dare to speak on behalf of God or question the clergy。 She was a bold and passionate woman， and the accusations of heresy were no doubt motivated by a wish to see her humiliated for claiming spiritual authority。 But nowadays， we would doubtless question her mental health – likewise for Julian when you learn that her shewings arose from a time of fevered hallucination。 If you’re new to these figures， you might be captivated by their bizarre life stories and religious obsession， but I thought the bare telling was somewhat lacking in literary interest。Originally published on my blog， Bookish Beck。 。。。more
Helen
，
Victoria MacKenzie’s new novella， Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain， is set in Norfolk in 1413 and imagines a meeting between two real-life women: Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 If these names are familiar to you， you’ll know that they were both English mystics of the medieval period and were also both authors。 Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love is thought to be the first English work we can be sure was written by a woman， while Margery’s The Book of Margery Kempe is considered Victoria MacKenzie’s new novella， Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain， is set in Norfolk in 1413 and imagines a meeting between two real-life women: Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 If these names are familiar to you， you’ll know that they were both English mystics of the medieval period and were also both authors。 Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love is thought to be the first English work we can be sure was written by a woman， while Margery’s The Book of Margery Kempe is considered to be the first autobiography in the English language。The stories of the two women only converge towards the end of the book in a meeting which did take place according to Margery herself in The Book of Margery Kempe， but maybe not exactly as it is described here。 Victoria MacKenzie recreates the events leading up to their encounter and the sort of conversation they may have had， but before reaching that point she explores the backgrounds of both women， with the perspective alternating between Margery and Julian as they follow very different paths through life。Little is known of the real Julian’s early life， but MacKenzie suggests here that she may have lost her family to an outbreak of plague and that this， along with an illness during which she experienced visions or ‘shewings’ of Christ， influenced her decision to become an anchoress， secluded in a cell for twenty-three years。 Margery， in contrast， doesn’t lock herself away， but remains in the secular world， a wife and mother of fourteen。 Like Julian， she begins to have religious visions， but while Julian’s faith is personal and private， Margery prays， weeps and preaches in public， drawing attention to herself and leading to accusations of heresy。This is Victoria MacKenzie’s debut novel and I admire her for writing something so unusual and original， but although I did like it， I couldn’t quite manage to love it。 I found the structure and pacing very unbalanced， with the first section， telling the two separate tales in parallel， being by far the longest and the actual meeting at Julian’s cell being dealt with in just a few pages near the end。 Maybe if I was a more religious person myself I would have appreciated this book more， but I could still find a lot to interest me in this story of two medieval women whose different personalities and different journeys through life shape the nature of their relationships with God。 。。。more
Jules
，
3。5 stars。 Review to follow。
Aria Harlow
，
This was such an original and fresh piece of writing that will stay with me for a long time。 I hadn't heard about the person in the book or the events but this just made it so much more interesting This was such an original and fresh piece of writing that will stay with me for a long time。 I hadn't heard about the person in the book or the events but this just made it so much more interesting 。。。more
historic_chronicles
，
In the year 1413， two women met for the first and only time。 Vastly different in personality， their deep devotion to faith made them closer than they were to ever realise with an even greater connection between them: these women were granted "shewings" by none other than God Himself。 They were Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich。Mackenzie's novella is a deep study of faith and the personal relationship that one has with their own faith。The author writes with an enlightening narrative on the diff In the year 1413， two women met for the first and only time。 Vastly different in personality， their deep devotion to faith made them closer than they were to ever realise with an even greater connection between them: these women were granted "shewings" by none other than God Himself。 They were Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich。Mackenzie's novella is a deep study of faith and the personal relationship that one has with their own faith。The author writes with an enlightening narrative on the difficulties faced by 12th Century women as they are viewed as socially inferior by their male peers， their church superiors and various other authoritative roles。 These are certainly topics that are much debated on close to 700 years later marking this out as a thought-provoking read。I enjoyed the layout in perspectives from Julian to Margery acting almost as a talk and response format and while they were incredibly different women with contrasting personalities， Mackenzie was able to masterfully draw out themes that bound them together through their experiences of religion， gender， loss and love。This novella is a powerful， poignant， fascinating and relevant tale bound to play on the mind for time to come。Thank you to @bloomsburypublishing and @netgalley for allowing me early access to this beautiful story。 。。。more
Jen Burrows
，
One of my favourite non-fiction reads of the year so far is Janina Ramírez's Femina， which was my first real exposure to the lives （and historical significance） of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 For Thy Great Pain。。。 feels like the perfect fictional follow-up， giving voice to these two fascinating women from the Middle Ages。Mackenzie's novella is compact and neatly structured， weaving the two women's perspectives until they finally meet。 Though they are very different characters， by puttin One of my favourite non-fiction reads of the year so far is Janina Ramírez's Femina， which was my first real exposure to the lives （and historical significance） of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 For Thy Great Pain。。。 feels like the perfect fictional follow-up， giving voice to these two fascinating women from the Middle Ages。Mackenzie's novella is compact and neatly structured， weaving the two women's perspectives until they finally meet。 Though they are very different characters， by putting their stories side by side， Mackenzie picks out common threads that bind the two together - not just faith， but femininity， grief and the power of language。A brief， but beautiful little book。*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Kirsty
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I loved this！ A thought provoking， sensitive exploration of the lives of two remarkable medieval women。 There was a respect and sensitivity to the historical facts but a clever， lyrical exploration of the two women's lives。 I adore a dual perspective novel where both perspectives feel truly distinct， and the frantic outpourings of Margery and the stolid， steadfast words of Julian work in beautiful tandem， building and weaving together as their stories draw closer and begin to entwine。 Margery is I loved this！ A thought provoking， sensitive exploration of the lives of two remarkable medieval women。 There was a respect and sensitivity to the historical facts but a clever， lyrical exploration of the two women's lives。 I adore a dual perspective novel where both perspectives feel truly distinct， and the frantic outpourings of Margery and the stolid， steadfast words of Julian work in beautiful tandem， building and weaving together as their stories draw closer and begin to entwine。 Margery is a strange character， fascinating in her peculiarities and religious fervour。 Julian is a quieter and introspective woman， but I was equally as compelled by her words。 The book really grabs you and pulls you back in time in a great many ways， forcing you to try and get inside the heads of these two women whose lives were both outside the norm for society at the time。 Their religious visions lead them down different paths， and it's fascinating to consider what that meant for both of them and the directions their lives went at a time when women's options were so limited。 Wonderful book！ 。。。more
Verity Halliday
，
This short book was an entertaining look at two fascinating medieval women， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 The story is based on the writing of each woman， although their meeting is necessarily fictionalised because there is no historical evidence that they actually met （although they certainly could have done）。If you enjoyed this， I can also recommend Janina Ramirez’s excellent history book Femina which gives more juicy details about Julian and Margery and many more interesting medieval l This short book was an entertaining look at two fascinating medieval women， Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe。 The story is based on the writing of each woman， although their meeting is necessarily fictionalised because there is no historical evidence that they actually met （although they certainly could have done）。If you enjoyed this， I can also recommend Janina Ramirez’s excellent history book Femina which gives more juicy details about Julian and Margery and many more interesting medieval ladies besides。 。。。more
Laura
，
Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich were English mystics， both born in the late 14th century。 While they were real people， the story told is fictional but I feel it accurately captures how their lives of deep seated faith were lived。 Margery had a family while Julian （also known as Juliana）， was an anchoress， living permanently in a cell， her life totally dedicated to God。 Despite these differences in their lives， they experience similar trials and as they tell their individual stories， their st Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich were English mystics， both born in the late 14th century。 While they were real people， the story told is fictional but I feel it accurately captures how their lives of deep seated faith were lived。 Margery had a family while Julian （also known as Juliana）， was an anchoress， living permanently in a cell， her life totally dedicated to God。 Despite these differences in their lives， they experience similar trials and as they tell their individual stories， their strength shines through。 It is a powerful tale of how women of faith were treated during the Middle Ages， and I found it poignant to read。 Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Patricia Bush
，