World Between Worlds
The spiritual and temporal story of Caterina, a mystic in the Tuscan city of Siena in the late 14th century, who was later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint, unfolds in this entrancing novel of her early life. It is set against the dramatic backdrop of the chaotic and turbulent years of infighting among the Italian states, the moving of the Papacy from Avignon back to Rome, the wider European repercussions of the Hundred Years’ War, and a time of plague and pestilence. Caterina’s years as the daughter of a middle-class dye maker in a large family are filled with both sorrow and joy. Her burgeoning spiritual awareness, however, sets her apart from many in her community and her family, who hold particular expectations as to how young women should live their lives. As Caterina grows and matures in her devotional understanding, she defies many of these expectations. How she handles these circumstances is both very human and truly inspirational. She works to ease the physical suffering of others but also offers them spiritual nourishment, and she educates the more educated with her words on the power of love.
Written in gorgeous, luminous prose that reflects Caterina’s journey from darkness to light, this novel is a pleasure to read on many levels. It is informative, entertaining, and enlightening. It provokes feelings of pity, despair, and disgust at the foibles of humans, yet it also inculcates respect and awe for one human’s experience of the divine. Highly recommended for readers interested in exploring and imaging the role of women and religious life in medieval Italian history through the narrative power of fiction.
