For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

Victoria MacKenzie, MLitt 2008; PhD 2013

Set in Norfolk in 1413, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain is a novel based on the lives of two medieval mystics, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. Both women claimed to have visions of Christ at a time when such claims risked accusations of heresy – and the punishment for heresy was to be burnt at the stake. The novel explores how these two women coped with their visions, as well as themes of grief, motherhood and faith – and how the first books by women in English came to be written. It was described by Roddy Doyle as ‘the best first novel I’ve read in years.’ It was Book of the Day in The Guardian, Book of the Month in The Times and Editor’s Pick of the Best Books for 2023 in Marie Claire magazine.

ISBN: 978-1526647887