I, Julian: The fictional autobiography of Julian of Norwich

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To become a subscriber to Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader’s Quarterly Magazine, please visit our subscriptions page. Tender, luminous, meditative and powerful, this is a powerful fictional retelling of the life of Julian of Norwich - the mother, mystic and radical. Battling grief, plague, the church and societal expectations, and compelled by her powerful visions, Julian finds a way to live a life of freedom - as an anchoress, bricked up in a small room on the side of a church. The 14th revelation of the parable of the Lord and Servant is the most intriguing and I think its reinterpretation of the Fall is completely brilliant. Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it's more like having a well-read friend than a subscription to a literary review.

As a mystic, her interpretation of the visions she experiences lead her to the famous conclusion that “All will be Well. This book is going to introduce many new readers to Julian and inspire others who know her slightly to go back with fresh eyes and a reinvigorated sense of how her writing developed and in what sort of historical setting.From the author of Miles to Go before I Sleep comes I, Julian, the account of a medieval woman who dares to tell her own story, battling grief, plague, the church and societal expectations to do so.

Julian's voice rings out true on every page and a deep understanding of her world and her work underpins each line.I, Julian is a fictionalised autobiography of Dame (or Mother) Julian of Norwich, best described, I would say, as a contemplative lay religious figure – a lay nun, really. I loved the story telling, from when Julian was a young girl watching her father die from the plague through to her voluntarily being walled up in her cell and how she dealt with that. Julian's meditative and other spiritual practices give her insights that almost match those of Buddhism.