Visionary, rebel, mystic, pilgrim: prior to this book, Margery Kempe has been best known for dictating what is recognized as the first English-language autobiography. This polarizing, illiterate mother of fourteen children was repeatedly arrested for heresy at the behest of the Catholic Church, but somehow had the pluck and determination to barely escape being burnt alive at the stake by the very same men who had Joan of Arc burnt to death, as the 600th anniversary of this event approaches.
Born around 1373, her story is set in the early years of the fifteenth century and encompasses events such as the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, the Great Schism and the Peasants Revolt. During her era, she had a following of religious supporters; today she is followed by a world-wide body of academics and politicians, most trying to understand the enigma: a woman with deep ambition to be a saint, but so outspoken and outrageous she is chased out of town after town.
MacDonald tells Kempe's story in a straightforward, journalistic fashion. At the same time, the book reads like a novel, with adventure, romance, intrigue, deception, and more at its very core. This is a story of passion and conviction, the life of a saint of the Anglican Church and a model for all of a deep dedication to a life centered in Jesus Christ.
